People talk non stop about having a "bipartisan" government, and how great it would be to have a system where everyone would decide what they think on an issue-by-issue basis, and there would be no political parties that would force people to go one way or another on every issue. If you think about it, it seems like a great idea at first, but most people who are pro-bipartisanship lack the ability to see the benefits of the side they oppose (but then again, how is that different from any other argument or conflict?).
The biggest problem with bipartisanship is a lack of support for issues that many people have in common. Take the issue of abortion for example - Not ALL Republicans are pro-life, and not ALL Democrats are pro-choice. However, the majority of Republicans are pro-life, and the Republican party provides an outstanding organizing point for pro-life persons. The Republican party can organize protests, rallies, etc., and know that it is making MOST of its people happy. It can also send people to elections that carry a political platform that will gel with people's beliefs as well as possible. You might not agree with every belief held by a Republican politician, but most Republicans can rest assured that the majority of their values will be taken care of. It is much harder to do this in a bipartisan system - political candidates' values would be all over the place, and it would be much harder to select a candidate that would effectively represent most of your political beliefs.
I agree with you views. Bipartisanship does have it's flaws. It seems you have your topic covered pretty well. I can honestly say I don't have advice for you. Just keep analyzing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in a utopian society there would be no need for organizing parties that are always competing against one another, but that in reality this is not practical. For instance, after Obama was elected, people were holding on to his "Change" slogan. People anticipated a more transparent government where the citizen's voice would be heard. There was even talk of a website where citizens could discuss and comment on legislation they thought needed to be passed. While this sounds like a great system, it just is not practical for such a multitude of opinions to come together on one particular issue. I agree that the bipartisan system makes it easier for someone to fall into one side or the other, and that way more people are in some form of agreement with everyone in their party whereas they would see themselves as conflicting with everyone else if there were no groupings of opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that your analyze in the defects of the bipartisanship show multiple problem to run the government effectively. However, I somewhat think that your opinion is inclined to the Republican party in this writing when you say "The Republican party can organize protests, rallies, etc., and know that it is making MOST of its people happy." I think it would be much better if you how the Republicans work with Democrats to make a happier choice for the society.
ReplyDelete@Tae - My post wasn't inclined toward the republican party, they were just the example. The exact same goes for the democratic party. The problem with bipartisanship is that it is very hard for republicans to work with democrats in a peaceful civil way - they're two huge groups of people who differ in pinion on almost every issue imaginable. I was just highlighting some of the advantages of bipartisanship in my post, one of them being that one party can "organize protests, rallies, etc., and know that it is making MOST of its people happy."
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