MOST AMERICANS DON'T FIT EITHER PARTY
If you've ever defended or advocated for one of the two American Political parties in a debate or exchange with a friend, colleague, or even a stranger, you've almost certainly found yourself having to disavow one piece of your party's platform or another. Whether you're a Democrat who opposes abortion or a Republican who supports your gay brother and his husbands right to be married, its not likely that you line up with your political party on all or even most points in its platform. Still, because the two party system is all Americans have known for the last 150 plus years, most of us find ourselves rushing to the party line every election cycle, sacrificing half of our values in the process.
This cycle has left the United States more fractured than the election before for almost 40 years, driving a wedge deeper and deeper into the political foundation of the country year after year. When the topic of politics comes up many Americans dawn a metaphorical cloak in the colors of Red or Blue and prepare themselves to cut to the white meat those who aren't in line with their party. But how much are any of us truly in line with party platforms? Polls by various organizations tell us that most Americans agree with each other far more than they do any specific political party. Lets look at it by the numbers, shall we?
TAXES
While both the Democratic and Republican parties have their own reasons for wanting to raise certain taxes (and despite what Republicans say, they want to raise taxes just as often as Democrats), the majority of Americans believe that they're already paying too much in taxes and want to see significant change made to the abysmal American tax code.
According to a 2017 Gallup poll 53% of Americans believe they're already giving the government too much of their hard earned money, and who can blame them. Americans have to hand money over to the government when they earn money (income tax), when they hunt (hunting license fee), when they fish (fishing license fee) when they spend money (sales tax), when they own a vehicle or home (property tax), when they make money from investments (capital gains tax), when they get married (marriage license fee) and some even pay taxes just for dying (death, estate, inheritance taxes). In all, American citizens and businesses pay hundreds of different taxes and fees. And Democrats and Republicans want more? Most Americans agree that this is beyond ridiculous, regardless of whatever talking point their party leaders decide to push.
Same-Sex Marriage
Despite the traditionalist and religious drum banging by Republicans, most Americans actually have some common ground when it comes to some of the country's biggest hot-button issues. From abortion to gay marriage, your everyday citizen can and do see eye-to-eye with most of their fellow Americans.
A 2017 Pew Poll found that 62% of Americans support the idea of Same-Sex marriage, even though many of them admit their opinion has become more favorable over the last 30 years. While many say that this is due to the fact that American society is becoming increasingly secular, the same Pew Poll also found that the number of individuals that identify as Evangelical Christians who support Same-Sex Marriage rose from 27% in 2001 to 35% in 2017, indicating that religion is playing less of a role on the increase in acceptance than some would have people believe. But its not just the religious that have changed their position. The poll found that in 2001 only 21% of Republican voters and 43% of Democrat voters supported Same-Sex marriage. In 2017 the Republican voters supporting marriage equality had risen to 40% and Democrats 73%.
Abortion
Abortion, a major talking point for both parties, doesn't quite unite their bases as much as their vocal activists would have you believe. A 2016 Pew Poll found that 61% of Americans opposed efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that granted women the right to an abortion. Nevertheless, Gallup reported in 2018 that only 29% of Americans support abortion without question, 50% of voters believe abortion should only be permissible under certain circumstances such as to save the life of the mother, rape, or incest. Those who would outlaw abortion outright, only 18% according to the Pew Poll, find themselves closer in number to those who believe abortion should be a free for all than those who believe there should be some restriction.
Gun Control
While Gun Control has become a major point of contention between some of America's most outspoken political commentators, many on the left suggesting guns should be banned outright, the vast majority of Americans oppose any such thing. While Gallup reported in 2018 that 61% of voters believed there should be some additional requirements, qualifications, and restrictions on the purchase of fire arms, they also found that 71% of voters would oppose efforts to disarm the American public outright. Gallup also reported in 2018 that 57% of voters would oppose legislation to outlaw the manufacturing, sale, or possession of semi-automatic rifles. The same 2018 poll showed that 56% of voters held a favorable view of the NRA while only 42% indicated an unfavorable view. When it came to preventing future school shootings the 2018 numbers were similar, with 56% of voters believing that increasing security at schools and improving the healthcare system was a superior solution than increasing legislation against weapons and ammunition.
Illegal Immigration
Today mainstream media pumps out two very different narratives when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration. By the left Americans are told that there's nothing to worry about when it comes to illegal immigration and any talk of limiting those crossing the Mexican border is racist and bigoted, making this a major current talking point for Democrats. On the right, the narrative calls for deportation of those in the country illegally and firmly securing the southern border. So where do most Americans actually stand?
In 2018 Gallup found that 54% of American voters were worried about illegal immigration while only 21% said they weren't concerned about it at all. The same year Gallup found that 70% of voters saw large numbers of undocumented immigrants entering the country as a threat to the nation while only 29% did not. Even then, construction of a wall along the southern border doesn't seem to be the solution most Americans support, as the same pole found only 40% supported construction of the Trump wall while 60% opposed it for either moral or financial reasons. A 2019 poll by the same organization found that 75% of voters supported increasing the number of border patrol agents on the Mexican border while only 24% opposed.
Things Almost All of Us Agree On
A 2013 Associated Press poll found 12 topics that 90% of American voters agreed on, despite their political affiliation, including:
- Considering themselves Patriotic
- Belief in God
- Admiring those who acquire wealth through hard word
- Believing all citizens deserve equal opportunity to work for success
SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Basically, most American's political affiliation is a bad attempt at fitting the square through
Imagine if all of those who actually meet in the middle on most of these issues decided to cast their contentious, constraining, insincere political parties aside and chose to pursue a path that would bring the actual will of the people back to the forefront. Imagine an election where Democrats and Republicans had to contend not only with each other, but with those of us who see past the lies and agendas of both parties. Imagine if we started seeing each other as Americans instead of Reds or Blues, Conservatives or Liberals, "Nazi's" or "Communists", and saw each other as brothers and sisters with far more in common than we've realized. Imagine if instead of trying to keep patching this tattered wheel we decided to break the wheel outright and take the power from the parties and give it to the people.
How would that work out?
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