Can the American political parties be destroyed again?

Question

Today the main parties are the republicans and democrates.However, throughout history the parties were constantly changing. There were the whigs, federalist, democratic republicans, the free soilers who formed from the liberty party,and for a brief time the american party(know-nothings) existed). If the different political parties have contantly changed throughout american history, do you think the republican and democratic parties will ever give away to something new?If so what?

Answer 1

Well i think we may actually be in a time where a new party could emerge. Americans are generally skeptical of government power. We were founded in classically liberal traditions and as such there has always been a party that sood for limited governmental power.

It origionaly was the democratic republicans of the Jefferson to Jacksonian era who challanged the wiggs who wanted more federal power. After the civil war and durrign reconstruction, the democratic party (which was the democratic republicans) slowly turned into a democratic socialist party (not communism, but more of the European blend), and the Republican party turned into the one of limited governmental power. This remained the case all through the industrial era until the post vietnam era where the parties shifted again. The southern dixiecrats left the dem party and joined the republican. So as we have seen over the past decade in particular, the dem party is dominated by those who espouse civil liberties but also advocate big government socialist policies. The Republican party is now dominated by southern social conservatives, which not only advicate contol on social issues, but also are no longer good on the belief of limited government spending and economic control.

So my point is, that the country is now without a freedom loving/ small government party. But the nation still has these values engrained in itself. A majority of people still are skeptical of government power, a majority of people still believe in civil liberties, and a mority of people still dont think taxes are good for freedom or economic prosperity. This electorate really has nowhere to go to fulfill its full beliefs. It must compromise between the two parties.

So mix this with the fact that there is general discountent with both parties. Both Bush and the Dem congress have aproval ratings under 30%, and the fact that we are about to hit an entitlement crisis where the older generation will be set up in a battle against the younger, where taxes and the nanny state will liekly explode, I see a stage where is it quite possible that a new party could evolve to recapture the inherant classically liberal tendencies of the country. Either this will happen, or one of the parties will have to make another large transformation. We havent really has one since the post Vietnam era, and maybe it is time another happened.

Answer 2

I don't think so. We are constantly voting for the lesser of two evils, and the fear of the opposing candidate's victory keeps us voting along party lines. The lesson learned from Ross Perot's candidacy giving us an imbecile like clinton must never be forgotten.

Answer 3

Without sounding racist...I think the Democrat party will give way to the Latinocrats. They are trying to get all the Latinos to vote and vote for them...but most don't see the future...once all the Hispanics get to vote and become very powerful in the political arena...do you think they are going to vote for a white man over one of their own...no way Jose. That's when they>>>> 'Latinocrats' will over-run the Democrats....pushing them completely out of the picture.

Answer 4

In the past, the people separated the parties leading to their eventual demise. Today the parties separate the people.
Where do you think that would end?

Answer 5

I don't think they can be destroyed.There is too much money involved. Big business owns America