Opinion | Lewis: The party is over

We have entered a unique time in our political history. When I left Colorado in the 1990s, the vast majority (80%+) of voters identified with a major political party. Today, major-party identification is under 50%, meaning more people now say that neither party reflects their views. I am one of those people.

What perplexes me is that while Republicans are currently dominating national politics and Democrats are dominating Colorado politics, neither party seems interested in opening its tent or moderating its views to become more competitive. While each party has its 25% to 30% loyalists, the remainder of voters are up for grabs and are likely just voting for the least objectionable candidate.

When we moved back to Colorado a few years ago, we attended a local event and met Gov. Polis. Personally, I came away impressed because he was nothing like I expected. His views were generally balanced and pragmatic and, at times, dare I say it, even a touch conservative.

At the time, I heard someone remark, “He’s not a real Democrat.” That comment stuck with me.

What it implied to me was that moderation itself had become disqualifying.

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I am equally blown away by what the Republican Party — or what I now think of as the Trump Party — has become. If Liz Cheney is no longer welcome, I struggle to understand what the party stands for. If Sen. John Cornyn, who voted with Trump nearly all the time, is primaried out because of occasional disagreement, what room remains for independent thought?

It is painfully clear that today’s Republican Party revolves around a single individual. There is no longer a coherent platform so much as a requirement for loyalty. You can see the contradictions play out almost daily. “We are America First and should stay out of foreign wars” — until we don’t. “The American economy comes first” — until policies create economic pain and we’re told it doesn’t matter.

One by one, conservatives who voted with Trump 95% of the time find themselves challenged, criticized or pushed aside because they disagree on election claims, Jan. 6 or some other issue of conscience. What may be most surprising is that it works. Yet as strange as that seems to me, Democrats are not entirely different. The mechanism is different, but the result is often the same.

Recently, Gov. Polis commuted the sentence of Tina Peters. If you step back from the politics for a moment, it seems entirely possible that Polis simply believed the sentence was excessive, particularly given that no election results were changed.

What surprised me was not the decision itself. It was the reaction. Because of a single action that offended core Democratic activists, Polis was publicly attacked, criticized and treated as though he had committed political heresy. Sen. Bennet even suggested that, if elected governor, he would not consider Polis as a Senate replacement. Again, disagreement was not merely disagreement. It became disqualification. This is what I find so fascinating.

Both parties are watching millions of Americans — and nearly half of Colorado voters — walk away from party affiliation. Yet neither party shows any sign of moderating its stance to get these people back. Instead, they seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Moderates leave the party, and the party becomes more ideological. The party becomes more ideological, and more moderates leave. The cycle repeats itself.

Money doesn’t help. Passionate activists donate more than moderates. Outrage attracts more attention than compromise. Social media rewards drama, not nuance. The candidate who says, “We need a balanced approach,” gets ignored. The candidate who promises “to make things great” gets millions of views. The result is a political marketplace that increasingly rewards intensity over rationality.

What I don’t understand is why parties that are consistently losing elections don’t adapt.

If Republicans continue to lose statewide races in Colorado, why wouldn’t they nominate candidates who appeal to more voters? A moderate Republican would still be more conservative than a Democrat. Likewise, if Democrats are losing nationally, why wouldn’t they broaden their appeal rather than narrow it?

It’s a conundrum. Political parties seem to do the opposite of what seems logical. They lose and then conclude that they were too moderate.  Anything except broad enough. Perhaps it is the primary process that tends to favor more polarizing individuals. But if nearly half of Colorado voters now choose neither party, that should be sending a message. The question is whether anyone is listening.

Maybe the parties will eventually adapt. Political parties are, after all, survival machines. They exist to win elections.

If enough voters are looking for practical, independent-minded candidates who are willing to occasionally disagree with their own side, one of the parties may eventually figure that out. And if they don’t, unaffiliated voters may become the most important force in Colorado politics. Not because they all agree with one another. But because they increasingly agree on one thing: Neither party is giving them what they’re looking for.

Mark Lewis, a Colorado native, had a long career in technology, including serving as the CEO of several tech companies. He’s now retired and writes thriller novels. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian shepherds, Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.