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briandmyers  ·  3999 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why the recovery isn't helping Democrats in the midterm polls

>> I'm not sure a multiparty platform is any better

I live in a country without an entrenched two-party system, so I feel qualified to comment here.

The difference to me is this : if I were a Green in the USA, I would have no voice, because my party is not R or D. As a Green in NZ, I DO have a voice, because even though it is small (~10-12 percent usually), it is still big enough to make a difference in the coalition negotiations. If a bigger party needs the Green's support to rule, as they often do, they must throw the Greens a policy bone now and then, which they do. Smaller parties have a smaller voice, but it's not a silent voice.