Colorado State University’s College of Liberal Arts hosted its annual Democracy Summit from March 5-7, inviting students, faculty and the Fort Collins community to engage in dialogue surrounding this year’s theme of democratic innovation.
On the second day of the summit, CSU featured a keynote presentation by Lee Drutman, “Building Back a Better Democracy – Breaking the Two Party Doom Loop.” Drutman is a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the think tank New America. He also co-hosts the “Politics in Question” podcast and is the co-founder of Fix Our House and the Center for Ballot Freedom.
In his book, “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America,” Drutman argues that our rigid, two-party political system is the source of heightened political polarization and division in America, creating what he calls the “two-party doom loop.”
“The vast majority of us prioritize belonging and social cohesion almost above everything else,” Drutman said. “With these needs for cohesion and status, turned disagreements and existential threats, then we have a big problem. In this twisted logic that we’re in of this ‘us versus them’ conflict, radical action — even physical harm — starts to feel justified.”
Sam Houghteling, the program manager for the Straayer Center for Public Service Leadership and a key member of the team behind the Democracy Summit, said he hopes students will leave these kinds of events with a strong sense of agency.
“Our democratic systems are really important, and right now there is a heightened focus on democratic systems for very obvious reasons with what’s going on at the national level,” Houghteling said. “We at the Straayer Center view our students not as just future leaders; we view them as current leaders.
Drutman said the shift in America’s political landscape began in the late 1960s when social issues like race, culture and religion started shaping national party alignments.
“Sixty years ago, America was a two-party system, but both parties contained multitudes,” Drutman said. “This diversity within the parties created this real, fluid pluralism. Today, every single issue of national importance is partisan. Local variety (is) gone.”
Today, parties are complex forces with considerable influence in the political landscape. Drutman highlighted their power and how messaging contributes to political polarization.
“Today’s parties are actually these abstract, floating presences where professional pollsters, messaging gurus and fundraisers call the shots,” Drutman said. “Their primary message (is that) the other side is threatening your very existence. This drives this doom loop.”
To break the two-party doom loop, Drutman advocated for a political system that embraces a broader spectrum of views, rather than being limited to just two.
“We face a party-system problem that demands a party-system solution,” Drutman said. “Since we form beliefs socially, we need a political structure that supports multiple overlapping perspectives, capable of finding a common reality — not just two that are diametrically opposing each other.”
“The problem is when we stack all of these identities into just two opposing parties, everything gets transformed into this existential conflict. But again, it doesn’t have to be this way. History does show us that moments of crisis are also moments of opportunity.” -Lee Drutman, political scientist
Drutman called for for proportional representation, an electoral system where multiple representatives are elected based on voter proportions. This is a key element of his broader solution: fluid pluralism.
“(Fluid pluralism is) a political state where the coalitions can shift and evolve and where people have multiple overlapping identities and multiple sources of meaning,” Drutman said. “Since elections are the central event of modern, representative democracy, the most effective path to get there is by changing our electoral system.”
Additionally, Drutman said he supports fusion voting for single winner races — a system that enables candidates to appear on multiple party ballots, giving voters the freedom to support their preferred candidate without being tied to a major party.
“This is where fusion voting, another reform, can offer a complementary solution,” Drutman said. “It means that voters can vote for candidates while expressing specific values.”
While Drutman acknowledged the current political crisis, he encouraged people to remain hopeful and recognize that moments of turmoil can provide opportunities for positive change.
“The problem is when we stack all of these identities into just two opposing parties, everything gets transformed into this existential conflict,” Drutman said. “But again, it doesn’t have to be this way. History does show us that moments of crisis are also moments of opportunity.”
Following the presentation, London Nicol, a political science student and one of this year’s democracy ambassadors with the Straayer Center, emphasized the importance of youth involvement in politics and speaking out on issues, such as those discussed by Drutman.
“There is a huge gap in our age group, as in the younger age group, with getting connected in politics,” Nicol said. “Events like this one are a great way to encourage students to partake in civic participation and see that other students are also trying to get their voices heard and that we can build spaces for those voices.”
Reach Claire VanDeventer at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
