In reviewing the election process over the past year it is no surprise that America is in disarray. In the coming month, on Nov. 8, Americans will have to choose a candidate, or rather settle for a candidate. There are many articles out there about, “picking the lesser of two evils.” Is this really the America that we want, were we happily just pick the candidate that isn’t the worst? Why though is it necessary to settle, and how come so many Americans are just okay with the idea of settling for a mediocre candidate? America, I present to you the two-party system.
The party system in the United States is a governing body that controls how our government functions without ever actually being part of the government. For instance, you’re at your favorite restaurant and you’re peering over the menu at all the delicious options. Then all of the sudden a man that you do not know and that has no affiliation with the restaurant begins marking things off the menu, including your favorite dish. The man then explains that he and his pals came to a consensus; they don’t like those items and neither should anyone else. Of course this is a crude example and the corruption of the parties goes much further than to just disappoint you at dinner time.
The idea of political parties is not a harmful one, it is necessary to the process of democracy. As James Madison explained in Federalist Paper No.10, factions can be dangerous but they are inevitable. They provide opposing viewpoints and create much needed conversation. They are essential but America has become too reliant upon them, too trusting. For the sake of clarification, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the institutions which are inflicting the most harm on the political process.
The major problem with the party system in the United States is its ability to control and sift the available candidates, leaving only the candidate the party thinks is the best fit. The greatest example of this control is the primary election. The goal of the primary is to essentially narrow the amount of “serious” candidates at national and state level. The way the primary is organized is messy, a state to state basis that knocks out candidates before they reach all 50 states. For example, when West Virginia held its primary, many of the potential candidates had already dropped out, leaving only a few options. Therefore, people in states which hold their primaries later in the year have to settle for a candidate that is most similar to the candidate they would like to vote for. This can be difficult when the candidates are unique within a party, or more so when the candidates are polar opposites.
According to Gallup nearly half of American citizens identify as moderate, yet the Republican and Democratic Parties tend to be extremist on their respective sides of the spectrum. This division is provoked by extreme partisanship, if a candidate doesn’t agree with a part of the party platform or a senator votes outside of party lines, they are seen as untrustworthy, “flip-floppy,” or “wishy-washy.” In reality most people can agree with some of the ideals of both parties.
It is not a stretch to claim that the voting system in America is broken, and needs some adjustments. Maybe a system without winner-take-all states, or some regulations on parties so that more third-party candidates can be taken seriously. Otherwise, these “semi-public institutions” that seem to have no interest in the public will continue to influence political outcomes until they are dismantled, or spilt due to creative differences. Nonetheless, go out this November, remember that the state and local level governments affect your life the most, and make your vote count.
