American voters are poorly served by the Coke-versus-Pepsi, culture-war division between Republicans and Democrats. Either party, when in the majority, swings toward its most extreme views. We saw this with the Republicans under George Bush, and we are seeing it now with the Democrats under Barack Obama. The former were so “pro-business” they failed to regulate the banks, and the latter have no concern for the national debt. As voters, our only alternative is a mixed government – voting the Republicans into Congress in 2010 – on the theory that gridlock is better than extremism.
Polls show that American voters are divided 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. So, what is the monolithic controversy that splits the nation in two? There isn’t one! The Manichean struggle at the heart of American politics is just an artifact of high-stakes competition between two parties. Issue by issue, we voters have been focus-grouped, polled, and targeted into a statistical dead heat. For decades, both parties have employed the best spin doctors on the planet, and they have wrestled to a draw – just like Coke and Pepsi. America needs another political party, to break the stalemate.
It is a truism that candidates pander to the base during primaries, and then hew to the center for the general election. A party that could actually stay in the center would be invincible.
Joe Lieberman should organize a Centrist party. Senator Lieberman was turfed out by the Democrats for being too chummy with John McCain and other Republicans. But the good people of Connecticut returned him to office as an Independent. The Centrist party would be an all-star team of moderates from both sides, like Colin Powell, Rudi Giuliani, and Blue Dog Democrats.
A third party could also be formed by a schism among either Republicans or Democrats – most likely the Republicans, since they are in the wilderness right now. The Republican Party, formerly the party of rich conservatives, is now dominated by uneducated Christian zealots. They are not obviously “for” anything, which is why they are unelectable. They claim to be anti-gay and anti-abortion – on religious grounds – but they are also anti-feminist, anti-intellectual, racist, and xenophobic. The turning point was the 2000 presidential primary, in which the religious right helped George Bush defeat John McCain.
Mr. McCain was further humiliated by his party in 2008 when, in a desperate attempt to rally the base, they unearthed Sarah Palin, now the darling of the redneck faction. Politics has returned to the dark days before Buckley, when every educated person had to be a liberal. American Conservatives need to reclaim the party of Ronald Reagan and set the rednecks adrift. Perhaps Ms. Palin will do them the favor of starting her own “Christian Reactionary” party.
The Democrats own the moral high ground on every issue from civil rights to global warming. This is surprisingly easy to do, once you forget fiscal probity – and foreign policy, and defence. The honest ones should come out of the closet and form a Socialist party. Since they are ascendant, they can afford to be gracious and leave the “Democrat” brand to the Blue Dogs.
America would be better served by three or more political parties. This would give individual Congressmen more freedom to vote their conscience, and incentive to put America’s needs ahead of the party. Bi-partisanship of the Lieberman-McCain variety would cease to be a novelty. At the very least, it would give Americans more choice on Election Day. Dr. Pepper, anyone?
