By Aidan O’Connor | Staff Writer
In his farewell address as president, George Washington warned us against the two-party system and the harm it could cause this country. As a first-time voter, I have started to see many of the things he warned about come to fruition.
“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterward the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion,” Washington said.
The two-party system has done major damage to how people vote and how elected officials act. People have become so hamstrung to one party, whether it be the Democrats or Republicans, that a candidate’s party affiliation is all that matters anymore.
Candidates are no longer judged based on their ideas or policy propositions but on which side of the aisle they have chosen to stand on. A great example of this was how George Santos was elected as the U.S. representative for New York’s third congressional district.
Santos fabricated his entire backstory leading into his election, but because Republicans needed him elected to have a majority in the House of Representatives, they covered it up and overlooked everything. Right after the election, all of his lies came to light — falsely claiming he went to New York State University and that he worked at Goldman Sachs and was a successful businessman. Santos was eventually expelled, but Republicans were hesitant because of the power they would give up by not having that seat.
Santos’s story perfectly highlights how Washington warned political parties would take power away from the people. The Republicans didn’t care what Santos had done as long as they rationed their power.
The two-party system is something that has caused mass division, polarization and promotion of unprincipled people in this country. To look for an alternative to this system seems fruitless with how inundated it has become with our politics. But, to look at a different way to engage with the current system is the best way to move forward.
We can still make positive change by electing candidates based on how their policies, ideologies and rhetoric align with ours. We must not put more unfit people in power just because of the party they affiliate themselves with. To ensure a better future for America we must improve the system we have been given by voting for candidates based on their merit, not their party.
