Madison's "Federalist Paper #10 faced this, asserting that "factions" seem inevitable (this was before modern electronic communications) due to the "nature of man." Seeing the semi-anarchy of the Articles of Confederation and soon after the complete anarchy of the French "Reign of Terror"
they sought the balance inherent in our current system.

If your scenario does play out, how could the opposite dangers be avoided? i.e. either a static,
ineffectual government of eternally feuding factions or wilder & wilder swings eventually prompting a "Strong Man" takeover, cf. much of Latin America's history ??

I think the back door to a multiparty system would be to challenge in the courts the constitutionality of mutual exclusion of political parties. As I understand it we get the political party framework from the right to peaceably assemble and the right to petition the government. Why then can one group prevent me from assembling with another group while still belonging to the first group?

What I envision with the ridding of mutual exclusion is that one can belong and vote in multiple parties and candidates can get endorsements from multiple parties. The tea party can split off but all the members can still belong to the main Republican party while pushing the tea party agenda. Or one can push for less government with classic republicanism while at the same time pushing for conservation by belonging to the green party. If a candidate thinks enough people want both those goals they can try to get endorsements from both groups by creating a agenda that covers said goals. It would also allow the major and minor parties to streamline what they stand for. Much of what both parties push for seem much more related to courting groups of voters to their ranks or blanket opposing those groups rather than it being a base part of the party platform.

That's interesting that you would comment on the Party switch without examining the reasons for the switch.

Considering all the Dems retiring instead of running and other Dems mulling a Party switch of their own, it's just one more indication of the massacre that Dems face in the upcoming midterm elections.

It's gonna be a wild time.. :D

Michale.....

Alabama politics just got a lot more interesting!