Article: Parties reign, in independent age: Voters increasingly register 'independent,' but two parties buoyed by money and fired-up voters.(USA)

At first blush, it might seem like America's two big political parties are under siege - and maybe even lumbering toward extinction.

After all, this is the era of independent voters. It's the era of Jesse Ventura commandeering Minnesota's governorship, of Ross Perot snagging nearly 20 percent of the presidential vote, and of this year's "shadow conventions."

But as the political convention season unfurls this week in Philadelphia, a closer look reveals evidence the two parties are secure - that the atmosphere of partisanship has charged their loyal voters, that high TV ad costs put their fundraising prowess in demand, and that, in all, their brand names ...

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