The latest episode of “This Old Democracy” with host Micah Sifry and political scientist Didi Kuo, author of “The Great Retreat: How Political Parties Should Behave and Why They Don’t,” dives deep into a critical question: what’s really going on with American democracy? Kuo doesn’t pull punches, arguing that despite their outward appearance of strength, our major political parties have neglected essential functions.

One of Kuo’s central premises is that vital political parties are essential to a functioning democracy, even though Americans are wary of parties. She makes two arguments why. First, “[p]arties are the only institution that really exists to translate all of the kind of disparate public power housed in the people and bring that into governing agendas and into institutions of leadership and power.” And second, “if you just eliminated parties, you get rid of one of the main heuristics that voters use to navigate elections, and you put the burden entirely on them to get to know specific candidates in every specific election.”

The problem now, Kuo explains, is that parties have largely abandoned their traditional roles. Once, they were vital hubs for policy coordination, community building, and nurturing future leaders. Now, their focus has narrowed dramatically to campaigning and winning elections. This shift has created a top-down system where parties dictate messages rather than truly listen to the electorate.

The consequence? A growing cynicism among the public, reflected in the increasing number of voters who identify as independent. They are not just political wonks rejecting labels; they are people who feel the parties no longer serve their interests.

The conversation doesn’t just diagnose the problem; it explores potential pathways forward. Kuo suggests several key reforms.

• First, she advocates for campaign finance reform that would centralize authority within the parties, thereby reducing the outsized influence of big donors and increasing party engagement with grassroots members.

• Second, there’s a strong call to revitalize state and local party organizations. Imagine if the energy seen during election season could be harnessed year-round, bringing communities together to solve local problems and connect them back to the broader party structure.

• Third, Kuo highlights the importance of robust civic education, not just the basics of the Constitution, but a deeper understanding of what government actually does and how it positively impacts people’s lives.

While acknowledging that immediate, sweeping changes are a tall order, Kuo offers a hopeful perspective. She points to examples from other democracies, like Brazil, Poland, and France, where citizens from across the political spectrum have united to defend democratic institutions against illiberal threats. Kuo notes that it took voters making “strategic decisions” to build the coalitions necessary to combat the idea of a “common threat.”

Kuo and Sifry didn’t discuss it in this episode, but one can be confident that each would say “amen” to structural, party-centric reforms. In America, that means fusion voting and/or proportional representation. Each allows and encourages the formation of a multi-party democracy in which political parties are incentivized to form coalitions, engage in principled bargaining, and compromise. Pluralism requires more than just two parties. Full stop.

For Kuo, the immediate task is to build on existing popular energy for civic defense. Looking further ahead, the challenge lies in constructing a stronger, more resilient foundation for democracy, one that embraces bureaucratic effectiveness and policies that genuinely serve a 21st-century society. The core message is clear: securing democracy is the prerequisite for debating any other issue.

LINKS

Read Didi Kuo’s new book, THE GREAT RETREAT: HOW POLITICAL PARTIES SHOULD BEHAVE AND WHY THEY DON’T

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-great-retreat-9780197664193?cc=us&lang=en&