These charts are helpful in calming attitudes toward the Courts. But the chart that disturbed me most was the first one. We cannot have a third party (unless self-funded by a billionaire) because independent candidates face enormous legal barriers to getting on the ballot. And by the time they are done facing lawsuits, often paid for by tax dollars, they have no money left actually to campaign. This is not democratic. We can argue over whether our traditional two-party system would benefit from a third centrist party, but not until we fix the fact that our system is rigged against them.
These charts are helpful in calming attitudes toward the Courts. But the chart that disturbed me most was the first one. We cannot have a third party (unless self-funded by a billionaire) because independent candidates face enormous legal barriers to getting on the ballot. And by the time they are done facing lawsuits, often paid for by tax dollars, they have no money left actually to campaign. This is not democratic. We can argue over whether our traditional two-party system would benefit from a third centrist party, but not until we fix the fact that our system is rigged against them.