【英专八级听力训练】Mini-lecture Two-party system(2/6)

The Democratic and Republican parties are the largest and most competitive organizations in the American community.

They organize the electorate very simply by maintaining the two-party system.

Americans almost inevitably become Democrats or Republicans because there is usually no other place for them to go.

Moreover, because the rivalry of these parties is very old, most Americans know where they belong in the system.

As a consequence of the dominance of the major parties, most elected officials are either Republicans or Democrats.

Attempts to break up this old system have been made in every presidential election in the past 100 years, but the system has survived all assaults.

When it comes to this point, you may be wondering how does it happen that the two-party system is so strongly rooted in American politics?