Why does the USA have only 2 political parties?

Americans are born and raised into a culture of no real choice with a bad media subservient to power that doesn't inform, enlightens, educates the public or really challenges political leaders or talks about the issues but is actively involved in keeping the public confused and misdirected. The media is all about sensationalism and that gets sold as political news and debate. They hop from non issue to non issue to hype to overblown incident and that's sold as political news. It's no wonder after being born in that culture and having lived there forever Americans don't know better. Much like an incest victim they believe it's normal because they know nothing else and are constantly brainwashed for decades day in day out from all sides, the US is the freest country in the world.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

In other countries you can blame people who don't vote but in the American system it really doesn't make sense to vote if your state has no chance of being a swing state. If you're red in a certain blue state your vote doesn't count and the other way around.

Half of half of the mature population is enough to win the election, that's not representative government. The USA is not a free country.

Of those few thinking far enough to reject the duopoly too many still seem to think it can be broken if just the right person runs as a third party candidate which is a naive a mistake. The reason is the many legal burdens the duopoly has put into place and the enormous power they yield that make many potential voters feel a third party vote is wasted, often they are right. Virtually all levels of government whether it's local , state or federal, any position of power in the US is held by a Democrat or a Republican. They are just fine with the current situation and hold all power.

This is an issue where many who want to see the duopoly abolished go off track in my view. Too many Americans who reject the two party charade continue to believe one candidate, if it's just the right one, will be able to break the system and fundamentally change it. I believe that's naive, the two party system is that organized, no one candidate ,by running alone, can turn it around and make it into a mature democracy. No one candidate can change a corrupt system by simply participating in it. Structural changes are absolutely necessary first.

Most Americans don't know these facts about the electoral process:

*It takes 675,000 petition signatures for an independent or minor party presidential candidate to get on the ballot in all 50 states -- that is 26 times the number needed by a Democratic presidential candidate.

*Requirements for a minor party candidate to get on the ballot increased tenfold from 1930 to 1980 -- while the U.S. population increased only two times.

*Discriminatory filing fees hit only independent or minor party candidates.

*Sky-high signature requirements exist in many states. Examples: California -- 140,149 (in 15 weeks); Oklahoma -- 58,552; Maryland -- 69,500; North Carolina -- 43,601.

Besides these huge signature requirements, there are many obstacles to voter registration, particularly evident against Blacks and Hispanics. All of these are barriers to ballot access. They consume the limited resources of alternative parties and independents and leave them with little with which to carry on effective communication with the voting public.

When independents and minor parties do manage to get on the ballot, the major media studiously ignores them. There are no "Meet the Press" or "Face the Nation" network shows for these candidates.

Few alternative parties have access to the massive funds, private or public, to enable them to buy time in the electronic media or space in print publications to state their case to the voters. Thus, they may get on the ballot in some states, but they can't get a broad hearing to advance their views.

http://www.cofoe.org/

You are right in some way even if there are more parties. But inside the two big parties there are many different interest organisations. So neither of them are monolithic and opinions can differ very much within these parties. I dont think more parties automatically makes a country more democratic. Poland had the very many parties (The Beerparty was one) in the sejm right after the fall of communism it didnt make the country easy to govern.

Besides it is very common in countries with the majority system to only have two major parties. Where the representation is proportional there is more parties

We actually have a lot more than that. However, the only ones that usually participate in general elections are Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian, and Constitution Parties. But throughout the history of the United States there have been hundreds of political parties, even if only used for a couple of years.

Actually, America has many different political parties. Democratic and Republican are just the most popular political parties. Almost everyone one is either a Democrat or Republican, so we forget about the other, smaller political parties.

The other political parties include the Constitution Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the America First Party, the American Party, and many others. I provided a link so you can check out all the political parties of the United States.

There are many political parties, but only the two major ones get attention. However, a number of communities have "minor party" candidates win municipal seats. In Maine and Minnesota, Green Party candidates won seats to their state legislature.

A. We are not a Democracy. We are a Representational Constitutional Republic.

B. We have more than 2... but you don't hear about the others because they can't attract enough support to make a difference. Basically, the Republicans and the Democrats are able to pander their positions enough to snag the vast majority of voters.

We have a Socialist party, Communist party, Libertarian Party, Democratic Party, Republican Party, a Green Party, a Constitutional party. And many more...

But in reality the Democratic party is the Socialist, Communist, Green party rolled into one party. Libertarian and Constitutional party members tend to lean towards the Republican party.

I was in Germany two years ago and they were so concerned that the US only had two parties. While bragging they had several parties, they also argues there shouldn't be any parties. So while they wear the fact that the have multiple Parties as a badge of honor, they are either hypocrytical or contradictory in their belief that there shouldn't be any parties.

Personally, I vote for the candidate that most closely matches my beliefs. More likely that not, however, I find myself voting for someone, because the alternative is more opposite than my belief system.

You could be from the Mars Party, if your beliefs and policies closely match mine, I'll vote for you.

Because we have been given a False Choice. We have been told that the only viable candidates are Republican and Democrat. That to vote third party would to lose your vote. Someone suggested we all change our registration to independent and give Washington a bad case of Diarrhea and then vote in a third party candidate.

We have believed the rhetoric and think that we only have two choices. Ron Paul is coming up strong

You have limited knowledge of USA politics. US has a long list of political parties however, there are only two main parties.

Everything has its own merits and demerits, having two main parties helps in clear and clean majority unlike India where representatives are sold and purchased due to increasing influence of regional parties. On the other hand voters have limited choice. But the voters in USA are very much awake, that is why two main parties win elections.

The USA does not even have two parties. It merely has different priorities and ways of going about achieving national goals. These goals are always the same Democrat or Republican " What ever the corporate want, what Exxon Mobile, Big Pharma, Energy, etc.. Tell the people anything, give nothing. Keep taking, keep their expectations very low. Mary.