political parties

Posted: August 6th, 2013

Political Parties

            A political party refers to a group of influential people in the political realm who share the same ideas on a country’s governance. They observe checks and balances of the country’s government and attempt to introduce new legislation. The ideology of the political party may oblige the party members to alter existing laws in a bid to propose a change. Political parties are defined by policies, which the members believe is in the country’s best interest (Cross and Cross, 2005). They are based on the existence of democracy that allows people with different ideas and opinions to express them freely to reach a consensus or compromise. America is founded on democracy hence; it comprises of two prominent political parties namely, the Republican Party and the Democrat Party. Political parties articulate their interests by expressing their ideas in a comprehensive manner to the political system and the public. They then aggregate different viewpoints and develop common ideas so that they can exert pressure on the political system for effective change. The following articles show the roles of the American political parties and their comparisons.

According to Cross & Cross (2005),   parties connect citizens with the democratic institutions. Political parties represent public opinions by addressing issues affecting citizens and voicing them in Congress. Public opinion is translated to political leaders through political parties. “Considering the  crucial role parties play in linking voters to the practice of democracy, the health of political parties is a crucial component in the welfare of every contemporary democratic state (Cross and Cross, p.5).” Political parties as also shown by the two articles mentioned above have an influential effect on the public because they practice persuasion to enlighten and encourage the public to think critically on the best policies. Maisel (2007) shows how political parties are responsible in generating citizen support in the election process. They give citizens ample information on the policies before they decide whom to vote for before the voting exercise. Americans were duly informed about the health policy on both sides of the party divide during the election campaigns when party individuals expressed their policy preferences while attempting to persuade the public to accept and adopt them. Therefore, political parties dominate the political processes and control the country’s legislation.