The Need for Unite America
Here are two truths and a lie, America is currently witnessing tribalism over extreme party ideology and causing a strife among the electorate. Voters are looking for viable options to fix the broken two party system and a way to put country over party. Partisan political polarization has broken our government, and the time has come to explore a new frontier. For most the idea of exploring a new frontier and straying from the current two party system is not only a lie, but something of a fantasy. Over the next 800+ words, I am going to show you why our broken government is not only in need of a solution from outside of our two party system, but why Unite America is the movement prepared to deliver the medicine America so desperately needs.
Since the 2016 election Americans have found themselves caught in the middle of a hyper-partisan existence. Far left and far right leaning ideology has removed the oxygen from their respective parties leaving no room for a moderate point of view. This level of tribalism has caused factions to form in our nation and as a result rendered our government ineffective in ways that would make even our Founding Founders blush.
There is no question that partisan political polarization has eliminated the hope for compromise in Congress. The current approval rating for Congress is 14%, and less than half of all Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction. In short, the outlook on America’s ability to govern and protect its citizens is bleak at best, and sadly this problem cannot be solved by either the Republicans or Democrats. Rather, it must be solved by presenting American voters with the option of putting their country over party. Enter Unite America.
Unite America is a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents who are committed to bridging the growing partisan divide in order to tackle our largest challenges and leave a better country to future generations. By employing a “fulcrum strategy,” Unite America is focused on fixing the broken gridlock of bi-partisanship by zeroing in on electing independent candidates to narrowly divide legislatures such as the Senate.
With the election of a minimum of three independents in the United States Senate they would deny both parties an outright majority and use their enormous leverage to forge common ground solutions. Given today’s current political climate, Washington would benefit immensely from finding common ground.
There has been various points throughout American history where our nation has undergone tectonic changes with our political parties, and 2018 is no different. Many voters are shedding their party affiliations and as a result they are becoming America’s largest voting bloc, and will no doubt be the tipping point in elections going forward.
In the era of Trump there has become a growing disenfranchisement among Americans who do not align themselves alongside the firebrand version of Republicanism touted by the current president. Things are note much better for those on the left. After sifting through the wreckage of the 2016 presidential election, Democrats have found themselves standing among the rubble of a tired party without a crop of up and coming viable options. In a post election autopsy it can be said, Democrats missed the mark on their messaging resonating with their base and took for granted the loyalty of the target demographic, the working class. If we read between the lines, the Democrats are possibly more disenfranchised than their GOP counterparts. The polarization among parties and growing discontentment among many Americans, has left an opening for Unite America to grow and provide a place for not only voters but candidates who no longer have a place in their party due to extreme ideology.
Aside from voters being left behind as both parties find themselves at the far end of the spectrum, Unite America provides a beacon of hope for candidates who refuse to pander to a base with far left or right rhetoric and instead want to focus on common sense solutions that speak to a majority of voters.
With only months to go before the 2018 midterm election, Washington is at risk of becoming even more gridlocked as Republicans work to maintain a strong hold on both the House and the Senate and Democrats are working even harder to overthrow the GOP in hopes of taking back Congress. The sad reality is, both parties have strayed far from their values and are instead focusing on securing a win versus doing right by the voters.
Lastly, there is a long held belief if you want to change Washington your party must take the White House. Hence why in 2016, Donald Trump was able to energize voters by promising to “drain the swamp.” The reality is, change in the American government does not happen at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but rather in the Senate. Unite America’s strategy of introducing new competition to the already factioned two party system will not only reinvigorate the political landscape, but it will provide an institutional fix to the dysfunction of DC.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” The time has come for a true independent voice to solve America’s party problem, otherwise we as a nation run the risk of losing liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness.
As we look ahead to the future state of America, Unite America encompasses the desires of many Americans and work to bridge the bipartisan divide that is currently crippling our country one election cycle at a time. If there were ever a need for an organization such as Unite America, it is now.
Written for and published on Unite America