Breaking Free From the Two-Party System

The Founding Fathers warned us about political parties. 

In George Washington’s farewell address, America’s first and only independent president cautioned that the rise of political parties would eventually “subvert the power of the people.” And our second president, John Adams, said, “[t]here is nothing I dread so much as the division of the republic into two great parties….”

Despite the prescient warnings of the Founding Fathers, two major parties have come to completely dominate the American political system. Under their sway, every issue becomes a partisan issue, and the acid of political division corrodes the fabric of our society. 

Neither Democrats nor Republicans represent the democratic will of the people. Each in turn has overseen the erosion of the middle class, chaos at our borders, incessant wars, an explosion of chronic illness, decaying infrastructure, environmental pollution, and the capture of government by Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Ag, military contractors, and other interest groups.

These interests control our government to such an extent that — no matter which party is in charge — many Americans now refer to the two parties as the “uniparty.”

Voters are so disgusted with the uniparty that nearly half now identify as independents, compared to 25% as Democrats and 25% as Republicans. They are abandoning the parties in droves. A majority of voters want neither Trump nor Biden to run in 2024.

Unable to present voters with inspiring candidates, the two parties rely instead on portraying their candidate as the lesser of two evils. Whipping up hate becomes an essential election tactic. They stoke fear and anger rather than present a positive vision for the future.

Even though 70% of Americans believe Biden should not run for re-election, Democratic party operatives spread fear that my independent campaign for president and other third-party runs represent a “threat” to democracy. We are not a threat to democracy. We are democracy.

Democracy  — demos (people) and kratos (rule), from the ancient Greek — means “rule by the people,” not “rule by the party.” But the two parties have tightened their stranglehold on the electoral process to the point where a third-party or independent bid is nearly impossible. 

For example, the Democratic party has rigged its primaries going back to the Sanders insurgency of 2016. The primary rules allow party insiders to stymie any candidacy they disapprove of.

Now the “uniparty” system is trying to prevent me and other third-party candidates from getting on state ballots using arcane ballot-access rules set up to cement the two-party monopoly on power. Democrats are also attempting to preempt voter choice by kicking Trump off state ballots using dubious legal theories, an effort I oppose. Doubtless, they will also wage “lawfare” to challenge the ballot petitions that my tireless staff and volunteers are collecting to get me on the ballot in all 50 states.

The sad fact is that neither major party defends democratic principles. Both parties have allowed big corporations and elite interests to hijack our government so that average citizens have little influence on policy. Lobbyists now outnumber members of Congress — the people’s representatives — 20 to 1.

Trump famously promised to drain the swamp, but proved unequal to the task, filling his appointments with the usual corporate lobbyists and assorted swamp creatures. Biden, meanwhile, has been wallowing in the Washington swamp for more than 50 years.

The good news is that my poll numbers indicate a deep hunger among Americans for an outsider who will challenge the status quo. In a three-way race, I am leading Biden and Trump among independents, the largest voting bloc, and among all voters under the age of 45 in key swing states. NBC News just released a poll showing that 34% of voters say they see themselves supporting my campaign — that’s more than one-third of voters in a three-man race.

I like to think that these numbers reflect my strength as a candidate, but they also reflect a broader trend: the public’s repudiation of the two-party system. 

There is more at stake in this election than my own candidacy. This is about restoring democracy — real “rule by the people” — by freeing it from the stranglehold of the dysfunctional two-party system. This November, Americans can fix this broken system by declaring their independence from it.

Originally published by the Baltimore Sun.