The Ideological Divide Between The Democratic Party And The Republican Party In America
Political parties in the United States are today, dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party; constituting what is known as the two-party system- many aspects of which have been written into law, and others of which are simply customary. The United States Constitution is silent on the issue of political parties, since at the time of its signing in 1787 there were no existing parties. Today hyperpartisanship threatens American democracy, republicans and democrats are in a deathmatch and the American people are caught in the middle. The dynamic of partisanship and the role of political parties have left the United States in a polarized society, where many feel that they cannot escape the two-party system: confining American citizens into two limited factions. In congress the ideological divide in both the house and the senate is larger than any time in the past century.
The need to win popular support led to the invention of voter-based political parties in the 1790s, though they have been altered remarkably since their creation. American politics were especially innovative because it created new campaign techniques that linked public opinion with public policy through the faction (party). Though there have been various parties in the past, the modern system is dominated by two parties- the democratic party being notably leftist and the republican being tangibly right winged. Other third parties do exist, like the Libertarian or Green parties but they have little significance when it comes to presidential elections and receive minimal support and often only appear on the ballot in a few states.
Recently, the country has been divided ideologically, not unalike the rift in the country during the Civil War. The election of President Donald Trump served to further divide the country over many controversial issues. In the past, moderate politicians were plentiful but 'In the last few Congresses, the overlap has vanished; that is, the most liberal Republican is to the right of the most conservative Democrat'. This loss of a middle ground has spurred on the rise of hyper-partisanship in the US today. More and more the Democratic Party has represented the “everyman” meaning that no matter what race, gender, sexuality you are, you will be seen as an equal in the party- whereas the Republican party is seen as a party of mostly straight, white voters. This cultural division was cemented even more with President Trump’s incendiary and provocative comments on current events. His comments on a neo-nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia saying that there are “very fine people on both sides” outraged many, it made it more clear that the Republican party gives little care what happens to minorities in this country.
Though there are exceptions, the parties are separating on distinct fault lines of race, identity and privilege. This separation between two parties that should represent singularly political views, has divided the country; people on both sides are so angry they can barely speak with the other, much less work together.
