Our Founding Fathers abhorred them. Our youth feels alienated and apathetic about them. Yet nothing in government would get done without them. Weigh in with your thoughts about political parties after reading one man's scathing opinion about them:
The (political) party is over
Hilary Bistline
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
After reading this artice I have come to the conclusion that political parties are like large factions. They are groups of people with like ideas who have united and elected others with like ideas to accomplish a similar goal. However the people have been slightly removed from the political process and replaced with political parties. The political parties vote unanimously without regard to how constituents feel on issues. Also political parties, more or less, control who the voters are allowed to vote for. Overall these are the factions that Madison had feared.
Per. 3
ReplyDeleteHarry Kim
Id like to state that in America it is true that Government is relying too much on Political Parties to a point where it seems like an immature fight between two clubs, sort of speak. It is not right that major political parties (that of Democratic and Republican) determine so many factors that contribute to undermining, discouraging and defeating third party groups. Although it is American tradition, this two party government present in our society today concentrates too much on competing with each other that they forget the qualities of progress and giving voice to it's people. There is also a definite clash in our government through this split in political identification which often times leads to it's own self destruction. If America adopted similar traits, regarding political parties with elements from European nations and government, it would give the freedom that people seek. Third party groups would have more say, people will become more involved with parties, and most of all we would make greater progress.
Lexi Finkelman Period 2
ReplyDeletePolitical parties have, for most, become nothing more than a thing of the past. Political parties are, in my mind, just a way of making sure those involved get what they want without thinking of others. If America were to rule out the political parties we might actually have minds of our own instead of picking the candidate our party has told us to choose. Political parties are unnecessary.
Amanda Woodhouse Period 3
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how something that once seemed to be so perfect now has become to be something of a problem. Political parties in America were once striving and held to high standards. However, now a days if a candidate simply as the word, Republican, next to their name well over the majority of the Republican party will vote for them. Americans are to comfortable and way to set on tradition. They need to start a change and start making it possible for third parties to have a voice in the awful cycle of politics and getting your name heard.
Amy Marquardt p.2
ReplyDeleteI believe political parties are still important in our government. However I agree with the article when it says, “There is far less independent thinking going.” We elect politicians that we believe share our same ideals. However if one official in the party strays from the party’s ideals, it has become known that the party will still follow that person even if the rest of the party doesn’t agree on it. I believe they have stopped thinking for themselves and insist on following what the rest of their party does. This is not the way they should be making decisions.
Out of this article one action stood out to me, when Congress didn't see anything wrong when a Republican president was running and ignored the bill but when a Democratic president was in office Congress recognized it and was outraged. To me that seems like Congress is playing favorites.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that there isn't a bunch of independent thinking going on but I can also understand that there is a common interest that draws the interests of people to one side. The people within the parties have the same interests so it is understandable to have an agreement on bills and ideas. Even though each person in the party is not the same and one could be much more liberal or conservative, they do have the same ideals so it does make sense to have a strong percentage for the parties to vote with their own party.(Not sure if I worded that correctly)
Spencer Brown
Period 2
P.S Yazan let's flame war?
Political Parties, or factions, have their pro's and con's. Supporters of political parties may not even decide what they like or dislike on what is on the ballot; rather, they blindly follow what their declared party endorses. On the plus, having competition between groups who differ in ideologies is what democracy is all about. Regardless of anything, more and more people are declaring their prefered party to be "independent"; fortunately, people are developing their own ideas about political issues. Political parties will continue to exist but perhaps the masses will not so blindly follow a particular party.
ReplyDeleteAmar Alhoch Period 3
ReplyDeleteI believe that people tend to elect candidates based on their political party. Like Amy in P2 said, "if one official in the party stray away from the party's ideals...the party will still follow that person even if the rest of the party doesn't agree on it."
I agree; they will continue to follow that person just because they are part of the same political party. People need to follow a candidate depending on what his beliefs are, not the party he claims to be a part of. It doesn't make sense to support someone that you disagree with just because you are both Democrats or Republicans. We should vote for the candidate who shares similar interests as we do, even if they are a part of a third party. A third party has no chance of winning today, but if we elected the candidates based on their political interests and beliefs, and not their party name, then they would have a much larger chance of being a part of our government.
