The Biggest Myth About Bipartisan Politics

We have all heard the misquoted phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words. In 1927, Fred R. Barnard wrote, “A picture is worth ten thousand words,” when he quoted it as a Chinese proverb. However true this may be, pictures can lie as much as words. We have been mesmerized by glitzy graphics to prove a point in marketing everything from prophylactic condoms to political candidates. Another quote, “Figures don’t lie, but liars can figure,” erroneously attributed to Mark Twain because it sounds like him, could be another wise old Chinese saying. Have you ever researched “bipartisan” looking for some logical scientific illustration, graph, or Venn diagram that shows the interrelationship between political parties and issues? The results of such a search reveal a confusing display of overlapping circle charts that are so dangerously flawed they are comical. The Venn circles of Democrat and Republican intersect to prove whatever point the authors want to make based on their particular set of biases. The same chart can be shown pro-left or pro-right depending on which set of values are chosen to show up in the overlapping middle segment.

Intuitively, a thinking person can wrestle with issues and try to mold a consensus based on accumulated facts. Are there actually any facts to be found? In reality, people gravitate toward opinions that agree with their preconceived notions and accept them as fact. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that advocates for both major political parties in the US are more likely to think news statements are factual when they appeal to their side even if they are only someone’s opinions. Wading into the abyss that is social media confirms the theory that such polarization not only exists but is getting worse. People are losing friendships and ending long-standing relationships over unfounded, and sometimes even unconscious, political bias. It is too easy to prove someone else wrong by citing a meaningless left-leaning or right-leaning media report.

There is currently a duopoly of power that resides in the two major political parties. It is not a matter of self-preservation as much as it is a propaganda tool to oust any opposition to an opinion that may or may not be factual. Why? The answer is because power is profit. Money talks. This lust for control and dollars results in a confusing array of overlapping opinions that defy understanding. A Venn diagram for American political parties related to issues would look like an orgy of oversexed amoebae. In this environment of two-party oligarchy, the word bipartisan perpetuates the illusion that there are only two choices. To remain in control, it is in the best interests of the minority oligarchs to have us believe that cooperation between the two parties leaves no room for a third (or fourth?) party to challenge them. They actively join together to oppose any such opposition as it would reveal the underlying fable.

Another Pew study on the current political topology shows that the general public consists of 13% core conservatives and 18% solid liberals. Simple math would tell us that 69% of us don’t belong in either camp regardless of how much the media blasts the over-hyped value of bipartisanship. Bipartisan means compromise between the minority viewpoints at either end of the spectrum and implies voluntary cooperation between the two poles. Most of the time, hard-core partisans have to be dragged kicking and screaming into this so-called bipartisanship relationship. Perhaps non-partisan would be a better goal. Compromise on issues is difficult. When we try to assign opposing views such as right-to-life and capital punishment to one party, it makes no sense. In fact, the political topology study also revealed that deep chasms are forming within the left and the right. The ongoing problem with the election of the lesser of two evils won’t go away in the current political climate.

The myth of US bipartisanship is that it is a good thing for us and the country - a favorable merging of ideas from two parties. Nothing could be further from the truth. It implies non-existent cooperation between two extremes which is virtually impossible. The most notable collaboration is seen in the collusion between the two major parties to exclude anyone else from having a voice. Debates that exclude voices outside of those with conventional labels of D or R are the antithesis of democracy.   

There is no honest graphical depiction of these different concepts. Yes, there have been attempts to do overlapping circles of political outcomes. However, the best one seems to be the one published in The Daily Telegraph in the UK in 2015. It may not be unbiased, but it’s a very well done interactive graphic of opinions with a twist of humor. Yes, it too looks like amoebic intercourse, but it’s fun to play with it. Fun? Play? When will we get serious enough about our future that we actively promote revolutionary ideas like independent thinking and respect for individual rights? Time will tell. The inertia of the minority political duopoly will continue to dominate until everyday people wake up and use our heads for something other than a product endorsement, logo embossed baseball cap. Don’t we deserve more?

The rainbow of diverse political ideas and ideals will only coalesce into a thing of beauty when we learn to excise the ugliness and stop pretending that blue or red are the only choices.