Two Parties--or More?: The American Party System

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? Two PartiesOr 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 Perots Reform partys efforts in 1992 and 1996, 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 Democrat nor Republican. Although the Democrats and Republicans have dominated American politics for nearly 150 years, many Americans today have doubts about the two-party system. In 1992, nearly 30 percent of those polled felt that the two-party system is seriously broken and the country needs a third party. In fact, in three of the five most recent presidential elections, candidates from outside the two parties have attracted serious media and voter attention.Students of American government are thus 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? Two PartiesOr More? answers these questions by first placing the dilemma in the context of recent electionsat both the state and federal leveland by defining the types of minor parties and of the roles they play. The authors then provide a historical overview of minor partiesincluding such transient groups as the Know Nothings and the Greenbacksand the roles they played in moving major parties on issue spectrums.As the discussion turns to the context in which all political parties must function, topics include the role of the party in an election, the impact of a direct primary system, the role of legislatures and courts, and questions regarding ballot access and campaign financing. By focusing on Perots Reform partys efforts in 1992 and 1996, 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. Two PartiesOr More? concludes 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 Democrat nor Republican. In courses on American government or parties and elections, Two PartiesOr More? will entice students to debate one of the most pressing (and enduring) issues with respect to the American electoral system.

Table of Contents:
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

About the Author :
John F. Bibby is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and the author of Politics, Parties, and Elections in America, Governing by Consent: An Introduction to American Politics, and the co-author of Party Organizations in American Politics . He was the 2001 recipient of the Samuel J. Eldersveld Lifetime Award from the Political Organizations and Parties Section of the American Political Science Association. 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 director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College. Former president of the New England Political Science Association and former chair of the Legislative Studies and the 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 and of Jews in American Politics; he is editor of The Parties Respond: Changes in American Parties and Campaigning, now in its fourth edition with Westview, co-author of Parties and Elections in America, also now in its fourth edition, and author or co-author of dozens of journal articles and book chapters.