In the last few years, dysfunction and gridlock have been a hallmark of American politics. The constant disputes between the Democrats and the Republicans have resulted in a consistent failure on the part of the legislative branch of the federal government to pass meaningful laws or regulations. The numbers speak for themselves; according to a recent poll, the Congressional approval rating hovers around 20 percent, with roughly 80 percent of people disapproving of their performance.
Clearly, there is a problem when national legislators lack any sort of popular mandate; one might even say that such numbers speak for themselves and warrant a recall election. Yet such a measure would still fail to address the underlying problem: the duopoly of power exercised by both parties in the United States. Not only have the two political parties failed us through their divisiveness, such as the failure to renew a federal ban on assault weapons in the wake of the Newtown massacre; they have also voted on issues that are against the interest of the people (such as voting for the Patriot Act).
Although such a state of affairs discourages many people from voting because they are convinced there is no good choice, this does not have to be the case. Indeed, now more than ever is a good time for American voters to reject the bi-partisan stranglehold and start supporting third-party candidates – and it appears that they are doing so in greater numbers. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, a record 43 percent of voters identified as political independents.
This is a step in the right direction as many ordinary voters are likely not inclined to support either party on every issue. Ideally, a viable third party in the United States would be one that sticks towards the middle by balancing perspectives from both sides of the aisle. For example, a party that is progressive on political and economic issues but conservative on social issues would likely have a broad appeal in Midwestern swing states such as Ohio. Given the choice of a middle ground, most voters would probably prefer pragmatists in office than the current right and left-wing ideologues.
The bi-partisan consensus that existed before the advent of Ronald Reagan was in many ways similar, leading to events such as a Republican president advocating for a guaranteed national income for welfare recipients and a Democratic president signing a bill to deregulate the airline industry. However, in the absence of that consensus, the Democratic-Republican grip on politics – and the resulting gridlock – won’t be broken until people start voting for third-party candidates.
