A democratic party has no place in the political system of the United States. Why do we have a party promoting democracy when our nation was founded as a republic? Does it not make sense to have only one party, a party which advances the ideals of republicanism? I’m not going to debate issues concerning the platforms of current parties; this is about our constitutional form of governance.

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them from invasion…”
Article IV, Section IV – The Constitution of the United States

The framers of our constitution understood the importance of avoiding an established democracy. They despised it as a form of government. Many political philosophers have written about the degenerative nature of a true democracy and its exclusion of the rights of the minority. In a democracy, which is commonly defined as “majority rule,” the voice of the political minority on any issue has no bearing in the decision-making process.

The very essence of democracy tramples the rights of the minority. In today’s politics, we experience hypocrisy in our own democratic party. It seems that the meaning of the political philosophy is not understood by its members. It goes against its nature to care for the rights of the ethnic minority or the political minority, yet the Democratic Party preaches about the rights of the political minority now that they are a part of it. If they were to regain the majority, the minority would once again be of little significance to them.

It should be noted that any party that does not represent the ideals of a republican form of government should not exist in our political processes. There should not be multiple parties each promoting their own form of government. That is not to say there should be only one political mindset about our policies. A multitude of factions within our society represented in our government is useful in preventing one dominant group from seizing any oppressive control. However, these factions should be promoting an overall political philosophy of nothing other than a republic.

In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he gave an ominous warning about the results which could come from differing parties seeking the control of government.

“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.” - George Washington, 1796.

Today’s partisan politics is a great example of the spirit of revenge. Most of the votes in Congress are party-line votes. This takes place not simply because of a difference in party platforms, but because of the eye-for-an-eye mentality among politicians who had their policies defeated in previous congressional sessions. Senators and Representatives will do whatever it takes to defeat their opponents even if the result of their actions harms the well-being of the country. If we had only one party striving for the perfection of our republic and debating policy instead of debating our form of government, we would probably be further ahead in our endeavor for liberty and equality. Unfortunately, we have parties who push for socialist agendas and work to try to pass amendments that will undermine our system of checks and balances.

The population today sees our current two-party system as a way to prevent either faction from gaining absolute power. One problem with this system is the fact that one of these parties promotes a style of government other than a republic. Another problem exists in the election process. If you are not a registered member of a particular party, you cannot vote in their primary election. Since it is nearly impossible for a third party to be a viable candidate, let alone earn a spot in a national debate, if you do not agree with either of the two party’s nominees, you have no vote. Thus, the voice of many American citizens goes unheard in our political forum. So, who has the power?

The Republican and Democratic Parties fight for control of our government every election year. There is little or no competition from any other party, mostly because the voters understand that they do not have a chance, even though one of their candidates shares the same values and ideologies that many people possess. Eventually, one of these two parties will be permanently defeated by society. Which one will it be and what will be the result?

Washington’s admonition may eventually be realized. A despotic regime could ensue and liberty as we know it could be lost or our great republic could be altered and transformed into a new system of governance. Perhaps we would become something similar to the old U.S.S.R. or even the current European Union. Maybe our republican ideals could persevere and our liberties and freedoms will continue to survive. There is only one thing for certain: our government and its republican ideals have evolved greatly since the day of its inception.

Democracy cannot be allowed to prevail in our society. We must ensure that our nation continues to carry on the form of a republic. It is important for our politicians to be unified under one party which labors for the greatness of this republic. Developing policy and debating issues can still occur, but we must eliminate the desire to change our form of government into something it was never intended to be. Let’s not fail our Founding Fathers by failing our Constitution. It is a republican form of government that has allowed this great nation to become what it is today and it must remain a republic in order to accomplish our dreams in the future.