Super Tuesday

To the surprise of many, these issues appear to have only further divided our nation. The vast majority of political pundits project that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will win Super Tuesday. An avowed democratic socialist, the Vermont senator has made recent remarks favoring communist countries like Cuba. Sanders represents the hard-left wing of the Democratic party and, to many independents, Sanders pales in comparison to moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden.

Many are surprised by the idea of Sanders advancing past the Democratic Primary and somehow overcoming President Trump in the general election. Others suggest that in that unlikely event, Sanders would be no more than a manifestation of a phenomenon endemic to the American culture: the swinging voter pendulum. History shows us patterns in which American voters turn from backing one political party to another in the midst of perilous events.

The first American voter pendulum swing took place in President Andrew Jackson’s election in 1828, which concluded the Federalist Era of John Adams. The Federalist Party was weakened and disorganized by a wave of corrupt events and schemes, which ultimately led to a large shift in the voter turnout for President Jackson. President Jackson’s party — today’s Democratic Party — grew significantly during this period.

The next pendulum would not swing until President Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860. This election marked the beginnings of the Republican Era. President Lincoln is credited with uniting the country upon the brink of dissolution, guiding the country through the unprecedented Civil War, and drafting the Emancipation Proclamation — a document declaring that slaves were now free men.

Sixty years later, the “Republican stronghold” in politics was broken when Democrat Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. President Roosevelt promised a New Deal that would bring Americans out of the Great Depression.

The Democratic Party dominated the country’s politics until President Lyndon Johnson’s poorly known handling of the Vietnam War. Since then, although each party has had shortly lived moments of control, such as the Democratic Supermajority won with the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, or the Republicans’ recently taking the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, neither party has been able to sustain the dominance they once possessed.

History shows that Americans generally have a tendency to vote in elections based on the illusions of “change” and “a better tomorrow.” These ideas never fail to drive voters to the polls. Some may call this a vice, but I call it an essential value. It is the driving force behind the voter pendulum in each realignment. It explains why neither of the two predominant parties in America have ever held majority power for more than 65 years. It shows that Americans believe that no matter how well we think we may have it, that we should always fight and hope for something better.

A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011-2013. Jonathan currently works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.