Yeah, sorry about that, didn't mean to suggest that ignorance never leads to cynicism.

Also, sorry, wall of text...

In regards to the political parties being different, I agree, somewhat. Both parties at times appear to run candidates who are either wildly 'left' or 'Right', and I think to an extent these candidates get lauded around, as people see that there is difference. But you and I both know these candidates, despite being different, will not get elected because they don't appeal to everyone.

Although it can appear as if parties are different, at the end of all the 'Change' and 'Yes we can' from Obama, for example, nothing major came of it. Sure there were some changes in healthcare and I hope they go all the way like in Canada or the UK, but you and I both know that is less than unlikely. Then take Mitt Romney, who ran on a pro-business platform and was a fairly standard Republican candidate. I strongly doubt that Romney's version of America would be very different to Obama's, despite his business platform, many didn't feel it was appropriate because although Obama wasn't/isn't exactly the model of American business, I think we'd both agree that for a Democratic president he was pretty good on that front.

It is my opinion, as a non-American, that the US, in particular, is stuck in this middle ground and I could understand why people would be cynical. Comparing the US's political system to the UK's or Germany's, it appears as if there is very little choice available because the electorate demands moderacy, as does any other democracy. However, the issue with this is that it appears deliberate. Change is generational thanks to the lack of either party being able to push either left or right and Congress which has a stupid 2/3's vote rule. IMO, if the US adopted proportional representation and changed the 2/3 rule to a simple majority, I think a lot in the would change.

Sorry, I sort of went off on a tangent...