I agree with that article to the extent that the parties are in trouble. I was having a cocktail last night in a trendy Andersenville pub, and someone engaged me in political converstation. He was young, maybe mid twenties.
I asked him what he thought of the candidates, and I got a very intelligent response that I think it is spot on. Basically, he said that he wished that instead of being able to choose from two parties, that either there were more parties, or that it became establishment that even within the Democratic and Republican parties there were respected alternative labels. We kind of have that now, with the Conservative, Tea Party and mainstream republicans. On the Democratic side we also have distinctions, but the Democratic Party, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, looks more uniform than the republicans. The difference is that there will be more accepted labels that people identify with. This is already true in many European countries where there are either more numerous parties, or gradations within the parties.
Another guy overheard the conversation, and joined in. He is from Italy, and pointed out that Bernie Sanders is a totally mild Socialist. That in Europe, he wouldn't even register as anything radical or revolutionary. In Europe, he would be far right!!!!!
By the end of the evening, when I had to leave (one too many Stoli), there were probably ten people debating this stuff, all of them in their twenties.
I think we have massive voter turn out this year.
