CBS News icon Bob Schieffer was on the morning show Friday suggesting that both political parties are at a crossroads in this election. He wasn’t suggesting a “threshold” and/or a “transition.” He was actually wondering if their existence was seriously threatened. For the record, I am wondering the same thing.
Schieffer felt that the Republicans were especially in danger of splitting into two parties. Good observation. Clouded by the dominant personalities in the GOP field actually hating each other is the fact that the party appears to be hopelessly split. And not just in two parts.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump campaigns Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
There are the outsiders – Donald Trump and Ted Cruz – who really represent two distinct wings between them. Cruz is the representative of the social conservatives, strongly Christian and mad-as-hell Tea Party wing of the party. Trump is head of the coalition that represents those who feel locked out by the economy, overwhelmed by special interests, lacking a voice or a party to truly represent their feelings. The fact that Trump takes on a mocking tone instead of any real defined policies is a testimonial to just how locked out these folks really feel. And make no mistake about it, those who tell us that “Trump has good ideas” are people who have someone to blame for their plight: “illegal immigrants,” Muslims, lobbyists, the party establishment, even the Pope. (Recall from your history courses the cry of “Rum, Romanism and Rebellion” in the 1880s.)
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
But Cruz and Trump are just two guys and we still have two more GOP wings to go. There is the party establishment represented by Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Marco Rubio. They are the front men for what is left of the party machinery that used to have a say in party primaries and nominations. For those who talk about brokered conventions and saving the party from such damaged personalities as Trump and Cruz, remember that this is the very thing that the Dominant Duo is running against – the elite, the establishment, those who do not (in their words and among their audiences) speak for the majority of the party or the nation. Trump and Cruz have been consistently obtaining and polling close to or even an outright majority of Republican voters.
And don’t forget the libertarians. While Rand Paul did not turn out to be as successful candidate as his father in mobilizing this strand of the party, the Paul brand has a solid base of support among Millennials. And these young people will be heard from.
Now let’s look at the Democrats. I still think it is very sad that a successful mayor and governor like Martin O’Malley could not even be heard by the voters. Now the field is limited by two damaged candidates. Bernie Sanders’ voice is clear but he has yet to address how he can successfully achieve any of his policies whether the majority is Republican or Democrat. Remember, he has no endorsements from any of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate. But his voice is clear and he represents not only young people who simply want things done, but also the Democratic side of the angry, alienated and voiceless (the flip side of Trump’s supporters).
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Hillary Clinton is saying that she is the most experienced in a year when voters don’t seem to want experience. “Experience” is part of the problem, if not all of it. She is also the least trusted candidate in the field. Clinton is desperately trying to define her core beliefs after three decades in the public eye. Her campaign of personal entitlement is strongly supported only by older women who want a woman president so bad that are willing to accept a woman who is so bad. Clinton appears to be racking up endorsements among African American leaders – but they are an establishment themselves and they have a real problem with their base.
So, in a nutshell, the world is changing so fast and neither party (nor its candidates) presents itself as a catalyst for understanding the tectonic changes that are both necessary to address real needs and the process of change that must occur. When Millennials form teams in their communities, workplace and social networks, and have petition drives that gather the signatures of hundreds of thousands demanding change now (see Avaaz’s website for example) – then the GOP and Democratic parties’ mechanisms are just not viewed as nimble enough to affect their lives.
The 2016 election will produce winners. I am not just sure the list of winners will include the political parties. Bob Schieffer did not want to go too far about their obsolescence but I think he went far enough.
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