TWO-PARTY TUG OF WAR PULLING NATION APART
In the scant three years since the 2016 presidential candidates started declaring their runs, Americans have witnessed huge rifts emerge not only between political parties, but within them as well. possibility of political factions splitting off to form their own parties. While the possibility seems earth-shattering to some, America’s own history provides plenty of precedent for such action. As a result, wide speculation has developed about the As any group grows, it becomes increasingly harder for every member to be properly represented. But with the way that the political system in this country is set up, and the mentality that it has produced, only two mainstream parties are expected to have a real chance at power. to respond to them. I think it’s always kind of a challenge on the other side for Democratic activists to push their party,” Sances said.
The openness to change isn’t hard to see when looking at the results of the 2016 presidential election.
Part of Donald Trump’s appeal was that he wasn’t a mainstream candidate, and despite hostile reactions from some Republicans, the party ultimately came around to him in the name of unity.
Even as prominent GOP names such as Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee are leaving office amid conflicts with the party’s new direction, conversations seem to be more about taking the party back than starting a new one.
Democrats are facing a similar rift between those who supported Hillary Clinton and those favoring Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary. Clinton supporters represent the establishment, against which Sanders essentially attempted a coup.
After revelations emerged that the establishment had stacked the deck against Sanders’ campaign, his base largely resolved to continue the “revolution” within the party.
“I think there’s a deep divide in the Democratic Party right now,” said Brian Kwoba, a professor of history at the U of M. “I think there’s the Bernie people and the Hillary people, and they still are very much at odds on many ques-
tions.”
What happens here is that factions appear within party lines. In the GOP, you have the Tea Party, the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) and Main Street Republicans. On the other side of the aisle, there are the New Democrats, the Blue Dogs, the Yellow Dogs, the Berniecrats and others.
While some fit comfortably beneath their party banner, others have a bit more of a contentious relationship. So why not spin them off ?
In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons hosts representatives from eight parties, ranging from a single delegate to 316 for the majority – on top of a handful of independents. In Canada, three parties have official status in the House, although a total of six have elected members.
But the United States has been in a near-chokehold by the same two parties since the Civil War. How is this country any different in its variance of ideologies?
Americans simply don’t fit neatly into two categories. Having a small handful of realistic options would be beneficial for those feeling left out by their own party organizations. Sure, this would mean that some elections would result in having to build governing coalitions, but this would be an even further way of forcing our legislators to work together as they should already.
The point of a republic is sending delegates to represent your interests and views in government. Having elections acknowledges that varying viewpoints exist within the country. To govern effectively, representatives should be able to make compromises that everyone can live with.
Judging by the anger that has built up on both sides, it is obvious that the current two-party system cannot go on. It is breeding contempt for countrymen and forcing together competing ideologies vying for the same endorsements. To relieve the pressure that is crushing our political system, this duopoly needs to be broken up.
Alex Talley is a senior journalism major at the University of Memphis. He wrote this article as his final project for the Opinion Writing and Reporting class in the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media.