While bipartisanship is not completely non-existent and there have been instances where legislation has been passed with support from members of both parties, the majority of voting is simply along party lines. This means that our legislators aren’t voting with independent minds that represent their constituents.
That being said, it is certainly possible for new political parties to emerge and gain support, particularly in times of political upheaval or dissatisfaction with the current political status quo. Personally I like the idea of a party called “We the People”. This kind of party has some real roots. It is called the Convention of States. The Convention of States is a movement in the United States that advocates for a Convention of States to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The movement’s proponents believe that the federal government has overstepped its constitutional boundaries and that a convention is necessary to restore the balance of power between the federal government and the states.
The Convention of States movement is based on Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which provides two methods for proposing amendments to the Constitution. The first method requires two-thirds of both houses of Congress to propose an amendment, while the second method requires two-thirds of the state legislatures to call for a convention to propose amendments. Proponents of the Convention of States believe that the second method is necessary to address the federal government’s overreach.
The Convention of States movement proposes several amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including term limits for federal officials, a balanced budget amendment, and limits on the power of the federal government. However, the movement has not yet been successful in persuading two-thirds of the states to call for a convention.