"I am increasingly surprised that this system is still supported"
It is NOT supported, at least not by the citizens of the United States.
It is supported by the corporations, lobbyists, and outright purchased politicians of the United States.
The simple answer to most of these questions about "why doesn't the United States..." is because we no longer have a functioning democracy.
See Citizens United, electoral college, gerrymandering, 2 Senators for states with populations smaller than an average city, social media engineering by foreign actors, Mitch McConnell blatantly ignoring the Constitution with no repercussions...
It is NOT supported, at least not by the citizens of the United States.
It is supported by the corporations, lobbyists, and outright purchased politicians of the United States.
The simple answer to most of these questions about "why doesn't the United States..." is because we no longer have a functioning democracy.
See Citizens United, electoral college, gerrymandering, 2 Senators for states with populations smaller than an average city, social media engineering by foreign actors, Mitch McConnell blatantly ignoring the Constitution with no repercussions...