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Political Parties Research Paper

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Throughout his presidency, George Washington warned about how the formation of political parties would be detrimental to the prosperity of the nation. Washington viewed political parties as being destructive due to the temptation of manifesting power and seeking revenge on political opponents. He truly believed that parties would divide the American people and have a negative influence on government. However, his warning was overlooked and following his second term, the divisions became clear and a two-party system was established. While some believe it is still possible to govern without parties, they do not realize what it is they help accomplish. Political parties in a democracy help inform the public, organize the government, and assist in reaching compromise.
In the United States the two-party system promotes voter interest and participation through information, in order to secure votes in the future election. For instance, the Republican party favors tax cuts, opposes excessive business regulation by the government, and tends to oppose legalizing same-sex marriage, abortion, and gun control laws. On the other hand, the Democratic party favors tax cuts for the poor, raise taxes to support beneficial …show more content…

For example, the house of senate is organized through parties because members of the majority in congress elect one of their members to be speaker of the house or senate majority leader after congressional elections. In a similar way, committee chairpersons in congress also come from the majority party. Thus, Congress and most state legislatures are organized along party lines. In turn, parties facilitate lawmaking and are the basis for the most stable coalitions in Congress. They unite individuals who share ideological orientations and policy goals and help them work together to pass legislation. Therefore, political parties organize the government in a way that is overlooked, but

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