How Political Parties Harm Democracy
Roy Young
Professor Goodman
PSCI 4300 U.S. Congress
11 March 2013
How Political Parties Harm Democracy
Political parties exist in a democracy as a way for likeminded individuals to be united over a set of shared beliefs. (Daniel) Political parties allow the members of the party to elect politicians to government positions in order to advance their beliefs. (Hargrave) The political parties offer their members strength in numbers, by uniting large numbers of individuals into a collective group; they can select the best candidates to pursue their interests, as opposed to having thousands of individuals running for office based on a very narrow spectrum of beliefs. (Daniel) While political parties help organize the election process and enable individuals to influence government activity by uniting in strong collectives, they can also cause great harm to the ideals of a democratic government. The founding fathers of the United States were in fact opposed to the idea of the formation of political parties. (Phillips) George Washington warned the American people of the potential dangers of having political parties. Washington felt that the parties would over time become too powerful and take the power away from the people and use it for their own interests. (George Washington Quotes) In many ways Washington’s prediction has proven to be accurate. The existence of political parties in combination with other characteristics of the United States government demonstrates how political parties can have adverse effects on democracy.
Living in the United States, we are often taught that any citizen can run for and even be elected to the presidency of the country. This is also true for other political offices including congressmen. There proves to be a few unofficial prerequisites that one must meet in order to realistically run for office. Money is often cited as a necessity when it comes to running for an office. Those who are not wealthy and do not have strong
Professor Goodman
PSCI 4300 U.S. Congress
11 March 2013
How Political Parties Harm Democracy
Political parties exist in a democracy as a way for likeminded individuals to be united over a set of shared beliefs. (Daniel) Political parties allow the members of the party to elect politicians to government positions in order to advance their beliefs. (Hargrave) The political parties offer their members strength in numbers, by uniting large numbers of individuals into a collective group; they can select the best candidates to pursue their interests, as opposed to having thousands of individuals running for office based on a very narrow spectrum of beliefs. (Daniel) While political parties help organize the election process and enable individuals to influence government activity by uniting in strong collectives, they can also cause great harm to the ideals of a democratic government. The founding fathers of the United States were in fact opposed to the idea of the formation of political parties. (Phillips) George Washington warned the American people of the potential dangers of having political parties. Washington felt that the parties would over time become too powerful and take the power away from the people and use it for their own interests. (George Washington Quotes) In many ways Washington’s prediction has proven to be accurate. The existence of political parties in combination with other characteristics of the United States government demonstrates how political parties can have adverse effects on democracy.
Living in the United States, we are often taught that any citizen can run for and even be elected to the presidency of the country. This is also true for other political offices including congressmen. There proves to be a few unofficial prerequisites that one must meet in order to realistically run for office. Money is often cited as a necessity when it comes to running for an office. Those who are not wealthy and do not have strong
Cited: Davidson, R. H., W. J. Oleszek, and F. E. Lee. Congress and its members. 13. 1. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2011 WordPress.com, 12 Feb 2013. Web. Web. 08 Mar. 2013. <http://nhargrave.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/are-political-parties-taking-away-the-power-from-the-people/>. page. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://capitalismmagazine.com/2012/07/the-founding-fathers-and-democracy/>.