Two Parties--or More?: The American Party System, Second Edition

Answers the question Why is the American political system limited to only two parties? The second edition includes coverage of Ralph Nader in the 2000 election. . Students of American government are faced with an enduring dilemma: Why two parties? Why has this system remained largely intact while around the world democracies support multiparty systems? Should our two-party system continue as we enter the new millennium? This newly revised and updated edition of Two Parties-Or More? answers these questions by placing the dilemma in the context of recent elections and the environment in which all parties must function. The text provides students with a historical overview of minor parties and their impact on politics. By focusing on Ross Perot's efforts in 1992 and 1996 and the difficulty the Reform party faced in 2000, Jesse Ventura's gubernatorial victory in Minnesota, and Ralph Nader's Green party campaign for the presidency in 2000, the text lays out the current dilemma regarding third parties and explores the extent and cause of the current dissatisfaction with the two major parties. The authors conclude with predictions about the future of third-party politics in the states and the nation. The text is enhanced with a glossary, discussion questions, and an appendix of important third parties in presidential elections and recent officeholders who were neither Democrats nor Republicans. The revised edition highlights the implications of recent successes (Angus King in Maine in 1994 and 1998, Ventura in Minnesota, Perot in 1992, and Nader in 2000) and failures (the Reform party in 2000 and fewer third party winners in the states) of third party efforts for the future of America's traditionally two-party system.

Table of Contents:
Tables and Figures; Preface and Acknowledgments; Third Parties in American Politics Minor Parties in a Two-Party System: Historical Perspectives Third Parties in the American Context: A Less Than Friendly Environment The Public Demand for Alternatives Political Parties in the Twenty-First Century; Discussion Questions; Glossary; Appendix; Notes; References; Index

About the Author :
John F. Bibby is professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and the author of Politics, Parties, and Elections in America and coauthor of Party Organziations in American Politics. In addition to being a specialist in the study of political parties, he has held leadership positions in national, state, and local party organizations. L. Sandy Maisel is William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Government and chair of the Department of Government at Colby College. Former president of the New England Political Science Association and chair of the Legislative Studies and Political Organizations and Parties sections of the American Political Science Association, Maisel is the general editor of Political Parties and Elections in the United States: An Encyclopedia, editor of The Parties Respond: Changes in American Parties and Campaigning, Second Edition (Westview Press), and author of Parties and Elections in America.