Parties are a fundamental defect of free governments but they do not at all times share the same character or the same instincts…when things go bad, there comes a rise of great parties. -Alexis De Tocqueville

Americans are well aware of the defects of political parties. Corruption, divisive partisan rhetoric, and misleading speeches from sleazy party hacks are on the news almost every day, constantly reminding us of the inherently flawed nature of political parties. As Tocqueville points out, they are an unavoidable defect of free governments. So how have we managed to get so far with this major defect? As it turns out parties are not always a negative influence on societies. In American history, a “great party” has always risen to power in times of crisis. Today America finds itself in a new crisis, but so far no great party or leader has arisen to help us overcome it.

Tocqueville used the term “great parties” which means parties that “are committed to principles rather than their consequences, to general considerations rather than to individual cases, to ideas and not to men.” Great parties act in the public interest, not in the private interests of its members. Without them, no republic would survive very long.

There are several examples of great parties rising to the occasion in American history. For most of the 20th century, it has been the Democratic Party. Many are surprised to learn the Democrats dominated Congress from 1933 to 1995. Starting with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Democrats were the “great party” during the Great Depression and World War II helping build the U.S. into a superpower. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Democrats became focused on domestic issues, particularly civil rights. Their efforts led to the Civil Rights Act and other accomplishments in social equality.

The Republican Party struggled through most of the century until the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1980. President Reagan was the great leader that helped end the Cold War and make the United States the lone superpower. His policies also influenced the Republican Revolution of 1994. The Republicans took power in Congress and held it until 2006. A number of reforms were put into place through the leadership of House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his “Contract with America”. As a result, the United States experienced a period of impressive economic growth, budget surpluses, and relative security.

Unfortunately, the Republican Party became complacent. According to Tocqueville, during times of calm great leaders tend to vanish or be passed over by less capable men. This is what happened to the Republicans after the 2004 election. The Republican leadership became lazy and ignored its core principles. The Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the 2006 elections.

However, the current Democratic Party is not a great party. It did not gain power through its principles or ideas. In fact, most of their ideas are unpopular with the American people. The Democratic leadership has been committed to handing out cash to its allies and helping certain people and companies rather than implementing policies that benefit the country as a whole. It is led by men and women committed to their own selfish interests, not noble ideas or principles.

Most of their policies harm the economy and do nothing to address the underlying causes of the economic collapse of 2008.

For at least the last six years America has had two weak parties that lack coherent principles and have failed to promote the public interest over their own private interests.

Americans are desperate for new leadership, for a new great party, for real change. At one point, Americans believed they had found that great leader in Barack Obama. Unfortunately, the last two years have shown that Obama is no different than the other unprincipled leaders already in the government.

One possible source of new ideas and new leadership is the Tea Party Movement. The Tea Party Movement is working hard to become the ideological force behind the next great party. They have concentrated on reforming the Republican Party; pushing their own leaders to the front and replacing the corrupt and ineffective leaders that were responsible for the Party’s fall in 2006.

Will the Tea Party Movement be the foundation of the next great party? Will it provide the next great leader? It is still unclear. But in the last year it has proven to be the most powerful new force in American politics.

America has always managed to rise to the occasion during crisis. Whether it was FDR and the Democrats during World War 2 or President Reagan at the end of the Cold War, Americans have found a way to push its political parties to do the right thing. Unfortunately we did not get that great leader or a great party in 2008. Many groups such as the Tea Party (and Restore America’s Legacy) are seeking out and promoting men and women to that will become the great leaders of the next great party. Their hope is to transform the Republican Party and bring it into power with coherent political principles that benefit the country as a whole and stop the general decline of the United States.

However, it is unclear how much longer America can afford to wait for the next great party. The clock is ticking.

Author Bio: J. Wesley Fox is the Chairman of Restore America’s Legacy PAC. He is a recent graduate of DePaul University College of Law and has been active in local and national politics for several years. He currently lives in New Jersey after growing up in the Chicago suburbs. www.restoreamericaslegacy.com

Category: Politics
Keywords: Political Parties,Republican,Democrat,Tea Party,Tocqueville,Reagan,Contract with America,great party