In June, Rep. Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican serving on the House Oversight Committee, appeared on BlazeTV’s Prime Time with Alex Stein, where he discussed his belief that giants once existed. Burlison told Stein he was scheduled to be at “NephCon 2025,” a conference focused on fringe topics including the biblical Nephilim —figures in Genesis that some interpret as the giant offspring of angels and human women.
He credited Timothy Alberino’s podcast with sending him “far down the rabbit hole,” eventually reaching claims that the Smithsonian Institution is hiding evidence, the bones of past giants that lived on the Earth. Burlison suggested that, as a member of the Oversight Committee, he could investigate the Smithsonian.
Every other country with first past the post parting has third and fourth parties that actually win seats.
I’d agree with the overall point of your comment though. First past the post is problematic and does tend towards favouring two parties, though to my knowledge out all of the countries that employ FPTP the us is the only one where people believe there are only two possible options.
Coalitions are formed all the time in Canada between our two most popular parties and smaller parties.
The coalition agreements between parties keep the third parties more active and viable for sure. And third and fourth parties (and independents) are much more viable in smaller scale votes like individual districts that leans hard away from one of the major parties (much easier to get a democratic socialist voted for in a district where the Republicans dont stand a chance and so you have no reason to worry about the spoiler effect). But even in Canada, the PM vote ultimately came down between Carney and Poilievre, liberal and conservative, didnt it?
This last election was one of the most polarized we’ve had. And they happen. But the nod came close to winning a majority in my lifetime (they’ve really lost the plot lately).
The influence of parties outside the “big two” waxes and wanes but they remain an important factor in a democratic process that, while flawed because of FPTP and many other reasons, remains a healthy-ish democracy. I stress the ish.