“In Europe,” writes Mark Steyn, “they launch parties every week, but you can’t do that in America…”

In contrast to the ebb and flow of eternally shifting multiparty systems, America has a rigid, inflexible two-party choice:

One party is supposed to be the party of big government, the other the party of small government. When the Big Government Party is in power, the government gets bigger, and, when the Small Government Party is in power, the government gets bigger.

One party is supposed to be the party of social liberalism, the other the party of social conservatism. When the Socially Liberal Party is in power, the country gets more liberal, and, when the Socially Conservative Party is in power, the country gets more liberal.

One party is supposed to be the party of foreign-policy doves, the other the party of foreign-policy hawks. When the doves are in power, America loses wars, and, when the hawks are in power, America loses wars.

Twenty years ago, Mr. Steyn notes, a “guy named” Sam Francis wrote, “Imagine giving this advice to a Republican presidential candidate: What if you stopped calling yourself a conservative and instead just promised to make America great again?” What do you think might happen in the current climate, where the middle class in the country feels totally left out of everything going on?

“So much for American conservatism’s three-legged stool. ‘Mainstream’ Republican candidates are essentially reduced to the argument: This time it’ll be different, I promise.” Read more from Mark Steyn here.