Alysia Jones period 2
ReplyDeletePolitical parties are necessary. They help citizens express their opinions as a group, instead of just having an opinion by themselves. No on likes to have an opinion no one agrees with, which with political parties this does not happen. Political parties allow citizens to group together with common believes. Although i do believe that 3rd parties should be allowed and not kept from actually having involvement in the government.
Larry Lopez
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Political parties are turning out to be nothing more than factions. People now and days make most of all their votes based on their political party instead of their individualistic views. By doing so many people rule out a third party and therefore a third party does not stand a chance against the two major political parties. Another flaw about political parties is that people start to lose focus on the actual issue and vote based on their party ideology.
I, Joshua Fonbuena,
ReplyDeletebelieve that political parties are incognito mobsters of the political world and are unfathomably loyal to the regime for which they represent and will support any ideas and proposed legislation of their party to DEATH. They will argue with the opposing mobster party by disagreeing with them and vote against any action they pass. Each opposing party will do "drive-by's" and try to make the opposite party's legislation "sleep with the fishes" if you catch my drift, in order to gain more power.
Alyssa Perez, Period: 3
ReplyDeleteThese days are political parties are only factions. No one has their own voice anymore they do whatever their party thinks is right at the time being because it has become "too difficult" to speak out about something you think is incorrect. Instead those who were on your party brush it under the rug because trying to fix it will be to much of a hassle so overall it is true our political parties are slowly but surely dying before our eyes unless we decide to make a change and use our voice our Founding Fathers fought so hard to acquire for us.
Taylor Zamora Period 2
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article I have come to the conclusion that though political parties are necessary in America in order to keep tension between ideologies, they often lead to citizens blindly voting in correspondence to what their political party tells them. For example, many issues are voted on according more to the political party of the voter. However, with the rise of the independent party it is apparent that many are developing their own opinions on matters and choose not to be dictated to by a political party.
In America, political parties are important. “The parties once served a purpose, but they have degenerated into a system that discourages independent thought and undermines representative government.” Citizens of the U.S have not been casting their votes on the issues they agree on, but they have been voting under their ideological parties which means that we, as a citizen don’t vote for what we actually want, but vote for the “same” person. This issue has become a problem to the minorities party because they do not get to speak and we do not get to hear what their issues are. We just assume that they aren’t important because their political “name” doesn’t appeal to us. We have got to stop making decision in this form, because we are not focusing on the real topic, but just the party name.
ReplyDeleteRachel Daniels, Period 3
ReplyDeleteThe separate parties in American government today display what we have seen in school, going with the majority is seemingly the popular choice. Republicans and Democrats will always have different opinions on political, social, and econimic situations. Though what the author of the blog has put up for debate is;that if it is it smart to continually follow the lead of one group and make it look as you all agree on everything. It's a known fact that we are a wide spectrum of idealogies, but when results where 95% of a diverse group agreed on something turn up it makes you contemplate if people care for their own opinion to be heard or fall in to the line of peer pressure to avoid conflict within their own circle.
I agree with Alysia Jones, Political parties (factions) are needed in our government system. They do take a big role in the government by, helping citizens express their opinions in a group. As well as helping individuals make decisions without being alone. People like input into their opinions, so that they do not look foolish with their wrong opinions. The political parties allow our citizens to come together and work with each others beliefs. I do disagree with Alysia statement about how 3rd parties should be allowed and not kept from actually having involvement in the government. I believe that 3rd parties should get a chance but if they do not complete the requirements, they should be “kicked off” and let the bigger and major parties take their place.
ReplyDeleteAllison Martinez
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
I believe that political parties are still a necessity in present day America. However, it appears that they have lost some of their significance. Just because an individual calls himself a Republican does not mean that he must vote Republican on every issue if he does not agree with it. One may think that because not all Democrats or Republicans think the same as their party, they are not true Republicans or Democrats. This is not true; every individual has a wide spectrum of beliefs and are considered Democrats or Republicans based on the majority of their beliefs. People should not be constricted to the core beliefs of their party; there should be more freedom of expression or thought within each party. I think that the two major political parties are not dying; they have the chance to expand into minor parties.
