Considering the Unicorn

Voters may remember promises of bipartisanship from the last presidential election and some debate over what that entailed.

One would think the U.S. government works in a (bi)partisan manner all the time – we do have two parties, you know.

Actually not the case but it would seem third parties have little say in how partisan D.C. is at this point.

A lack of bipartisanship, and the polarization of representatives has been hindering the U.S. government in recent years. Let’s not forget that time the budget – for the entire country - didn’t get passed promptly back in 2012.

While it can be said officials have made an effort to work together occasionally, the 2016 presidential campaign shenanigans would seem to highlight the lack of resolution of the partisan issue.

Can Hilary or Trump cross lines in the future and sing kumbaya? Who freaking knows.

Perhaps the real question is: Should voters count on either Democrats or Republicans to do the bipartisan tango for the sake of the country?

Recent history leaves some doubt.

Despite a long tale of dual-party U.S. government, the Constitution and U.S. law do not prohibit that from changing.  

Many discount the idea of a strong third party as a myth that will never gain enough traction to have a real voice in government. A creature of legend, a political unicorn.

And, granted, the presidential third party candidates this year have not been perfect.

However, how we think about U.S. politics and parties has changed over time. The values of the ‘Republican’ party during the Civil War, for example, were considered very liberal and northern.

For the 2016 presidential election, a third party president just ain’t happening.

But if the current situation is not working well, let’s change the way we think about the candidates and the party system – even if it takes a while.

Breaking the tug-of-war between Democrats and Republicans by adding a third opinion (instead of counting on Democrats and Republicans to ‘just get along’) may improve the U.S. government’s ability to function.

So consider the unicorn: it has a boney protrusion from its head like an elephant and its shape is similar to a donkey. Perhaps there is some middle ground.

Supporting a third party candidate at a more local level or next time a seat in Congress comes up may not be such a horrible idea if the majority of their goals are in line with your thinking.

After all, there is no such thing as the perfect candidate. I don’t even have a supernatural creature for something that rare.