Will political parties become a thing of the past? America has effectively a two party system, but major party membership is on the decline. The number of independents or unaffiliated voters in the USA is rising. Right now if the independents would be a party, they would be the largest political party in the USA at 43%. The younger generations distrust institutions and systems these days. With regard to politics, I really can not blame them. My observations are that the national parties, Republican and Democrat, seem to be increasingly out of touch with reality, and in Colorado the Republican party appears to be falling apart due to infighting. Many times, the parties seem more concerned with political maneuvering than with promoting the good of the country. Full disclosure, I am an independent, who never felt comfortable enough with either party to choose one.
Colorado Springs, a former Republican stronghold and once known as the Vatican of the West or the Evangelical Vatican because of the large number of evangelical organizations in the area, just elected an independent, Yemi Mobolade, as mayor. They elected an independent and not a Republican, not a Democrat, and not a third party candidate. Mobolade belongs to no party. He does not like political parties. A big part of his campaign was that he was non-partisan and was above party politics.
America effectively has a two party political system. The political system in America, which has been codified into many laws, assumes only two parties. This is unlike other countries which have multiparty systems. In the past, I believe, third parties pointed to changes that the two major parties needed to address, and the major parties adjusted their platforms accordingly. Today the right wing of the Republican party and the left wing of the Democratic party act somewhat like third parties pushing each party to adopt more extreme policies. Unfortunately this movement away from the center has widened the partisan divide and I believe has left a large number of Americans in the center without a good choice of who to vote for. I believe this will allow independents like Mobolade and third party candidates win some elections.
Will independents belonging to no party take over? My thinking is that there are too many organizational advantages to being part of a party for that to happen. But is the two party system in America collapsing? Will a new party be formed to replace one of the two major parties, or will America become multiparty? I do not know, but I believe we are in a period of transition. Something new is on the horizon. (Or will something like rank choice voting bring more choice and satisfy the electorate?) Right now, I think that politically things are a mess in America.
In the last two presidential elections, I voted for a third party candidate for president. People say I threw my vote away. The fact is Colorado is no longer a swing state and its electoral votes will go to the Democratic candidate. That is pretty much a given. Since I do not like the candidates for either major party, I will make a statement and vote for a candidate whose platform best fits for what I stand for. Right now, I plan to vote for presidential candidate Peter Sonski of the American Solidarity Party. I do not consider that I am throwing my vote away, instead I am making a statement. The two major parties need to listen and learn.
This post was inspired by “Americans Are Leaving Both Parties. This Colorado City Shows Why.” by David Siders.
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