Time for a 4 party system?

[clydefrand]

We now have:
TEA PARTY, REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, and DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST.
(independent is not a party, that says Hey, guess what I am?)

[DFW]

1. I live in a country with a multi-party system

Hardly ever does any one party get an outright majority anywhere, much less in parliament, and minority parties hold the big parties hostage when coalitions are formed. It's very unwieldy, too little gets done, and I doubt we'd put up with it for long.

We prefer action to stalemate, even if our preferences are ignored way too often for our liking. My country of residence has been dulled into taking stalemate for granted, and having faceless, ignorant bureaucrats write laws on matters that they know nothing about, and couldn't care less about their workings on the population once they are in place. Sometimes, like the stopped clock, they do some good in spite of themselves. Often they do not.

Notice how many candidates, no matter what they may call themselves, are running for the nomination of the Tea Party and the Democratic Socialist Party? Notice, for that matter, how many of the candidates that COULD credibly run for the nomination of either of those two "parties" have said they would NOT support the main party's nominee if they are not it?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. The more choices the better.

[Initech]

3. I would much prefer shorter campaigns.

Our election cycle is way too long compared to the rest of the world. We're a year out and I'm already sick of it.