Because they're my local NE guys and the media (all of it) focuses on them as significant leaders and icons of the Democratic party. Were I in CA, it would be Pelosi, Kerry and Boxer 24/7.

Good answer, my bad for not making such an obvious connection. Of course you'd think of your homies.

Robert: Can we agree on one thing?: America would be better off if we could break the grip on political power of the two major parties.

Phil: Yes, but I'm not holding my breath. On the left, a Green party would be even more extreme than the DNC installing autocratic and expensive "rules". On the far right, a religious fundy party would be a danger to freedom. And my friends the libertarians are too doctrinaire and nutty even though I share some of their opinions. Maybe I'm too pessimistic as I have voted for 3rd party candidates Eugene McCarthy, John Andersen and Ross Perot (only the 1st time, thankfully - Clintonistas can thank me for that vote) and don't see a viable alternative.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either.

I wouldn't just want one of the present "third parties" to simply step up and replace one of the old monoliths. I wouldn't trust the Greens or the Libertarians, or any of them, with that much power (which is my whole point); but I sure as heck wish they each had a little more voice in the process. The only feasible way I can think of to break the two parties is to go to some kind of parliamentary system that allows proportional representation by many parties, and electoral reform throughout the system. We have to put the horse before the cart: I think we ended up with a two-party duopoly because our election systems are designed to produce binary outcomes. We have party qualification thresholds for registration and matching funds, designed to freeze out "third parties"; reinforced by winner-take-all electoral districts that are constantly being gerrymandered to solidify the hold of one party or the other.

The system needs fixing. If we just broke up the two existing parties, it wouldn't take long for two new (that is, newly-named) parties to establish themselves and fill the ecological niches of Republican and Democrat. "See the new boss, same as the old boss". I don't want to be fooled again.