Some experts warn that the US is on the edge of a civil war. I hope not. But at this point it cannot be ruled out, especially in light of the armed plot to overthrow the government of Michigan and take the Governor hostage. On the possible Civil War, see the recently unraveled plot concerning an abortive effort to kidnap the Governor of Michigan and put her on “trial”, along with an armed attack on law enforcement. In the U.S. such schemes are not surprising.
Part of the problem is “chickens coming home to roost”–i.e. U.S. imperialism has created a huge class of military veterans because of escapades abroad–Iraq, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, etc.–who are trained to resolve political disputes by military means. Trained in weapons and explosives, they are now applying these lessons at home with consequences too ghastly to contemplate.
The presidential election, which–per the archaic Electoral College–allows the candidate with the fewest votes to prevail cannot be deemed fully democratic. Thus, per the Electoral College, a presidential vote in sparsely populated Wyoming is worth more than in densely populated California.
This 18th Century contraption stems from the desire of the founding elite to thwart the “wrong” decision by the electorate and, as well, to add more power and influence to states e.g. Virginia that contained huge enslaved populations. Electoral College advantages smaller conservative states e.g. Wyoming, the Dakotas, Idaho, etc. and disadvantages the larger, more progressive and diverse states e.g. California.
Minor parties face discrimination in terms of qualifying for the ballot, not to mention lack of coverage in the press. So-called “minor” parties are thwarted and generally barred access to the ballot in order to maintain the duopoly of the two major parties, controlled by different wings of the elite.
Wealthy donors have an advantage in terms of funding political parties. The duopoly spends a fortune on advertising on television, radio and other platforms, e.g. Facebook, and “minor” parties do not have such capital to expend.