"I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations." - George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796
He warned us.
Labels belong on cereal, romantic relationships, and designer bags. Labels do not belong in a political system.
Many people who do not interest themselves in politics find them in constant argument with the opposing political party-- but what's the use?
For years, people have categorized themselves under the main two political parties. Within each party, there's a standard stance for each issue that presents itself within the social agenda. What are the odds, though, that you agree with every single stance that your political party believes in? You could be a Republican that thinks that maybe we shouldn't build a wall. You can be a Democrat that is pro-life. There's a wide array of issues, so why confine your own beliefs to a labeled group?
Maybe you do think freely from your parties beliefs. The problem now becomes the fact that the people initially look at the label and judge your values and character rather than actually asking your beliefs. Now conflict sets in.
How many times have you heard someone been called a derogatory term because of their political views? Maybe they had just expressed their feeling on one issue, and someone in their mind subconsciously aligns them with a certain political party. It's the classic, sitting at the table at Thanksgiving problem and hoping nobody brings up politics because you know you'll be labeled as a "snowflake" for having a liberal idea or a "bigot" for being more conservative. Unnecessary and unwanted conflict and over what? A label.
That's why being an independent is best. You have the freedom to be open to whatever values without predetermined judgment. You can agree with both parties, and not have to deal with the hatred that comes from your beliefs. When it comes to dinner table conversations, you're safe. But when it comes to the actual political system, you're screwed.
See, even though good ole George Washington warned us against political parties because he wanted the United States to focus on the issues and not the labels, we still did. Now, we've become a predominately two-party system. Yes, there are third parties who stand for their own specific causes, but they never have a chance of getting anywhere in a major election. All third parties do in an election is split the vote of one party and let the other come out the victor. Why? Because a majority of Americans vote straight ballot and don't take the time to actually research the candidates they are voting for. On top of that, in a majority of state primaries, you must be a registered Republican or Democrat to vote for candidates. Is that fair to those who are not in that group that still want to have a say in who's going to be on the ballot for the general election? It's an issue that needs to be solved.
I'm not saying we abandon the two-party system. Parties help provide order to the political system, but do they have to be so rigid with their followers and beliefs? I can't give you an answer, but I can suggest we try and direct our focus back onto the warnings Washington gave in his farewell address. It may have been two hundred and twenty-three years ago, but he had a point. Maybe we should re-evaluate.
