Following the midterm elections there was a brief period of
political optimism in the air. Voters rejected election denier and extremist
candidates in critical states. Observers held out hope that the center could
hold and again become the norm in American politics.
The new year quickly dashed any good will engendered by the
election and replaced it with “over the moon” partisan conflict at our nation’s
Capital. In the House of Representatives, any chance that rational debate could
take place was quashed when far right zealots were handed the keys to important
committees. Republicans have refused to remove one of their own, George Santos,
from Congress for his abhorrent conduct in lying about his background and
family to gain office. There are no plans to consider compromise legislation on
abortion, immigration reform, gun control or the federal budget. Clearly,
holding onto power has won out over problem solving and integrity.
Both the President and former President (and now former Vice
President) are mired in investigations regarding the mishandling of classified
documents. Denial, lack of transparency and attacking the other for similar
conduct have undermined efforts to fix the problem. What should be a middling,
procedural snafu has morphed into a legal nightmare for both political parties.
The single institution thought to transcend political power,
the Supreme Court, has been degraded by political posturing and infighting
among the Justices. The present Supreme Court majority has moved to reverse long-standing
precedential decisions on
abortion and other cultural issues.
In the streets of America, political violence is becoming
almost as common as mass shootings. The United States Capitol Police are debating
whether to reorganize to become more like the Secret Service. This would enable
them to provide around the clock protection for members of Congress.
In the words of poet William Butler Yeats, “When things fall apart, the center cannot hold.”
I believe that, because of America’s dedication to “liberalism,” it is possible
that the center can hold notwithstanding our distressing political environment.
In simple terms, civic duty must replace gaining power as the fundemental goal
of our government representatives. Officials must be elected that have no
interest in controlling government to advance their singular ideological
objectives. Government must return to being a level playing field where
pluralism provides protection from majorities and mobs.
Most Americans believe in liberalism without stopping to
consider what this important political theory embodies. (It is not a term that
describes Democratic progressives.) Liberalism is the flexible foundation of
our constitutional republic. It allows for the contradictory objectives of
liberty/individualism (valued by conservatives) and equality/community (valued
by progressives) to coexist at the same time. American liberalism was built on
the foundation of property rights, honoring contracts and capitalism. However,
those who value liberalism are always mindful that these economic principles
can be abused and cause unwarranted inequality or discrimination. Liberalism in
our democracy is constantly in flux. There is a continuing search for a grand
compromise between individual freedom on one hand and human universality on the
other.
A majority of Americans understand that a nation of 330
million individuals cannot be expected to agree on everything. The foremost
role of government is to provide a framework to discuss our differences.
Represenative democracy provides an open forum for citizens who are ethnically
diverse and who have different opinions on politics, economics and culture.
American democracy can never be an all or nothing
proposition. If Catholic countries can compromise on abortion legislation, if
poorer nations can find solutions to much worse immigration problems and if countries
with appalling domestic violence can adopt fair gun control policies, so can
the United States of America.
Once liberalism is understood and championed by the voting
public, the country should adopt voting laws that will enable it to
proliferate. This would involve reforming the primary election system in
America. Liberalism is set up to fail by primary politics that favor partisan
zealots who place party and power above nation and compromise. In many primary
elections a minority of extremist party officials and their supporters choose
like-minded candidates that end up in Congress. These partisan primaries disenfranchise
Independent voters, distort representation and fuel anti-liberalism once the
candidates are elected.
There are currently three methods for conducting primary
elections:
Closed Primaries. In Pennsylvania and twelve other states,
only those registered with a political party are able to vote in the primary.
Fifteen states conduct semi-closed primaries. Candidates are incentivized to
only seek the support of the partisan voters in their base.
Open Primaries. Twenty-one
states employ an open primary system. Independent voters are allowed to vote in
either party’s primary. Candidates must broaden their appeal beyond their
partisan base.
Nonpartisan Primaries.
Two states employ this system where all candidates run on one single
primary ballot, regardless of party affiliation. All voters vote in the same
primary election with the top two candidates advancing to a general election.
The nonpartisan primary model is by far the best at
preserving liberalism. All voters’ voices matter no matter which party has a
registration advantage. More voters participate in the primary. The candidates elected in the general are
more centered in their positions. All states should adopt this primary system
as an important step in electing non-polarizing candidates who can “hold the
center.”
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