From controlling cost volatility to creating clear and consistent paths to citizenship, there’s a tremendous need in our nation for effective long-term policy. By creating a powerful mediating force to counteract our duopoly, Forward can make that kind of policy possible.
Within the perpetual, partisan tug-of-war that our nation is mired in, it is all too easy to lose sight of where it’s all going. And the answer, sadly, is nowhere good. Each major party plays its games and puts on its political theater, and each pushes policy when and where it holds power. But meaningful, long-term solutions aren’t part of that equation - and in part, that’s because our major parties don’t want them to be.
For Republican and Democratic politicians alike, ‘think what would happen if the Other Side took power!’moc is a key selling point. The idea that the Other Side is going to undo all your progress, is going to take away everything sacred if it should ever gain control, is an idea that they prey upon. That constant tension keeps voters voting and donors donating, while perpetuating the fear that a third-party vote might allow Evil to triumph - in short, it oils the machine.
That’s no way for us to live. The American people need real and lasting solutions for our pressing issues. When it comes to immigration policy, we need to create a stable situation at our borders, and to understand the pathways to entering and joining our nation. When it comes to economic policy, we need to create peace of mind through long-term planning, to allow for effective investment and consistent economic mobility. And when it comes to infrastructure, energy, and environmental policy, any real progress is predicated on building 10-, 15-, or 20-year plans - the kind of plans that can never work in our current system.
All of this is exactly why we need to look Forward. Through a serious and significant new party, we can create a necessary counterbalance to the major parties in power, forcing them to work together towards answering critical questions, and freeing them from the twisted incentives of our current duopoly.
What We Bring to the Table: the Fulcrum
If we want to profoundly and meaningfully change our political game and the incentives that play into it, then we’re going to need to have seats at the table. That’s what building a viable, credible, durable new party is all about - we don’t just want to make a statement, we want to win elections. But we don’t need to outnumber the Democrats, and we don’t need to outnumber the Republicans. We just need enough for a fulcrum.
To have a fulcrum is to have influence over a political body by consistently denying either major party a majority. A fulcrum can be created at the level of the U.S. House or Senate, at the level of a state legislature, or even at the level of a city council or local school board. And wherever we can build it, we can make a world of difference through it.
By denying any party a majority, we can force our politicians to work together towards meaningful and lasting solutions. We can remove the toxic incentives towards negative campaigning, because there would be more than two options on the table. And we can empower our major parties to actually be better versions of themselves, to represent their constituents and their causes rather than be trapped in our perpetual tug of war and the terrible behavior that it encourages.