New Survey Shows California’s Political Parties Are Doing Their Job

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

The latest PPIC survey shows the remarkable gulf that occurs between Republican and Democratic voters in California. It extends over an ideological framework (liberal – conservative), on specific issues (immigration, gay marriage), indeed, even to geography. Democrats control the BayArea, North Coast and Los Angeles. Republicans dominate the remainder of the state except for Santa Barbara and Imperial County.

The survey writers want to focus on the 20% of the vote not affiliated with the Democrats or Republicans. Growing in numbers, should we not change the system to involve them to a greater extent? So the PPIC folk suggest. Moving from single member districts to proportional representation, for example.

When did we begin this vilification of American Political Parties?

Actually, from the outset. The founding fathers called them “factions”, and saw in them a great danger. They had constructed a government to protect us from “tyranny” by breaking federal power into pieces (legislative, executive and judicial) and checking even that broken power with the authority of the states and with the Bill of Rights. Political Parties were extra-legal organizations through which men attempted to reassemble the pieces of power – both to get things done and to advance their careers.

But Parties survived, for two good reasons. One is that they solve the problem of social intransitivity. (I prefer A to B. You prefer B to C. He prefers C to A. A vote doesn’t correctly translate the preferences of the group). Parties resolve these questions by reducing the choices to “him or me”. The second is that they provide quick cues for busy voters. I don’t have to read the “platform” of a Democratic candidate to know what she will do if elected. This latest survey shows that party candidates do, indeed, represent their party’s voters. The system works.

So what of the “independent” voters? Are not they votes of reason midst the noise of partisan passion?