If politics is the art of the possible, as Benjamin Franklin once famously intoned, then electoral politics is the art of attraction.

Winning elections in America is a simple yet high-stakes business. There are only two viable options in nearly every race at both the local and national levels. Both are represented by a larger brand, and both are roughly similar in number from year to year. Most elections are decided by the tiniest sliver of the electorate that resides in the political middle in key regions. The outcome unfolds like the drama of a rivalrous love triangle: whichever side appears most attractive to swing voters at the decisive moment wins. An election cycle is like a season of The Bachelor, only its outcome decides the fate of the free world.

To be sure, this isn't exactly what Plato had in mind when he penned The Republic. But alas, we aren't deep people. Our opinions are influenced largely by shallow impressions, not meaningful engagement with ideas. In our era of “vibe politics,” political loyalties often amount to little more than unexamined tribal allegiance.

Indeed, efforts to attract converts are now often viewed with suspicion. To be admired by members of the other tribe is no longer a credit but a mark of political death. We award leaders who garner the most impassioned outgroup disapproval.

In this new warped reality, ugliness is proof of ideological authenticity. The uglier the display of a given political actor, the more partisan street credibility awarded by tribalists with no interest in swelling the ranks.

Consider the progressive obsession with affirming everything as beautiful, including that which is objectively ugly. Last week, a video of a Lady Gaga concert reemerged online that features the singer being intentionally vomited on by a dancer because it's "art." And only a week earlier, Sam Smith released a new music video that features the singer being urinated on as a means of sexual stimulation.

What exactly does this have to do with the Democratic Party? Well, Lady Gaga was picked to sing the national anthem at President Joe Biden’st Inauguration , and Sam Smith was the featured performer at Biden’s signing of the Marriage Equality Act. These are the chosen faces of the Democratic Party; these are the faces chosen to signal tribal authenticity.

Consider also the GOP’s continued embrace and exaltation of its ugliest components in the Trump era. From the moment the former president descended the escalator to announce his 2016 candidacy, the Republican brand has been tarnished by excessive rage, pettiness, and childishness. While Trump can be credited for reimagining the GOP from a policy standpoint, which has increased the party’s share of minority and working-class vote totals, instances of Trump’s self-destructive ugliness are too numerous to catalogue.

But perhaps the enduring image of Trump-era ugliness is the desecration of the American flag itself. Unsatisfied with the look of plain Old Glory, which for centuries had been waved proudly to honor the millions who fought and died for its preservation, some Republicans felt it necessary to “upgrade” the flag by emblazoning the word “Trump” across its front. Not even the names of Washington or Lincoln had ever been considered for such an honor (and to be sure, both men would have been disgusted by the suggestion). But today’s Make America Great Again fanatics felt it appropriate to contaminate the stars and stripes with a word that has long been synonymous with cheap consumer products, second-rate hotels, and a scam university.

Another example is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has become a“face” of the party since the inauguration of the 118th Congress. The image of Greene cupping her mouth and shouting “liar” at Biden during the State of the Union address with a crazed expression and veins bulging in her neck currently defines Republican leadership to the public.

Both the legacy and conservative news media have sought to capitalize on the clicks and views that Greene consistently generates with her bombastic and tactless style; it has long been known that negative emotion spurs online engagement, and Greene consistently delivers the goods. In recent months, she has become the most frequent high-profile guest on the highest-rated cable news shows in America, as well as the most common Republican name to appear in headlines on a daily basis.

This is what it looks like when a party gives no consideration to who might be its best messenger. Does anyone really think Greene is capable of attracting new support for the conservative cause?

Both major parties rely on the ugliness of the other; only in comparison to the other could either be seen as acceptable to the public.

If the political climate isn’t ripe for a third party now, when will it ever be?

Peter Laffin is a writer in New England. Follow him on Twitter at @ petermlaffin .