Al Gore on the Two Party System

[Wotanraven]

Most countries have two party systems, even those whose third parties have high scores, like in Europe where they often reach over 10% (some up to 20%), but the US is one of the worst in that sense. Not only because no third party stands a single chance of reaching a respectable score (the media ignores them too much) but also because the difference between Dems and Reps is honestly pretty much negligible, more so than the mainstream left/right parties in Europe which are also quasi identical.

[769kinsey]

He is clearly against any additional voices. He refers to the possible people in both parties that could be elected, as a "coalition".

[red33432]

Can this guy express a SINGLE thought sans using the word "I"?

[nethoser]

I'm so glad I'm Canadian...

HAHA! Sucker Americans with your two party corrupt system, you guys are fucked and you brought this on your selves with your rampant apathy. Keep on watching American Idol and not caring, see where it leads your dumb asses! LMFAO

[glockman1727ak47]

@nethoser although you are rude i agree with you. what is wrong with people... " i am not political " ,<-- those people are the problem.

[nethoser]

@glockman1727ak47 I was rude to challenge you guys to wake the FUCK UP!

[glockman1727ak47]

@nethoser Being rude does not wake people up. There are better ways than being rude. What do you think would be a better way?

[nethoser]

@glockman1727ak47 1) I dont have time for better ways. 2) I'm Canadian so it's not rly my job. Good luck!

[MrCHRISDOGGG]

HE'S SERIAL

[AllOtherNamesTaken2]

The problem with having more than 2 parties is that breaking off from your party to form a 3rd one hurts you and your old party by dividing the vote. I don't think it's practically possible to undo a 2 party system once it has been solidified.

[thispoorguy]

@AllOtherNamesTaken2 There shouldn't be any parties. Having parties is what screws up everything, republicans only vote republican just because they are republican, they don't care who the person is or what they stand for other than the name of there party

[glockman1727ak47]

@thispoorguy how do we change this?

[thispoorguy]

@glockman1727ak47 People would have to start voting for 3rd party candidates, but its hard to even know who 3rd party candidates are because media outlets are bought off by either the right or the left. There are few popular websites that go down the middle and aren't biased, but they aren't popular among the common voter to make a difference, plus they typically focus on the main left/right political parties instead of political candidates who are 3rd party.

[Tuuliska]

Just yesterday I heard a pretty good point buy this pretty smart Estonian called Leo Kunnas: The problem with two party democracy is that the parties can pretty much do whatever they want because they know that their supporters have no other choice if they don't want the other party in power. All you have to do is to tell people that the other guys are even worse.

[deistforever2001]

Two parties are not written into the constitution, but the electoral college is, and as it turns out that is one of the main reasons that we have a two party system!

[Reaper6207]

Sad when the fucking ads are longer than the videos, and then the "SKIP NOW" button pops up half way through. Fuck this youtube ad bullshit!

[AGrandt]

IMHO "Party-list proportional representation" yields a very fair representation, but I doubt the US politicians are grown up enough to survive the big league election systems just yet.

[karimi94]

There should be a no-party system just like our founding fathers suggested.

[elysium735]

Al Gore pays himself for his carbon emissions. True inspiration that douchebag.

[thesketchydude118]

Making more than 2 parties doesnt make it more complicated up here in Canada we have 5 parties so thats just a load of bs that it'll make things more complicated

[noxidereus]

There is one party -- the corporation. The only difference between Ds are Rs is the speed at which they want to shift resources and wealth (and rights for that matter) away from the masses to the rich/corporations. Republicans want to take it all away right this second and hire private armies to crush any rebellion, while the Democrats think it should be done more slowly so the people don't notice and thus do not rebel. It's a hard pill to swallow, but it is the truth.

[MacPr0xnxx0]

Abolish the two party system!!!!

[IckleMcMan452]

Presidential elections are just a tonic to delude the United States population into thinking they choose the decision-makers for their country. The truth is that the real decision-makers are the people who fund the candidates and lobby for legislation; the people with the wealth have the real power. We didn't elect them into power and we can't elect them out. Short of a Second American Revolution, they aren't going anywhere.

[dougccdoug]

There are numerous factions within both major parties, and significant intraparty disputes that are vigorously debated and contested by way of the primary system. Most engaged Americans, for instance, vote for president twice - first for their favored party candidate, than for their party's nominee, with the result being that they're much more active in the democratic process than those who either cluster on the sidelines or eschew the process altogether.

