[HelenTay]

The parties and how they should be, in my mind:

Progressives: Socialist democrats, greens, etc.; support more nationalized industries (like healthcare), stringent environmental and fiscal controls over business/industry, increased corporate/CG taxes. Against using our military power overseas. Supports the federal government dictating to the states on social issues, such as pro-evolution, pro-choice, etc.

Christian Democrats: Southern republicans and democrats, primarily, and central US republicans. Social issues like anti-abortion, anti-immigration, support more local control of schooling; mixed bag on taxation, probably. For using our military power to protect our interests overseas.

Federalists: Urban republicans, libertarians, some moderate democrats who are democrats because of social issues. This party primarily focuses on free-market economics, for a lower (or better managed...) CG tax, overall lowering federal spending (and thus taxes, eventually), increasing control over issues at the state and city level; against federal involvement on social issues. Against military imperialism, but not as against it as the Progressives.

I have a feeling there is still a fourth party there, the Democrats, which is all of the dems who wouldn't be progressives and wouldn't be Christian 'democrats'; but as I can't think of their platform other than 'more moderate than either party', I don't describe it here. Three or four would be fine, and would have a much more reasonable balance of governance in my mind. The biggest risk is that the places where the parties overlap is ... interesting, and could cause some significant shifts in policy.