One thought on “Why does the Two Party system exist?”
This is a really interesting topic to discuss because like you said George Washington had warned everyone about the division that parties can create in the political system. Although there are third parties, they are rarely represented in any positions of actual power. I agree with you that it is weird that Washington was so revered and yet his opinions are just not respected when he leaves office. I think that shows just how strong party ties are in the United States. In recent years especially there is way more emphasis on party affiliation than actual issues. According to the pew research center voters rarely switch political parties, especially not in a short amount of time. We have recently been straying farther and farther from actual political issues and focuses mostly on which party is in charge, and how their agenda can be achieved. I also like how you talked about the powers that congress has and how there really is not that much regulation when it comes to what they can do. They have a lot of power and a lot of the time their main goal is to stay in office so their agendas are catered to that. Incumbents, like you said, have a very large advantage because of things such as the franking privilege which allows incumbents to send out mail for free to their constituents. Incumbents are also a constant in a very fast paced political world. Many voters fear change when it comes to politics, so if an incumbent can do a substantial job it is very likely they will continue to win. Many politicians don’t run unless there is a large controversy or if the incumbent is retiring. Through this advantage a certain party can keep office for a very long time and that is how we get into blue and red states. It is a very interesting topic and I am interested to see what more you would have to say on the matter. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/04/voters-rarely-switch-parties-but-recent-shifts-further-educational-racial-divergence/
This is a really interesting topic to discuss because like you said George Washington had warned everyone about the division that parties can create in the political system. Although there are third parties, they are rarely represented in any positions of actual power. I agree with you that it is weird that Washington was so revered and yet his opinions are just not respected when he leaves office. I think that shows just how strong party ties are in the United States. In recent years especially there is way more emphasis on party affiliation than actual issues. According to the pew research center voters rarely switch political parties, especially not in a short amount of time. We have recently been straying farther and farther from actual political issues and focuses mostly on which party is in charge, and how their agenda can be achieved. I also like how you talked about the powers that congress has and how there really is not that much regulation when it comes to what they can do. They have a lot of power and a lot of the time their main goal is to stay in office so their agendas are catered to that. Incumbents, like you said, have a very large advantage because of things such as the franking privilege which allows incumbents to send out mail for free to their constituents. Incumbents are also a constant in a very fast paced political world. Many voters fear change when it comes to politics, so if an incumbent can do a substantial job it is very likely they will continue to win. Many politicians don’t run unless there is a large controversy or if the incumbent is retiring. Through this advantage a certain party can keep office for a very long time and that is how we get into blue and red states. It is a very interesting topic and I am interested to see what more you would have to say on the matter.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/04/voters-rarely-switch-parties-but-recent-shifts-further-educational-racial-divergence/