Why So Many Americans Hate Political Parties

Just two political parties have long dominated the American government. The 117th Congress had just two independent members in the Senate, who both caucus with the Democrats. And it’s been more than half a century since a candidate from neither the Democratic or Republican Party won any electoral votes in a presidential election.

Some experts suggest that the two-party system could be blamed for the political polarization we find in America. More Americans are growing discontent with the system. A study in 2022 found that nearly 4 in 10 Americans wished for more political parties to choose from.

"It's a two-party system and you have to pick one side or the other," said Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at New America. "If we are in a situation in which one party believes that the other party winning the election would be so disastrous to the country that maybe we should intervene to prevent the other party from winning, then you don't really have a democracy anymore."

So should the U.S. consider moving on from a two-party system and what kind of changes would it bring? Watch the video to find out.

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Why So Many Americans Hate Political Parties

[zhu]

Because in a country who's allegedly all about freedom, the choice between two awful parties is a f*cking joke.

[jackcurrence]

No one is more committed to the two party system than the two parties we have. Neither one of them is interested in fighting on two fronts.

[gioslost]

This isn’t a football game. This is a country.

[yvtvdehvyvyde]

"The United States is also a one party state, but in typical American extravagance, there are two of them" -Julius Nyerere

[TheMrBlackSanta]

We don’t even need parties. we just need to know which politicians support what causes. Having political parties inherently will divide up people anyways

[IRwinnerGMH]

So glad that you're bringing attention to this issue. The two main parties hold way too much power. I know one solution some states have offered is ranked voting. Would enjoy seeing a video on that.

[jerryg]

I used to live in Canada and we had 5 major parties but really just 3 parties that have the possibility to win. I liked that a lot more than US system because there needs to be moderation and collaboration across different parties. Not just "you are the other party so I oppose you" and the parties just become more and more extreme.

[jankelsey]

Our 2 parties are extreme already. Extremely corporate dominated. The few things that pass are tax cuts, war funding, or anything else that benefits wealthy people or corporations. This absolutely needs to change asap.

[yourcalpal]

Imagine both parties could work together to get things done instead of always fighting

[mackpines]

The first thing we need is an age limit on members of congress. Second, we got to have term limits for senators. However, the biggest issue is that we need three parties in congress to get things done.
Thomas Jefferson was worried how dysfunctional the two party system could be.
We are living in that reality right now.

[sirpieman]

I'm surprised there wasn't a single mention of ranked-choice voting as a potential first step toward a third party!

[BillyBobby]

Feels so good know I'm not the only feeling this way and it's getting recognized. It's hard voting for anyone now

[saahiliyer]

George Washington: *writes an article warning people of the dangers of factions*

America for the next 200+ years: Pipe down, old man!

[gpcexplorer]

From a European country that has moved from two major parties to five, I say it's the way to go forward. More people get the feel of being represented and stops the sensation of just turning a card upside-down on each election. Just take in mind that the change is not immediately and takes time to adjust as new political scenarios will arise (like who makes a better deal with the pivoting party) and new parties that you dislike rise too. Sure, there're challenges, but it means no more "I have absolute power" party and more like "Will have to work this out together" parties.

[prim]

The worst part is that everyone's growing polarization has actually strengthened the two-party system. Everyone is too emotional and filled with hatred of the "other side" to see that neither side has us in mind. They weaponize this exact sentiment to distract you from their own wrongdoings, and to convince you that they are the greatest alternative there is. And I'm not trying to put myself above anyone, I am a victim of this same game. I've always identified as independent (at least, not a big fan of Republicans or Democrats), but I feel like I've been forced to pick sides, and noticed my votes becoming less center, casting more and more votes for candidates that I don't like.

[jakobrassi]

It's not the dislike of the parties, it is the dislike of the corrupt politicians who run them...

[kunzilla]

yeah, like THAT's gonna happen. when you have major corporations and conglomerates backing one of the two parties, the third one will not get any funding needed to run for anything, to do anything.

[alvarez]

We call ourselves a democracy but we have two corrupt parties that share miscue differences. To make matters worse, these parties are bought by wealthy donors.

[hectoralejandro]

The original idea behind having only 2 parties was that it was an effective way of rooting out extremist points of view. My goodness, extremists are in power now so this clearly isn’t working.

[williamfriar]

Worse than the two party system is the insane idea that one is always right and the other is always wrong.