I've always wondered why there are two dominant parties that represent the extreme left or right of the political spectrum, when the political opinion of the nation varies beyond the ideals of the two party system. The other smaller parties should get more attention and maybe the country wouldn't be so polarized and divided since the representation of the people would be broader. What do you think?

Even from the beginning, we were a two-party system, with the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists (who then briefly became the anti-administration party after the Bill of Rights was passed and then shortly after the Democratic-Republican party). Most any other party was largely a single issue one, like today's Green party.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking now. "But Das, muh Whigs." Okay, the Whigs came about in the early 1800's as a merger between the Nat. Republican party of the day, and the single issue Anti Masonic party. They also were only around for about twenty years.
There have always been two major factions in American politics, with small players overlooked on the field. Reason being that a lot of third parties are single issue parties. They are also discouraged by the major party closest to it from actively splitting the voter base and giving more power to the other side in house/senate elections.

Don't you mean the center left and center right?

because we aren't smart enough to weigh multiple different options. we just want to pick a or b and get on with our day.

Because it costs like $200,000 for 4 minutes of speaking time or something and the smaller parties can't afford that.

That's what I've read, at least.

"It cost 400,000 dollars to present my platform. For 12 seconds."

i think it's also because of our voting system.



the left image doesn't really allow for anything more robust than the two party system

Because it costs like $200,000 for 4 minutes of speaking time or something and the smaller parties can't afford that.

That's what I've read, at least.

Also, third parties have to register for the ballot per-district/state and meet a minimum petition signing (a strict limit or percentage of the previous vote) that only includes residents of that area.

Also, third parties only qualify for public funding if they receive 5% of the vote in the previous election. The Reform Party is a good example of that, what with the failure to receive public funding after the 2000 election and its subsequent drop into obscurity (relative to the mid-90s).

Add in the fact that we use a Single Member Plurality Electoral System, and you get the result of three US Senators and one member of the House of Representatives being Independent.

>allow
>as if you have a choice
>"lol guise cmon democracy is real and it works lol xD"

whats the better option?