[TheLorax1983]

The 2 party system only exists to make us ignorant poor folk feel like we have a choice without thinking about anything hard enough to realize that there's no difference between the 2 and it's just a lot of wealthy elitists doing what they want and leaving us with the bill. Obama hasn't made any changes for the better, we might as well have just let Bush stay in office. They both blame each other for our problems but I doubt there's a member of either who has to suffer over them.

[ZomBiezley]

The third party exists, its the corporate party

[Dracohero]

I'm with our first president on this one...A lack of any persistant party is the least corrupt way to run things. Once parties stayed together after completing their intented cause, we lost our ability to vote for a real representative of our desires; now we can choose between 2 different people every 4 years, rather than whomever fits the spot correctly.

[libertarianjury]

Hmmm. A power whore who did his best as a career politician to sell the slaves global warming, so that his pals in the UN could make BILLIONS trading "carbon credits". And he's in favor of the "two party system" that has two parties of stooges for the Federal Reserve that agree on every substantive issue? No, I don't believe it! LOL. It's the fact that moronic vested-interest replies like this are taken seriously that indicates just exactly how uneducated America really is.

[gomobo2232]

As soon as he said i have mixed feelings I thought...get ready for the bullshit

[johnnyappleseedism]

bad cop / good cop. "he comes as two, but speaks as one"

[jtizz711]

It's not really a two party system its really one. They switch back in forth to give you the illusion that it is two.

[kyler565]

how is that mixed feelings? Al gore is a slimball

[iplaydrumsnguitar]

I wish we didn't have a two party system so each politician can think for themselves. I really think our opinions would be very different without the influence of the party we prefer.

[rocketman768]

Hey, he actually kind of answered this question.

[356pla]

Of the three of this series I've watched this was the first where he took a clear position. The other two were pot & can an atheist be president. He didn't even come close on that one.

[meadydoheny]

inteviewer- "you've been a career-politician....do you want any competition from a 3rd party that would threaten the holding of your position?"

Al- *gets all defensive* ..."uhhhh that wouldn't be a good idea for AMERICA....blah blah"

[willforrhall]

Still sore over Nader huh Gore? Maybe people wouldn't have voted for if you had shown some real opposition to the corporatism that rules both parties in the US.

[MaxCarlsson95]

Fuck liberals fuck the republicans GO SOCIALISM! (Btw most liberals are actually socialist :O )

[HerrscherderWelt]

@MaxCarlsson95

Most liberals are socialists? Maybe you should look up what it means...

[penutwi]

duchebag

[DavidPennable]

in trial, they cross examine the WITNESS! infowarriors still UNITED!

[RThornhill69]

That sounded like a jab at Nader.

[OldVikingSchool]

We need a new government including Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Bill Crosby, Chuck Norris and Mark(From Classic Game Room HD)

Now that's a winning team.

[noyouaintgettingit]

@OldVikingSchool Al Gore and Bill Clinton? You've got to be kidding. Clinton's regime was responsible for Waco and Ruby Ridge massacres, as well as the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act which led to our current economic state (plus, no thanks to Bush and Cheney being criminal bastards) the two party system is FUCKED. I'm a Libertarian.

[asmodeon]

@noyouaintgettingit I bet you've got Atlas Shrugged on your mantel in a place of honor too.

[TheSaltyAdmiral]

The problem with the two party system is that the span in political views is so big that not one party will cover it. For instance a blue dog democrat has very little in common with a socialist, but a socialist have to choice but to vote for the same guy.

That being said, the REAL problem is the legal corruption. It does not matter how many parties you have, if corporations can continue to buy off politicians like they can today, a third pary will offer little change.

[TheSuperImmortalKing]

look up median voter theorem. It basically states that in a two party system the best strategy for a politician to get the most votes is to stay as moderate as possible to the issues, not really taking a real stand.

[4K4K1K0]

Well at least there is no one-party system.

[DavidPennable]

@4K4K1K0 .youtube.com/watch?v=YnV-QK6GY­ik

[alx90x]

WHAT! a give and take? to help the people get at the truth???? no way!! there is NO significant diff. between the two parties. the last few yrs. have shown us this. mccain wouldve done the same exact thing obama has been doin. in fact, bush did it b4 he left. fuck both parties

[Phi1618033]

@alx90x As a political scientist, I can assure you that the Democratic and Republican parties have never been more polarized than they are right now. Do some actual research and you'll see for yourself. After doing the research, If you still don't see a real difference between them it's more likely to be a result of your willful ignorance than an objective take on reality.

