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Elephants And Donkeys: The Two Political Parties In The United States

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Let’s talk about elephants and donkeys, and no, this is not at the zoo. These are the two political parties that run the government in America. Today, America primarily has a two-party system, the Democrats and Republicans. They are always seen on the news bickering and fighting with one another, and it is never a surprise if a bill is going to pass, depending on which party is in control of Congress at the moment. When you get into an argument with a sibling, significant other, parents, etc., it can make it hard to focus on anything else going on in life. The parties are always at each other’s throats, which makes one wonder if they are focused on the well-being of this nation. Helen Keller once said in regard to politics, “Our democracy is but a name. We vote. What does that mean? . . . We choose between two . . . bodies of autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee” (qtd. in “Challengers of Duopoly”). Something needs to change so that America gets back the representative democracy it once was; we are a nation of 320,000,000 people and counting, yet we are supposed to be split into two measly groups when it comes to politics? A third-party candidate, and the acceptance of independents, would allow America to become a more democratic nation and help with the current polarization of the parties.
Political parties have been a part of our government since the 1800s, but that was not what the Framers of the Constitution intended for it. In fact, George Washington

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