It’s time to end the two-party oligopoly in this country

America is at an impasse. Nothing is sacred. Everything is up for debate.

Liberals hope to abolish the electoral college. Conservatives distrust mail-in ballots. Both are fundamental components of American democracy, yet neither are cherished by most Americans.

Over the decades, the Democrats have taken advantage of their Black and Latino voters in urban areas. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became a leading socialist voice, while Black Lives Matter protests and riots broke out.

The Republicans took their rural constituency for granted. We got the Tea Party and President Trump. Redistricting only exacerbated the two-party corruption of the political system. Their oligopoly must go.

The large “tents,” within which the disparate voters of each party sit, can no longer represent them in unison. Too much divides us. And, together, the establishment fights for its own perks and power, not unlike boards and managers who seek to avoid accountability. We live in a world of politics for the sake of politics.

This conglomerate of national politics needs to be broken up. Competition and transparency need to refresh America’s political system. Elected officials, like managers, need stronger incentives to act in the interest of their voters. More ideas must be debated, so that our societal problems are actually addressed.

Imagine if American voters were represented by a European-style parliament, rather than the presidency and Congress. Imagine further that, unlike in the United Kingdom, American democracy was home to a number of political parties transparently competing for support — not just two dominant players. Which parties would emerge in the 2020 election?

There would be four major constituencies: A Christian nationalist party headed by President Trump and the likes of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas); a social justice party led by “The Squad”; a socialist party with Sens. Sanders and Elizabeth Warren (DMass.) at the helm; and, finally, a Whig party composed of moderate Democrats and Republicans. The latter would be an “establishment” grouping of the middle, counteracting its more partisan alternatives.