A Nation Divided: The Need for Political Reform
By
Robert J. Fischer
In my last post, I discussed the frustrations that many Americans have with our two mainstream political parties, and politicians in general. This post will discuss the American political party system, its advantages, its shortfalls, and the fears that our founding fathers had about a two party system.
Two of the most important factors that allow democracy to work are the election process and compromise of ideas. This past election may be an indication of just how important the voice of the people is in determining a general policy trend. The 2020 election was essentially about Donald Trump and his perceived agenda of “Make America Great Again,” versus Joe Biden’s platform of bringing civility and compromise back to government and America.
In round numbers, the turnout for the 2020 presidential election was approximately 150 million. Of registered voters, 81,009,468 cast their ballots for Joe Biden and 74,111,419 cast ballots for President Donald Trump. The numbers are record setting. While numbers vary, there were approximately 160 million registered voters in 2020. The turnout for the vote was almost 94%. The percentage drops when the total number of persons eligible to vote is considered. There are approximately 230 million persons eligible to vote, but only 160 million are registered. Seventy million Americans were silent by not registering to vote.
By a majority of 6,888,049, Americans voted for Joe Biden’s platform, including his promise of a civil presidency, as opposed to the harsh rhetoric of the Trump presidency (as well as other factors).
Despite the numbers, there are still approximately 5 million voters who apparently believe in former President Trump’s agenda. The last post pondered this fact (Why Do Over 35 Million Americans Still Support President Trump?). In summary, I voiced an opinion that there is much dissatisfaction among many voters. Many working class voters perceive that the Democratic Party has forgotten about the working class America in favor of an agenda aimed at socialistic programs. On the other hand, others see the Republican Party as being too involved with “big business” and big money.
The question is, does the American two party system need reform and if so, how does the nation go about the task of reforming the parties?
Alternative Options to the Two Party Systems
The alternatives to a two party system are few for a democracy. A one party system comes too close to a monarchy, since there is no choice of candidates that are not part of the official party.
A three party system allows for three parties to vie for office. It also encourages coalitions, which are often needed to have enough votes to move a legislative initiative forward. The limitation of this system is that often there is no majority winner, requiring runoff elections. The United Kingdom, Canada, and Israel are examples of the three party systems. The pitfalls of this system are clearly visible in Israel’s continuing battle over who will be Prime Minister.
A multiple party system is another option. There are numerous examples of multiple party systems. The multiparty system is not common in presidential democracies. However, it is very common in parliamentary systems. The advantage of the multiparty system is that it generally allows for multiple points of view. Countries like Argentina, Brazil, France, and Germany operate under multiparty systems. Much of what is said regarding three party systems is also true of multiparty systems. The major difference is a greater need for coalition building to garner enough votes to pass legislative initiatives.
The American Two Party System
While American politics is seen as a two party system, that view is not true. There are many political parties. However, the system has allowed for only the Republican and Democrat parties to dominate. This two party dominance is a function of law, party rules, and customs. There have been a few successful third party movements– the Granger Movement (1860s -70s), the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party (1912), Ross Pierot’s Reform Party USA (1995 – present), the Libertarian Party (3rd largest) (1971 – present), and to a lesser extent the Green Party (2001 – present), the Socialist Party of America (1901 – present), and others.
During the formative years, the Founding Fathers did not support partisan party politics. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison feared the dangers of political factions. George Washington did not have a political party affiliation. Hamilton and Washington might be considered as aligned with the Federalist positions. In his farewell address, Washington spoke against partisan politics, fearing the conflict of interests that would weaken the voice of the people and democracy. However, partisan issues would soon develop into the first two party system. One party was the Federalists, which supported a strong central government as outlined in the Constitution, centralized banking, and close ties with England. The second party was the Democratic-Republican Party (Jeffersonian Republicans) which was opposed to a strong central government and was in favor of a loose republic of independent states.
While there have always been at least two parties, the beliefs and makeup of parties has changed as a result of social interests, and cultural, personal, and financial gain. Today the two parties are called Democrat and Republican. These two parties have dominated the federal government for decades. Today there are only two independent senators, and two non-voting- representatives in the House. One is an independent the other is from the Progressive Party.
The Need for Reform
Many Americans believe that the government and politics have been hijacked by extremists on both sides of the political spectrum.
These Americans feel forgotten due to the fact that parties are not focusing on health care, climate change, and security for the working class. Other working class Americans who are forced to choose between food, prescription drugs, or rent often see government as not responding to their economic plight.
How do we fix our politics? Previous posts have voiced a belief that Americans need to get involved. A major study by the Pew Research Center, found that two thirds of Americans did not get involved in politics. Those who did get involved were ideologues. Thus, these are the people who control the views of the political parties.
Citizen’s Responsibility
Citizens need to stay informed about political issues at the local, state, federal and international level. That takes a little work and some time. However, a few minutes devoted to something like NPRs News Brief in the morning and CNN or FOX News in the evening can provide an overview of various issues. Citizens should listen to various opinions, sort through the information, and develop a position. Then they should let their legislators know what they think, and suggest solutions to the problems.
Government’s Responsibility
On the legislative side, the government needs to assure that everyone who wants to be heard is heard. For example, Independent voters should not be excluded from party primaries. Gerrymandering must be eliminated. Legislatures need to support independent redistricting commissions in lieu of party controlled redistricting. (See an earlier post, Why Should Something be Done to Eliminate Gerrymandering?) Laws need to be enacted to hold political advertisements to the same standards that we exert over businesses through the Truth in Advertising laws. Individuals should be held responsible for their false claims through the enforcement of existing laws regarding slander and liable. (See an earlier post, The First Amendment: What Should be the Limits of Freedom of Speech?). Perhaps legislation making these false statements a criminal offense might reduce their use in social media platforms. Legislators need to work toward having the Supreme Court overturn Citizens United. Corporations are not “people.” They should not have an oversized influence on elections through big money (See an earlier post Citizens United and the Right to Vote).
During the 2020 Presidential Election, the need for caution for health reasons was paramount due to Covid-19. The increased availability of mail in ballots increased voter turnout. Legislators need to continue to find ways to encourage voter turnout rather than discourage it.
Finally, perhaps the most important variable is to make sure that the candidates who are chosen to run for public office are committed to the position they are seeking, and not to some party platform. Elected officials need to recognize that in order to move forward, they need to work with those with whom they do not agree. Compromise is NOT a dirty word. It has only been through compromise that America has been able to move forward. Gridlock and hyper-partisanship have no place in a democracy! There are movements to reduce the gridlock. For example, consider Unite America. This philanthropic organization is composed of Republicans, Democrats, independents, and others who are interested in supporting political candidates who put their constituents ahead of party politics.
America has, and can again, reform its political parties!
Thoughts from the Middle by Robert J. Fischer 