The Four Parties of the USA and what we need as a nation
As our system has stood for a long time, many believe it to be a two party system, with a Democratic left and a Republican right, but current developments have changed this system, or have at least brought these changes to light. Think of the election of 2016, where there were two distinct factions in each party. Donald Trump led a far-right populist sect while other Republican leaders represented a more traditional conservative viewpoint. On the other hand, Bernie Sanders was a socialist leftist while Hilary Clinton appealed to a more traditional liberal base. The divisions in our nation have split into four parts, as the two right wing groups vie for control of the Republican Party and the two left wing groups vie for control of the Democrats. So far this difference has tended to pull both parties further from the center, and therefore the majority of US citizens, who tend to be closer to the center, are suffering because of it. Many center-left or center-right citizens find themselves supporting candidates with agendas far from their own simply because they don’t want the other party’s candidate to win. I draw comparisons to early America, where the wealthy landowners and the working classes both opposed the British, but were also in opposition to one another. As always, those with money, land, and power tended to win out in the end. In our nation today, the money and power is starting to shift to the extreme sects of both parties. This is a huge problem. The far-right hate groups with neo-Nazi and Confederate-sympathizing white supremacist, white nationalist belief systems are getting a surprising amount of money funneled into them, from crowd funding and business sources. Same goes for far-left socialist and communist groups as well as fringe anarchist groups and groups like ANTIFA, who can sometimes trend towards violence and destruction of property among other things. This is a formula for chaos, disorder, and if we aren’t careful, violence and civil conflict. So this is a part of the problem. Also, as the left and right divide further apart, consensus in our government becomes less achievable. What we have is the party in power pushing forward partisan, one-sided legislation while the lesser party goes the obstructionist route until they gain power. Then the seesaw continues. As one party gains power, they work to destroy all of the strides the previous party in power worked to make. This goes back and forth and our nation is like a car that goes into drive, drives a few feet, then goes into reverse and goes back a few feet. Any progress is minimal. We need consensus to achieve any progress for our citizens. How can we do this? The moderate sections of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in power right now are controlled by corporate and big business interests. This is what started the populist movements in the first place, so they are not the answer. I propose a strong Centrist Party that combines views that could be supported by all four of these factions. They must have the ability to listen to the rich, poor, and middle classes without fully siding with any of these class groups. They must also be able to listen to both the right and the left, choosing sensible legislation from both parties to support, while also proposing centrist policies of their own. They must be able to hear the voices of Christians as well as people of all other religions including atheists, people of all races and backgrounds, people of all political systems, people of all genders and lifestyles, urban citizens as well as rural citizens, the educated as well as the uneducated. I think you see where I’m going with this. We need a party that’s willing to draw from all of these groups and to listen to all citizens to see what the nation truly wants and needs. This is what’s missing in our nation. This Centrist Party would act as a sort of swing vote on many occasions, keeping the other parties from straying too far from what American citizens as a whole truly want. This party would represent both Democratic and Republican principles, but more importantly, it would represent the thoughts and beliefs of independents and moderates, a huge group that makes up the majority of voters. It’s a group that is, unfortunately, being neglected in our current system, leading many in our country to believe that our government could care less about their interests. If we really want healing in our nation, if we really want to counter the divisions and the chaos, I believe this would be the best place to start.
