KILL THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM

When I grew up people were divided by political party, and for many people their political party was only behind their families and their religion in importance. Back then my home state of Mississippi was overwhelmingly Democratic, but after conservative Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) ran for president in 1964 that slowly changed, and by 1972 almost 80% of Mississippians voted for Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon.

So…when I was younger I heard Mississippians talk about Republicans as if they were Satan, but by the time I was a teenager many or most of those same folks were talking trash about Democrats.

Here is what I think happened. The Democratic and Republican parties historically included both liberals and conservatives. The Democratic Party, for example, contained liberals from California and the Northern states and conservatives from Mississippi. The Republican Party included conservatives such as Barry Goldwater but also moderates such as Tip O’Neill and liberals like George Romney and Nelson Rockefeller.

This fell apart and both parties moved either further to the left (Democrats) or right (Republicans). Lots of folks have speculated about the cause, some saying it was over race and others arguing that it was a result of Goldwater’s staunch conservativism that appealed to Southern Democrats. Still others believe it happened because Southern Democratic senators began retiring or dying thus opening seats for conservative Republicans, the Civil Rights movement led folks to the left or right regardless of party, and Watergate and the Vietnam War led to increased distrust of both parties. It is likely all these factors played a role.

Whatever the reason, the parties and their core support changed. For example, although the Democrats historically appealed to the “working folks” because of the programs they passed for minorities and workers, many of those folks are now Republican because of gun control issues, abortion, declining union membership, and other factors. And the Republican Party has slowly surpassed the Democrats as the largest party, but only by a smidgen (I think that’s the first time I ever used that word!).

Today about 46% of Americans either identify as Republicans or lean toward that party and 45% claim or lean toward the Democratic Party, But, as I said above, the parties are much more homogenous than in the past, so there are very few if any liberal Republicans or conservative Democrats. Joe Manchin, conservative Democrat from West Virginia now retired, might be the last of a dying breed.

But here is the kicker. In a 2024 Gallup poll 43% of Americans such as yours truly claimed to be independent while 28% claimed the Republican and 28% the Democratic Parties. Remember that Republican and Democratic “leaners” are not strongly committed to either party, so in 2024 the largest group of Americans (43%) claimed to be independent supporting neither party, and that is significantly higher than the 33% making that claim in 1988.

I guess I need to get around to making a point, so here goes. The largest proportion of Americans reject allegiance to either of the two parties, so it would be at least theoretically possible for a no-nonsense, moderate party to attract voters and begin competing with the two established parties. Nothing about it would be easy because the Democrats and Republicans control every aspect of the political system and are not keen on relinquishing that control. They control gerrymandering, campaign finance laws (that favor the two existing parties), the electoral processes that favor their parties, and they have about 170 years of historical support on their side. This piece explains in simple terms the various reasons minor parties are challenged to gain a foothold, and if you ever took my freshman American Government class you heard all of this from me (I hope you were awake that day!).

In my opinion, minor parties could only get traction by following one of two strategies.

• Start at the local level, start winning there, and move up to the state then federal levels, but who has the patience for that?!

• The other option is for a “champion” to come along, someone admired and loved by a large portion of the population, and build the new party around her or him. I’m thinking someone like Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Warren Buffet, or the Dalai Lama (not really, but you get the idea). The problem is that most folks with an ounce of integrity, refined critical thinking skills, and a history of compromise have no interest in holding high political office because of the mudslinging and pettiness characterizing America’s current political landscape.

Oh, and money. Any third party with a chance of attracting voters needs a lot of money because the two major parties are very well funded.

We need a party that focuses on fiscal responsibility and paying off the debt, national defense, the Constitution, the rule of law, compromise, decreasing presidential authority and returning power to Congress as the Founders intended, finding reasonable solutions to illegal immigration, that believes in science and providing assistance to those in need while eliminating benefits for those who don’t (I’ll write about that at some point). We need a party that solicits input from reputable conservatives such as David Brooks and liberals like Paul Krugman.

We don’t need a party that believes the government is the solution to all problems, that cares more about social issues such as abortion than more important issues, that rejects facts and science, that does nothing but attack the other party without focusing on issues (in my opinion the reason the Democrats lost in 2024 was because of their constant attacks on President Trump rather than addressing the issues), and that cares about working people at least as much as the wealthy folks who fund both parties.

I’m not too optimistic because of the current caustic nature of American politics but, as I keep reminding you, I AM a dreamer.

Thanks for following along.

David