December 01, 2020 / By mobanmarket
We live in a world of options, choices, and customized living.
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When I ordered my car, I got to select my interior color, leather pattern, wood panel style, and several other options. As I drive through my favorite fast food restaurant I can tailor my meal as to which options I wish to have from side salads to French fries. Why then do we not also have political parties from which we can pick and choose what we like and what we don’t?
Let’s face it, although we may have a Green Party, Libertarian Party, and an Independent Party, we really only have two options that make a difference and are the primary focus of the mainstream media and the general voting population.
Many of us consider ourselves to be a “reasonable voter” or a voter that is socially liberal and fiscally conservative. By socially liberal, I mean passive on social issues or lacking in the passion to be a crusader for their causes. If we could select options from each of the predominant parties, Republican and Democrat, we would likely see a lot of tailor-made tickets and we would have the luxury, just as we do in everyday life, to custom vote. Instead, our current system forces us to vote straight party affiliations and not for the person.
The whole electoral system seems a bit antiquated.
With social media, we are now all branded, have a voice, and consider our opinions noteworthy. We feel free to “retweet”, “like”, and “comment” on our viewpoints or the viewpoints of others. We have all become lyrical geniuses, trend setters, and hashtag pioneers, but our parties have not grown with us. They force us to color within the lines, stay in the boxes and confines of labels.
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So with the vast majority of people wanting to be more politically active, why aren’t our parties and the way we elect politicians changing? Isn’t the need for change evident? Democrats nearly nominated Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE, a self-proclaimed socialist! And Republicans, well, need I say more?
Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE isn’t really a Republican. He was a movement, a brand, and the self- appointed commissioner of Twitter! He represented the anger people felt towards government in general and the desperate need for change. Both Sanders and Trump represented the labels of their parties but in a sense, had gone rouge. Politics, largely due to social media, (thanks Mark Zuckerberg), has turned into a movement and a culture.
Take a look at liberalism. If you don’t think liberalism is more of a cultural lifestyle than a political offspring of the Democratic Party, you’re nuts. It’s a way of life, a sub-culture of the left. Liberals have a subliminal dress code of jeans, clever cotton t-shirts, tennis shoes, and sometimes a non-structured blazer thrown over the whole ensemble. They drive hybrid cars and are often seen at coffee shops, probably studying a combination of philosophy and yoga.
Conservatism isn’t getting off the hook any easier either. Its association with religion puts it as a sub-culture of the Republican Party and labeled the “religious right.” This in itself puts a burden on the conservative of living a perfect life, complete with no room for vices, and the fear of being labeled a hypocrite if they do get caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Conservatives have also received the unfair label of uneducated or stupid.
No one should be shocked that so many college-educated millennials have liberal views — many colleges and universities accept a liberal orthodoxy and train and educate their students in it.
But, with the majority of adult voters, the word they use to describe themselves behind closed doors isn’t liberal or conservative. Instead, it is “reasonable.” Moving forward, there must be a solution for all of us reasonable voters who fit squarely into neither party to be represented and witness good government in action. And — if we cannot find a solution — maybe Siri can find a place in government.
After all, she seems to fulfill our every wish and has great depth of knowledge on policy and, at the very least, she knows what Aleppo is.
Nikpour is a National Republican pundit and author of Branding America.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.
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