A to C, B is missing.

A: We have two political parties in the US. This leads to us-vs-them, poor compromises, and fewer viewpoints being heard in public. Many issues are bundled up together even though they have no coherent underlying philosophy.

C: We could have a dozen or so parties, each with a better philosophical grounding. Parties could afford not to have positions on some things when other issues are more important to them. Coalitions would be negotiated. More people would have better public airings of their positions.


The problem is B, the transition from A to C. If one major party fragments, the other immediately has an advantage. So they must both fragment simultaneously, or at least in a window of less than a year -- probably less than six months. Advantages in more general elections accrue to larger parties. It might be that there is no way to move from A to C without incurring temporary disadvantages so great that no semi-rational actor would willingly incur them.

A to C, B is missing.

A: We have two political parties in the US. This leads to us-vs-them, poor compromises, and fewer viewpoints being heard in public. Many issues are bundled up together even though they have no coherent underlying philosophy.

C: We could have a dozen or so parties, each with a better philosophical grounding. Parties could afford not to have positions on some things when other issues are more important to them. Coalitions would be negotiated. More people would have better public airings of their positions.


The problem is B, the transition from A to C. If one major party fragments, the other immediately has an advantage. So they must both fragment simultaneously, or at least in a window of less than a year -- probably less than six months. Advantages in more general elections accrue to larger parties. It might be that there is no way to move from A to C without incurring temporary disadvantages so great that no semi-rational actor would willingly incur them.