Many Americans support long-held proposals such as term limits for federal elected officials and scrapping the Electoral College, and age limits on Supreme Court justices.
Over half of adults identify partisan polarization as the greatest challenge to American politics, followed by influence of money in politics and perceived government failures.
1. Partisan Politics
Partisan politics refers to political decision-making guided by the interests and ideologies of political parties. While it plays an essential role in democratic societies, it can also be divisive and divisive.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Founding Fathers of the United States worried about partisan factionalism, debating ways to limit its effects on their new government. Differing ideological viewpoints eventually resulted in two factions emerging: those supporting a strong national bank and federal government (The Federalists) and those favoring smaller and less centralized state governments with free trade (Democratic-Republicans). Modern Republican and Democratic parties can trace their origins back to these early political factions.
Politicians with strong allegiances to one political party tend to promote its policies while attacking those of opposing parties, leading to an emotionally charged and divisive political environment.
Partisanship has many negative repercussions for society as a whole. For instance, it encourages ordinary citizens to harbor feelings of animus toward members of other political parties, regarding them as unworthy of trust or legitimacy – and perhaps even reaching the conclusion that a government led by someone from another political party is undemocratic or even anti-American.
Political polarization can be especially troublesome in democracies as it undermines government’s ability to take effective actions, make necessary compromises, or respond effectively to changes. Furthermore, excessive public spending – which in turn contributes to government debt accumulation – and lack of transparency are major problems within any democracy.
One way that partisanship affects policymaking is through political party appointments of judges and other key criminal justice officials who often serve on judges or justice commissions appointed or elected by political parties. When these officials have an agenda that does not provide fair and impartial justice, this can create an unfair criminal justice system which fails to offer equal access for justice seekers.
Though partisanship can be problematic in the United States, it does have its benefits. Under our Constitutional system, our three-member bicameral legislature (consisting of Senate and House of Representatives) helps reduce influence of political machines while encouraging stronger parties.
2. The Two-Party System
Two-party politics has long been an enduring element of American political life, yet also been the source of considerable contention, with Americans divided over whether the system is working as effectively as it could. Partisan division has only intensified in recent years as Democratic and Republican positions on key issues have diverged significantly – their positions having grown farther apart since before World War I.
When asked to describe a problem in their country’s political system, Americans typically point to partisan rivalries and lack of cooperation as primary issues. Others frequently voiced complaints include high campaign costs and influence of special interests and lobbyists.
American dissatisfaction with the two-party system may be related to their perception that neither party represents them. A growing share of Americans have unfavorable opinions of both Democratic and Republican parties – this latest poll indicates 28% hold such views compared with only 17% back in 1994 – this marks an all-time high negative view in three decades of public opinion surveys.
A large majority of Americans believe that major donors wield too much influence in government, while an equivalent amount believe special interests and lobbyists play too great a role in shaping Congress decisions. Furthermore, most believe they don’t have enough control over decisions made by their local elected officials.
Some countries allow voters to select candidates from third parties and independents more easily than the US; however, in these nations there may be limits on the number of seats won by third-party or independent candidates; in contrast to this, American voters typically have few choices when casting their vote; this gives too much power to one of two major parties over others.
American two-party system may be one of the primary factors contributing to Americans’ perception that democracy in their nation is weaker than it could be. If voters had more than two options when electing federal and state representatives, coalitions might form that would help overcome some of our nation’s issues more efficiently.
3. The Checks and Balances System
The Framers of the Constitution carefully distributed power among three federal branches — executive, legislative and judicial — in order to avoid one from becoming too powerful. They called this “checks and balances”, which has proved its worth numerous times throughout history.
Under this system, each branch limits the other two in certain ways; for example, Congress cannot pass laws without first seeking approval from both branches; furthermore, Presidents can veto legislation and nominate judges for various courts (including Supreme Court justices if desired), although Senate approval must first be obtained prior to making such appointments. Furthermore, courts can rule whether actions of other branches of government are unconstitutional.
Checks and balances are integral components of democratic republics, providing protections to citizens’ rights while assuring voters of accountability from government. All three branches must work cooperatively while at the same time limiting each other’s power so no single branch oversteps.
Although the system of checks and balances was intended to keep government from becoming too powerful, some critics argue it can create gridlock because different branches often disagree on how best to proceed, leaving the country mired in political dysfunction like seen most recently in Washington D.C.
Some political experts argue that the U.S. is so divided and dysfunctional, they believe it should switch its presidential system for one based on parliamentary democracy similar to Canada or France’s systems. Others warn against doing this since even such systems might introduce problems such as special interests influencing elections via rules governing money and rights to free speech.
Some Americans worry that switching to a parliamentary system could erode American values and principles, such as commitments to democracy, equality and liberty. Others see its benefits outweighing these concerns; such as providing more stability and security than today where insurance companies and weapons makers buy political seats because they are the only parties with enough cash available to them.
4. The Constitution
Constitutions serve as the core governing document for many different kinds of organizations, from states and sovereign nations to businesses and unincorporated associations. Within states, constitutions lay out the principles on which their state is founded as well as how laws will be made and by whom. The Constitution also establishes limits to state power by outlining boundaries that the government cannot cross, such as infringing upon individual’s rights. The document was an integral component of America’s democratic revolution and has inspired other democracies around the world to strengthen their own democracies. Unfortunately, over time some aspects of American political system have come under fire as being anti-democratic or threats to civil liberties; examples being the Senate/Electoral College system; filibusters; and gerrymandering.
In 1787, in Philadelphia, delegates at a convention convened to amend the short-lived Articles of Confederation wrote the Constitution. Their goal was to maintain maximum independence and sovereignty for individual states while allocating larger tasks to national government; making national government as limited in powers as possible while maintaining sufficient strength to fend off foreign invasion and enforce basic economic controls on an open economy.
Today, Americans remain divided about how well the Constitution serves to address national problems. A majority of respondents stated there is too much partisan fighting and campaign financing, that government does not do enough for ordinary people, and that accessing objective political information was limited.
American citizens remain more likely than people in other countries to consider the American political system to work effectively overall, regardless of its issues. One reason given by respondents for this opinion was its structure (12%) which includes not only the Constitution itself but also its separation of powers and checks and balances system. Other reasons cited for thinking the system works include political leader selection (7%) and how effectively Congress passes legislation (6%) while peaceful transitions of power (5%) is frequently given by both Democrats and Republicans as evidence that America is progressing well politically.
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