What’s Wrong with Political Parties?

American political parties have never been viewed in a positive light. George Washington in his Farewell Address was concerned that parties would foster societal divisions, weaken the government’s ability to function effectively, and perhaps even create opportunities for dangerous foreign influence. Washington was not alone in his concern over the negative impacts of political parties on American democracy. Many of the Founders were suspicious of political parties as they viewed them as leading to corruption and a desire for power, rather than promoting the common good. James Madison in his famous writings in Federalist #10 feared parties would lead to factions instead of creating a nation based on non-partisan decision making and a cooperative spirit. Yet as the new nation developed the major leaders such as Jefferson, Hamilton and even Madison began to accept political parties as necessary to advance voter participation, help to communicate public policies to the people, and strengthen governing institutions.

As the new republic moved forward, however, political parties became linked to many of the initial concerns of the Founders — public corruption, weak support for the common good, and partisanship replacing national unity. Political parties became associated with scandals over government appointments, shady business dealings, payoffs for favors and the emergence of party “bosses” whose only concern was power and holding onto power. Especially in the post-Civil War era elections were rigged, wealthy “captains of industry” controlled the legislative agenda, and government officials were manipulated and coopted by lobbying groups and monied interests. There were periods in the 20th century as the nation emerged from the Great Depression when political parties played an active role in the governing process, especially in choosing presidential candidates and running party conventions, but presidents like FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson and Reagan often overshadowed party leaders and party organizations as they used the strength of their personality and leadership skills to build the economy and advance controversial policy agendas.

But as national politics moved into the 21st century, parties underwent major transformations brought on by growing income inequality, expanded immigration, the Covid crisis and the influence of social media in shaping public opinion. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024 saw political parties competing with socio-political movements such as the Tea Party and MAGA as growing numbers of Americans viewed traditional party leaders and organizations as unresponsive to their concerns and needs.  While the traditional Republican party continued to play a role in financing elections and providing some of the critical electoral resources to the candidates such as hiring staff, conducting polling, and formulating state voter turnout strategies, the influence of Donald Trump and his messaging appealed to disaffected voters who viewed the GOP as out of touch. Trump often berated moderate Republicans as weak and elitist, and when those moderates challenged his policies or spoke negatively about him, he quickly threatened to “primary them” by finding loyalist who would run against his critics. Trump’s strategy of intimidating Republicans and relying on the unwillingness of Senate and House members to challenge the president for fear of losing their seats in Congress proved to be effective in maintaining legislative unity and support from the MAGA base.  

As for the Democrats, they experienced a different transformation. When Trump won the 2024 presidential election defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party entered a period of internal disorder and voter disenchantment. With no clear party leader or policy message the Democrats were viewed as incapable of offering an alternative to President Trump. Public opinion polls consistently showed the Democrats as unpopular with little chance of defeating Trump’s new coalition of the MAGA base, billionaire donors and independents opposed to liberal policy positions. If the Democrats had an electoral strategy, it was the hope that the economy would sour because of Trump’s tariffs and his false promises of bringing prosperity to the country. The Democrats faced even further disorder when during the government shutdown eight Senate members joined with the Republicans to open government. Progressives in the party berated the Senate leadership under minority leader Chuck Schumer for failing to keep his members in line and allowing the Republicans to claim victory. It was clear that the only hope of party revitalization was the 2026 mid term elections when voters could reject the supporters of Trumpism in Congress and vote for the Democrats despite their reservations over the party’s leadership and liberal leanings.

The key question facing political parties going forward is whether it is possible to return to the Founders vision of a democracy based on non-partisan cooperation and support for policies that reflected the common good. There is no doubt that political parties are in trouble and show signs of being irrelevant in today’s world of social media, artificial intelligence and Internet sites that accent anger and retribution. George Washington warned that political parties would create a “spirit of revenge” and would be used by “cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men “ to subvert the power of the people and weaken effective governance. He was correct.  

But being correct does not mean that reform of the political party system is impossible. Restricting campaign contributions by wealthy donors, ending gerrymandering by state legislatures, promoting truth, accuracy and decency in campaigns, using the media, civic learning and social engagement to foster political unity, and encouraging greater citizen involvement in political party activities are critical ingredients for change.

All of these suggestions for reform, although difficult and complex, are not far-fetched or without merit; they are fundamental if democracy is to survive and prosper. But in this era of extremes and difficult transformations within political parties, those committed to restoring faith in government must take the lead and not permit the “unscrupulous” and “unprincipled” to hijack our system originally designed to foster unity and the common good.