These circumstances are possible in today's election because of the shift from the past traditional views of both parties to current push towards the real interests of today's electoral classes. The change of views has been small in the case of Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, however, and dramatic in the case of Donald Trump.
The movement away from traditional views has facilitated a policy realignment that is significantly different than those of past years, creating uncertainty as people decide which party they fall under. The change in policies has been made possible for the Republican party because of Donald Trump's independence from donor's money, as he has rallied his voters completely from his own pocket, which is why Trump's ideas seem so far fetched. The result has been a fall in the traditional conservatism of the Republican party, as Trump is creating his own ideas and beliefs. However, the traditional Democratic party views have simply shifted in the past few decades. This was shown in this year's Democratic primary elections, as traditionalist, Jim Webb, was out of place among Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. The destruction of traditionalist views have facilitated uncertainty among voters as they decided who they will vote for, which also destroys the fine line that once separated these classes.
As the policy changes continue to adapt throughout the next few decades, the beliefs of each party will change even more. As parties' views change, American citizens will become more and more divided, creating chaos as well as uncertainty. The future of American politics may involve new political classes, the destruction of our current ones, or the continuation of political realignment.
I totally agree with your statement that the views in this election and the events that have happened have left people torn because they do not know who to vote for.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think you're right in that the party views are changing dramatically, but do you think this will be a good thing or a bad thing in the long run? Will parties become more up to date with the newer generations or will this cause turmoil and end up being more trouble than it's worth?
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting observation on the future of politics. It is frightening to wonder about the state of politics and political parties in the future and how more and more split up the people of the country will be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex and your blog in that the political parties are falling father away from the center, and their views are changing, but some of the great progress in our country has been initiated when people start to change where they stand. This may have just been a political phenomenon in the case of the 2016 election.
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