Independent Americans Forced Into Partisanship

By Gabriel Green

To everyone asking "why be Democrats at all" and pushing us to be Independent or third-party instead, this is the short answer to that question. A longer answer will be coming.

One of the most startling realizations in my life was that Independents outnumbered Democrats and Republicans. It’s only when we count the partisans together that they seem like a majority. And, even then, it’s only like 53% to 47%. Independents are ~almost~ a majority in their own right.

And yet, we all seem to live under and accept an illusion that there are only two options.

Pollsters and “experts” like to claim that even though most Americans register independent, they actually lean a certain direction. And they point out that most Americans vote Red or Blue in a given election as evidence.

But, there’s a gap in that logic. If a bunch of people are given a choice between a punch in the face, or a punch in the gut, then choosing either doesn’t mean they really wanted to get punched. It just means they disliked one of the options less.

Preference is not support.

Additionally, there is a pretty aggressive propaganda industry in this country. But, the propaganda industry doesn’t focus on what you should choose as much as on what you shouldn’t. Both parties have vast networks of information generators, whose main job is to ensure you wouldn’t even think of choosing the other team. It’s not important, or even necessary, that you like the option they’re presenting. As long as you wouldn’t dare to pick the other one.

What makes this all the more apparent is how aggressively both parties have worked to ensure that they’re the only two options. Across the country, the Reds have worked diligently to co-opt all Constitution, Tea Party, and other third-party efforts. But, more than that, the Blues have ensured that those options are understood by their members to be “reds in disguise.” Similarly, while the Blues work wonders in their ability to restrict Greens, Democratic Socialists, and other left-leaning alternatives, it’s really the Red Team that does the heavy lifting in ensuring that everyone considers those as offshoots of the Blue Team. It’s no wonder the DSA simply endorses whomever the Blues pick.

The rules in place for starting a new party, for running an independent campaign, or even for operating within an existing third party are disgustingly restrictive and blatantly anti-competitive.

Blues and Reds might make it seem like they hate each other, but they need each other.

Otherwise, we’d never be scared enough to actually vote for what either party offers.

The only way to fix it is for someone to get into office within the system, accept that they will not stay in office, and then implement the necessary reform to increase our political options.

Not "bi-partisan" reform. "ANTI-partisan" reform.