Why One Party Rule Won’t Work
The problem with my proposal for a new centrist Democratic Party
Yesterday, I wrote up a thought experiment for how the Democratic Party could attempt to preserve the legislative process after Republicans’ officially determined their own more centrist members had committed “sabotage,” and defended the Capitol riots as “legitimate public discourse.” I deleted it because I think people were taking my proposal a bit too seriously.
My fantasy was that by accepting Republicans who still respect basic rule of law into the Democratic party, the new “Democrats” could achieve a super majority. Then, the party could split into two caucuses — a progressive and a conservative one — debate issues, arrive at compromises, and then vote unanimously enough on the outcomes to thwart filibuster attempts from the remaining authoritarian Republicans. In other words, the Democratic Party as we know it would be dissolved, and become what was formerly known as the two party system.
I liked the idea as a strategy to preserve basic electoral politics and rule of law, when it looks to me like we are soon to face a ruling majority in the legislature who will not reflect anything close to the popular will, will not tolerate any dissent, and who will continue to openly condone violence in the name of its One True Leader. What if, now shunned as traitors by their own…
