The ‘Six Party System Hypothesis’ by Carl Davidson arose from a problem. The author is a longtime analyst and commentator on US political affairs, and he found it increasingly difficult to gain clarity of US politics simply by using the ‘two-party system’ framework. It caused more problems than it solved. So he set it aside, and developed a new framework which made sense of US politics, at least at the national level, by posited six distinct blocs operating under the tents of the two parties. The author grants that these may be called factions or blocs, not true parties. He concedes the point, but notes the two US parties don’t fit a classic definition of ‘party’ having a definitive platform and discipline either. In any case, he offers a views of the colluding and contending six party/factions, their platforms, composition, financing, military and media—each making them distinct. Finally, the author notes a dialectic approach is required. The terrain is constantly changing, so he updates the hypothesis every two years or so. The current version is 5.0
Carl Davidson is a veteran socialist advocate and writer. He was a leader of the 1960s New Left, as well as a participant in several efforts to build a new left party. He wrote and edited for the US Guardian for eight years, and also wrote for The Call and Unity newspapers, as well as many op-eds and reviews in the mainstream press and hundreds of lectures. He founded the Online University of the Left as a left unity project for the radical education of a new generation. He works with the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Liberation Road, DSA, and Leftroots. He is also an active Bernie Sanders supporter in the Progressive Democrats of America, and a member of the United Steel Workers Local 4657 for retirees who are community actives. He resides in his birthplace: Aliquippa, PA, in Beaver County, near Pittsburgh.