Awtry

I am an Independent voter, unwilling to affiliate with either major party, and question the need for political parties at all.

Have you read what our Constitution says about parties? I have, so let me save you some time. It says nothing about parties, and that was deliberate. Many of our Founders warned us not to form parties knowing that party loyalty could destroy the new union, divide the country and lead to gridlock and corruption. One quick glance at today’s politics and we can see how prognostic they were.

I haven’t always been an Independent and a political junkie. As a young adult I bought into what the Republicans believed, or as I later found out, what they said, but not always turned out what they did. I liked the idea of a smaller more responsive government with balanced budgets and fewer regulations. That was in the late sixties and early seventies when the country was at odds with the government over Viet Nam War and equal rights and it seemed appropriate to question, and even protest what we thought was wrong

It took me twenty years to realize the Republicans were all hat, no cattle. When the Republicans had control of Congress and the presidency in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they didn’t show any fiscal conservatism under both father’s and son’s Bush presidencies and control of Congress, adding a combined $8 trillion of additional debt.

That’s when I went Independent and began questioning the very reasons for parties. And now, twenty some years later, I am convinced the current two-party system is the single biggest obstacle we must overcome after seeing the warnings of our Founders coming into fruition.

While healthy, well-meaning parties may be useful at times, as a check and balance system, in the end they must work together to get meaningful and lasting legislation accomplished. Those days seem long past in these times of daily political partisan trench warfare. Today, the two parties exist for one reason, to win elections. They do that by dividing us into separate tribes and work overtime to keep it that way. It’s all about gaining or regaining power and getting reelected, which does nothing to solve our country’s most pressing problems.

For me, when I became an Independent it was as if I found a freedom I didn’t know I had. I no longer had to look at a candidate or issue from a right-left point of view. I could just look at a candidate or issue from a right-wrong point of view. It was and still is refreshing.

It turns out I am not alone. Today the fastest growing group of voters is Independents, with nearly 10,000 a week registering as such. The reason is simple. They are not getting what they want from the two parties, evident by the recent Gallup poll showing 45 percent of Americans now identify as Independents with only 27 percent each for Democrats and Republicans. Young Americans are especially exhausted with the endless fighting and lack of progress by the two parties with over 50 percent of them refusing to identify with any party.

So again, why do we need parties? Did you know that the vast number of elected positions do not even have political affiliations, like judges and many city councils and county boards, etc. The fact is there are over 70,000 public officials elected every year without party designation. Why can’t it work for federal positions as well?

Meanwhile the two parties are taking every chance to keep their cushy status quo. They fight against open primary elections by shutting out or restricting Independent’s right to vote in primary elections. Their gerrymandering is done to ensure they beat the other side. They both welcome billions of dollars from corporations, lobbyists and unions, which overwhelms the chances of Independents winning elections. And both parties ignore the growing number of Independent voters by appealing only to their base. It’s no wonder we are fed up with their selfish ways.

So here’s my bottom line. The two parties are deliberately dividing us instead of working to unite us in a common vision, instead of inspiring us to greatness, and instead of tackling the major issues we face today. And now, this extreme partisan division is infecting our society. One can clearly see we are nearing the warning of the old proverb, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

So of course I wonder what would be like without parties. We can think for ourselves instead of being told what to think. We can vote as we choose instead of voting party lines. We can elect people based on experience and character, not labels. Those we elect would tackle the big issues without fear of reprisal from party bosses. We could free ourselves of the grip these two parties have on our country, and most importantly we could celebrate our individualism in this, our 250th year of independence.

All indications are that the Independent movement is on the rise. Everyone can see it, except those blinded by party loyalty. Imagine if we could put all the effort wasted on fighting into collaboration and unity to take our country to level that is unimaginable.

Let history show this is the year We The People began taking our country back from the party elites.

I welcome your thoughts on why we need, or do not need, political parties at gregawtry@awtry.com.