Here we are at the end of silly season, and it's obvious we've got to do something about our two pointless political parties.

American democracy fully deserves an 1856 moment.  You all remember that in 1856 the Whig Party collapsed, and split into two parties -- the Know-Nothing Party, which disintegrated with the Civil War, and the Republican Party, which became the new second party.  Here's how I see it playing out.