James George
Political Science
30 March 2025
One Party
The American Party
Here is an idea from George Washington. If there must be a political party, make it one. Washington opposed political parties as he believed candidates for public office should stand on their individual merit. When I wrote How to Select an American President, I acknowledged his point.
Consider this as a proposed starting position for improving our very big problem—that being—having elected a tyrannical President by a slim margin from the Republican Party. The problem began when the Republican Party failed to properly vet its candidate.
You might add that the Democrats didn’t do an effective job of vetting theirs either. That is because we have no standards for American Political parties. Which is why I wrote Standards for American Political Parties.
In Standards for American Political Parties, I didn’t say there should be only one party. I acknowledged two, though I advocated common standards used by both to vet all elected officials bearing their brand.
A party’s brand begins with its platform and, subsequently, representatives' manifestos tailored to their offices.
In How to Select an American President, I demonstrate the importance of American history and its relevance in understanding the evolution of political parties. The trouble is, we never agreed to the criteria for office expressed as relevant skill, knowledge, experience, and character. I spelled it out with the idea of building an “app” to help voters evaluate candidates. The principal service of political parties is to do the profanatory vetting and certify the truthfulness of candidates' declarations. In this way, parties are like personnel departments helping with the hiring process.
Americans need that type of help because the process is complicated, and the results are extremely important. In the end, individual voters make independent choices, though the role of the party is to ensure qualified candidates with high integrity and honesty.
We don’t have that now. Please read my books and act on my recommendations. Debate with me if you wish.
James A. George
How to Select an American President
Standards for American Political Parties