That was one of the more interesting SOTU addresses I’ve seen. Personally, I think he said most of the things that needed to be said, and he said them reasonably well. I’m sure he’s going to get some flack for attacking Trump directly (though not by name), but I was frankly glad to see it. Doing otherwise makes it seem like it’s just your typical election/political disagreements, but we’re past that now.

  • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 months ago

    I think I understand your question. In the United States, they have what’s called a “First Past The Post” electoral system. This essentially means if you get the most votes, even if you don’t get the majority of votes, you win the electoral district. Win the most electoral districts and you become President. The reality of this system is that it effectively becomes a “2 Party System”, where you have many parties to vote for, but only 2 viable options, in this case Democrats and Republicans. Because of this, it becomes necessary to “strategically vote” so you vote for the lesser of two evils. First Past The Post is not a representative democracy and therefore should be replaced with a better system that allows 3rd Parties to have a fighting chance. The leaders of the 2 big parties have lots of money and influence and can prevent this from happening.

    • ikidd@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      There’s plenty of FPTP systems that have more than one party. The US 2 party system is there because of lack of campaign financing restrictions, and, well, corruption.

      • dvoraqs@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        There are other parties even in the US, but they are not taken seriously because they basically take away votes from the big party ideologically closer to them and so they are marginalized. Appropriately so given how FPTP works.

        The election system is the real issue that needs to be fixed, and new finance rules around elections aren’t going to make enough of a dent.

        • ikidd@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I’m talking parties that take seats. The two party FPTP is peculiar to the US.

    • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      makes perfect sense then why third parties do not have a fighting chance thanks for clearing the air

      Republicans and Democrats make sure the other parties cannot participate, take people’s votes away (am one of many not allowed to vote or participate in this “democracy”), and stack the board in their favor and both parties are backed by corporations that have their own interests that do not align with the citizens so the shareholders win no matter who gets to be president

      https://www.democracynow.org/2012/10/17/green_partys_jill_stein_cheri_honkala

      https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_republic

      • specseaweed@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        …so then you totally did understand, you just wanted someone to waste their time explaining it so you could immediately come back with jill stein nonsense. that was a dick thing to do.

        • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          8 months ago

          Earned them -14 points, so they don’t really look very smart here. But as pointless as it all seems, we need to keep relaying the message of electoral reform to as many people as possible.

          • lennybird@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Their whole spiel relies on reaching literally any bystander they can. Definitely worth dissecting their bullshit.

            Anyone pushing for Stein, Gabbard, or the likes of any of these people is quite clearly trying to wedge-drive and there’s a decent probability they’re a Kremlin bot.

            • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              or maybe they’re someone whose life has been affected negatively by different Democrat and Republican laws and policies their whole life and are just looking for some alternative some other way out because they feel stuck in someone else’s country that does not want them there to begin with

              anyone who supports the Democrat or Republican corporate parties has never been directly affected by either enough to know otherwise and are lucky to live in that United States

              not allowed to vote and participate in this game so what do I know anyways right

              rather some other party besides the “two” because do not want either of the two in power so what good is wedge-driving to someone like me who actually wants change to occur not the same shit on a blue plate we are always served

              tired of eating that horse shit and cannot wait until the rest are too

              • lennybird@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                If you know that much but not the mathematical trend toward a two-party system that does not, again mathematically, permit a 3rd-party candidate without risking the FAR WORSE candidate via spoiler, Donald Trump, then you are arguing in bad faith or young and naive.