One of my mentors at Duke, David Rohde, has an eloquent op-ed in the New York Times about the resurgence of the two major parties. Here’s how it begins:

THE midterm elections have been widely viewed as a sudden change of direction, with Democrats seizing the wheel from Republicans. While that may be true, the big electoral news — news that has gone largely unnoticed — is this: After decades of weakness, after sideswipes from independent candidates, the two major parties are back. Indeed, they are more potent and influential than at any time in the past century.