Whither the two party system?

October 24, 2023

Current events have opened up differences that pose existential threats to both the Republican and Democrat parties. For the Republicans the inability to coalesce around a Speaker has exposed pure venom being directed at the eight who toppled Kevin McCarthy. But there has been considerable friction caused by Republican members of the Freedom Caucus who oppose continued funding for the Ukraine. There is some pushback in the Senate but it is minor compared to what is coming out of the House. The question is whether the Republicans can come together and act as a party or will they continue to conduct a circular firing squad. One likely outcome is for the Freedom Caucus and its supporters of Donald Trump to splinter off into a new party. Let’s call it the Conservative Party. 

For the Democrats, the schism is over Israel. The “progressives” have come to the aid of Hamas under the guise of protecting the Palestinians. They have protested in rallies with the pro-Palestinians groups condemning Israel and calling for a cease fire – which would only save Hamas from the Israelis’ vengeance. At many of the rallies, some have carried swastikas. Previously, when white supremacists would rally and brandish swastikas, the press was full of pictures and talking heads on CNN and MSNBC who literally go crazy. Now that the antiIstraeli student organizations and groups are waving swastikas and calling for the elimination of Israel itself – the chant from river to sea – the criticism from the media is totally absent and the silence is deafening. Maybe AOC, the Squad, the Democratic Socialists of America and Antifa have more in common with the Aryan Brotherhood and the American Nazi Party than they want to admit. 

The anti-Israelis in the Democratic party are not limited to the Congress. At many state legislators, Democrat members refused to support resolutions supporting Israel. In North Carolina, a resolution passed unanimously only because the Democratic members walked out before the vote. Jewish legislators see this. Steve Cohen of Memphis has appeared in the media more in the past three weeks than he has in his previous15 years in the Congress. Other Jewish legislators on the state level have been critical of their “progressive” colleagues. Many comments are scathing. One wonders what is being said in private? I have previously wondered why the majority of Jews are Democrats when Israel’s most vocal critics tend to be on the left. Even the far left is splintering as one of the leaders of the Democratic Socialists of America has resigned over that organization’s support of Hamas. It seems reasonable that if the Democrats do not censure these members, that the Jews will scale back their support financially and splinter the legislative caucuses. Perhaps the antiIsraeli faction leave the party and create their own political party. Omar, Tlaib, Pressley, Bowman and AOC would likely be more comfortable in another party than in one with Steve Cohen and Chuck Schumer. Let’s call it the Progressive party.

That would give us four parties with enough supporters to influence elections and could lead to a coalition government. Those governments make for strange bedfellows. Just look at many European governments.