Would a genuine two-party state in Massachusetts lead to the something like the fiscal mess now plaguing California, in which Republican legislators have defied Republican Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Democratic majority by blocking any legislation with a tax increase? 

Over at Blue Mass Group, Bob thinks this is worth worrying about, and he indicates some skepticism over a recent CommonWealth magazine article on uncontested elections in Massachusetts:

This is what dysfunctional government looks like. If anyone needed a reminder that what Massachusetts needs is a more aggressive progressive wing of the Democratic Party with more contested primaries, and not more Republicans, to invigorate state politics, this is a sobering one.  

It’s not surprising that a Blue Mass Group commentator wouldn’t like the idea of more Republicans in the Massachusetts Legislature, and California doesn’t offer an exact comparison. In that state, budgets and tax increases require a two-thirds majority for passage (a point missing from many wire service stories about the crisis). A Republican caucus consisting of one-third of the state legislature simply wouldn’t have the same power in Massachusetts as it does in California. That is, unless the GOP consistently convinced enough conservative Democrats to take its side, which is not so much an obstructive tactic as it is a skilled one.

At any rate, Bob’s post has led to a lively debate on the role of the two major political parties in the state, so I recommend checking it out. For example, here is a comment by GoldsteinGoneWild:

Why not a new MA party from your side of the aisle?  You’ve got nothing to lose.  Jettison the Republican national brand.  

Why don’t guys like you start the “I find Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly and Dick Cheney totally annoying, and Obama’s not a bad guy, but I despise the wasteful hackocracy of Massachusetts Dems, so I’m a proud member of the new MA-only Responsible, Practical, Moderate Party”?  

Gleefully run against Palin and Boehner, Dodd and Wilkerson.  

And a response from Marc Davidson:

they have everything to lose. They would also be cutting off, for instance, the 20% or so of Mass voters who think Sarah Palin is just fine. If the Mass GOP can’t hold everyone to the right of center, then there won’t be any of them left. Such are the problems of a two-party system.
Here’s an opportunity to plug instant-runoff voting!