The United States government is known for its democracy and the ability that every person has a voice because of their vote. There is voting year-round for things such as governors and mayors, small positions but they require voting and have an importance. Most people only pay attention to the presidential elections and their voices being heard there During the presidential elections, it usually dwindles down to the final candidates which are usually either a democrat and a republican and the third party which not many people pay attention to. The United States has a two-party system because there are two only dominant parties in the government, the two parties being: democrat and republican. For some this two-party system is hindering our …show more content…
Now, it is time to go over the pros and cons of the two-party system, of having the Democratic and Republican Parties. The pros of the two-party system are stability, simplicity, and manageable (greengarageblogadmin 1). Having a two-party system is “a political system consisting chiefly of two major parties more or less equal in strength”, per dictionary.com, because there are only two dominant parties to choose from it makes it easier for the public to decide on a candidate. Multiple parties could cause confusion and could lead to a lower voter turnout. A two-party system also allows for stability in the government, the stability stems from the ability of one party to gain the majority vote of the people and bypass the bickering that a multi-party government develops (“What are the pros…. system?” 1). Not only is the two-party system simple and creates stability, it is also manageable. Manageable in the sense it’s easier to govern than multi-party systems. With only two parties to worry about, the government has an easier time keeping track of them and allowing for a balance the contains all of the voters’ interests (“9 Advantages…System). But there are cons to the two-party system: ignoring third parties, limits debate, and could lead to partisanship. …show more content…
But there are facts that can be stated to help people decided what they believe is wrong or right. Knowing the pros and cons over political system can help the public learn and make decisions on things. Since the most recent presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, much of the American people feels as if their government is failing them and doesn’t represent them accordingly. Maybe it is because the two-party system is correctly representing the public or maybe it’s because the political parties are once again going to evolve and adapt like they have done throughout history. We can all take guesses but only time will tell how the government will look going
Even though some may find it limiting, the two-party system does allow for a wide spectrum of people to participate in the presidential election process. This is because most people do fit under the umbrella of either the Democrat or Republican Party. Even if they don’t fit under these two parties and belong to a third party, they’re still able to vote in open primaries and then the general election. People who even do not belong to any party are not left out and can still vote for whichever candidate they think is best and do not have to be affiliated with that candidate’s party to do so. The two-party system allows many people to participate in the presidential election process because even though it’s a two-party system, it still has other smaller third parties that people can belong to.
In recent discussion of Democrats and Republican parties, a controversial issue has been whether or not the U.S. should expand their options from more than a two party system. On the one hand, some argue that there should be more choices other than between the two Democrat Party and Republican Party. From this perspective, voters have more of a variety when they vote. On the other hand, some argue that the U.S. should remain as a two party system. In the words of Gary Johnson, one of this view’s main proponents, “The Republicans and Democrats have spent decades trading power back and forth between themselves, and in doing so, have managed to install a two-party duopoly that completely controls America’s political process.” According to this view, Democrats and Republicans are dictating other parties opportunities to get elected. In sum, then, the issue is whether there should be other options rather than a choice between the Democrat and the Republican Party. I agree with Gary Johnson’s view that the Democrat and Republican Parties are controlling America’s
A two party system is strong and influential although it allows lesser parties to exist and have an influence. As a result a majority party will form the government and the minority party will form the opposition, and coalitions of the lesser parties are possible. These systems can also be multi-party systems. The Two-party sytem has advantages and disadvantages they consist of: Advantages,: It can lead to political stability which leads, in turn, to economic growth, two-party systems have been seen as preferable to multi-party systems because they are simple to govern, while multi-party systems can sometimes lead to parliament. The disadvantages: Two-party systems have been criticized extreme views, and putting a second opinion on debate within a nation, two-party systems for fail to provide enough options since only two choices are permitted on the ballot, the problem with having only two parties is that the nation loses "the ability for things to bubble up from the body politic and give voice to things that aren’t being voiced by the major parties." Multi-party governments permit wider and more diverse viewpoints in government, and encourage dominant parties to make deals with weaker parties to form winning coalitions. I think having a two-party system is ideal because neither major party is strong enough to win without bringing up specific topics that they believe in or their ideology of their party. The way the Republicans and Democrats present
When weighing the advantages and disadvantages of political parties there is no true way to tell whether the benefits exceed the disadvantages or if it is the other way around. Every citizen will have his/her own opinion on the subject. However, with every beneficial aspect of political parties there is almost always a contradicting disadvantage as well. While some people may argue that political parties are an asset to our country, others may argue that they are harmful
Generally speaking, anyone who lives in the United States of America knows that there are two main political parties—the Republicans and the Democrats. Having two main parties has its advantages and, of course, its disadvantages. For example, in By the People James E. Monroe and Rogan Kersh (301) point out having this type of system creates “predictability and stability.” However, they also declare (301) it can “lead to a gridlock.” This is not a new concept either as there has been a divide since the beginning of both parties. The two parties more often than not disagree on various issues, while rarely agreeing on what is best for the country.
