America is - and essentially always has been - a two-party country. The current Democratic and Republican parties were once a single party, in opposition first to the Federalists, and then to Whigs. As those two parties disappeared into history, the Democratic-Republican party split into the two we have today. Sure there are other parties (sometimes referred to as 3rd parties), but these two have dominated American politics for over 150 years. There are lessons to be learned by those who would like to see a third party rise to prominence, and lessons for the current two parties as well.

The Whigs are a fine example of party rising to prominence, and then imploding. By modern standards, they were an interesting mix of what we think of as "liberal" values:

• Supported modernization
• Supported a national transportation network
• Support for domestic manufacturing via tarriffs
• Created public education, private colleges, charities, and cultural institutions
• Wanted compromise and balance in government
• Supported national unity

and what we might think of as "conservative" values:

• Felt Congress was more important than Executive
• Wanted a market-oriented economy
• Supported a business-oriented money supply based on a national bank
• Called for public schools to teach moral values

Does this sound familiar?:

History shows that the Democrats and Republicans gradually traded positions on most issues ( the Democrats of the time were more conservative; The new Republican party was formed in the north by Whigs who split based on slavery issues. Lincoln was a Whig while in Congress..). Republicans nowadays are the ones with the strong party discipline, and the Democrats (and Progressives) are better at utilizing the new social media.

Still Democrats - while often referred to as herding cats - have been at this long enough and are strong enough to survive. It is the third parties that should take lessons. The Green Party, the Tea Party, and even the Libertarian party (the strongest of the 3rd parties) all suffer from organizational issues and factionalism. There are individual Tea Party groups in states claiming to be the only valid group, and progressives alienating liberals with litmus test positions and conspiracy theories.

The Whigs were relevant for only about 20 years. I suspect the Tea Party won't last even that long. The Green Party will need to work a lot harder to become a viable 3rd party. Even then, the momentum of history is against them. There are a lot of 3rd parties trying to make a name for themselves, so there's always a lot of competition (there's even a modern Whig Party).

The dustbin of political history is filled with grand ideas and good intentions that just did not resonate with the American public. Consensus building takes compromise, diplomacy, and effective messaging. The two major parties hew toward the center of the American political spectrum, which is where most voters reside. Until they 3rd parties learn this, they will be taking their places alongside the Whigs of political history.