Two Party Political System
The political system within the United States government has always been a two party system. According to our text from 1788-1824 the two parties vying for power were the Federalist and Democratic Republican parties, from 1828-1854 the Democrats and the Whigs were the two major parties, and from 1896 to present day the two major political parties have been the Republicans and the Democrats.[1] It is my opinion that this selfish power sharing relationship that our two political parties exude has been the catalyst to our country’s current situation.
In the Federalist Papers #10 James Madison proclaims “complaints are everywhere…that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties”.[2] This is evidence that even in the early days of this government’s history; the founders of this country were aware of and wrote about the flaws of a two party system. So why is it that more than two hundred years later we as a country have not fixed this problem? It seems that even today anything that the majority party in the legislative branch and the executive branch puts forth as policy or legislation will eventually be changed back or overturned when the minority party becomes the majority. The recent Health Care Plan is the most current example of our political parties’ ability to bastardize our political system. Another example of our two party system spinning its wheels and going nowhere could be the fact that our countries economic plan changes with every new administration thus not allowing our progress or investments as a nation to grow exponentially as China has witnessed with their 25 year economic plans.
Why is it that voters only have two parties to identify with? This is because the election process is set up so that it is either a republican or democrat that will be elected and no-one else. The two political parties increase their odds of winning if they block and make difficult for other parties to be involved in the process; especially in a time when polls of the 1990’s show that only 8% of voters feel that the candidate’s party affiliation matters.[3]
What is the answer? It is obvious that only half of Americans are represented by the two combined political parties. Where are the representatives for the Libertarians and Populists? Although it is hard to tell the difference during election time: Democrats favor a big government hand in the economy and little government involvement in our private lives, Republicans believe in the government being involved in our private lives and want little to no government involvement in the economy. Where are the Populists that want big government in our economy and big government involvement in our private lives? Where are the Libertarians who want very little government involvement in our private lives and the economy? Where are the Green Party members during debate time? Why are the Independents when it comes time to cast a ballot? Touching on this, James Madison writes ”a zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good”.[4] So our country will just sit here and not progress until we can reverse what James Madison over 200 years ago said would happen.
[1] John F. Bibby and Brian F. Schaffner, Politics, Parties, and Elections in America 6th ed. (Mass: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008), 22.
[2] James Madison, “The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection” Federalist Papers #10, (New York Packet, 1787), (accessed 2/16/11) http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm
[3] John F. Bibby and Brian F. Schaffner, Politics, Parties, and Elections in America 6th ed. (Mass: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008), 20.
[4] James Madison, “The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection” Federalist Papers #10, (New York Packet, 1787), (accessed 2/16/11) http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm
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