Many years ago, a wise man by the name of George Washington specifically articulated, “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."
Simply put, our very first President warned us all of the demise that the system of party politics would bring to American government. Rather than voting on specific issues, citizens align themselves with either the Democratic or Republican party, and tend to vote more due to party loyalty or political favors than their actual beliefs. This two party system has allowed for the most extreme candidates (Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, for example) to gain popularity, while simultaneously forcing more rational moderates (such as Martin O’Malley) out of the limelight. All of the national attention given solely to the Democrats and Republicans detracts from the potentially phenomenal candidates from the Independent and Libertarian parties as well. As a result, American citizens feel as if they are throwing their votes away by supporting either of these parties because they know they have essentially no chance of actually winning.
In order to fully comprehend why the two party system is so limiting, let’s take a look at some unheard of candidates from the other parties that have solid, intelligent campaigns.
Jeremiah Pent, Independent
This third party candidate, Jeremiah Pent, is running for candidacy for the Independent Party, mainly because he feels as if the Republican and Democratic parties have become too powerful, according to his personal campaign website. Economically, he supports tax cuts for the middle class and the restructuring of the federal budget so that it will only operate within its means. Although his campaign does not provide many specific details as to how he will implement all of his plans once he were to become President, he emphasizes the fact that the ideals of the Republican and Democratic parties align with only about a third of the entire American population. Rather than believing he will actually win the nomination and later, the presidency, he advocates for the fact that his campaign will bring light to the destructive nature of the two party political system. If that’s the case, then why don’t we allow an expansion of this two party system to include these other candidates?
Gary Johnson, Libertarian
The immense growth of the U.S. government over the past several years, due to the implementation of federal policies such as Obamacare, has lead to a rise in support for the Libertarian Party. Johnson’s proposed solutions focus mainly on the fact that the U.S. government will be $20 trillion in debt once President Obama leaves office. His first promise as President would be to present a bill to Congress that will help cut spending, in all departments, in order to create a real balanced national budget. As for the two parties controlling all of US government, he also wants to impose term limits on members of Congress. As stated on his campaign website, nothing every really changes in Washington, D.C. because you always have the same people debating the same things which in turn leads to nothing getting done.
Just by taking a look at two candidates from parties outside of the Democrats and Republicans, Americans should be able to remember that there are options. No one is forcing you to pick only between Donald Trump, a man being supported by the KKK, or Bernie Sanders, an outright socialist who was just endorsed by Vladimir Putin.
