Every once in a while we need to step back and reassess our situation and plans for the future.Up to now, the progressive blogosphere has focused largely on electing Democrats to office, but the last election has shined a light on the potential pitfalls of that strategy. We now have large majorities in Congress but we seem to be losing the larger battles. We need to keep electing progressives, but the structural impediments to getting truly progressive policies enacted are huge.
We should look at the big picture, find the root causes of our problems and make plans to address them. Currently I see two major problems: 1) about 30% of the population is totally divorced from reality; and 2) our political process is fundamentally broken and seemingly incapable of solving problems. I am not sure how to fix the first problem. As long as people get all their news from Fox they are operating from a different set of "facts" and not subject to debate. On the second problem I think there are solutions out there that are being ignored.
Of course, money in politics is causing a deep-seated corruption that undermines everything our government does. Campaign finance reform should be a top priority as I have argued previously. Rather than compete in a rigged game we need to change the rules.
But another less recognized core problem is the two-party system itself. Our campaign process has enshrined the two-party system in our politics. The combination of winner-take-all elections and a lack of runoff process have made it almost impossible for third party candidates to be anything but spoilers. This lack of credible third-party candidates has been devastating to our democracy. Changing the system to allow more parties to participate should be one of our long-term goals.
With a two-party system, each candidate just has to get more votes than their opponent. Both sides can take their base for granted because they have no where else to go. House districts are easily gerrymandered so there is no chance of losing and 40% of the population has no representation.
This has resulted in a system where maintaining power has become the main justification for the existence of both parties. Legislation is first judged based on how it will help politicians and the party maintain power and only secondarily on how it will help the country. With a third party (or fourth party) politicians and parties would have to actually accomplish something. The debate would no longer be limited to what corporate Democrats and corporate Republicans disagree on.
This is the time to push for campaign reforms to allow for more poitical parties. One of the few things both the left and right agree on is that both sides dislike the two parties currently in power. Teabaggers dislike most of the Republican establishment and are looking for other options. Many liberals, myself included, are tired of being ignored by corporatist Democrats that talk a good game during elections but always find excuses for not following through after elections. Without viable alternatives, Republicans will move further right and corporate Democrats will follow, safe in the knowledge that Democrats have nowhere else to go.
With passage of electoral reforms such as Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and choice voting third-parties would be viable alternatives to the status quo. Instead of being spoilers, people could vote for the candidate that best represented their views. Parties would have to produce results, all elections could be competitive and the debate would be expanded.
We have all worked hard to get Democratic majorities in Congress and to get a Democratic President elected, but I think we have to conclude that the results have been largely disappointing so far. There always seems to be some excuse for not making the large-scale changes needed. Single-payer health insurance, serious financial reform, accountability for torture, an end to war profiteering, etc. are all off-the-table for the Democratic Party. We need a third party that is willing to expand the debate, because it is a debate I think we can win. But first we need to fix the system so the two-parties no longer have a stranglehold on power.
I would like to see the liberal blogosphere start focusing a large portion of our energy on forcing electoral reforms that will make third parties possible. Because this issue could have strong support across the political spectrum a well organized effort could profoundly change our politics.