by Elijah Lutz, Opinion Editor
The two-party system is dysfunctional. This is something that we have known for an abhorrently long time, yet the two major political parties of the United States are deeply ingrained in our political makeup. It is my opinion, though, that the two-party system is an ailment that must be cured, or it will continue to infect the American political system with more dysfunction and infighting.
Democrats and Republicans face the same challenge every two years: finding what their platform will be as a party en masse. As we saw in 2016, Democrats struggled to determine whose policies should be embraced in the party platform: the centrist and conservative Democrats who have run the party and been its backbone for generations, or the progressives and more liberal “Democrats.”
It was this inside strife that was part of the Democrats’ woes that year. Voters couldn’t determine who the Party was for or against; the presidential candidate and party face Hillary Clinton appeared as a flip-flopper who didn’t have her own set agenda. As a result, the Democrats lost the race for the presidency and were unable to take back the House and Senate.
But now that Republicans are in government, we are seeing similar infighting that keeps them from making any visible progress. Like the Democrats, Republicans are struggling to be a catch-all for conservative Americans. It isn’t that there has been an inability to govern; it’s that there has been an inability to find a common identity.
This isn’t a new problem. Every person is different and unique, even politicians. No congressman or senator will absolutely agree with the policies of their congressional comrades. Each one has an agenda, and more often than not this agenda will be focused on their constituency and benefiting those who vote for and financially support them.
That said, the two-party system is hindering any progress we could be making politically. Look how polarized we have become as of late: people go so far as to end relationships purely based on political ideology. Personally, I have had many people at this school dislike me because I am openly a Democrat. We can’t continue to feed a culture that does this. As David Brooks of The New York Times writes, “Eventually, those who cherish the democratic way of life will realize they have to make a much more radical break than any they ever imagined. When this realization dawns the realignment begins.”
Instead of debating which party should be in power this year, we need to foster greater conversation about the political issues in our country. Many of the issues we have to tackle require us to sit down and hash it out, and we can’t do that if we continue to hold a policy of Democrats against Republicans and vice versa.
It may be impossible to eradicate the two-party system, but my challenge to you voters is this: don’t vote based on party, vote based on your opinion. Just like I would have voted for John Kasich if he had been the Republican nominee, vote for someone who you agree with more politically, and not based on the letter that follows their name.
