Pundits are wrong. We don't need a functional GOP.

[DonViejo]

Opinion by
Jennifer Rubin
Columnist
Feb. 21, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. EST


You hear it all the time, especially from Democrats: We need a functioning two-party system. We need a better Republican Party. No, and no.

A two-party system serves two functions. First, it provides choice to voters and discipline to each party. Second, it aids in organizing legislative bodies. But could those functions be performed in some other manner?

Regarding the first function, many jurisdictions are effectively one-party locales. New York City is overwhelmingly dominated by Democrats. Mississippi is the province of Republicans. The political action in those jurisdictions comes in the primaries, where individuals with an array of policy views and personal attributes fight it out. Dozens of Democratic candidates are running for mayor of New York; no one seriously questions whether New Yorkers are deprived of the benefits of democracy.

With regard to organizing legislative bodies, most Western-style democracies have more than two parties. By the same token, it is conceivable, as the Founders envisioned, that something akin to “factions” rather than political parties provides the organizational structure for legislatures. We saw a moderate faction help end the government shutdown in 2018 and forge an agreement on a covid-19 relief package last December.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/21/pundits-are-wrong-we-dont-need-functional-gop