Book Review: Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop

Hi Germaine, I've not been around for awhile, but I stumbled on a book review, and interview with the author, which the regulars on this site might find of interest.  I've put it up on another discussion thread as well, that being the News View group, and you may just want to, if you choose to put this up, refer them to that link (https://newsviews.online/2020/03/07/book-review-breaking-the-two-party-doom-loop/), or publish on this blog the following submission:

Can America Break Free from the Two-Party Doom Loop?

There is a growing consensus that the American political system is no longer the gold standard it once was. The United States ranks outside the top 20 countries in the Corruption Perception Index. U.S. voter turnout trails most other developed countries. Congressional approval ratings hover around 20 percent, and polling shows that partisan animosity is at an all-time high. It doesn’t take a social scientist to see that our legislatures are increasingly defined by gridlock and gamesmanship.

It’s always tempting to think that the next election will turn things around, and for both Republicans and Democrats to believe that our country would course-correct if only they could elect more of their own. But what if the problem isn’t the people on the other side of the aisle? What if the two-party system itself is creating a vicious cycle, making government less effective and driving us apart?

That’s what Lee Drutman argues in Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop. Drutman, a political scientist and senior fellow at New America, writes that moving to a multiparty democracy can create fair representation, reduce partisan gridlock, lead to more positive incremental change, and increase both voter turnout and voter satisfaction. And through concrete reforms, like implementing ranked-choice voting and expanding the size of the House of Representatives, Drutman lays out the path forward. 

Go to link for the full review:

https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/january-february-march-2020/can-america-break-free-from-the-two-party-doom-loop/

If you're intrigued by the review, here's an interview with the author:

https://www.salon.com/2020/03/07/can-multi-party-democracy-break-us-out-of-the-doom-loop-of-american-politics/

Finally, here's a recent Youtube video of a Drutman giving a talk on the book's argument:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xVSnScjBCU