HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
(In response to John Gaylord’s Sept. 22 column, “We need better political parties.”)
How is today different from any other time in our country’s history?
I agree that our political parties are problematic. They are unabashedly prone to petty political maneuvering and preaching to their relatively small bases.
The latter is especially true during primaries, where candidates are encouraged to cater to their party’s base, against candidates from their same party.
In general elections, particularly for president, candidates shift back towards the “center” somewhat.
Unfortunately, partisanship and legislative gridlock are not new problems facing our country or easily solvable.
Personally, I do not believe the problem is closed primaries or bad parties. The problem is the parties themselves. They breed inherent distrust and oppositional attitudes while catering to small segments of the American population, those few who are motivated enough and happen to share similar views that are constantly involved in politics.
Abolishing the Electoral College in favor of basing Presidential elections on the popular vote of the country as a whole might be the most important first step we can take in the right direction to move away from petty partisan politics.
Hopefully that would also instill a renewed sense of deep political interest in our population, along with less self-interest and more properly informed voters.
My optimism for this, however, is not high.
Cliff Koehler
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