The United States is a two-party system. Has been since the 1790s. Good ol' George Washington warned us about the "baneful effects of the spirit of party." Meaning, of course, that Washington spent a significant amount of his Farewell address lamenting the risks and horrors sure to accompany the continued existence of a two party system.
And he was right. In the 240 years since the signing of The Declaration of Independence, the chasm between the dominant ideologies and parties in the United States has only grown. We are a country with two parties so fundamentally different in what they each value, it seems impossible to imagine bridging the gap.
Would the founders of this great nation be proud of a system in which bipartisanship is next to impossible? Would the framers of the Constitution look on the state of our country with praise at the fact that being able to cross party lines and see from other points of view is now a weakness?
I, for one, believe the founders of our nation would be disgusted with the state of politics today.
When our representatives refuse to even engage in conversation about gun control measures, that 85 percent of Americans believe in, because of their funding and strong "principles," you know something is amiss.
And it is not just the conservative right that refuses to compromise, although they tend to do so more frequently. Many people on the far left were very big supporters of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. But Bernie is one of the most partisan members of the house. Realistically, his ideas and his refusal to compromise would not have gotten him far with the Republican congress.
All I am saying is that I am sick of gridlock, frustrated with inaction, and strongly believe our political system is in need of a complete overhaul.
Whatever happens in the next few years, I would like for our representatives to remember Washington's words, and to try and work together. Not for money, power and political prestige, but for the whole reason their jobs were created, to serve and speak for the people.
