I have recently noticed an increasing discussion about the crisis in the American political system. Some former politicians have started speaking openly about a much deeper problem than ordinary partisan disagreements.

The striking issue is this strange gap: Americans give Congress very low ratings—about 20 percent—yet more than 90 percent of Congress members are re-elected. How does this happen?

In a conversation between former Senator Joe Manchin, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and former Congressman Justin Amash, they explained that the problem isn't so much with the individuals as it is with the system itself. The current two-party system concentrates power among party leaders and rewards blind loyalty at the expense of true representation.

Amash used an interesting expression—he said that America is stuck in a "deadly partisan spiral." The idea is that both parties only maintain their control, each pushing further toward polarization. Trump is a clear example—he managed to force moderate Republicans to vote for candidates they don't believe in, or else threaten primary challenges.

Yang pointed out that the problem is that people want to be part of something bigger, but the current system doesn't allow for genuine alliances. Everything revolves around the red versus blue party, not actual ideas.

Interestingly, there are other models—Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain have multi-party systems where politicians are actually forced to cooperate. In the United States, even third parties are very limited.

This deadly spiral they talk about reflects a terrifying reality—the system itself has become dysfunctional, and reform requires a deep structural change, not just a change of faces.