A centrist party for non-Trumpists and non-progressives might save the US
If it raises a war chest and attracts enough politicians from both sides, it could represent more than half the people ideologically and win most states
It is commonly thought that the United States has a two-party system, but there is in fact no reason other than inertia for this to be the case. While getting on the ballot can be difficult, nothing in the law excludes a third party, or even a ninth. And with both parties leaning toward extremes, creating a large centrist party could change the country's dysfunctional politics.
As we gear up for the 2024 presidential election, and look forward to a future that might better reflect the country's excellence and dynamism, we might consider whether the two-party reality has outlived its usefulness.
It's critical, because the Democrats and Republicans, in different ways and to different degrees, are going off the rails.
The Republicans are the simpler case. On issue after issue, they hold policies that run counter to the clear American majority.
Their stance against even the mildest form of gun control—say, a renewal of the assault weapons ban (which is popular) and strong background checks—is the most obvious and egregious example. The party is simply too beholden to a well-funded gun lobby, and dependent on a small minority of fanatical voters for whom guns are the single issue.
But there is much more. The Republicans' unpopular assault on abortion rights—to the point of opposing the procedure even for minors who have been raped—already cost them in the 2022 midterms, yet they show no signs of backing down.
Their skepticism on elementary climate change mitigation policy makes America look ridiculous on the world stage and is an affront to future generations. Their refusal to reform a health care system that offers no universal baseline of service (desired by seven in 10 Americans and a basic right in almost all other rich countries) plays a big role in declining American life expectancy.
Economic inequality also seems to trouble Republicans little despite the fact that the United States is by far the most unequal country in the developed world. That puts them in opposition to most Americans. In 2016 they rode the wave of working-class anger over this to victory, but then turned on their own voters and (again) lowered taxes for the rich, further increasing inequality. That's before considering Republican-led tariffs that raised the price of goods for U.S. consumers.
This is why the Republicans won a majority of the popular vote in presidential elections once only in the last 35 years, in 2004, as the country rallied behind George W. Bush after 9/11.
That is why the Republicans are hell-bent on maintaining the anti-majoritarian aspects of the Electoral College and the Senate, which vastly overrepresent small, conservative states and enable a minority to impose its will. And why they have turned gerrymandering and voter suppression into an art form.
It is also why they've taken to challenging any election loss that is not by a landslide. It is excruciating to behold, especially in a society that has traditionally disdained sore losers and compulsive liars.
So, all of this being true, why are Republicans still in a position to deploy dirty tricks during close votes?
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