Parties Are Destroying Our Democracy

Political Parties are killing our democracy.

In the past, perhaps they were a needed tool. As we enter the 2020s, they are rapidly becoming a threat to our democratic institutions. We need to relegate the party role in government to being non-existent. It is a club and should be treated as such. It should not predominate our governmental institutions.

Nowhere is the term political party mentioned in the constitution. The Framers warned people about how divisive they could be when they did speak of political parties. The parties’ current insinuation into every facet of our public life has resulted in a civic cancer of our governmental institutions. The factionalism that marks our elections is not sustainable for a healthy political discourse.

Members of political parties are supposed to have a common philosophy whether it be it a belief in small government, fiscal responsibility, regulation or large governmental programs. Parties should be a place where people of like viewpoints can gather and discuss ideas and policy. Many of you may remember the term “clubhouse” as a place for pols of a party to gather. We should not conflate that with statehouse.

Parties should not be the determinate factor in how our elections are conducted. By the inclusion of partisan primaries, we have alienated a large part of the electorate. Forty percent of voters identify as independent according to a recent Gallup study. Those without a major party affiliation of either Democrat or Republican…