The two party system in America, and why it matters

Almost since the beginning, there have been two major parties in American politics, each a rival to the other. A similar thing has happened in England, prompting Benjamin Disraeli to coin the phrase "two party system." Disraeli also defined the rationale for such an arrangement, declaring that "the purpose of the opposition is to oppose." By this he meant that of the two major parties, at any given moment, one will be in power, and the other will be constantly challenging it. This sets up an adversarial system. It assures competition. The party that appeals most to the voters is rewarded with power, the party that appeals less is punished with second class status. This is as it should be.

But competition is only a good thing so long as it still exists. For the ruling party, competition is accountability. Santayana and others have observed that "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It's fine for one party to be dominant, so long as its power is short of absolute, and its position is not irrevocable. But if those in power have nothing to fear, then they will act in reckless and harmful ways that will lead to countless evils. Why? Because of human nature. A human personality unchallenged by external pressures will eventually go out of control. We need countervailing forces, to keep us sane, and to keep us from seriously hurting one another. This is why we have society. This is the social contract.

And this is why it is a good thing to have more than one viable major political party. The point of the opposition party is to keep the ruling party on its toes. It is a threat to the ruling party's power, but only if the ruling party goes too far. That's the whole point. As long as the opposition party is a credible threat, the ruling party will be restrained in its actions, and will not be tempted to great evil. And if by some miscalculation it does go too far, it will be voted out. Then the former opposition party will become the ruling party, and the former ruling party will be reduced to the status of opposition.

The party that makes the best appeal to the voters should have the power, and the other party should lack power. But only up to a point. In order for this arrangement to work, the opposition must remain viable. It must be thinkable to the voters for them to vote out the ruling party, and put the current opposition party in its place. The opposition party must be a credible alternative to the voters, in order to be a credible threat to the ruling party. Above all, it must be a *loyal* opposition, clearly having the voters' best interests in mind, if not at heart.

It's the nature of things that we can't have more than two pre-eminent parties in a democratic system. A power law applies. One party will be the ruling party, one party can be the opposition, and other parties are relegated to fringe status. There's nothing to be done to have more than two significant parties. The voters insist on having things tidier than that. But it is possible to have only one. This happens when the opposition party becomes so incompetent or extremist that it is no longer credible in the minds of the voters. And this is precisely what is happening in the United States right now.

As I pointed out before, the Democrat party in America has run off the rails. It has been taken over by ideologues. Even worse, it has been taken over by an ideological faction that has no future. Before our very eyes, it is ceasing to be a credible alternative to Republican power. Leave aside for the moment the question of whether this Republican administration has abused its power. What is to stop the Republicans from going hog wild in the future? Don't talk to me about how the members of one party are all sweetness and light, while the members of the other party are depraved and beyond redemption. These are human beings we're talking about. They all have the same fundamental human nature, and Santayana's dictum applies to them all equally.

Well, that's the bad news. In my next post on this subject, I'll give some facts on the other side of the equation, which will make the picture slightly less gloomy. But for now, please ponder this.


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