It is very difficult to predict the future, Nostradamus aside. Certainly, one can make educated guests about certain aspects of life, for instance, someone intimately involved in technology may be able to make accurate predictions about a future which might include a new way of communication, transportation, or energy extraction.
But if it is difficult to predict what is to come, in general, it is certainly difficult to predict the future in political terms. Who could possibly have foreseen the presidencies of Carter, Clinton, Obama or Trump four years before their respective election wins.
Notwithstanding this acknowledged challenge, I wonder if it is not time to predict the rise of a 3rd party in American politics? We can all see the hold that the former president has on the GOP, despite the appearance of some recent cracks in that control. I have said in a previous post that I did not see the long term benefits of such cult like adherence to Trump, given his penchant for outrageous behavior and statements (i.e, that he might pardon the 1/6 insurrectionists should he win in 2024), and the statistical possibility that he may no longer be with us in 6 or 8 years, but considering the apparent strength of the MAGA movement and the fact that they even boo Trump when he recommends the Covid vaccine, I can easily see either a new party forming under the philosophy underlying this perspective, or if they continue to influence the GOP to cause further RNC declarations that the 1/6 riot was "legitimate political discourse", perhaps a more moderate version of that party might go their own way.
Regardless of how the split shakes out, I believe it is time for such a movement to actually work, this time. (Should it work, it will be another reason to praise Donald Trump, assuming it turns out that those of us who think it is good to have a strong 3rd party are proved correct, even if that praise is of the backhanded variety).
Oh sure, you might be thinking, two right leaning parties means the Dems always win. But that is not how I would envision such a split, if conducted properly, because if a 3rd party becomes strong enough to be effective, it would have to draw on independents, and middle leaning voters from both sides of the aisle. An electorate which is fine with personal freedom that includes the right to marry whomever one loves, the right to equal pay for equal work, the right to vote in person on the day of an election or by mail without any restrictions or only for arbitrarily decided reasons, the right to guaranteed sick leave, and paid parental leave after the birth of a child, the right to equal opportunity (which is not equal outcomes), the right to decide to have a child or not. And, an electorate which wants our government to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, to reward hard work, to levy fair taxes but also return services that help all people, not just those already at the top, to recognize the importance of strong families by helping all families, not just those defined by outdated definitions of who encompasses a family or a marriage, to make world view decisions, that improve the lives of all members of the planet, not just those few who will profit from some trade deal, or police action, or UN sanction.
In short, a party who takes the best of both parties without the extreme versions that only seem to harden partisanship rather than cooperation. To me, a 3rd party that can garner even 25% of the vote, meaning 25% of our representatives in Congress and 25% of those chosen in a presidential administration, means that to get anything passed, at least 2 of the 3 sides would have to come together to create laws and policies that make sense for most people, that throw out the crazy viewpoints and stick with the ideas that resonate with most Americans.
Yes, I know that any political system, run by humans will have its problems. But at least with a strong 3rd party, there would have to be some compromise, some cleansing of the radical portions of each side, whether it be silly slogans like defund the police or America first.
It was not that long ago, that a law that improves access to the ballot box, or provide infrastructure improvements would not have been political footballs, since enhanced democracy and modern roadways and bridges help all Americans, but, at least currently, we no longer live within that political landscape.
I believe that a 3rd party that emphasizes freedom for all Americans, not just those who look, worship and love like yourself, that believes that opportunity is the most precious aspect that capitalism can provide, and acknowledges that we can hold two thoughts in our head at once, such as that our founders were flawed but still gave us a great foundation to build upon, that America is a great place to live despite the atrocities we committed against the Native population and minorities. A party that believes that we can do what is needed to address critical issues like climate change and a biased justice system, and the insidious prevalence of any of the various isms that give fuel to people to hate each other over religion, race, politics, gender identity, basically anything that makes one person different from another, which if you think about it, means we hate the very creator who has provided us with the opportunity to experience such diversity. Yes, a party that actually believes in the Golden Rule of treating others as you would wish to be treated.
Towards that end, I posted the following entry in October of 2018. It is a story about a family who recognizes the problem with the 2 party system of their time, and concocts a plan to address that problem by creating a 3rd party, albeit much more under the radar than what seems to be occurring today. The story is called The Wedding about which I have a few comments included in the post.
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-wedding.html
No comments:
Post a Comment