In a political system dictated by two major parties, few politicians have the standing or the guts to take on the establishment. Donald Trump did — at least, he thinks he did — in 2016. But Trump used the established Republican Party to do so, and the result was the completion of an evolution the GOP had been experiencing for years. It is no longer the party of Reagan. It is Trump’s party.
And that’s why Justin Amash is leaving it. On July Fourth, Amash declared his independence from the Republican Party and the two-party system that constrains politicians and undermines the limited, constitutional republic designed by the Founders.
“In recent years, I’ve become disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it. The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions,” Amash wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
“Americans have allowed government officials, under assertions of expediency and party unity, to ignore the most basic tenets of our constitutional order: separation of powers, federalism and the rule of law. The result has been the consolidation of political power and the near disintegration of representative democracy,” he continued.
Most conservatives dedicated to limited government, and the republican ideals that support it, understand that the two-party system is broken and has been since its conception. The Founders warned against partisan politics and the threat political parties posed. But the prevailing power of faction is inevitable in a democracy,. Where one man seeks power, there will be others who join his cause.
We have allowed our factions to concentrate and grow into an unmanageable, all-consuming system that controls the governance of our nation. It controls our elections, policies, and candidates. And it is impossible to break. Amash knows this. He understands that running as an independent candidate could cost him re-election. Even the most successful, current independent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., runs for president under the Democratic umbrella because he knows that to do otherwise would be political suicide. Amash knows the GOP will come for his seat, and he knows that by leaving the Republican Party he has isolated himself from politicians and constituents who value loyalty.
But he doesn’t care. And that’s why Amash is so important right now. Disagree with his policies if you like — I do quite often. But I respect his reasoning, which he makes available on every single vote he casts. And I admire his commitment to principles greater than political gain.
I hope Amash is the first of many independent candidates. We need their minds and their voices, untethered to party opinions, to foster deliberation and encourage wholesome debate in Congress. We need them to challenge our status quo and bring new energy to a government bogged down by partisan bickering.
Free thought is, after all, in the veins of the American spirit: We challenge convention and scorn those who would tell us differently. The truth is, we are all political independents. Perhaps we should encourage our politicians to be, as well.
