With the midterm elections coming up, the two parties are head-to-head once again. The Republican and Democratic political parties have been the two major parties since 1800, including a “party switch” in the 1960s. The two parties have dominated the American political scene leaving no room for any others. News stations are no help either and due to there being few candidates for other parties, only the Democratic and Republican debates are nationally televised. This gives free campaigning to the members of said parties and leaves no attention to people who don’t affiliate with either.
When people don’t see themselves fitting in with either party, they usually give up and just decide to not vote altogether. Which makes it so that their voice isn’t heard and can create even more problems. The two-party system confines people to a certain set of ideas that might make them feel they have to stand by whatever political party they were raised as “right.”
I think that people would be less divided about political subjects if there wasn’t a clear hatred towards the opposite side. When people hear someone from another party speak about an issue, they don’t particularly give one another a chance because they have a closed mindset about their own ideals rather than trying to keep an open mind about what someone thinks and why.
There are other parties that deserve attention and people’s consideration and I think there are many other parties that align with the beliefs of many people that vote to both the left and right. However, America is too deep into the two-party system to break free and make a big change. Instead of being considered as actual people to vote for, the two sides of the political spectrum use the other parties as people to take away votes from the other side. However, these are real people with real ideas that could make a real difference in the country if only they are given a chance.
