In 2016
the presidential candidates nominated by both of the major political parties in
the United States had negative approval ratings. Given their dominance of the American
political system since the 1850s, it is hard to fathom how both parties could
be so inept at the same time.
Three
years of the Trump presidency has left the impression that the two parties are
no more successful at governing than they are at choosing effective
presidential candidates. Granted Donald J. Trump’s leadership, or lack thereof,
is a major factor in the current impasse, but he is more a symptom than the
actual cause of the bipartisan ineffectiveness.
There
has been little progress for more than three decades now on addressing several grave
challenges facing the country. Immigration, health care, gun violence, income
inequality, and responsible corporate governance are some of the most
threatening that have been festering for years.
Internationally,
America’s place in the world is under siege.
The quality and consistency of our leadership is in question.
A
majority of Americans still generally identify with one of the two major parties.
In recent years, however, more voters consider themselves Independents than
those who identify with either of the major parties. A Gallup poll in September
2019, found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrat and 29%, Republican.
But 38% claimed to be Independents.
Since
1991 Gallup has been regularly measuring the partisan leanings of Independents’
in an effort to get a clearer picture of the party divide. Democrats have
typically maintained a slight advantage over Republicans here as well. Currently,
the margin is 47% to 42%.
While
Democrats usually hold a slim advantage in partisanship, Republicans vote at
higher rates, which make U.S. elections competitive. Divided government has
thus been the order of the day.
Republicans
in recent years have appreciated better the state-based structure of our
political system, paying more attention to state and local offices. This is
reflected in their dominance in state legislatures who control reapportionment
of Congressional seats. The GOP’s
broader geographic focus is also evident in the membership of the US Senate
where they hold a 53-seat majority. Only 10 of 50 states have split senate
representation and in two of those, the non-major party senator is an
independent (VT and ME).
The
close partisan divide has been evident in recent presidential elections. In the
last five contests beginning with 2000, the Democratic candidate has won the
popular voter four times. Only twice has the Democratic candidate won the
presidency. In both 2000 and 2016, a Republican achieved victory in the
Electoral College despite having fewer popular votes than the Democratic
opponent.
There
has always been contention between the two major parties, but the intensity of
the divide has increased exponentially in the past three decades. When LBJ in
1965 was pushing through Medicare, approximately half of Republicans in
Congress voted for the legislation. Fast forward forty-five years and not a
single member of the GOP in Congress voted for the Affordable Care Act.
In any
democratic system elections are important so it is natural for parties to focus
on campaigns for public office. But
carrying out the essential functions of government in a fair and equitable
manner is equally as important as elections. This has become increasingly
problematic in recent years as sizeable elements in both parties have come to
view the opposition as unfit to govern.
For
example, in a September 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center 75% of Democrats
viewed Republicans as “more close-minded” that other Americans, while 64% of
Republicans questioned the open-mindedness of Democrats. In another opinion survey a month later, 55%
of Republicans described Democrats as “more immoral” when compared to other
Americans. Among Democrats 47% said Republicans were “more immoral.”
The
partisan hostility runs very deep. Nearly half of members in both parties say
the other party has almost no good ideas. Majorities in both parties accuse
those in the opposing party of not sharing their nonpolitical values and goals.
Most
disturbing is the September survey in which 63% of Republicans claimed
Democrats are unpatriotic. In maybe a glimmer of hope, only 23% of Democrats
said the same of Republicans.
It appears
that our two party system is no longer adequate for our political environment.
Issues and challenges have become too complex to be resolved by just two points
of view, and efforts at compromise between the two parties consistently
flounder.
Perhaps
the existence of two or three more viable political organizations would
encourage a serious exploration of solutions to our problems. Many other
democracies in the developed world have had multi-party systems for a long
time.
Ironically,
a major factor in the political standoff is that the parties are so evenly
matched. Consequently, there is a
tendency for the loser to focus more on the next election rather than on trying
to develop solutions to our challenges even if some degree of compromise is
necessary.
Whether
or not the addition of one, two or three additional political parties may be
helpful in clearing the logjam in
American governance is uncertain, but the prolonged poor track record of the
existing two major parties offers little reason to stay with the status quo.
