JANUS Forum panelists discuss upcoming election, future of the two-party system

Twice a year, the JANUS Forum brings two panelists from opposite sides of the political spectrum to Miami University’s campus to discuss a topic relevant to students and the broader community. This semester, the organization brought two former members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Susan Brooks and Stephanie Murphy, to speak on the future of the two-party system.

Brooks, former Indiana representative, recruitment chair for the Republican National Convention and Miami alumna, gave opening remarks about her time at Miami and her path to public service. Before joining Congress, Brooks served on the Indianapolis City Council and as deputy mayor. In 2012, she entered a crowded primary, which she won by 1%. Brooks served from 2013-2021 under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Stephanie Murphy represented Florida’s 7th congressional district from 2017-2021. During her time in Congress, she served as the Democrats’ chief deputy whip, co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition and also founded the Center Aisle Coalition. She was the first Vietnamese American woman to serve in Congress.

After their opening remarks, Winnie Warfield, a senior political science major and co-president of the JANUS Forum, posed the first question to Brooks, asking if she believed the two-party system is a sustainable form of democracy.

“I believe the two-party system can still work,” Brooks said. “[Leading] countries that have multiple political parties isn’t easy either. There are a lot more people that actually like each other across the aisle … but if you watch on C-SPAN, there aren’t actually assigned seats. You have to take your bill over to the other side of the aisle and make friends. That’s why I have faith in the two-party system.”

Murphy also shared her thoughts on the current system, saying she believes it’s here to stay.

“What I hope, though, is that we have healthy parties,” Murphy said. “I think we could have healthier parties than we currently do. Too often what we see is performative theater, not necessarily substantive debate on party ideas.”

The two panelists then addressed a question from the audience about the tendency to vote “out of fear for the other candidate” and whether this was a reversible phenomenon.

Murphy contributed this to campaign messaging and communication.

“Fear-monger messaging gets them more eyes and clicks,” Murphy said. “In that system is a reinforcement of fear-mongering messages. We have to fix that; it’s the politicians … that are reinforcing the existential nature of an election and creating that kind of fear.”

Brooks then addressed a question about the future of “MAGA-type Republicans” in the 2028 election should Trump lose on Nov. 5.

“If Vice President Harris wins the White House, I still believe that the Trump influence will remain,” Brooks said. “I would guess that some Trumps will run for other offices. If he were to lose, I don’t think the whole Trump organization would go away.”

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Both panelists concluded the lecture by encouraging students to get involved in any way they can, whether through campaigning for a particular candidate or encouraging their friends to vote.

One student in attendance, Allie Paige, a junior public administration major, shared her thoughts on the lecture.

“I was interested in the party system and hearing about the future,” Paige said. “I liked how they both had perspectives on either side.”

Karmen Pletikosic, a senior diplomacy global politics and Italian double major was also in attendance.

“I think [the] JANUS forum always brings great speakers and interesting topics to campus,” Pletikosic said. “I am always genuinely interested in attending.”

reieram@miamioh.edu