Re: The US government is something different than the US people.
Hello naughtyhorse. Lets have a look at that "1/2 of the population", it's a good question. In a two party system like the one in the USA it's either or, or nothing. The "nothing" part of the US voters is huge and disturbing. But the either or is also sic. Never in my life have I been confronted with the same hopeless choice as the Americans. Let me give you an example, when the Republicans, for reasons I will never understand, came up with something as totally mad as Sarah Palin. Most people voted for the party of their choice, what ever, for ever, probably true in any country. So American Republicans voted for the Republicans all the same, or did not vote at all. To suddenly switch from friend to enemy is hard.
In other words, a two party system is not good at all, as has been so obvious in the USA for years.
The USA needs one or several new parties to regain democracy but those two old parties will fight such an development as vigorously as any one party system. I would claim Canada is a more democratic country because they have been able to much avoid a pure two party system, much due to the French probably. (this to tease you Brits, of course.)
The Presidential circus, the Republican cacophony, some later day.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
