It's the only thing worse than
the two-party state.
Although I understand the argument
for practical and realistic voting (my own #1 priority was to vote the hell against
Trump), I defend those who voted for a third party in the last election, and
I'm happy that third parties are getting more attention these days. I think
it's sad that Bernie Sanders had to run as a Democrat instead of what he
actually is.
But third parties aren't really
the point of this lesson. What we fear is no choice at all. Snyder notes that
the less popular of the two political parties currently controls everything on
the federal level, which is scary for -- you know -- people. As Snyder puts it,
such a party "must either fear democracy or weaken it."
Trump's fear of the press (and
the first amendment in general) demonstrates this fear of the people, as does
Mitch McConnell's lies in 2016 about wanting "the people" to have a
say in who gets to be on the Supreme Court (forgetting, apparently, that the
people elected Obama to appoint Merrick Garland) followed by his insistence
that his party be listened to when it comes to Neil Gorsuch. Just to list two
examples. I could go on, of course.
Snyder encourages readers to run
for office. Things have gotten so bad that I've almost considered it. (I can think
of only a few worse jobs for me.) In Alabama, where I live, much of my ballot
is filled with Republicans running unopposed. A placeholder person who does
nothing in office would often be better than those who actively do so much
damage. (Have you kept up with Alabama politics lately?)
This is a grim chapter, with Snyder
questioning whether there will even be an election in 2018. From what he's learned
from history, you never know when you might be voting for the last time.
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