hemming and hawing

Our political culture has in recent years become quite aggressive. This is not our first period of vociferous and vitriolic politicking: in the 1850s, before the Civil War, there existed a similar environment of aggressive bantering and even outright, physical battle. We may just be heading for another internal struggle of similar proportions, for I do not see either side budging on the issues argued so passionately.
Part of the reason for the sharp divides being driven into the fabric of our society is, I believe, our nearly complete lack of political diversity. The Republican and Democratic parties are nearly indistinguishable on many issues, and, even though they claim to be more or less fiscally conservative or more or less morally sound, they are really just two sides of the same coin. We live effectively under a one-party system.
Nearly two hundred and thirty million Americans are eligible to vote. These hundreds of millions of individuals come from diverse backgrounds; they have diverse appetites; they dream many different dreams. Each one of these two hundred and thirty million Americans has a slightly different suggestion for solving the challenges our nation faces. And yet, they are give the choice between not two dozen, not one dozen, but two parties for which to vote. Two. Two hundred million people have the choice for one group or the other. There is certainly nothing holding individuals back legally from voting for a party other than the Big Two, but, given the capital, experience, and sheer mass of the ruling two parties, they have the capacity to all but drown out the voices of those groups looking to bring some diversity to the political scene.
If you were to go to the store today and you would have the choice between only two brands of everything, two brands that are so similar in taste and consistency and appearance, would you be happy? Would you rejoice in the nearly complete lack of choice? We have allowed our political system to stagnate. We have allowed two giant beasts to provide us with whomever they choose to lead us rather than forcing our system to stay nimble and diversified. Our legislative bodies, those organs that are supposed to represent the people as a whole, are nearly completely packed with red or blue, with two, only two, parties that are somehow supposed to represent the two hundred million Americans who are capable of voting. Have we become so homogenized that only two parties can possibly represent the millions of different opinions we commonly have? I think not. I believe that we can do better, that our political bodies should represent the diverse factions that exist within the people, that they should represent the cacophony of differing voices that exist in this country. We can do better.
To accuse one party or the other of being evil or disingenuous or out-of-touch or whatever is to miss the fact that they are both overgrown, plodding, and not truly representative of the great diversity that exists in this fine nation. The Republican and Democratic parties are like red delicious and granny smith apples, so close to one another in appearance and taste and substance as to be nearly indistinguishable. We can do better. It is often said that voting for a minority party, one that is attempting to bring new voices and new opinions to the political scene is to throw that vote away. This is true mostly because of the sheer power of the entrenched parties. We are not a people who can be truly represented by groups whose viewpoints are so overlapping at times that the tiny differences between them must be shouted from the rooftops, repeated ad infinitum until they seem so large as to be significant. Where to go from here I do not know, if I should join a minority party or found one or just try to change the system as a whole. Still thinking, still scheming, still writing. Can't nobody hold me down. Oh no. I've got to keep on moving.

UlRaRe.
JPR