In Defense of Two Parties

Although it may be a pastime to bash the two-party system, it is probably better than any of the alternatives.

As Americans, we tend to value few things more than freedom of choice — whether in the grocery aisle, on our TV screens or at the ballot box.

It’s intriguing, then, that the colorful array of choice on display in most of American culture doesn’t appear to extend to our politics. While democracies like France and India often see dozens of organized parties vying for political power, voters in the United States rarely see realistic voting options outside the Democratic and Republican Parties.

For a country so attached to freedom of choice, this restricted selection often appears to be no choice at all. Third party supporters on both sides of the political spectrum are either distraught that there is “no difference” between Democrats and Republicans or that the two parties are too far apart ideologically to represent the average moderate voter.

The two-party political system has been an American staple since the country’s founding — and complaints that the system works toward the country’s ruin are just as old. But the established political parties are becoming more and more routine punching bags for people frustrated with gridlock and inaction, especially in an increasingly polarized political landscape.

A 2015 poll conducted by Gallup saw the average favorable rating for the Democratic and Republican Parties dip to a near-historical low of 39 percent. 43 percent of respondents refused to claim affiliation with either party at all, describing themselves as political independents.