Is a Party-less Future Possible in American Politics? w/ Metin Pekin | Politics with Paul #88

Could we see the end of political parties in America in the future? While political parties have existed in this country since the 1790s, they have also often been the target of intense criticism. Despite how much they are lamented and how many voters identify as independents, however, the Democratic and Republican Parties hold the vast majority of elected offices that have partisan elections. But today's guest, Metin Pekin, argues that not only is it necessary to dissolve the party system-- he says it is practical and achievable. Metin is the author of "Breaking Democracy's Chains: Freeing and Fortifying Democracy Against Hidden Capture." Hear his thoughts on how to create a party-less future in American politics, why he believes any number of political parties is a problem, and his responses to criticisms of the idea of no parties.

Metin's links: 

• Breaking Democracy's Chains on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Democracys-Chains-Fortifying-Democracy-ebook/dp/B0G1TY9MCP/
• Breaking Democracy's Chains on Barnes & Noble (ebook and paperback): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/breaking-democracys-chains-m-pekin/1148738103

Paul's links:

• Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
• Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
• My website: https://paulrader.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
• Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
• Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com

(0:00) Intro: Metin Pekin, A Party-less Future? (2:02) Why Metin Researched Democracies and Political Parties (5:15) Why Metin Wrote "Breaking Democracy's Chains" (9:16) Why Metin Says Previous Reforms to the Party System Haven't Worked (14:47) What Would Elections Look Like in a Party-Less Future? (21:42) The Filtering of Political Party Candidates Before Election Day (26:00) Arguments Made Against Having a Party-Less System (26:41) Would Dissolving Parties Infringe on 1st Amendment's Freedom of Association? (34:28) How Would You Incentivize Politicians to Reject Parties? (41:28) Would No Parties in Elections Lead to Lower Voter Turnout? (49:06) Metin's Tips for Practically Pushing Back on the Political Party System (53:10) Random Question: One of Your Unpopular Food Opinions (56:12) Closing and Links