When battle between Democrats, Republicans ends Nov. 3, internal party warfare will begin | Opinion

When the 2020 presidential election is finally over on Nov. 3, assuming we have a decisive result, most Americans will breathe a sigh of relief that there will be a break from the perpetual loop of political vitriol.

But, no matter the results, the internecine battle within both parties will just begin a new and more contentious phase.

If President Trump wins, it will establish with even more certainty (if that is possible) that he owns the Republican Party.

The fight will be who can succeed him in four years. If fealty from elected Republicans has been rampant during the past four years, the next four will be even more so.

Regardless of the election outcome, Vice President Pence will be the front-runner for 2024, but there are aggressive challengers already testing the water. Most of them, such as Sens. Tom Cotton, Rand Paul and Josh Hawley are squarely in the Trump camp of political divisiveness. The remaining centrists of the Republican Party, such as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, will try to challenge them for power but more likely will be marginalized.

The Democrats, on the other hand, will be in conflict regardless of the result. If Biden loses, the left wing of the party will insist that, just like in 2016, a progressive would have won and refuse to move forward with another centrist candidacy and platform. We think this is an unlikely result.

However, if Biden wins, the pressure from the left will be intense not only on the new president, but on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well. She has been extremely effective controlling her caucus. Her leadership has been skilled and purposeful. However, having Trump in the White House made it easier to keep the twin wings of the party in line. With Democrat in the Oval Office and possible control of the Senate, the price for such unanimity will go up exponentially.

As the Freedom Caucus did to John Boehner, the progressives can do to Pelosi. The same can be true in the Senate where the margins will be thinner.

Most polling indicates that the American people want elected officials who will reach across the aisle to keep both extremes from holding the federal government hostage as the right wing of the Republican Party did under Boehner. The challenge will be to compromise without being punished by the ideological extremes in both parties.

We believe creating a so-called “jungle primary” where the top two primary vote getters, regardless of party will be on the ballot in November. That means that if the top two vote getters are of the same party, they are the ones who will face each other in the general election. It will encourage candidates to be less extreme in order to win in November.

This has been the experience in California’s jungle primary.

Indeed, we consider ourselves robust progressives. However, the federal government was designed by the founders to reward incremental change. They did not intend us to demonize the opposition when we don’t get all we want.

In Florida, there is an opportunity in November to create a different political dynamic by changing the way the primaries in our state elections are decided. Amendment 3, Florida’s ballot in the fall, would allow everyone to vote in a single primary. The top two vote-getters would go on to the November general election. This simple change would create candidates more consensus oriented.

As Greg Orman, author of ”A Declaration of Independents,” said, “By having a single open primary, candidates are forced to appeal to the electorate more broadly instead of focusing on a small group of active partisans.”

We need to figure out a way to start doing things differently. If we can create a process where elected officials can receive political benefit instead of punishment from compromising, maybe we can actually have a government we can be proud of.

You might ask why should progressives be willing to dilute our influence at a moment when our agenda is gaining popularity. The reason is because the two are not mutually exclusive. If progressive change takes a little longer to end the destructive tribalism in America, we think that is a chance worth taking at this moment.

Mike Abrams is former chairman of the Dade Democratic Party, a former state legislator and currently a policy adviser to Ballard Partners. Allan Katz was appointed ambassador to Portugal by President Obama in 2009. He currently is a distinguished professor in residence at William Jewell College.