Sarah Rodriguez Period 2
ReplyDeleteThe very first move of the ideal of creating this country was thanks to free thinkers. they went against the norm and stood up for what they believed in. they did not conform and decide to take the easy way out by relying on party views and beliefs of peers. I believe that this is what Americans of each party are doing now. They rely on their party to tell them what to do. Some may be bold and decide " Hey. This opposing party guy shares the same view as me. I’m not part he his party but he sounds legit. Check." Most people look at an issue, decide it's too hard to think about and develop an educated opinion on it so that’s when they look for to their party. "What is my party thinking? (look it up on Google) oh. Sounds good. Check." Are we really having political parties do the thinking for us? Do they really know us, our families, our income, our life? Are we going back to the times where we were told what was normal or right so we followed the crowd? I dont think our founding fathers would be very happy. In a way, political parties have divided the American people. At times we dont like the maybe excellent idea to solve a problem because "our" party didn't develop it, or wrong actions done by one party is okay for another party, as seen in the article. If an idea is golden, embrace it no matter what the party. We are all Americans and have the country’s present and future in consideration. There is always a constant struggle to one up the other or break each other down for one's own glory. It seems that if "your" party isn't the savior, no party can be. (Kind of sounds like a crazy ex boyfriend or girlfriend if you know what I mean.) That just leads this country to fire and death. The games parties play to tear each other down are childish and are not healthy for the country. It is true that competition drives new and better ideas to be developed but progressive competition has its limits. Imagine if the Homecoming princesses, all friends before the votes were counted, became backstabbers and mud slang just for a chance to be called Queen. A little childish? Yes. Now, on a bigger scale, the national election, this kind of behavior fed by money and black mail, can tear down the government that the founding fathers fought tooth and nail for; all this for a chance to be the head honcho. There is a saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, it takes all Americans to better America and the division supplied by political parties is not helping an already grueling task.
Eric Espinoza P.3
ReplyDeletePolitical parties make Politics a lot less confusing. They allow people to sort out and separate the major debates that are going on in the country. However some people begin to see it as red and blue and pick according to their favorite color. The political parties allow for a more open voting system in which otherwise it would be to complicated to make an educated decision. Some may argue that if you can't discern the debates for yourself then you shouldn't be voting, while this may seem logical people must understand that not all Americans have the time to sit down and sort out the major topics. If one person has agreed with the democratic party for their entire voting career and all of sudden during one election is too busy to make an educated guess would it be a crime for that person to vote for the democrat just because of the label next to him/her?
A person's opinions and beliefs are never 2-dimensional. They are multi-dimensional and very complex. That is why I believe that America's political ideologies should not be only 2-dimensional. Our political opinions are complex because their are so many issues that we can form opinions on and if we are only given 2 choices these choices will almost never reflect the voters true opinion. The more candidates we have, the closer one of them will reflect the voter's opinions and having more than 2 candidates is impossible in America's 2 party system. I agree with this article and that of George Washington's advice that political parties are a bad idea because they are factions and completely shut out any combination of political ideas that would benefit this country. They create a tyranny of the majority and our founding fathers tried to prevent this since the creation of our country. A 2- party system only defeats the purpose of their work.
ReplyDeletePolitical parties are useful when approaching certain issues that has them- Republicans and Democrats- show what they stand for exactly based upon what topic the parties are facing together. But recently it appears to be that the people are just following whatever their parties believe. There's no consideration or any thoughts being voiced out on whatever the parties are arguing about. I think those who just follow are their parties' decision are just lazy to get an undestanding of what the issue is on. Basically, the people are depending too much on their parties and supposedly trusting their decisions. There are pros and cons about the political parties, but in this case I think it's all about the influence the people have. They have a choice to follow or not to follow their parties' decisions. "Better to think differently and voice it out, than to follow and hold what you think in."
