It’s hard to imagine a period in American political history that hasn’t been dominated by a duopoly of political parties. Even though resistance from the founding fathers on the issue of political parties is well documented, the two-party system we are well accustomed to developed shortly after the emergence of the United States as an independent nation. Whether it was the Federalist/Democratic-Republican system in the late 18th and early 19th centuries or the Democratic/Republican system we know today, two ideologically opposite parties have always maintained dominant control of the American political system. The existence of third parties and independent candidates, therefore, complicates the political system that we have used for centuries. Steven Rosenstone contends that the existence of our current two-party system is due, in part, to the ability of the two major parties to provide benefits in exchange for voter support. What then occurs when either of the major parties fails in its responsibility to be accountable to the public? While several options exist, including the demand for change within major parties, third parties and independent candidates become a viable option to restore a sense of accountability among American politicians. Even though third parties and independent candidates might seem attractive to voters, they often are unable to find success in any major elections. This lack of success can be attributed to many different factors, including constitutional and electoral barriers, as well as deficiencies born from the general lack of knowledge about third parties. Why then do third parties and independent candidates continue to exist in American politics? The ability of a third party to influence the policy p... ... middle of paper ... ... third party is to force the two major parties to provide leadership that is accountable to the people and actively involves itself in policy innovation. Rosenstone’s claim that third parties are essential to American democracy is evidence that the current two-party system is inadequate and often fails to provide strong leadership. Without the presence of third parties, it is not difficult to imagine what the American political system might look like. Works Cited Goren, Paul. "The Two-Party System." Lecture, POL 4737W, Blegen Hall 425, Minneapolis, January 28, 2010. Nader, Ralph, and Theresa Amato. "So You Want to Run for President? Ha! Barriers to Third-Party Entry." National Civic Review 90, no. 2 (Summer 2001): 163-72. Rosenstone, Steven J., Roy L. Behr, and Edward H. Lazarus. Third Parties in America. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
majority of the states, and those that were on the ballot in a majority of
The political cartoon by Nick Anderson depicts Ralph Nader standing at a podium addressing American society’s “throw away mentality”. Meanwhile a citizen in the background is casting her vote for the green party behind him. Ironically, the ballot drops into a waste basket, thus a wasted vote. We now realize that Nader is not talking about the environment, but addressing the issue of how the general public views votes for 3rd party candidates. This cartoonist feels that we should reform our views on 3rd party candidates and vote for who we think would make the best president, despite there chance of winning or not.
In the presidential elections of 1980 and 1992, in both cases, the third party received a good amount of popular vote (Doc B). This should mean that they should receive electoral votes. But that’s not the case. This shows a dominance of our 2-party system. Even bet...
The breakdown of the second party system was also a reason for the outbreak of the Civil War. In the early 1850’s the Whig party disintegrated, the second party system collapsed and the Republican Party emerged to challenge the Democrats. Southern Revisionists have argued that the collapse of the Union had been preceded by the collapse of the 2nd party system and that the Whig disappeared only to re-emerge as the new Republican party in 1854 supported by nativist Know-Nothing votes. They have also argued that politicians created this tension on purpose to advance their careers, but by doing so they made the 2nd party system collapse. However recent historians, such as Hugh Tulloch, contradict this view by arguing that there is no one single
A two-party system is a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control. As a result, all, or nearly all, elected officials end up being a member in one of the two major parties. In a two-party system, one of the parties usually holds a majority in the legislature hence, being referred to as the majority party while the other party is the minority party. The United States of America is considered to be a two-party system. A two-party system emerged early in the history of the new Republic. Beginning with the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans in the late 1780s, two major parties have dominated national politics, although which particular two parties has changed with the times and issues. During the nineteenth century, the Democrats and Republicans emerged as the two dominant parties in American politics. As the American party system evolved, many third parties emerged, but few of them remained in existence for very long. Today the Democrats and Republican still remain as the dominant parties. These two parties hav...
