Recently, I read a New York Times article by Thomas Friedman called “Dump the G.O.P. for a Grand New Party. In the article, Friedman called for a new Republican party that would operate on traditional, legitimate, center-right arguments concerning economic theory, immigration, etc. and that would replace what he calls “an ethically challenged enterprise that enriches and perpetuates itself by shedding all pretense of standing for real principles, or a truly relevant value proposition, and instead plays on the ignorance and fears of the public.”
I agree. But I want to take it a step farther. Not only do I think the Republican Party should create a new, more centrist party, and not only do I think it’s a great time to do that given how fractured and broken the party has become as centrists battle the Donald Trumps and Sarah Palins for control, but I also think that the Democratic party should do the same.
As Trump divides the Republican Party between the far right and the center, Hillary and Bernie are locked in a similar battle to the left of center. Bernie continues to pull Hillary left and many of his supporters refuse to back Hillary because of her incrementalist approach to change and her track record of moderate views, including a late arrival to gay marriage equality and a history of authoritarian foreign policy.
Increasingly, a sense of intensified polarization of the country and a simultaneous division within the major parties themselves have led to a big political mess. People are responding to those who tap into their emotional state (both Trump and Sanders) and, regardless of the outcome of the general elections, millions of Americans will be frustrated and discontent. Instead of falling into the trap of partisan loyalties and decision-making that leaves so many frustrated, even within their own party, why not break the parties up? The result would be more democratic, could untie issues that have been melded together (social vs. economic issues), and would allow a discussion of a larger plurality of ideas. Ideally, I’d like to see the democratic party break into two: The democratic party and the democratic-socialist party. I think the latter would encompass many Bernie supporters and younger voters.
In the same way the Republican party has fractured, I think the Democratic party is ready to fracture. Bernie successfully de-stigmatized the word "socialist" and I think it’s time for my generation to embrace what most European countries already have. The Green party does offer many of the same things a socialist party would — free education through university as a right, student debt forgiveness, a $15 minimum wage, a single-payer public health policy, etc. — but I think their emphasis is off. As much as I care about the environment, public opinion right now is a hundred times more fired up about income inequality and distribution of wealth and privilege than it is about the environment (which should perhaps be balanced later).
I always hear that we need to return to a healthy two-party system, but maybe the way forward is by experimenting with a fundamentally different (and more democratic) political system that would represent a wider spectrum of political views. Why endlessly debate the older generation and more moderate voters over what values the Democratic party should uphold? I want to see my generation start a democratic-socialist party. It’s time.