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Katrina Jimenez
Raymond Kum P.2
ReplyDeletei say that the political parties are essential to the American People and the American government because the parties or factions make politics alot easier to understand. They are essential in ways such as helping the average american citizen with new policies. But in a way parties are like controlling our voices. Even though we voice our opinions on the problems at hand, people still feel that they are ignored. Why have people think for us when they dont even listen?
melissa vu - period 2
ReplyDeletePolitical parties are nonetheless vital to the balance of government. However, due to the extremities of these political parties, America stands with a divided government. The domination of the two political parties, in my opinion, is just absurd. The discrimination of having a third party on the ballot is ridiculous. Why can't America be offered another party's perspective? For all we know, a decent percentage of the people might agree with what they have to say, thus shaping America fairly. It is almost as if the people that declare themselves Democratic or Republican feel the need to vote and agree with everything that their party says. It should not even be played out that way. This way of voting is discouraging independent ideals, and America needs to open their minds to wider thoughts other than those opinions that they surround themselves by.
Allen Miller, p3
ReplyDeleteThe two party system is flawed. It rules out any unique combinations of interests that people may have and just groups them into 2 big groups. In addition, the elected members seem to follow only their party's policy, instead of the policy of the people who elect them. The people in a well-educated, libertarian district might vote for a Republican candidate for financial reasons, but then the elected person would also be conservative on social issues because he/she was elected as a Republican, while the people in the district are actually very liberal socially. If we abandoned the plurality system and went with a majority system, then minor factions and groups of people will actually have a say in congress, and the elected members would actually be forced to adhere to their peoples' ideas instead of their party's.
Jasmine Cho
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I think it is important to have political parties because each party checks on each other, preventing laws that aren't appropriate to be turned down, however, i do not believe that people are obliged to continuously agree with every single politician or law that the specific party is supposed to agree with. Parties are important because they create the basis for a person, and it allows people to speak up for their rights. For example, if a man feels like abortion should not be allowed, but he lives in a area where the majority of people disagree with him, he might change his view on the issue. Political parties prevent this from happening by letting people know that there are millions of people that agree with them. However, if the man is a Democrat, he isn't and should never be required to vote for pro-abortion just because of his political party. Political parties are needed, however, one shouldn't feel like he or she needs to vote for that party's beliefs unless he or she truly agrees with them.
Elizabeth Soto
ReplyDeleteperiod 3
Edwards and many of my fellow classmates have stated that political parties have caused voters to stop thinking for themselves and rely solely on the opinion of their party. Although this can be true for the uneducated and traditional, it contrasts what we have been learning in this chapter. If citizens only voted according to what their party supports, we would not see the decline in party identification or the amount of split tickets that we have today.
adam block
ReplyDeleteper. 3
parties aren't really needed for our government to operate. They are just labels, sometimes meaningless. We have Democrats that are really Republican and Republicans that are really Democrats. Most politicians are borderline moderate anyway so what is the point of splitting these moderates into elephants and donkeys so the people can see and vote easier? If the government was one party, say a Moderate party, wouldn't liberals still feud with conservative, and even liberals and liberals or conservatives and conservatives. Every one has different views and ideologies and making large broad parties to include them all is like giving the people one-size-fits-all shirts. Parties also only diminish the voice of the minority by crushing the third parties, weakening true democracy because some factions aren't even getting heard.
Courtney Ozaeta Period 3
ReplyDeletePolitical parties really need to get it together. They are falling apart and they are letting their members and voters make their own decisions. They should be trying harder to infuence their members' votes and encourage them into making certain decisions. Politial parties need to stop slacking off.
Ryan Ng Huang p2
ReplyDeleteThis articles proves to me that if you're in a certain political party you would vote for your political party candidate at least 80% of the time. I believe that people need to think about the issues and not just because you're in a certain party you're going to vote for your candidate, and there is no law stating you can't switch parties. I also, believe that if we did a majority type of voting system, people would be more open to different polices, and wouldn't vote just on who is running from their party. The majority, who make it easier for a 3rd party candidate to be in the race, and that 3rd party candidate might have the same ideology as other Americans, so other Americans may choose them, instead of just blindly following their own party.