[alx90x]

@Phi1618033 nice circular logic. as a political scientist you should know better.

they may differ on social issues, but when it comes down to it, theres little difference between dems. and repubs. obama has continued and upheld the imperialist policies that people so hated bush for. theres just one example of many

[trademark6]

@alx90x there is a difference between the two parties. if their philosophies were the same,  stuff would be getting done. do some reasearch before you comment.

[stevestutz]

Of course he loves the two party system, that way the status quo never changes, the two parties are a joke. Now after the Bush Administration, the two parties are more similar than ever, a supposedly conservative president has spent more money than has ever been spent in 50 years. Now we have our President Elect saying he wants to cut taxes while creating 600,000 new federal jobs out of thin air. Sorry but both parties are corrupt beyond belief.

[TiradeFaction]

Wait, he claims that all problems only have two solutions? What a very simple world he lives in.

[GeeYouAreYou0001]

Not exactly. Political parties evolve over time and develope different solutions to ever-changing problems. The Democrats used to be the corrupt, racist party and Republicans used to be the liberal, corruption-fighting party. Over a course of 100 years of the two party's existance, their core values seemed to have flipflopped

[TiradeFaction]

I'd just read DeAnte's comments above.

Democrats are hardly even left leaning.

[TiradeFaction]

If you think that it's a simple binary of "evil curropt republicans" versus the "virtuous democrats", then frankly, you live in the simple world view expoused by the likes of Al Gore. Both are corrupt establishments, and both cleverly manipulate the system to push out any progress needed for this time.

[TiradeFaction]

I was speaking of the politicians who represent the party, not the poor saps who vote for them.

[GeeYouAreYou0001]

Well it depends what area they're from. If you're a Democrat from Texas you're more likely to be a moderate Democrat. If you're a Democrat from New York you're more likely to be a liberal Democrat. The same thing goes for Republicans but they lean conservative instead of liberal. I live in Pennsylvania and we're pretty evenly split between liberals and moderates here. I'm a liberal Democrat and my entire neighborhood voted for Obama, but I know some Hillary supporters who voted for McCain.

[TiradeFaction]

(fucking youtube puts my comment up)

I was speaking of the politicians who represent the party, not the poor saps who vote for them.

[berrypievision]

One of the most ridiculous amounts of spin I've seen used to justify the two party system. Fuck you Al Gore.

[DatVillain83]

you shut-up (D), no you shut-up (R) is better than 'getting too complex'!? I don't understand what you mean by 'free people' Mr. Gore when you say there's only 1 coalition 'that really has a chance'!

[Kold2market]

Al Gore is a Spoiler!

He spoiled the election for Ralph Nader in 2000

[futureforscenerios]

oh man eff this all. i have gone to great lengths to try and find truthful political info. there is nothing i can believe anymore. everything is biased, everything is pr, there is no truth. i have become apathetic now. i no longer care, as long as i don't die. if only there was group, station, or organization just dedicated to the truth and nothing but the truth. but i doubt that is possible. everyone has their own agenda/bias.

[LamenessFTW]

lol i dont think al gore really said anything at all...

[theoconquers]

lol ya

o well he pwnorz

[dh234]

lmao how many of you guys commenting are actualy are involved in politics hahaha blablabla

[Beadbud5000]

National Initiative, Roosevelt's Progressive party (or something like it)... What we have currently DOES NOT WORK!

[djancak]

Everyone please read the comments by DeAnte85 and Hostile.

[PowerForGood]

This man (Al Gore) is either an idiot or a sociopath. And it is axiomatic that sociopath + corrupt biased media + idiotic and lazy populace = disaster. Disaster = any democrat in office. Simple logic.

[bobino2468]

Yeah 9/11 happened during a democratic administration! Damn Bush and his democrats! Obama and the republicans will do a much better job.

ie your a fucking idiot.

[PowerForGood]

I agree that President Bush was far too liberal. 9/11 was however, the result of Clinton administration weakenning the intelligence capability of our country. But none of that changes the fact that Al Gore is a true sociopath. He is pushing a fallacy of global warming to further a leftist agenda which will only harm all people in the long run. ...and you cannot argue with reason and fact, therefor you resort to names. You have no class or intelligence.

