What is the purpose of having different political parties?

Question

Can someone on here explain to me why we have political parties. Each stand for this or that. If you take the main two dem. and rep. for example. If one side thinks this is right the other thinks its wrong. Shouldnt we get rid of all parties and do whats right in the particular situation and vote according to whats best for the people and what is morally correct instead of voting a certain way b/c thats the way your party votes. It just doesnt make sense to me. I feel like no parties have our best interest in mind, just how their party can control everything. Can someone please explain this to me.

Answer 1

There are a number of politicians that do vote on issues independantly of the parties platform, they are a memeber of the party as that is the party which represents there view on the majority of issues. But nothing says you have to vote along the parties platform.



The origins of a competitive two party system in the US can be found in the institutional design: 1) Electoral College 2) single candidate district 3) President and Vice-President, and also 4) disputes around revolving issues like the ratification of the Constitution in 1797-89 and Jay Treaty that split factions, political symbols and groups supporting them. From another perspective, the interests and symbols were already divided and grouped in slave states and non-slave states.

1) Electoral College - The contest for the Presidency, the requirement of an absolute majority in the Electoral College, and the rule that each state would have a single vote in the runoff in the House of Representatives (Hough).

2) Single Candidate District- Districts that elect only one candidate and that do not require a runoff if the leading candidate doses not have a majority. Single member districts without a runoff tend to produce two-party competition , for the formation of the third party usually has the result of splitting the vote on its part of the political spectrum and giving victory to those most different from the vote. Each state had the incentives to ensure that it casts all its electoral votes for one candidate (Hough)

3) President and Vice-President- both are crucial offices that could not be selected by negotiation with the legislative. (McCormick)

4) Jay Treaty of foreign policy- the debate in 1794-1795 marked an important stage in the intensification and/or formalization of factional and party struggle (J.Charles,1961) As J.Charles argued, the Jay Treaty "altered party alignments and caused each group to close ranks" as a reaction of this debate, the losers made a coalition into the party they called Republicans and the conservatives did the same and coalesced into the Federalist Party. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison supported a pro-France line and Hamilton and Jay a pro-Britain policy and this was used as a symbolic issue to get support.

Answer 2

Purpose Of Political Parties

Answer 3

Because it's easier for the average citizen to know where a politician stands and what they stand up for when they belong to a specific party.

Not all republicans believe in everything the republican party stands for and same for democrats or any other party. It's just easier to identify like minded individuals and know who to vote for.

I do think though that there needs to be a lot of changes in both the democrat and republican parties though.


Here's something that might interest you as well:
www.democratsforlife.org - proves that not all members of a party believe EVERYTHING the other party would have you believe.

Answer 4

This is kind of like asking "why is there Death?", the answer really doesn't matter, it just is.

The real question is whether or not they actually benefit the individual, and if not, what can we do about it.

The large parties as quasi-corporate and quasi-government entities can take large amounts of money from a few people, and with the right marketing and media influence, make something appear to be the majority view. This is what the issue of campaign finance reform and lobbyists is all about. About the only thing you and I can do about that is watch how the elected officials vote, and get rid of them if they seem to be listening to the wrong people.

Of course, to be able to do that, we need to be able to innoculate ourselves against that media propaganda, and the only way to do that is to educate ourselves as to what the proper role of the government actually should be. That means, read the Constitution for yourself. That's the only way you won't buy the media stories about how great the bill in front of Congress to pay for education for children of illegals (who are also illegals, but we can't blame the child for that!), you'll ask yourself "Where is that in the Constitution? How is that a federal responsibility? Where do they get the authority to spend money on that?"

As far as no party having your best interest in mind, you are correct. I confess that even the Libertarian Party doesn't so much have YOUR best interest in mind as it is that the individuals in it have their own best interest in mind. It just so happens that it is MY best interest to leave matters of YOUR best interest up to YOU.

For example, Health Care. You'll never convince me that the politicians care more about your health than you do. You won't even convince me that they care more about your health than I do, and I don't think it's any of my business. I want to make my own decisions and pay for them, and I want you to be free to do the same.

Most Democrats don't care about gay marriage, they want your vote so they can have power to do other things they do care about. Most Republicans don't care about gay marriage, they want your vote so they can have power to do other things they do care about. Libertarians by and large think the federal government has better things to do than get involved in this question, and would leave it up to the states, and your own state might listen to you.

It's not the government's job to make everyone behave morally. It's their job to keep us free to make our own moral decisions, and enforce the consequences when we exert force on other people.

Just don't re-elect nobody.

Answer 5

Your right, also other parties need to be given a chance....Green party? whats that? i dont know, the government wont let them play. Also since we have state votes and not individual votes, your single vote only counts if 52% of the state voted the same way. That means there is almost a 50-50 chance your vote wont matter. Think about that one on a rainy day

Answer 6

there is no purpose for the citizen but for the parties it helps them stay in power by electing people of the same view points

citizens should study the political system more and quit being so lazy. that is the only way you will have a better government

Answer 7

Different political parties? Should we be so lucky!

Answer 8

I prefer two parties to one.

Answer 9

To make people think they are actually choosing the president, and to give us the illusion that we our politicians actually have values that align with us.

Answer 10

i would add more but you already summed up what my responce would have been ITS TIME FOR REVOLUTION WE COULD START BY DEMANDING THE END OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE SO THAT EVERYONES VOTE COUNTS INDIVIDUALY THUS GIVING EACH INDIVIUAL POWER