Isaac L. Miller; Period 3
ReplyDeleteThough he is correct in the party goer tend to vote very heavily. He is wrong to assume that this is due to pure laziness and lack of knowledge. No, a party is set up on basis of common beliefs. If we considered them factions then the very first thing that we have to remember that a faction is a faction because they all have fairly similar beliefs that they want to have legislation made for. He fails to account for the fact that Democrats tend to be liberal so of course they are going to vote liberal on an issue. It's just common sense and I feel like Edwards has basically ignored that point. Of course Republicans will oppose a health-care bill that includes a government run plan because they feel like it would take away the competition of the market. Why do they think that? Because Republicans tend to lean on the conservative side, economically. So of course they dislike this. And republicans in congress have been more conservative these past few years. This isn't to say that it is totally irresponsible to think people just vote with their parties but he just shouldn't speak of it as a certainty.
Yazan Bashir
ReplyDeleteP.2
The author of this article talks about how politicians have lost their "principles" and how they do not think for themselves anymore. He says that politicians just vote along with their party. The examples he gives are clear and show exactly what is going on in our government: The creation of factions and the tyranny of the majority.
I agree with the author, these politicians just vote along with their parties, why? Simple: Hunger for power.
Parties, whether they are liberal or conservative, will want power in the government. And as you have already said, Mr. Cavanaugh, they are no different than a faction. The Republican party and the Democratic party have gained so much power, that they are now the two dominant factions in the country to the point where when a person wants to know your views and ideology, they simply ask you: "Are you a democrat or a republican?"
What if I'm neither? What about the socialists of America? or the populists? They do exist, but because they are a minority, we have forgotten about them and the democratic party and the republican party are making sure that they do not gain anymore by keeping the unfair system of voting(Winner takes all, district, etc).
When these politicians vote along with their parties, they give their party more power, thus they have more power. No politician is going to say no to that...
P.S. - Spencer, it's on! >:D
Alexis Bellos p.2
ReplyDeletePolitical parties are necessary in America’s government. Political parties allow people to be able to have the same opinion as others and have a voice in our system of government. Although they are necessary, they do have their disadvantages. These factions are causing much tension when it comes to who votes for whom and which party everyone is voting for. When an individual votes, he feels he is obligated to vote for who is part of their party instead of voting for the candidate for believing in his beliefs and standpoints. Voters need to jump off the bandwagon and not categorize themselves into a political party without full and complete loyalty to the government when it comes to an honest vote.
Katie Russo, period 2
ReplyDeleteI think that political parties are definitely loosing their power and prestige. We're so accustomed to the Republican and Democratic parties that they've lost their appeal. States have made it so difficult for minority parties to gain more power that the Republican and Democratic parties have completely taken control of our government. And because both parties are constantly trying to win over the people they have loosened up on their beliefs so that they can appeal to a broader spectrum of people. Therefore, they aren't even distinct anymore. The moral foundations of both parties have grown more and more similar over the years. It feels like their initial purpose is of no significance now. All political parties care about is winning elections. People have become disinterested in politics and political parties. I think thats why so many have declared themselves independents now. I think that the two political parties need to take more distinct, opposing opinions on matters, or a new third party needs to rise to power. Then I think more voters will be interested.
Arnold Martinez
ReplyDeletePer 2
It is wrong that in congress they vote just with their party. Although it would be simpler to vote based off what is best, they choose to stay loyal to the party. It could eventually impede a law that could help out our country and it would be a shame for that policy to never see the light of day due to party bickering.
Alicia Morales Per. 3
ReplyDeleteParties are truly becoming overrated. People don't need to "bow down to the man" and feel obligated to be in a party. Now, the parties are taking their beliefs, funds, and campaigns to the extreme and no longer focusing on what needs to be accomplished for our country. But bickering like brother and sister of who mommy loves more never really got much done anyway, and yet they can never stop conflicting. All that this can lead to is the eventual demise of both parties because the nation will be sick of waiting longer than eighty days for a new budget to be passed, for example. Sorry this was done so late
Abtin Givehchin
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I believe political parties are necessary in order to help lead Americans to one path they agree more with. I think the absence of having a minority party, such as a third party on the ballots is not a good thing. There is a decent percentage of people who might favor the third party more. Too many Americans are depending too heavily on their parties and agree with everything one party has to say without voicing out because they call themselves a "republican" or "democrat" and suppose anything that party does favors their beliefs. Americans must start thinking about their own opinions and not those surrounded by the parties they support.
