>Certainly the fossil fuel establishment, one of the strongest forces on the planet, would always prefer a GOP candidate over a Dem. Is this not common knowledge?

Yes, since Dems always worked just fine for them too.

> the fossil fuel establishment, one of the strongest forces on the planet, would always prefer a GOP candidate over a Dem

Then Riyadh would prefer Biden. American fossil fuel producers are their competition.

(Not claiming knowledge about MBS’s preferences. Just underlining this isn’t as simple as implied.)

For the most part, the mechanics of the current bipartisan system.

In the current election system of primaries (in place since 1972), an incumbent has never lost. They haven't even lost a state in 44 years. So basically the incumbent has a defacto first right of refusal when it comes to their party's nomination.

The other party has been shaped by a political movement with a lot of power and momentum, and the founder of that movement more or less has the same defacto first right of refusal.

One side is currently run like a cult, and the other has an incumbent with a massive fundraising apparatus behind him. Just because some people complain on the internet doesn't mean that there are enough of them to make a meaningful difference when it comes to selecting candidates.

A large part seems to also be the insane first past the post voting system. A presidential vote, as I understand it, is only counted against a single candidate (unlike preferential voting for example). This makes the risk of a third candidate much greater and really funnels the system into just two real candidates.

If we are going to think bigger I suggest more than 2 viable parties.

Sure. Everyone prefers someone else. These are the candidates who are the least worst for a majority. There is no single candidate widely preferred by either party.

The fact that they're both elderly is kind of a coincidence. It is true that older candidates are the ones with the longest track record of accomplishments and the most extensive alliances.

But the GOP candidate had little government experience and somewhat dubious business experience. He is nonetheless popular for his style and positions.

Both parties are very diverse and it's difficult to find someone tolerable to all. Many actively despise their party's candidate but the alternative to the consensus risks losing entirely. It is generally thought to be better to vote for a suboptimal candidate than a pessimal one, though some vocally disagree.

A young, charismatic candidate could come up next time around, but to be honest neither party seems to have one getting ready.

The candidates are chosen by donors.

We have Biden and Trump because neither party agrees on a direction for the future. Democrats are like the German stoplight coalition under the hood. It includes everyone from the Chamber of Commerce set who would rather have Liz Cheney or Nikki Haley, to educated identitarians who love Kamala Harris, to culturally conservative populists who like RFK Jr. to culturally liberal populists who like AOC.