I think that the current state of the political system is abysmal. The video titled “How America Could Fall Like Rome” makes parallels with the Roman Republic before its transformation into an Empire. It also claims that democracy is in danger from radicalized and authoritarian political elements (like Trump) and needs rescuing. I think the video is somewhat one-sided and does not address the core issues causing the gradual radicalization of the nation against itself.
I think that Trump and the republican outlast are just the latest examples of both parties purposefully splitting the nation in two to perpetuate the corrupt two-party system. Having researched party politics for the past 30 years, I can conclude that the amount of radicalized rhetoric has been increasing over the years while the quality of candidates dropped. At the same time, the country did not experience any real significant positive changes in its domestic or foreign policies. Even popular programs, such as Medicaid, were marred in incompetence and corruption. In light of both political parties being incompetent, the only real way to get voters on their side is to portray the other side as the worst evil that could happen to the US.
Both parties heavily rely on fear-mongering and scare tactics to get individuals to their side. In so doing, they are also purposefully squeezing out any third-party opposition to the existing status quo. A vote for the Green party is considered “a vote for Republicans” or “a vote for Democrats,” depending on who is being asked. The First-past-the-post system further exacerbates the problem, as many who would have otherwise voted for a third way out are pressured into choosing between the bad and the worst. The future of the American political system is two-fold: either it disposes of the corrupt two-party system, or it will see the further radicalization of society along the arbitrary lines of political allegiance.