Farrell critiques the two dominant strategies within the Democratic Party-popularism and deliverism-as insufficient to reverse the party’s decline. Popularism centres on policy positioning: tailoring messages to appeal to the median voter based on polling (as seen with Obama and Clinton). Deliverism focuses on enacting big, transformative policies to build support over time (e.g., Social Security). Yet, both miss a deeper issue: the party’s organizational atrophy. Drawing on political science insights (from Peter Mair, Dan Galvin, Rosenfeld & Schlozman), Farrell shows how U.S. parties have become “hollow” – lacking grassroots infrastructure, community ties, and internal coherence-which leaves them unable to effectively mobilize, represent, or maintain voter trust.
As a result, he proposes partyism as a third approach: rebuilding the party as a living institution that fosters real, two-way relationships between ordinary voters and leaders. Rather than top-down policy shifts or referendum-style campaigns, this means investing in local chapters, civic spaces, and participatory structures that let members shape party direction, policy priorities, and communal bonds. Partyism treats the party as a public-an ongoing civic community-rather than a mere electoral campaign engine. While data proving its superiority is limited, Farrell contends it fills a vital gap: empowering voters to shape leaders and sustaining democratic engagement beyond election cycles.