[ashurbanipal]

Hold on, so we call it "Mind Control" when Google shifts our preferences toward one of two pre-selected choices? What do we call the state of the world that leaves us with only 2 pre-selected choices who happen to agree on 90%+ of all policies?

[oldmanjay]

You call it "a freshly plowed field ripe for planting Donald J Trump"

If you are inclined to speak in metaphors, that is.

[J_Darnley]

Inevitable. Do you really think the power brokers let you have a real choice?

[EGreg]

Not power brokers. It's an emergent phenomenon predicted by public choice theory.

http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=212

[nunyabuizness]

Also, this CGP Grey video explains how a first-past-the-post voting system all-but-guarantees a two party system to emerge over time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo

[J_Darnley]

Would you like to replace it with proportional representation? You thought a few day government shutdown was bad? Try 500 days.

[germanier]

Then how do you explain the missing government shutdowns in all the countries with proportional representation? Even in Belgium, where they had a long time without a new government after an election, government services were provided just fine.

[forgottenpass]

You think it is two party representation to blame for the state of the U.S. legislature?

It's just as easy to blame the fact the smallest minority party in either chamber still has near-majority numbers. They're not incentivized to compromise the way a party that knows they'll never get more than 10% of seats would.

And government shutdowns as a result of legislative gridlock across the world aren't even correlated with a more-than-two party legislature.

[J_Darnley]

Dude, your tinfoil is slipping.