Fall has returned and with it comes the final round of a great American pastime. Only two teams are left to compete in the final clash. Americans all over the country declare sides and rally for their champions while deriding the opponents. The media devotes hours of TV time and pages of newsprint to cover the competition, and the full television coverage commands the attention of millions. The night the winners are declared, half the nation erupt in celebration while the others half grit their teeth and begin planning for next time.
Elections, unfortunately, have little to do with selecting the best man or the best team. Instead, 80 percent of voters unthinkingly vote for either the Republican or Democratic candidate and then support that party more rabidly than any sports fans. While the thinking 20 percent may still choose their candidate by merit, the only two candidates who can win are the Republican and the Democrat.
Both the Republican and Democrat may be skilled, talented individuals who would serve the voters well. Often, however, they are selected by how well they will serve the interests of their party, even if those interests run counter to those of their constituents. The more talented or capable party members may be overlooked in favor of more loyal members.
Once in office, the more party-loyal (and sometimes less capable) candidates often demonstrate their loyalty to their party by promoting party agendas that run contrary to the interests of their constituents or the nation. They are more easily pressured into supporting the party line and so have a tendency to promote the interests of the party, not their constituents.
The less capable members who are supported and elected because of party loyalty are less able to deal with new issues or crises for which their party has no platform.
The dominance of the Republican and Democratic parties has prevented new ideas from emerging rapidly or sometimes at all. The parties are not two mutually exclusive ideologies, and they do not encompass all possible or even reasonable ideologies. If an idea runs contrary to both party lines, chances are it will never see any chance of implementation, regardless of its potential.
Not only are new ideas suppressed, new combinations of old ideas are suppressed as well. The Democratic and Republican party lines make it difficult to vote for gun control but against social welfare or against abortion but for the legalization of marijuanna.
Supporting third party candidates or simply voting across party lines to support the best possible candidates is the way to put the best candidates in office.
Voting for a candidate because of their party only ensures promotion of the party’s interests, not the interests of the voters or the nation. Nor is there a guarantee that the Republicans or Democrats will support the best candidate for the job.
There is nothing wrong with being a loyal sports fan of your favorite baseball team, but even the World Series would be pointless if only two teams were allowed to play. New talents, tactics and strategies would be overlooked. Selecting candidates for public office is the same way.
Voting is not a game, and unreasoning loyalty to one party or another only harms the voters and the nation.
Nathan Alday is a junior aerospace engineering major.