How Third Parties Impact the American Democracy

NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. IF THEY COULD, ABOUT HALF OF VOTERS SAY THEY’D REPLACE BOTH PRESIDENT BIDEN AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP ON THE 2024 BALLOT. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER. IT’S NOT A GOOD SIGN FOR EITHER, AS THEY TRY TO GET OUT THE VOTE. BUT EVEN WITH THE LACK OF VOTER ENTHUSIASM, WE KNOW THAT EITHER DONALD TRUMP OR JOE BIDEN WILL BE ELECTED AGAIN IN NOVEMBER. AND THAT’S IN PART BECAUSE AMERICA HAS A VERY SET TWO PARTY SYSTEM THAT MAKES IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYONE ELSE TO BREAK THROUGH. BERNARD THOMAS IS THE AUTHOR OF THE DEMISE AND REBIRTH OF AMERICAN THIRD PARTIES. IT’S NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US, PROFESSOR THOMAS, THANKS FOR JOINING ME. THANK YOU. SO YOU HAVE SAID THAT THE AMERICAN SYSTEM STIFLES DEMOCRACY. HOW SO? WELL, THE LACK OF THIRD PARTIES IS A ACTUALLY A VERY, VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM WHEN YOU HAVE A TWO PARTY SYSTEM, THEN THERE IS A TENDENCY THAT THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO MOVE TOWARDS AUTHORITARIANISM. AND ONE OF THE REASONS IS BECAUSE WE’RE MORE LIKELY TO MOVE INTO TO A HIGH LEVEL OF POLARIZATION BETWEEN THESE TWO TOP PARTIES THAT THIS IS WHAT WE’RE EXPERIENCING NOW IS NOT THAT UNCOMMON AMONG AMONG SYSTEMS WHERE THEY HAVE ONLY TWO BIG PARTIES. AND THE SECOND ONE IS IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR, FOR FOR ONE PARTY TO GAIN ENOUGH POWER IN GOVERNMENT THAT THEY CAN START DIS ASSEMBLING THE GUARDRAILS THAT WE NEED FOR DEMOCRACY. WHAT THIRD PARTIES DO, EVEN IF THEY’RE WEAK IN AMERICA, IS THEY FORCE THE MAJOR PARTIES BACK. AND SO THE FACT THAT THIRD PARTIES HAVE BECOME SO WEAK IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE RIGHT NOW. IS IT JUST MONEY? FOR THE MOST PART, THE REASON THAT THESE THIRD PARTIES CAN’T REALLY BREAK THROUGH? WELL, MOST OF THE REASON IS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE US RUNS ELECTIONS. WE GO IN AND WE VOTE. WE VOTE FOR ONE CANDIDATE FOR ONE OFFICE. AND A LOT OF COUNTRIES, WHAT THEY HAVE ARE MULTI-MEMBER DISTRICTS. AND SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS SMALLER PARTIES WILL ALL WILL TEND TO WIN A LOT MORE SEATS. AND THAT WOULD ALSO EVEN HELP IF THEY’RE RUNNING FOR FOR THE TOP OFFICES. BUT THERE’S A SECOND THING ON TOP OF THAT THAT REALLY MAKES THE US DISTINCT AND THAT’S THE LACK OF PUBLIC FINANCE FOR ELECTIONS, BECAUSE IT BECOMES AS THE THE US IS IN A SITUATION WHERE WHERE IT COSTS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO, TO WIN A CONGRESSIONAL SEAT, BILLIONS MAYBE TO WIN A PRESIDENTIAL SEAT AND THIRD PARTIES CANNOT RAISE THAT KIND OF MONEY. IT SEEMS, THOUGH, THAT THIRD PARTIES HISTORICALLY IN THE UNITED STATES JUST HAVE A REPUTATION OF BEING SPOILERS, RIGHT? WELL, THEIR JOB IS TO THREATEN TO SPOIL THEIR THE SPOILING WITH A PURPOSE. IT’S IT’S THE IT’S A THEORY REFERRED TO AS STING LIKE A BEE THAT THEIR JOB IS TO FIND GALVANIZING ISSUES, FIND, UH, SOME FRAMEWORK, SOME ISSUE THAT THE MAJOR PARTIES ARE IGNORING AND THEN ATTACK THEM ON IT IF THEY’RE SUCCESSFUL, THE MAJOR PARTIES WIND UP RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM AND CO-OPTING WHATEVER THE THIRD PARTY IS. IS PROMOTING. NOW, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS AND THIS IS THE SECOND STEP FOR THE BEE, THE BEE THAT STINGS ALSO DIES. BUT IT’S ALSO SUCCESSFUL IN THIS SITUATION BECAUSE THEY’VE ACTUALLY PUSHED THEIR PROPOSALS FORWARD. SO AT SOME LEVEL ARGUING THEY’RE JUST SPOILERS. THEY’RE NOT JUST SPOILERS AT THE BEST. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO THIS SYSTEM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. ARE YOU THEN HOPEFUL THAT THERE WILL BE A REBIRTH IN SOME WAY OF AMERICAN THIRD PARTIES? WELL, LET’S BE CLEAR WHAT WHAT I’M ARGUING IS NOT A MULTI PARTY DEMOCRACY, BUT THEM TO AT LEAST PLAY THE ROLES THAT THEY USED TO PLAY WITH. FOR EXAMPLE, TEDDY ROOSEVELT IN THE 19 UH, 19 TENS, THEY LEFT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAD BEEN COMPLETELY MOVING TO THE RIGHT, VERY IN A REACTIONARY DIRECTION. AND THE PROGRESSIVES PUSHED IN ISSUES LIKE BASIC ECONOMIC REFORMS, LIKE ENDING CHILD LABOR AND AND THE SHORTENED A UH, 40 HOUR WORKWEEK AND THEY PUSHED THOSE, THOSE THINGS AND THEY HURT THE REPUBLICANS BAD. AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE REPUBLICANS REACTION WAS TO MODERATE THEMSELVES. AND AFTER THE REPUBLICANS MODERATED THEMSELVES, THEN WE HAD THE LONG STRETCH PERIOD, UH, STARTING AROUND THE 1920S, WHEN THE TWO PARTIES ACTUALLY FUNCTIONED TOGETHER, WORKED TOGETHER WELL. BUT NOW WHAT WE’RE SEEING STARTING IN THE 1970S HAS BEEN THE PARTY SLOWLY, SLOWLY POLARIZING AGAIN AS THEY’VE BEEN POLARIZING AGAIN. THE THIRD PARTIES HAVE BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN. SO WHAT I’M HOPEFUL FOR AT LEAST, IS IF WE CAN’T HAVE PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION, WE CAN AT LEAST FIGURE OUT SOME WAY FOR THIRD PARTIES TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE KIND OF IMPACT THAT THEY USED TO HAVE. BERNARD THOMAS, IT’S SO NICE