A CURATIVE DOSE OF DEMOCRATIC DISENFRANCHISEMENT:

Today, the movement to weaken the national party structures that began in 1968 has reached its logical result: The power of the two national party organizations has declined so dramatically that they sometimes appear to be bystanders to a political system in which they were once central actors.

This trend, some in both parties believe, is too much of what once seemed a good thing and is now contributing to the polarization and dysfunction of America's political system. The decline of party organizations has opened the way for the rise of more extreme voices and, crucially, turned much of the financing of campaigns over to less-accountable players. The extremes of left and right have been strengthened in the process, and the center hollowed out. Paradoxical as it may sound, the decline of the parties has led to more ferocious partisanship.

"The party organizations are so damn weak," laments Frank Fahrenkopf, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Donna Brazile, a former Democratic national chairwoman, says that "over the years, the parties have been weakened by the new landscape where super PACs and other dark money forces have a stranglehold."

Former Democratic national chairwoman Donna Brazile, in Washington, D.C.. in 2019, says fundraising from other sources has weakened both parties. PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES

Changing this situation won't be easy. It would require a bipartisan effort to reverse some well-meaning reforms of recent decades.

Few advocate a return to the old days when a handful of party insiders made key decisions in smoke-filled backrooms. That process often shut out actual voters.

But in an ideal world, the two national parties still would function as the adults in a more open political space--vetting candidates, providing transparent funding for campaigns and making sure responsible leaders are heard. They would give a voice and a home to millions of Americans in the center of the political spectrum who are neither activists nor ideologues but who nonetheless want a seat at the table.

Traditionally, political parties have provided three big M's for candidates and campaigns: mobilization, message and money. Today, a combination of technology and legal changes has sapped the parties' power in all three areas.

Tweet   @brothersjudd