Ronald Costa
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
Political parties eliminate independent thinking and causes irrational decisions to be made. The loyalty to their party and lack of options (due to the two-party system) blind legislators in their decision-making. In the end, the citizens pay for the unjustified decisions that the officials make.
Well the way I see it, is that political parties are becoming a thing of the pass. Today a candidate still needs the support of their political party, however with mass media, the internet, publicity, a candidate can find other ways to campaign. although there are many Americans that rely heavily on political parties, which is understandable, but the media and the public view, determine a candidate and the views they have on the issues being discussed.
ReplyDeleteAngelica Loera, Period 3
ReplyDeleteLike Eric said, political parties do make politics less confusing, although they are just labels. Like most things they have their high points and their defects, but a nation could probably still run without them. People vote outside of their political party already and the nation has still managed to compromise with all the diversity in the government. I do not really think they are becoming obsolete though because they are a guidance for all the ignorant people in America and keep them voting, which is something quite necessary. But it is quite unfortunate that we never hear the input of third parties, cus there really is room for new ideas to be brought to the table. Although parties are becoming weaker and losing their power to attract their members, they have not become obsolete just yet.
Jonathan Buenaventura Period 2
ReplyDeleteI believe that the political parties don't necessarily discourage independent thought. Most people aren't even able to stay loyal to their party with the rise in split tickets in elections. The more moderate types of republicans and democrats offer more individual thinking than anything else.
The main idea of this article is that a person's party affiliation is what every person's vote is based on. And unfortunately, many times it is right. Of course, not all people vote after one look, but many people choose to base their opinions on exactly what their party feels and how it acts on a subject. Although the entire party isn't like that, for I agree with Jonathan that they don't enforce biased voting, but many people find it easier to just vote on what they hear their party wants, and then agree with it. I believe that this situation will result in lower turnouts in the future because voting on what one hears will eventually lead to more mistrust in the government as well. The factions also take part in majority rule because they enforce laws that make it practically impossible for minority parties to even think of winning elections. I believe that the peoples' lack of knowledge also gives the parties more reasons to go in whatever direction they choose. Many of their followers don't pay attention, and I believe that the voters who vote for their parties -parties that don't give minority parties the opportunity to succeed-shouldn't be allowed to vote just because it's what their parties say.
ReplyDeleteRodel Melaya
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
A phrase that really struck out to me was how we live in a world like a "never-ending battle between 'my club' and 'your club.'" This is true in the sense that we are a two-party system. At the same time, however, this hinders our ability to independent thought and cripples representative government. As a result, political parties are obsolete but the government is preventing this from truly happening through a pluralist system, consensus of values, historical influence, and state laws. As people are already voting out of their parties, making decisions based only on party, and independents are on the rise, it seems like a multi-party system is inevitable, but may take some time.
I would like to agree with Harry Kim. Although are political parties disagree on two different ways on how to protect America's freedom, their arguments and actions against eachother usually seem pretty immature. I would also like to add that in the Article, the guy said that political parties took away individual freedom, I have to disagree. He wrote that in an elcetion, he voted for the particular party candidate without even knowing the difference in character and policies of the two candidates. Although the parties can simplify the views between democratic vs republican, it is the fault of the voters for not finding out for themselves which candidiate they would prevfere, not solely determined by a party. Parties affect many indivduals by taking away their freedom of choice of vote only because these people make the conscious choice to not find out which candidate they would prefer. They also, the least educated they get, usually do not understand government and the importance of their vote.
ReplyDeleteAustin Barraza Period 2
ReplyDeleteTo say that the political party is over is being too extreme. I agree that political parties do not hold the power they once did, but Mr. Edwards fails to realize that the level of influence parties have over their candidates only makes them more relevant. Though parties may mean much less to the individual voter, their role in Congress still is extremely relevant. Unless a majority of incumbents are replaced by a new generation of representatives, the same partisan politics, which fuels political parties, will continue. Only with a different generation of congressman will political parties be forced to evolve or face extinction.
