The Dilemma of American Political Parties

Abstract

Ralph M. Goldman. Search for Consensus : The Story of the Democratic Party. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1979.417 + xi pp. Paul Kleppner. The Third Electoral System, 1853-1892: Parties, Voters, and Political Cultures. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979. 424 + xxii pp. Allan J. Lichtman. Prejudice and the Old Politics: The Presidential Election of 1928. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979. 366 + xiii pp. Larry Sabato. The Democratic Party Primary in Virginia: Tantamount to Election No Longer. Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1977. 169 + xii pp. It is widely agreed that the present state of American political parties is a sorry one indeed. The two party system has persisted, but appears to be very weak. Voter turnout is declining, citizen apathy is on the increase, more and more people are willing to identify themselves as independents, and two of the last four presidential elections involved significant independent candidacies. A venerable party system, determined by some to be in the fifth (perhaps sixth) phase of an historical process that began nearly two centuries ago, seems to be wallowing in irrelevancy. Single issue interest groups were prominent replacements for the parties in many of the policy battles of the 1970s, while more recently ideological groups with a broader focus have joined the fray, with notable success on the conservative side. Surely it is appropriate to characterize this situation as a "crisis" not only for Republicans and Demo- crats, but for the American political system as a whole, for the parties have played a vital role in American political development since their founding and still perform valuable functions. Should the process of atrophy persist, the effects are likely to be significant, especially in terms of the stability and continuity of the system.1 In the past, the two parties have shown considerable resiliency and a surprising ability to revitalize themselves by adapting to changing conditions. One may be reluctant to argue that the present situation rivals the aftermath of the Civil War or the Great Depression in terms of the challenge faced by the parties; nonetheless there is a great deal at stake and not much reason for optimism.