We have Republicans and we have Democrats, and we have thousands of interest groups that tend to side with one of the two parties. Without these political parties, for example if we had stayed with what the Founders wanted, we would most likely have some sort of anarchy where nothing ever got done. Like what was said in the article How American Politics Went Insane by Jonathan Rauch “If the Constitution were all we had, politicians would be incapable of getting organized to accomplish even routine tasks. Every day, for every bill or compromise, they would have to start from scratch, rounding up hundreds of individual politicians and answering to thousands of squabbling constituencies and millions of voters. By itself, the Constitution is a recipe for chaos.” It is hard to imagine a country now without political parties, but we can hypothesize about what the effects might be. Political parties serve a few purposes in our country: they select candidates, they educate the masses who will be voting for those candidates, they help to construct policies that citizens care about, and they assist in the checks and balances of the party that holds power. The United States has approximately 319 million citizens, it would obviously be impossible to satisfy the wishes and needs of every single person, and with that large of a population, political parties to me seem like the best way to adjudicate for everyone. The Founders did believe in checks and balances, which are essential in a government like ours today. Currently, we have a President and party that is Republican and they do and say many things I disagree with, but because of our party system, I know that there are people in our government who are on my side and will stop them before it gets out of
Another reason for the insignificance of third parties and the reason for the two party system is the first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system. Unfortunately for third parties, the two main parties always tend to come out with the majority even if they don’t win the popular vote. An example of the unfairness of this voting system is in 2008 the independent party of America managed to get 1 in every 5 votes but still didn’t manage to gain seats. Having said that, FPTP in theory allows for a strong stable government with a hefty majority providing they dominate congress and the legislature.
In 1789, the U.S. did not have a two-party system. The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the nation itself. The Framers of the Constitution were opposed to political parties. The ratification of the Constitution saw the birth of America's first two parties: the federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-Federalists, who followed Thomas Jefferson. The nation had only had George Washington, who was President without a party at that time. During George Washington’s two terms, a conflict developed between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who were both Federalists men. Jefferson challenged Adams under the umbrella of the Democratic - Republican Party. In addition, the Democratic - Republican Party was the first real party that contained the formal beginnings of the present day two-party system. The word Democratic infers to “will of the people”, the word Republican infers to “rule of law” which is defense from possible oppression of the majority. In short, the American party system began as a two-party system. In this essay I will be discussing the why America needs a two-party system, why a multi-system may work for the nation and the conflicts, and how does this political system contributes to the nation and why a two-system is worth the struggle.
There are three types of political system in the world. They are the one party, two parties and multi-party. America has a two party system. The two party systems are still in existence because of historical circumstance, stability; the winner takes all principle and preservation of the two-monopoly system and due to the informal institutional supports. A two party system is a system that involves two major political parties and these two parties including a majority and a minority party that dominate within a government.
The two-party system needs to be changed or completely abolished, because it offers limited ideas and opinions to run the country. The two parties have their own perspectives on issues such as gun control or abortion; Craig Goodman of the University of Houston claims he“doesn’t think it’s very democratic. Why should you exclude someone because they are a small number, and they don’t get to express themselves?” (Cargo 1). The two-party does not allow the middle ground or smaller parties to really have a say (Mathias 4). Most voters only know the leading independent and the two party nominees. Kate Cargo describes “the two-party system leaves voter with low-quality ideas and frankly, low-quality candidates” (Cargo 1) while the third party candidate could have a great compromise on a hot issue, it will never see the light of day. While the two-party system does allow people to have easy access to the opinions of the parties on these issues, it does not make up for the limited options we have. As a country we need to have as many options as possible even if they are extreme. Accessibility is important, but it should never limit our options.
John Adams, one of the founding fathers, wrote that “There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution” (“Quote by John Adams”). The Two-Party system has been around since the start of America. The Two-Party system is a system that has two parties that the government, or America in this case, has that lead the government or America. At the current time, the two parties are the Republican and Democrat parties. It was created with the idea that everyone can be represented within either of the parties. Even though it does create some representation of the people, the two-party system does not create an equal policy in society because it does not allow people to get far if they are not within either of the two parties, does not allow the idea of having more than two parties, and because it doesn't represent everyone.
There are copious Americans who believe that the political party system is shattering our nation. In my opinion, our nation would not be the nation we are today without political parties. Other than presenting candidates and electoral campaigns to the electorate, political parties perform innumerable tasks to better the United States of America. They serve as institutionalized mediators between our society and duly elected representatives who are responsible for determining and executing legislations. They seek public policy priorities and civic needs and concerns identified by their affiliates and supporters. Political parties educate the people on how the political, electoral system, and general political values work. By doing so, voters are well informed of each party’s stance on specific matters. They also inspire individuals to participate in political decisions and turning their outlooks into policy options for all. Unlike other countries, America is a democratic nation we want our people to freely voice their thoughts and support the party who shares their interest and perspectives. In addition, political parties help to annihilate any unexpected shifts in political trends that hold the ability to disrupt the balance of our government. As we all know our nation is a two -party system that assist in advocating stability in the government, because there will only ever be two
America’s two party system of government should be brought to an end. Political parties have continuously caused problems, especially in recent years. Whether it
The two-party system is said to promote governmental stability because a single party can win a majority of political offices and, with less bickering between differing and partisan legislators, govern more efficiently. In a multiparty country, on the other hand, the formation of a government depends on the maintenance of a coalition of parties with enough total strength to form a political majority. The weakness of the ties that bind the coalition may threaten the continuance of a cabinet in power. The stability shown by the government of the United States has not been entirely due to its party system, it has been argued, but has been promoted also by the fixed tenure and strong constitutional position of the president, as well as checks and balances built into the constitution to prevent one branch of federal government from becoming too powerful.
The Constitution has nothing to say about political parties. Nowhere does it define political parties or explicitly specify that there should be two dominant parties. Nevertheless, America has had a strong two party system for last 150 years, a degree of party stability and endurance that can be found in no other nation (Landy and Milkis, 451). This system of two dominant parties has both its advantages and its drawbacks, the same as any system will. The two strong parties simplify and stabilize American politics from both the citizens’ and the politicians’ point of view and allow for government to be unified across the separation of powers built into the Constitution