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A Multi-Party America

  • Sarah Stook

    • America is a two-party system, despite attempts for third parties like the Greens and Libertarians to make inroads. What if America had more parties? This is my guess as to how it would go if voters had more to choose from.

    Democratic Socialist Party

    Occupying the furthest left on the political spectrum, along with the Greens, would be the Democratic Socialist Party. Made up of those from the progressive and socialist wings of the Democratic Party and other left-wing groups, it would include politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

    Its policies would mirror those of existing progressive and socialist parties around the world. They would be economically progressive, focusing on raising taxes for the wealthy and large corporations at a rate on par with countries such as Sweden. On top of this, they would advocate for a minimum wage to around $15 p/h. They’d also support a single-payer healthcare system, free college tuition and daycare. The party would be strongly pro-union. Socially, they would be pro-choice and pro-LGBT rights. In terms of foreign policy, they would be generally in favour of helping Ukraine, but would be more critical over Israel, though not against them completely. They’d advocate for foreign aid. When it came to war, the party would not immediately call for action, instead supporting troops on a case by case basis.

    The party would court young voters, particularly those who supported Sanders but not Hillary Clinton in 2016. Potential voters would also include the disenchanted, those who don’t often turnout, union workers and those on a lower income. 

    Strongholds would include states like New York, Vermont and Michigan, as well as large cities. 

    Green Party

    The Green Party would also be on the left of the spectrum. You might find them similar to Green parties in the U.K. and Germany. It would be made up of environmentalist progressives such as Jill Stein and Howie Hawkins. 

    Whilst the Greens might share a number of policies with the Democratic Socialists on issues like high taxes, there would be a number of differences. Firstly, the Greens would focus more on environmental issues. That would include funding for alternate forms of energy, banning fracking, increasing tax on airfare and opposing the privatisation of water. In terms of foreign policy, they would be strongly anti-Israel and strictly non-interventionist.  

    The party would court young voters who prioritise environmental issues more than their parents and grandparents. They also might reach out to former members of the Democratic Socialists and other left wing parties, as well as environmentalists in general.

    Strongholds would include California, Oregon and Washington, as well as states who gave Jill Stein a strong vote margin in 2016. 

    Liberal Democratic Party

    The Liberal Democratic Party would be the centre-left party in the United States. One might consider it similar to the mainstream Democratic Party in the US, or U.K. Labour, Canadian Liberals and Australian Labor. It would be made up of prominent and moderate Democrats such as the Clintons, Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

    The Liberal Democrats would be more moderate than the aforementioned two parties. They would still support tax rises for the wealthy and corporations, as well as an increase in the minimum wage, though at a smaller rate. Reform on Social Security and welfare would exist, but they would not want to slash it in the same way other parties would. They’d also be pro-choice and pro-LGBT rights. Immigration reform would be another area of interest. They would be generally pro-interventionist and pro-Israel, though the party might vary on how much interventionism is the right amount. 

    The party would court white-collar workers in the suburbs and cities, as well as liberal women, suburban women, as well as African-Americans.

    Their strongholds would be in traditionally strong Democratic states such as Maryland and Hawaii, as well as D.C.-adjacent Virginia. 

    America Middle Party

    The American Middle Party would be the country’s primary centrist representation. It would be made up of bipartisan types, conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans such as Susan Collins and Joe Manchin.

    The party’s platform would be generally a mix of liberal and conservative politics. They would support the Third Way-economics of Bill Clinton, with some variation on issues such as tax structure. Education and healthcare reform would be a priority, though they would oppose a single-payer platform. They would be pro-choice to an extent, perhaps preferring a limit of around 15-weeks as opposed to more liberal abortion laws. Members would support some gun control, though it may depend on their state of origin. They might approve of strong defence spending, and are more likely to vote for military intervention than not. 

    The party would court independents, non-partisans and swing voters, as well as moderates and centrists.

    Their strongholds would be in states such as Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and all partisan states with some representation, such as a governor, from another party. 

    Libertarian Party

    The Libertarian Party would be the country’s, well, libertarian representation. It would be made up of libertarian politicians from across the parties, such as Ron Paul and Gary Johnson. 

    Their primary ideology would be the smallest state possible, with absolute minimal government intervention. They would use the free market to run the economy and services such as healthcare and welfare. Libertarians would oppose a minimum wage and income tax. Socially, they would support LGBT rights as a rule. Views on abortion might vary, as there tends to be a divide between pro-choice and pro-life libertarians on the topic. Drug and prostitution laws would be loosened. Libertarians would be strongly opposed to intervention, especially military occupation, and to foreign aid. 

    Their party would court libertarians and other supporters of small government. They might also accept defectors from other parties and the young.

    Strongholds would be places like New Hampshire, Montana and Alaska, states which have a strong history of libertarianism. 

    National Republican Party

    The National Republican Party would be the country’s centre right-right representation. It would be a more conservative version of parties such as the UK’s Conservatives and Australia’s Liberals. The party would be made up of mainstream Republicans and consvervatives such as Mitt Romney and Nikki Haley.

    They would be ideologically conservative, both socially and economically. The party would support a more limited government, such as lower taxes, private healthcare, school vouchers and welfare reform. Whilst they would be stricter on immigration, they might also look to reform. They would be socially moderate to conservative on issues such as abortion and LGBT rights. National Republicans would be generally interventionist on foreign policy, with some room for neoconservatives in the party. They’d also be pro-Israel and Ukraine. 

    Their party would court suburban voters, some Asian-Americans and Hispanics, as well as moderates and conservative women.

    Their stronghold would be in traditionally conservative states such as Idaho, Iowa and Arizona. They would also focus on the suburbs and rural areas.

    Christian Right Party

    The Christian Right Party would represent the religious conservatives of the country. It would be made up of prominent members of the religious right such as Rick Santorum and Mike Pence.

    The party would be ideologically very conservative. They’d support school choice and accommodationsm, with an interest in returning religion to schools. Though they would not be as focused on a small government as the Libertarians, they would support such measures. The Christian Right would be strongly pro-life, supporting heartbeat laws or other restrictions, as well as opposing LGBT laws. In foreign policy, they would be very Zionist.

    The party would court members of the religious right, older voters, those in the Bible Belt and even some Orthodox Jews.  

    Their stronghold would be in the Bible Belt, in states such as Texas, Misssissippi and Alabama. 

    America Populist Party

    The final major party would be the American Populist Party. They would be ideologically right-wing populist and nationalist. Members would be members of the new and populist right such as Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

    The party would be economically protectionist, supporting tariffs, particularly on industrial nations such as China. They would also seek to cut taxes. A main area of interest would be border policy, in which they would seek to cut immigration, disincentive crossing from Mexico and enact strict deportations. In terms of social policy, they would be less restrictive on LGBT and abortion issues than the Christian Right, though that might vary person to person. Regarding foreign policy, they would be strictly isolationist, and would be critical of foreign and military aid, though they’d support a strong armed forces.

    The party would court young men, new voters, those without college degrees, lower-income and blue-collar workers.

    Their strongholds would be states like Florida, West Virginia and Arkansas, as well as rural areas.  

    Smaller parties might also exist. Parties for both communists and the alt-right might exist, though they could fold into other organisations. Independence and secession parties for states such as Alaska, California and Texas might also be of some interest. 

    That’s it for my prediction as to what a multi-party United States would look like! Who would you vote for out of this group?

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