The Demise of Political Parties

From the time I was a kid, there has been a big change in the way political parties operate. There used to be robust political conventions where state delegations dominated, and the nominees for President were decided. Today, all of this has all shifted to a Primary election format where the nominating process goes on “forever,” and the winner often ends up being the person who can raise the most money.

Four years ago, it was the Republican Party battling it out. This year it is the Democrats. It has become a circus in a way. Candidates with the most extreme positions tend to move toward the “front of the pack” in both parties, and the so-called debates have become exercises in who has the better “show-biz” techniques. It is a tiresome and demeaning process.

Right now, the Democrats still seem far from selecting a middle-of-the-road candidate who could win the general election. In comparison, the Republicans, appear to be solidly lining up behind their real estate tycoon and self-made reality show personality from Queens and are following him like the Pied Piper to an end yet to be determined.

Political parties, like people, have a history. Just think back to over 50 years ago when the 1965 Civil Rights Act was passed. From shortly after the end of the Civil War until then, the South had been solidly Democratic. Now the “solid South” is Republican. States like New York back then could elect Republicans statewide, now there are no Republican statewide elected officials in our State. Political parties are not what they used to be.

The Democratic Party really doesn’t exist much except as a debate forum for people who either have money or can raise a lot of it.

I attribute a lot of this to the power of money in American politics. When Senator John McCain was alive, he and Senator Feingold sponsored bi-partisan legislation to limit the impact of money on politics. That legislation was thrown out by the Supreme Court. So, look what happened. Now, in the Democratic race for President, you are not eligible to join Presidential debates unless you can raise money, and then keep raising more money. The Democratic Party really doesn’t exist much except as a debate forum for people who either have money or can raise a lot of it. Similarly, the Republican Party of pro-business and small government seems to have disappeared into a personality cult of some kind.

Where are the political parties in terms of their own status in American political history? This may be too simplistic, but I see the Republican Party as morphing back into the Whig Party of the 1850s from whence it came. The Whigs became known as the “know nothing” Party. They preached fear of immigrants and urbanization, became insular in their politics and ultimately became irrelevant. All of this talk today of building a wall to keep people out and spreading fear about immigrants, etc. reminds me a lot of the 1850 Whigs.

And where is the Democratic Party? Again, some might take issue with this, but I see it struggling like it did in the 1920s. It didn’t have focus, the old “solid south” and urban north hadn’t figured out how to build a winning coalition. It took the Great Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt to do that.

Yet, back in those days, the national party conventions at least had a purpose. They were the center of power for nominating the Presidential candidates. Today, they have become a coronation affair for a big money/media game and that is not good for the country.

Rolland Kidder