Fresia, Jerry. “The U.S. Electoral System Must Be Reformed to Make Third Parties Feasible.” Does the Two-Party System Still Work?, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints.
Since the author expresses and argues his point of view, the article might be classified as an opinion article. His point regarding the Electoral College is that it guarantees that there will “always be and only be two” major parties that are genuinely running for the presidency (para. 6). The majority of those who did not win the election have no representation in single-member districts, which harms third parties (para. 11). Similar remarks were made regarding plurality elections, which guarantee that the candidate receiving the most votes wins and exclude supporters of other parties from competing (para. 14). The article’s bias results from speculative presumptions and occasionally employing derogatory language. According to the author, there is a significant chance that Noam Chomsky would finish third if George Bush and Bill Clinton and he all ran for governor of California (para. 14). The fact that this argument is essentially hypothetical renders it prejudiced. It calls out those who claim to support democracy as “bastards” and urges them to “dump” the Electoral College in favor of proportional representation and majority rule elections (para. 17). The author’s credentials are in doubt because he no longer practices as an expert; he is a painter, art instructor, and former political science professor.
Domhoff, G. William. “Third-Party Campaigns Can Hurt Liberals and Everyday People.” Does the Two-Party System Still Work?, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints.
The fundamental argument is that in order to be successful as a Third-Party candidate, Left-Liberals and Leftists must provide a solid egalitarian program and perspective (para. 1). The author makes the initial claim that “moral zeal” strongly encourages the development of the second set of norms and institutions (para. 4). Then he talks about the egalitarian movement, saying that for activists to be successful, they must be unyielding moralists who stand up for their values (para. 9). He highlighted the qualities that make a strong third-party candidate, offering specific guidance on how to behave and conduct a campaign. Finally, Domhoff makes the case that Nader sabotaged his own prospects of winning the presidency by employing a futile tactic (para. 28). Using the phrase “at best a centrist party that leans slightly leftward on a few topics,” the author shows bias against the Democratic party (para. 2). Additionally, he cites a prejudiced claim, labeling Democrats as “compromised, corrupt, and spineless.” (para. 3) G. William Domhoff is a research professor at the University of California, and he is qualified to write as an expert because of his many prestigious publications.