why is politics necessary in democracy?

Answer 1

Without politics, there would be no peaceable way to express dissenting opinion.

Answer 2

It's a consequence of freedom of speech.

Some truths are hard to pin down (like economic and social truth), so everyone can say what they think truth is....even if they are totally nuts or simply pushing their own, self-interested agenda.

Economic and social truth can only be known after a law or policy or federal program has been in existence for time enough to measure its effects. Before a law/policy/program is enacted, various interests spin the effects of the law/policy/program to reflect what will benefit them the most. Conservatives are notorious for this! They only look out for themselves and don't care about the consequences for society, the environment, etc. Others, especially progressives and some liberals, try to create a system that functions efficiently to provide liberty and justice for all.

But you can never know what will and will not work unless things and tried, evaluated, reformed & or discarded. Arguing over what to try is politics.

Come to think of it, in the end politics is necessary because democracy is so imperfect. If our social and economic systems were flawless, we wouldn't hear anything about politics- we'd all be free and happy.

Answer 3

I guess in a true democracy, politicians would not be necessary. However, we are a representative republic. We elect people to vote on our behalf, so we do need politics and politicians.

Can you imagine the insanity if the entire country had to vote on every issue? The next Presidential election is two years away, and people have already been talking about it for a year. If we had to vote on each and every issue, nothing would ever get done.

Answer 4

Because the greatest ideas are developed through extensive argumentation and debate (not the sort you see in this forum, though). The Constitution is the best example of this concept. The framers did not agree, but they listened to each other and came up with the finest governing document ever produced. It also helped that they had the country's interest in mind, rather than their own.