From the "Since you asked…" file.

Chris in Paris wonders…

Who needs a two party system when it's hardly possible to tell the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

Since you asked, I suppose countries with parliamentary systems need two parties. America doesn't, though. The natural division anticipated in the Constitution is between branches, not parties. The slide into factional division was both feared and opposed by the framers.

By the way, the view across the Atlantic may be obscured, but if ask someone waiting for their unemployment compensation to be restored or a gay soldier, I think they can tell you the difference.

If the problem is that sometimes some Democrats are wrong about some things, well, that's the nature of the 'big tent,' and another reason we don't need two parties in America.