Political Parties

George Washington knew how frustrating political parties could be, and he wanted none of them in America. Yet, many impartial observers acknowledge they play some useful roles in a democracy.

It can be maddening when politicians seem to ignore common sense and act for partisan reasons. But experts suggest there could be two reasons why party loyalty doesn’t triumph over the public good as often as it may seem.

First, politicians typically belong to the party with a philosophy they agree with. So when they vote the same way as most of their fellow party members, it is likely they simply all see the issue the same way.

A few ambitious candidates do sign up with the party they think will give them the best chance of winning, but even if they win they’d better govern according to that party’s philosophy if they want to be re-elected while the party holds the majority.

A second reason party members vote alike is the sheer number of votes taken in Congress or the legislature. Out of 2,000 or so bills a legislator may have to vote on each year, some will involve bills where neither the lawmaker has a strong opinion or where no constituents back home have requested a stand one way or the other. In those cases, lawmakers say they often either vote with their party leaders or with a fellow legislator whose opinion they trust on the topic.

Nearly everything in the Capitol is determined by the party with the majority, from office assignments and staff to who makes the rules that determine what becomes law.

If you help elect someone to Congress from one party and another person from a different party to the White House, don’t be surprised when a standoff results. To prevent it, many pragmatic voters stick with one party, figuring that one politician’s weaknesses will be overcome by the general wisdom of the party’s philosophy. Plus, it’s hard for even the brightest members of the minority party to pass bills without support from at least some of the majority party.

Even though most voters aren’t as dedicated to political parties as politicians, there are a few good things that can be said about them.

For instance, they give voters a general idea of a candidate’s philosophy even if nothing else is known about him or her, particularly useful when faced with a ballot containing dozens of offices to fill and too little time to research everyone running.

Parties also provide a team for a politician to work with. No individual can accomplish anything without convincing others to go along. Even the president must get two chambers of Congress to pass a bill before he can sign it.

So the party is a team that works together to govern.

The party teams also provide help campaigning, with advice, money for ads, and a label that usually guarantees some minimum number of votes.