Unlike the winner takes all system, parliamentary democracies have such mechanisms in place in the form of non-confidence vote. They may be weak and not always effective, but they are in place and they occasionally bring results - the resignation of government, or new elections. But the US has none of these - the only instance of effective no-confidence vote I can think of was Nixon's impeachment (ok, you may also throw in CA recall of Gray Davis who was replaced by, surprise, surprise, a B-movie actor). Here goes the fucking choice again - the more you choose, the more same old crap you get.
The problem with the US politics is that the right is very dynamic, as your piece aptly observes, the center is bamboozled by professional wrestling shows, and the left is sclerotic, performing old rituals that lost their relevance long time ago, parroting old slogans, and basically unable to take its head out of its ass. The only time it wakes up from this trance is when the electoral circus is in town, which gives it the opportunity to spit on the clowns.
I stopped paying any attention to electoral politics for the same reason I abstain from professional wrestling games - both are forms of tasteless kitsch that puts me in a bad mood. I know how I am going to vote and no electoral circus is going to change that. It is not that I am infatuated with Obama -au contraire - but that I understand that presidential politics is the last place to change things. It is a ritual of anointment not an exercise in political change. So since very little was done by myself and others close to my political persuasion to change the way the political machine works before the elections, the only thing I can do is to take a short walk to a local school on that November day and pull the lever for the political party that I find less objectionable.
-- Wojtek
"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."