The two parties have locked every American into a zero-sum, winner-take-all political system of their own making where defeating the other party is what matters most. The Big Money interests funding this partisan warfare are happy with the current political system and its insatiable demand for more of their money which gives them greater control of elected officials and thus the government. Big Money uses this corrupting influence to protect and increase wealth and power for themselves by undermining the political relevance of regular voters.
The partisan gridlock we now accept as normal is the result of both parties operating within a political system that incentivizes and rewards polarization. Meaningful long-term change requires structural reforms not simply better candidates nor, depending upon your political orientation, greater Democratic/Republican control. The “politics industry” (yes, it’s a booming money-making business) is the true problem:
The Politics Industry Problems
- Primary Elections Favor Extremism: Closed or low-turnout primaries empower the most dogmatic voters which pushes candidates away from the center and punishes bipartisanship.
- Safe Districts Reduce Accountability: Both parties use gerrymandering to reduce or eliminate the risk of general election loss. Primary challenges are the only actual threat to incumbents which further reinforces extremism. Party leaders use a potential primary challenge to ensure obedience to a national agenda.
- Incentives Reward Obstruction: Party leaders gain politically from blocking the other side’s agenda, even if it leads to dysfunction. Gridlock can be celebrated and framed as proof that the other party “can’t govern.”
- Donor & Activist Pressure: Each party is heavily influenced by donors, interest groups, and activist bases that also benefit from conflict and clear partisan divides instead of reasonable compromise.
South Dakota became the 39th or 40th state in 1889 during the height of the Gilded Age (1870s–1900). During that era, everything may have glittered on the surface but it reeked of corruption below with Big Money controlling the political system. Names like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, Vanderbilt, and Gould owned the politicians until regular Americans like you and me who were sick of corruption forced changes. The Tillman Act of 1907, America’s first campaign finance law, prohibited corporations and large banks from donating to federal candidates.
Unfortunately, money in politics is like water that eventually finds a way in and starts an internal rot that gets worse over time. Today, it’s all the same, only the names have changed to Musk, Ellison, Thiel, Koch, and Adelson. Instead of the direct bribery of the Gilded Age, the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently supported the indirect bribery of campaign donations, political action committees (PACs), Super PACs, and lobbying. The Tillman Act was challenged unsuccessfully as a First Amendment violation in 1916, but in the 2010 Citizens United decision the Court agreed that corporate money is protected speech and the floodgates opened wide again.
Over a century ago, our forebears made South Dakota the national leader for non-partisan “good government” reforms. Now is the time for us to set aside partisan divisions and reclaim that proud heritage by doing it again. Redesigning the “politics industry” around these principles will break the gridlock and forge a system that truly serves the public interest instead of just Big Money.
Competition Is the Cure
Healthy competition improves outcomes in nature and free markets, and the same is true in politics. The two-party system suppresses genuine competition. A healthy political structure would encourage more candidates who bring different and better ideas. Instead, state law tries to suppress competition by requiring Independent candidates to gather twice as many voter signatures just to get on the ballot.
Shortly after gaining statehood, regular South Dakotans led the way in reclaiming political power from Big Money by increasing the competition of ideas. In 1898, they adopted America’s first ballot initiative and referendum process, the same process our legislature constantly undermines now, as a way for regular people to bypass corrupt legislators.
Fix the System, Not the Politicians
The problem is not necessarily bad people, but bad processes. Reform must focus on changing election rules and incentives rather than simply blaming individuals. A century ago, regular South Dakotans voted for candidates who pledged support for major reforms so the government would serve the people instead of Big Money.
Candidates such as our governor and U.S. Senator Coe Crawford, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator Robert Gamble, as well as President Theodore Roosevelt, championed these reforms.
Voters Are the Customers
Both political parties treat ultra-wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups as their primary customers while regular voters are simply tools to win elections. The entire system must be restructured so politicians truly compete to deliver real results for the broad majority of voters.
South Dakota’s initiative and referendum process, along with the later direct election of U.S. Senators, reoriented government around the people by weakening the influence of political party bosses and Big Money interests.
Empower a Majority, Not the Extremes
Closed primaries and winner-take-all elections give disproportionate power to the partisan extremes. Reforms must elevate the influence of the political center and Independents to encourage more candidates with broader appeal.
In 1912, South Dakota voters approved primary elections to prevent party elites from choosing the candidates. Pro-reform candidates were then able to win elections by appealing to farmers, small-town voters, and Independents instead of party elites aligned with Big Money.
Structural Reform Is Essential
Actual systemic change requires structural fixes such as open primaries and consensus choice voting that partisans oppose because they restore power to regular people. Appeals for “civility” or “bipartisanship” are insufficient. Permanently changing the rules of the game to alter incentives is the only viable solution.
South Dakota was once a national model for structural reform that inspired half of the states to adopt a similar initiative and referendum process. Let’s do it again.
Want to learn more?
For more details check out The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy by Katherine M. Gehl & Michael E. Porter.
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