Chapter 9 Political Parties

1.      Which political party do you most identify with?  Why?  Are there things in the party platform with which you disagree?

I don’t consider myself identifying with any party actually.  I believe that I should make my decision based on my own research of the candidates and their positions on the issues.  I think the issues are sometimes lost with the political parties and I disagree with the way the batter each other.  I think that both parties do too much “mud slinging” and that it takes away from what the real issues should be. I think that some people get lost in political parties and forget to look at the overall picture sometimes.  I think this makes it hard for people to really vote in what is in the “best interest” of the people.

2.      Does American need political parties?  The founders originally hoped that American politics would operate without need of parties?  Would that work today?  Why?

I am divided as to the need for political parties in America today.  While I understand that it gives unity to the people and allows for the selection of one person to run for office, I do believe that most of them are in it to win and are not serving the best interest of the people.  I think that political parties sometimes stick together with but do not always think of the political agenda that they are supporting and loose focus of the real issues at hand. I believe if there are going to be political parties, they should be less focused on talking bad about the other candidate and spend more time focusing on the real issues that the public is interested in.

3.      Please research lesser known political parties – which one do you most identify with?  Why?

I think if I were going to identify with a lesser know political party, I would definitely be more likely to identify with the Green Party.  I like their stances in regards to non-violence and decentralization.  I somewhat agree with them in that decision – making should remain at the individual and local levels.  I do not think that all decision making should be at that level but I definitely feel that some of it should.  I sometimes feel that too much power is given to the people that are elected and that sometimes this power is abused in the name of “what’s best”.  I don’t think that a small group of people can always determine that for everyone.

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