The two party system of Democrats and Republicans has been in existence since the mid-1800s. Prior to the mid-1800s, the Democrats and Republicans were in the same party bearing both names. For a short time, the Federalist Party existed, but it touted a government too close to the one left behind in Britain and did not flourish. The two party system has served relatively well for 150 years. In the past few decades, a third party has made a strong showing. In the 2010 and 2012 elections, the Tea Party was strong and several Congressmen from the Tea Party Caucus were elected into the Republican House. This group banded together and created tension in Congress by bucking the traditional system. The bucking of the system was the goal of
…show more content…
However, for the Americans that follow politics and vote with a conscience and not just along party lines, this alignment is simply a formality. The test on ShadowCitizens.com, Democrat or Republican, was a simple exercise to see if you vote true to your party affiliation. A husband and wife took the test and scored within a couple of points of each other and fell into the same category yet one is an independent and the other declares a party affiliation. The couple differs on some of their political beliefs but only marginally which was the implication of the test scores. An observation became clear; by voting our conscience we cross the traditional party lines because we are not and the ballot items are not strictly one sided. On some matters we simply have a different mind-set than the party affiliation. What makes this work so well, is that each voter is likely to have a different matter that they cross the line on. The pros and cons of the two party system are very similar to the pros and cons of having Congress one party and the President a different party. While a two party system helps keep a balance of power and more evaluation of legislations, it also creates gridlock, delays and unwillingness to compromise. Officials often believe that have to vote the party line or perhaps the way of their money
However, for the Americans that follow politics and vote with a conscience and not just along party lines, this alignment is simply a formality. The test on ShadowCitizens.com, Democrat or Republican, was a simple exercise to see if you vote true to your party affiliation. A husband and wife took the test and scored within a couple of points of each other and fell into the same category yet one is an independent and the other declares a party affiliation. The couple differs on some of their political beliefs but only marginally which was the implication of the test scores. An observation became clear; by voting our conscience we cross the traditional party lines because we are not and the ballot items are not strictly one sided. On some matters we simply have a different mind-set than the party affiliation. What makes this work so well, is that each voter is likely to have a different matter that they cross the line on. The pros and cons of the two party system are very similar to the pros and cons of having Congress one party and the President a different party. While a two party system helps keep a balance of power and more evaluation of legislations, it also creates gridlock, delays and unwillingness to compromise. Officials often believe that have to vote the party line or perhaps the way of their money