Yuval Levin

I don't think that's right. We know a lot of things they didn't know. We are better than they were in a lot of ways. But they did create a system that is distinctly capable of compelling narrow coalitions to broaden. The logic of the American Constitution... is that only majority rule is legitimate, but majorities are very dangerous to minorities.

I don't think that's right. We know a lot of things they didn't know. We are better than they were in a lot of ways. But they did create a system that is distinctly capable of compelling narrow coalitions to broaden. The logic of the American Constitution... is that only majority rule is legitimate, but majorities are very dangerous to minorities.

And that means that we want a system that forces majorities to grow and broaden before they are empowered. This is what's frustrating about our system, right? You win an election, you still can't do anything. And the reason for that is that the system wants you to first broaden your coalition before you're really able to act. We really resist that now. We don't want to do it.

And that means that we want a system that forces majorities to grow and broaden before they are empowered. This is what's frustrating about our system, right? You win an election, you still can't do anything. And the reason for that is that the system wants you to first broaden your coalition before you're really able to act. We really resist that now. We don't want to do it.

We live in a 50-50 moment and you win 50% plus one. You treat it as this massive, you know, Donald Trump just won 49.8% of the vote in a presidential election. Kamala Harris got 48.3% of the vote. And the Trump folks want to say, we won, we won big, we get to act now. The Constitution says, no, you have to deal with the people you defeated in the election. And they won their seats in Congress.

We live in a 50-50 moment and you win 50% plus one. You treat it as this massive, you know, Donald Trump just won 49.8% of the vote in a presidential election. Kamala Harris got 48.3% of the vote. And the Trump folks want to say, we won, we won big, we get to act now. The Constitution says, no, you have to deal with the people you defeated in the election. And they won their seats in Congress.

They won control of various state governments. They are still here, and you have to deal with them. To think about our system only through the lens of the parties is to reject that logic. Now, that's one way to do democracy, right? That's how the parliamentary systems work. Those are legitimate democratic systems.

They won control of various state governments. They are still here, and you have to deal with them. To think about our system only through the lens of the parties is to reject that logic. Now, that's one way to do democracy, right? That's how the parliamentary systems work. Those are legitimate democratic systems.

But I think our system is better for us exactly because it doesn't allow us to work that way and ultimately prefers to produce legitimate public action over producing efficient public action. It forces us to build coalitions that include more people. I think that's what we're missing now.

But I think our system is better for us exactly because it doesn't allow us to work that way and ultimately prefers to produce legitimate public action over producing efficient public action. It forces us to build coalitions that include more people. I think that's what we're missing now.

I think the question that I'm left with from that description is responsive to what? To whom? Our problem right now is not that there is this American majority out there that's trying to get its will into action and the system is resisting it. Our problem is that there isn't an American majority out there. The elections of the last 30 years have produced 50-50 results over and over.

I think the question that I'm left with from that description is responsive to what? To whom? Our problem right now is not that there is this American majority out there that's trying to get its will into action and the system is resisting it. Our problem is that there isn't an American majority out there. The elections of the last 30 years have produced 50-50 results over and over.

If you look at American political life at almost any moment in our history, you would find a majority coalition holding a very, very complicated kind of coalition together and struggling to keep it hanging together. And you find a minority party struggling to build and broaden its coalition and become a majority.

If you look at American political life at almost any moment in our history, you would find a majority coalition holding a very, very complicated kind of coalition together and struggling to keep it hanging together. And you find a minority party struggling to build and broaden its coalition and become a majority.

Both those parties are engaged in coalition building, which is how our system is intended to work. In the last 30 years, and there's really only been one other period like this at the end of the 19th century, which lasted about 20 years, we've had two minority parties at the same time. This is a 50-50 moment, and the challenge is there isn't a clear majority will.

Both those parties are engaged in coalition building, which is how our system is intended to work. In the last 30 years, and there's really only been one other period like this at the end of the 19th century, which lasted about 20 years, we've had two minority parties at the same time. This is a 50-50 moment, and the challenge is there isn't a clear majority will.

What we need from our system is not help empowering the majority. What we need from our system is help informing a broader majority. I think we've arrived at this place because we've moved too far from the original intentions of the American constitutional system. which is meant to operate with Congress at its center building coalitions, negotiating across party lines.

What we need from our system is not help empowering the majority. What we need from our system is help informing a broader majority. I think we've arrived at this place because we've moved too far from the original intentions of the American constitutional system. which is meant to operate with Congress at its center building coalitions, negotiating across party lines.

So that frustration with this moment should not lead us to abandon that system, but to recover that system. We've had a two-party system for a long time, at least since 1824 and some ways since 1800, so that the system has actually worked as a two-party constitutional system almost from the beginning. What it's failing to do now is facilitate bargaining and deal-making across those lines.

So that frustration with this moment should not lead us to abandon that system, but to recover that system. We've had a two-party system for a long time, at least since 1824 and some ways since 1800, so that the system has actually worked as a two-party constitutional system almost from the beginning. What it's failing to do now is facilitate bargaining and deal-making across those lines.