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"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble opinion, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution."
- John Adams. The US Two Party SystemThe founding fathers possessed an acute understanding of the politics of government. To the best of their ability, they tried to create a framework that would protect citizens from government, but it was and is unreasonable to attempt to safeguard against every possible negative eventuality. One of these eventualities that the founders expressed trepidations towards was the development of our two party system. Though anticipated, the evolution of this dangerous political system has likely surpassed the founders' worst fears. "Were parties here divided merely by a greediness for office... to take a part with either would be unworthy of a reasonable or moral man."
-Thomas Jefferson, 1795. Two is at Least One Too FewWhen two political parties compete primarily against each other, each is likely to be most concerned with overcoming the other instead of being most concerned with fighting for the people's rights and interests. Because this system inherently causes the party's focus to be inconsistent with our interests, it limits the potential effectiveness of elected officials with regards to achieving what the people want. We ultimately suffer from being imporperly represented due to a lack of any real choice or control. Furthermore, the people's interests in a country as large and diverse as the United States simply cannot be properly represented by only two parties. Another problem - one that is extraordinarily insidious and that often goes unnoticed - is the fact that our system is inherently capable of leading the country in one direction while giving the nation the illusion of choice and control. By voting either one way or the other we can cause the direction to deviate slightly, but the overall direction is already predetermined. The only true solace we have is knowing that a specific vote may delay our reaching that predetermined destination. "Whenever there is an interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done, and not less readily by a powerful and interested party than by a powerful and interested prince."
-James Madison, 1788. Benefits of a Multi-Party SystemWith more parties, we would be given more choice. So instead of having to vote for the candidate closest to what we want, we would have the option of choosing the exact candidate we want. Candidates would rarely win by a majority in a multi-party system, so the multiple parties would be forced to work with each other by compromising. This system has produced favorable results in other countries, and it certainly has the ability of doing so here. Related Pages
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