[bobino2468]

this is what you said...."...and you cannot argue with reason and fact, therefor you resort to names."....then you say "You have no class or intelligence." Lmao....oh and more passive-aggressive "name" calling is acceptable in your hypocritical world? Im just keeping it real on the internet...your a self-righteous cunt. Bush far too liberal?!? he was nothing but evangelical conservative. people like you is whats wrong with the republican party, you need SOME form of moderation.

[bobino2468]

your pathetic ideology is increasingly exclusive and consists merely of bigotry, ignorance, and greed. Fallacy of global warming?!? there is no debate...even the industrial companies (oil/steal/coal/etc.) acknowlegde it...your a dieing breed, who would sooner rott in hell then see the truth of the world. Your merely a complex form of bacteria who uncounsiously plays his role in maintaining the species, and earth is our host (analogous to parasites or germs inhabiting a human).

[bobino2468]

explain to me, powerforgood, how exactly "pushing" for the better treatment of our planet is sociopathic? seems to me NOT pushing it would be, as its resulting in the dealth of thousands of species and HUMANS who do not live in the united states, and are unfortunatly living in the global south. You have know conceptualization of the world except for what you know from the american political prism and the bubble with which ONLY the US inhabits. Your are out of touch with reality

[bobino2468]

and cognitivley limited. you lack any form of depth, compassion, empathy, perception, CLASS, and INTELIGENCE.  You only serve to post your mindless dribble on the web, and will never attain any form of enlightenment or importance in this world because you only promote the aformentioned ignorance, bigotry, and regressive ideology.

[rrrobotic]

It's become very, very fashionable to lay blame at the feet of the two-party system. Undoubtedly our system has serious drawbacks, but I think Mr. Gore does a good job here of briefly outlining the benefits of our system. I think there's a distinction to be made between informed skepticism, and an all-too-easy cynicism. Some of the comments here cross into the latter territory in my opinion....

[sharagrag49]

I have an audio problem ...there is no sound..the video is not playing

[AtterseeSommer]

What do you want me to do about it?

[propagandeclan]

Two parties, good and evil.

And all you YouTubers stop baggin' Al Gore.

[DeAnte85]

Gore is telling bold faced lies. It's the Democrats and Republicans who write all of the election rules making it nearly impossible for 3rd party candidates to participate in debates and get full ballot access.

The current two party system was not simply a natural evolution, but a concerted effort to limit political choice.

[Hostile]

Absolutely, DeAnte85, well said. They don't just want two parties, they want only the rich, corporate-friendly candidates in those parties at the debates. Remember when Clinton and Edwards were caught on video, discussing how to force Kucinich and other alternative candidates out of the debates next year? It's a completely rigged system.

[DeAnte85]

Yes, I saw the video and heard the audio of Edwards and Clinton conspiring to get Gravel and the others out of the debates.

It's worth noting that Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Google Inc, Morgan Stanley and a host of other corporate backers financed Obama's campaign in the MILLIONS.

They're entitled to their views, but Obama is as much of a bought man as anyone else who's ever run for president. He even out did John McCain in corporate backers.

[Hostile]

That's all true, although I don't put too much stock in who officially donated to his campaign, obviously these people do a lot more favours than just campaign donations, e.g. Obama's deal with Tony Rezko. I'll bet JP Morgan Chase and others have done a lot more for Obama than we'll ever know, especially in terms of media manipulation. Obama never really needed corporate money anyway: Americans seemed more than happy to give up their dollars in exchange for one more descent into totalitarianism.

[EGarrett01]

@Hostile

When were Clinton and Edwards caught discussing how to force Kucinich etc out of debates? Is this a clip online?

[Hostile]

@EGarrett01 Oh wow man... that was about 2 years ago, when I still thought politics mattered. I can't find the exact video (might've been a hallucination or lie, my memory's not very good), but if you're interested this relates to the story: watch?v=B4iYDS07RZ8.

[DeAnte85]

The two party dictatorhsip is entirely dependent on the false left-right paradigm to fooling people into believing that there are only two choices and two solutions to every problem. This is what keeps revolutions from taking place and upholds the status quo.

The 'back and forth' Gore describes purposefully limits the scope of public world view and is not nearly sufficient for our country.

There is a reason you haven't seen a three way debate since Ross Perot: it's all rigged.

[YouGotRonPauled]

Ridiculous!!

[mick2cu]

what a dipshit....

[ZackieValentine]

Boooooooooooo!