For this semester’s civic issue blogs, I will be focusing on the broad topic of politics. Politics are more relevant than ever, and as young adults who are starting to be able to vote in elections for the first time ever, it is so important that we become educated on the world of politics. I wanted to take this opportunity to educate myself on some political topics and get a deeper understanding of my views on our government. I will be starting off my civic issues blogs by tackling the two-party system and growing divide between our nation.
The United States has essentially always been a bipartisan nation, going from the Federalists and Antifederalists, to the Federalists and Democratic Republicans, to the Democrats and Whig party, to finally the Democrats and Republicans. It seems that our country has always been set on separating the nation by putting titles on everything. Separating the nation has been a theme throughout American history, one that does not seem to be disappearing anytime soon.
I can definitely understand the nation’s interest in implementing a two-party system in our nation’s government. For those just starting to get involved in the politics, the two-party system does a good job of helping people integrate into all the ins and outs of politics. The general trends associated with democrats and republicans help people to see where they typically align on a myriad of topics. It also helps voters to have to learn less candidates’ stances. If the two-party system did not exist, there would be many more candidates running and it would be hard to keep track of each candidate’s views. Without the two-party system, people would probably get overwhelmed trying to figure out their views on the many different political topics. The two-party system does also make it easier to balance a variety of opinions. Without these clarifications, people might be all over and be unsure of how to congregate and get things done. Because of these generalizations, the two-party system also keeps super radical parties from forming because it is unlikely that they’ll gather enough support to have a significant impact on policy.
On the other hand, the two-party system has completely divided the nation. Democrats and Republicans are so polarized that it does not leave much room for those who see positives and negatives on each side. In the United States congress, pretty much every representative either identifies as a Democrat or Republican because if they were to identify as an Independent, they would not get the votes to be elected to their position. This also causes the government to ignore alternate voices. Those who fall in the Green Party or one of the other smaller parties may have some valuable ideas for the success of our nation, but they will never be taken seriously because they are not a part of the main two parties. One of my main issues with the two-party system is how pitted against one another they are. They are so set on not letting the other get their way that it is so hard to pass any policy or make any progress. Instead of working together for the benefit of the United States, they want to slander each other’s reputation and paint them out to be the bad guys.
Though I recognize the benefits of the two-party system, I still believe that it needs to go. I think that with the two-party system it just encourages mindless agreements and voting. When people go into vote, especially uneducated voters, they focus more on the party of the candidate than their actual views. They just see the D or R next to the candidate’s name and assume that their views will align with what the voter wants. Without the two-party system I think that voters would be encouraged to gain a deeper understanding of the candidates’ actual views on policy, and in turn this would allow us to have a government that better represents the views of the nation. Even beyond voting, the two-party system causes politicians to simply agree with what their party is doing rather than vote and support policies that actually reflect their views. Because they are afraid of ridicule from other party members and backlash from voters, they get much less done.
It is inevitable that there are going to be differing political opinions. In a country of 330 million, there are surely going to be a wide range of views on how the country should be run. I do not want to irradicate these differing opinions by getting rid of the two-party system. Instead, I want politicians and citizens to forgo the biases associated with political parties so they can focus on the actual policies. Without the two-party system, I think that we would be able to have a more educated government, and our representatives would be able to get more done since they would not be so deadlocked against one another. I think that getting rid of the two-party system would encourage representatives to work together for policy that will be beneficial for the country rather than just trying to stop the other party from getting any of their policies through.
As of right now, there is no indication that the two-party system is going anywhere anytime soon. I feel like the two-party system will continue to divide this country and prevent unity. Though there are some serious pros to the two-party system, in my opinion, the cons outweigh them. Irradicating the two-party system would bring us closer as a nation and help us to make more educated decisions for the future of our country.
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Hey Sarah,
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I think that the way you articulated your words is extremely important because it goes with the topic you wrote about. For example, you were writing about politics and the way you talked about the subject seemed very formal which was fitting. Also, I really got a glimpse to a new topic that I really do not have an interest for. Even though I don’t really find politics interesting, reading your blog definitely opened up my views about politics and possibly getting into them. I think it is extremely interesting how leaving the nation with two parties does not really give a place for people that find faults in the parties. There is no middle way for people that do not agree with either, which is troublesome. Overall, I think you did an amazing job with this blog and I really think politics is the perfect topic for you.
I really liked reading your position on modern day politics. I completely agree with every point you made. In recent years especially due to the media republicans and democrats have been pinned against each other. As you mentioned, many uneducated voters only see the candidate associated with the party they identify with (which typically stems from what their parents agree with) and vote for them. It is important for people to realize it is okay to have some liberal and republican views. I am interested in diving deeper into the influence the media has had on modern day politics. It may be interesting to write about for your next blog post! Many uneducated voters also look towards social media such as tiktok, Instagram, snapchat, twitter, and Facebook for political information. Although social media can be good to spread the word about certain topics it is a highly unreliable source, and we need another form of news that is unbiased, and people can access easily.
Overall I liked the blog, I believe is covers both sides of the two party issue, even though your stance was clear you still played devil advocate. Some of the arguments I don’t agree the premises of, the two-party system was not a deliberate choice but a natural, unforeseen consequence of the constitution. The main issue that I have is there is no proposed solutions to the problems. I also don’t like the two-party system, I believe is pigeon holds the voters to two parties which do not represent their interest. You imply that you want get rid of the concept of a party, saying how voters and politicians should forego the bias of political parties. Though through your mention of the green party, it seems like your preference is for either a parliamentary system or getting rid of first-past-the-post voting, neither of which really get rid of political polarization as seen in European governments like France or England. I agree with the position fundamentally however presenting a solution to the problem you suggest is also important.