Understanding Party Hollowness

Party hollowness refers to the paradox of political parties being significant in American politics yet lacking the capacity to influence their own agendas. Both Republicans and Democrats experience this phenomenon differently, with Democrats often appearing ineffective due to their reliance on external entities, such as interest groups and PACs, rather than leveraging their internal resources. This over-dependence on outside organizations undermines the party's ability to formulate a cohesive policy consensus, resulting in a disorganized political identity. Simultaneously, Republicans face their own challenges, as the emergence of paraparty actors since the 1970s has disrupted traditional party structures, transforming the party into a platform for more extreme views, culminating in the rise of figures like Donald Trump.