5 Party Political Election System
This is a summary of an original online article, written 1/6/2020 here:
https://www.homearchitects.com/5-party-political-election-system
This brief summary is also being published in the revitalized 200 year old newspaper: the Charleston Mercury, in Charleston, SC in January 2023, as its Editor at Large, Ms. Shay McNeal, wanted this concept to have additional exposure.
ONE PROPOSED SOLUTION
This 5 Party Political Election System is about one possible solution to the miserable political conditions America has been experiencing in Washington, D.C. for over 150 years due to our current mainly 2 party political system. This suggestion is Pro-American: “how can we improve things?” rather than tear it down. It is allowed by the Constitution.
Washington, D.C. has been focused on the ongoing war of Democrats versus Republicans since the mid-1800s. It doesn’t even matter what they stand for anymore. Each side hates the other. It is about winning elections. It’s a system of mainly 2 parties. As sociologists can explain, when you have only 2 sides to anything, it becomes us versus them. The problem has less to do with what each side believes, but more about the fact that with only 2 entities, it is war.
Everyone complains: blah, blah, blah. Few offer practical solutions. Will anything involving politics ever be rational rather than emotional, like it has been for the last umpteen decades? What might be better? If there were more significant choices, perhaps 3 to 5 main political parties, and if sizable amounts of voters were grouped nearly equally into each of these 5 parties, it would no longer be “us versus them”. There would be varying groups of opinions. Imagine a radio knob that starts in the middle (Moderate Party). Turn the knob to the Right, or turn the knob to the Left. Like people’s taste in music, rotating the selection knob would be more like rock n’ roll or more like Lawrence Welk. But no more Us versus Them. And enough choices between these groups to provide acceptable selections of candidates.
HISTORY OF AMERICA’S POLITICAL SYSTEMS RESULTING IN OUR CURRENT SITUATION
In 1788 and 1792, George Washington was elected President as a non-partisan. There were no Dems or Reps back then. The US Constitution is silent on the subject of political parties. Our Founding Fathers did not intend for American politics to be partisan. George Washington indicated that he hoped political parties would NOT be formed, fearing conflict and gridlock, as he said in his Farewell Address, September 19, 1796.
1792-1824: Federalists versus Democratic-Republicans.
1828-1854: Whigs versus the Democratic Party.
1854-1890s: Republican Party versus the Democratic Party.
1896-1932: Reps versus Dems.
1933-2022: Reps lost much support in the late 20s and early 30s. Liberalism emerged. Conservatives went to the Rep Party. The more Liberal Democratic party specifically targeted recruitment of some minorities, which is interesting, as in the Civil War, Reps freed Black Americans from slavery.
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS POLITICALLY UNSUCCESSFUL PARTIES
Libertarian, Independent, Green, Reform and a few others.
CURRENT MAIN 2 PARTIES
Dems (Democrats)
Represented White Slavers during and before the Civil War, and for decades after that. Nowadays, Dems stand for civil rights, liberalism, minority support, higher taxes for social benefits (rather than the Republican idea of less taxes and letting citizens use their money in a trickle-down economy).
Reps (Republicans)
Market and business-oriented. Policies to help American businesses. Support for USA defense programs and veteran benefits. Fiscal conservatism. Social conservatism. Tends to now be stronger in Southern USA and suburban and rural states (interesting, considering the South was mainly slavery-oriented and was defeated by the Northern Reps in the Civil War).
HOW TO ESTABLISH THESE 5 PARTIES & SUMMARY
Please email your ideas to this webssite.
2 of these parties are already there: Republicans and Democrats. All that needs doing is to add to those: one up and one down and one in the middle.