There have been many different third parties in American history, but most disappeared relatively quickly. The Libertarian Party is one of only six third parties in U.S. history to have lasted 25 years. If history is any indication, most of today’s third parties will probably not be around in another 10 or 20 years. One factor that increases the chance of long-term survival for a third party is not relying too heavily on any one individual. The Libertarian Party is the only one of the five parties to have run more than one person for President, and they have run a different candidate in each of the past 7 Presidential elections.
"Political Parties | Scholastic.com." Teaching Resources, Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities | Scholastic.com. Web. 18 Aug. 2011. .
Political parties were present in democracies before the fabrication of the constitution, so it’s puzzling why they weren’t accounted for within this system. However, since political parties weren’t seen as a threat to the founders, it has left constitutional discourse about this system of the separation of powers with no conceptual resources to understand some basic features of the American political system. Ignoring the existence of parties, the law and theory of separation of powers are a perfect fit for the government the Framers designed initially. So, that is why some institutional designs must be rethought in order to account for the involvement of political parties within the government. For instance, Madison saw the need for a linkage between the interests of the man and the constitutional rights of the place, but never provided a mechanism by which the interest of actual public officials would be channeled into maintaining the proper role for their respective branches. Party affiliations pollute the interests of government officials and don’t allow them to pursue the intentions Madison laid out. However, Mann and Ornstein suggest the transformation to a parliamentary system in order to make our current institutions and parties
Despite being the constant underdog and loser in major elections third parties make some significant contribution to the political spectrum in the United States. Third Party Agendas are taken serious by the Democratic and Republican Parties and specific pieces of the Third Party Agendas are sometimes adopted by the two major parties. Third parties give discontented voters other alternatives. The Republican and Democratic Parties have been known to operate in similar styles and third parties give the voter the opportunity to express their discontent. The third parties in the United States are policy advocates and often are more specific about were they stand ideologically. Often the Republican and Democratic Parties try and take a moderate approach to political issues, and third parties are more conservative or liberal when it comes to political issues. Also, third parties tend to do exactly the opposite when their agenda concerns social issues. Then there is the ?spoiler factor? a Third Party Candidate can collect enough votes to change the outcome of a Presidential Election.
Over the years, the American political system has developed in such a way in which parties have become increasingly polarized. In terms of ideologies as well as identifications, members of government and common voters have become more extreme and loyal to their respective parties, creating an increasingly partisan government. Before understanding why parties have become more polarized, the definition of party polarization must be understood. A specific definition of party polarization can also be understood as partisanship when someone’s stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party. But what exactly has caused party polarization and what are the consequences
Political parties more often than not fail to perform their duties effectively or with adequate credibility. A number of parties are essentially weak and depend immensely on the personal appeal of their leader. The best-fit candidate does not frequently occupy political office solely based on the fact that candidate selection is grounded on nepotism rather than on merit. These shortcomings are very much impacting how not only political leaders are elected, but as well as the nation’s function of
Ken Kollman, The American Political System, (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2012), 25, 322-323, 330, 449.
Plurality voting and winner-take-all rules directly undermine any chance of a third party victory, leading to the perpetual existence of a two-party political system. With winner-take-all election rules making any third party victory far from possible, the two major parties can shift their identity early on in the election to align better with the concerns of the general public that may be expressed from third party support. Third parties do not pose much of a threat to the two major parties due to their inability to carry a state through electoral votes. Any large desire for policy change will likely provoke a major party critical realignment before it leads to any third party victory. The two major parties will likely, based off of historical patterns, bring forth a candidate whose campaign is unique to the nation-wide concerns, leading to a shift in overall voting
Wattenberg, Martin P. (1986). The decline of American political parties 1952-1984. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
In the middle of most social problems in America, one thing will stand at the center of attention; our President. In 2008, the campaign slogan for the Obama administration was “Change We Can Believe In.” Now with the recent mid-term elections, it seems like America is still looking for change we can believe in. Considering the last four presidents have switched between Republican and Democrat, maybe the change isn’t going to another big party but a third party for president. The most popular third parties we have seen are the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution parties. While there have been some glimpses of success for those parties, third parties have a hard time getting off the ground. The major issues they face are a lack of funding for