From what I've seen, the US had through ~140 years of political parties being formed from current issues and interests. Examples range from: federalist / anti-federalist, Jacksonian republicans, whigs, democratic republicans, Green party, libertarian party, Constitution party, Free soil party, Progressive party, and so on.
However, the emergence of the Republican and Democrat party have caused quite the stir.
Looking at American history, is bound to see a trend of party influxes. They come and they go, rise and fall. However, R/D are the two parties that didn't rise and fall- they actually evolved. A 2015 Democrat is
not the same as a 1970s Democrat. These party's ideologies have shifted with the times, and this, imo, has caused them to withstand the test of time, for better or for worse.
Democrats used to very working-class oriented, backed by unions, something more akin to a modern Conservative.
The party is now more geared towards social progressives and specific interests, such as LGBT+ activism, feminists, minority rights, socialist roots, and more.
The Republican party was once the Progressive one. Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans were the ones pushing to pass the 13th Amendment, while the Democrats were the "bad guys" at the time.
The tables have turned, and the Republicans seem to be hindering social evolution.
The sad thing is, interest groups appear to be dying off. The Independence Party of America was my first political affiliation. It was a third party group run by Frank McKay and advocated for centrism and was geared for the people. However, it disbanded a couple of years ago and now it "thrives" as the Independence Party of New York. Sadly, I switched to the Democrat party since I simply don't see eye-to-eye with any other party.
I really think that it's a lost cause, with the size of American Partisanship, for a third player to enter the game.
Seriously, ask random people to name the political parties of the US. When I worked for the previous NYC mayoral campaign, I cringed at the ignorance.
People are actually unaware of other parties. Everyone seems to think that there are ONLY Republicans and Democrats. One man even said to me that I "wasted" my vote for Gary Johnson (presidency), and I replied that he wasted ALL of his votes by blindly picking the Republican party.
The thing is, the media only focuses on these two. Do you ever hear about the Green, Independence, Working Families, Conservative, Libertarian parties? Never.
When Theodore Roosevelt lost the election under the "Bull Moose" party during the 1910s, I really think that was the final dagger for the 3rd parties.
The only people I see voting for third parties are the rare few who are actually know that there are more than 2 parties.
Did you know that there were more than 2 candidates for the 2012 presidency?
IIRC, off the top of my head, there were 6 candidates.
I voted for a third party.
Here's the thing. The Republicans and Democrats have far too many endorsements. They are given unfair air time. During the 2012 presidential election, Romney and Obama
combined for $1.3+ BILLION in campaign funds. Gary Johnson (L) was third, with ~$1 million. REALLY?
Also, the presidential debates only allow for the Republican and Democratic candidates.
Jill Stein (G) was arrested, along with her running mate, for trying to enter the Hofstra national debate. It's a presidential debate, yet she (a presidential candidate) was NOT allowed to take part, and was even arrested.
Also, look at Congress:
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/cong.aspx
There are only Republicans and Democrats in the House, and a whopping
two non-R/D in the Senate. BTW, they're Independent. There are no third parties in all of Congress.
Next, look at the Electoral College. Most states are ideologically stunted that they will
always vote either one way or another. NY and California, for eg., will most likely vote Democrat whereas the South usually votes Republican. This causes the problem of swing states, where the election literally revolves around only a few states. The 2012 presidency was decided among
NINE states. Let's not forget the debacle of the 2000 Presidential election. Al Gore
won the popular vote, and Florida proved to be the ultimate swing state. However, Florida actually decided the presidency with its 25 Electoral College votes, giving Bush the election over Gore
271/266. However, the election was insanely close in Florida.
Bush won Florida by 0.01%. After multiple recounts, the tide was shifting toward Gore and his presidency. However, the governor (Jeb BUSH),
led his tirade
to give Bush the election.
Finally, partisanship is just too strong. If you line up random Americans based on age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and income, you can guess their political affiliations with little error. People will vote for their special interests to the point that there is no such thing as centrism in America.
I really don't see any turning back. It will stay Republican and Democrat until the elections are given:
- A salary cap
- ALL parties are given equal funding and airtime
- All parties' candidates are allowed to enter the national debate
- People stop treating the inauguration ceremony like the VMAs
- My fellow American actually learn something about their own country (let alone world politics
If things were to go MY way, I'd start off with this small list.
However, I see no cure for the ignorance plaguing this nation.