Raul Platero
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
The death of political parties still has much time until it occurs. Though now many do not stand strong with their parties principles, they are nevertheless fulfilling with what the parties wanted them to do. The idea of having party campaigns is to sway people to vote with a certain candidate but now the people simply vote with what their party wants just simply because. So, the parties use is still well in use, their base and principles seem to have diluted.
David Seo Period 3
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the article in a sense that political parties are becoming somewhat obsolete in their purposes. Congressmen are political elites; although it seems mindless to almost anonymously vote with the party's general trend, they are the ones designated to make coherent decisions based on their ideology. Political parties at the public level, however, is much different. The party members have shown their independence at elections by voting for the opposing party's candidates, voting for independents, and splitting votes. Although political party members in congress display a more coherent way of making decisions, the voters who vote these party members into congress shows a trend of voting more incoherently throughout the past few decades, a proof that there are always new influences and non-partisan ideas being introduced to the congress.
Eric Aubry Per. 2
ReplyDeleteWithout doubt politcal parties have tremendously weakened over the course of American history. The importance and neccesity of independent thought has became very minimal for now a days political parties make all the decisions. The people now think in groups as opposed to individuals and let others make decisions for them. The result of these one-tracked minds cause the voters to almost always vote in favor of what there party sees fit, seldomnly considering that their opinion differs from there party. Thus producing a body of people facing off against another, faction vs. faction.
Courtney Nunez P.3
ReplyDeletePolitical parties are becoming less prominent as they use to in the sense that they don't promote their ideology as before. The article states that members of congress will vote on something as a whole just because of its effect on the party, when it should be about the effect on the country. It seems to me that the parties are just creating problems in the government if people aren't thinking straight and senselessly agreeing or disagreeing with whatever their party wants them to.
Yadher Nunez
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
Political parties, although they do have the trend of voting in unison, are not dead and still alive. Yes congress has a tendency to vote along with their party but I believe Edwards gives too much credit to party loyalties and not enough credit to the seperate and distinct ideologies both parties have. Mickey Edwards did not give me enough data to prove to me that political parties "always" vote as a unit. They don't always vote as a unit because not everyone in a political party has the same ideology. There are the "blue-dog" democrats, and the moderate republicans. Also you must consider the varying levels of liberalism and conservativeism within each side of the party spectrum. I think if a member of congress were to blindly trust his fellow constituents and vote alongside them just because of title than they are idiotic and are throwing away power in the nation. But i don't feel this happens often because I don't think senators can really be so dumb as to put blind-faith into their party. Their has to be a reason for their disagreement besides opposing or conferring with a democrat/republican.
Rima Alrwais
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article I realized what I have always thought and that is that Americans dont have the room, or the motivation to think for themselves. They use parties as a shortcut to being on board without actually taking a personal interest in politics or national/state issues. While parties are important, they often lead to people simply following what their party says instead of trying to independently fight for a cause. I see parties today as trends more than anything else, and although we shouldnt completely get rid of them, we should do some serious reforming.
Ebboney Wilson pd 2
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion political parties are really unnecessary. The reason for this is because, the government seems to be a little less confusing without them. "members of congress will vote on something as a whole just because of its effect on the party" whats wrong with this is that they should be worried about how it will effect american rather than worry about the political party. Also I believe that the political parties haven't stayed true to their beliefs, because of the fact that they want to win other the vote of the citizens they seemed to of lost their way, on their own beliefs.
Joseph Egbule period 2
ReplyDeletePolitcal parties are not obsolete. They still work to get their view on things. In Europe people do not think for themselves they put the parties thoughts over their own. They have a stronger party system but our parties are not finshed. They are still a huge influence in government. They make all the major decisions. With out dems or reps we would not be represented as much as we are now.
Steve Carreon Per 3
ReplyDeletePolitical parties are a mean of belonging or fitting in with one's political society. In Europe, it is mandatory that eligible men and women join political parties and regularly give attention to their party either through donations or attending public meetings. Here in America where liberty is valued over equality, we have a choice whether or not even to register ourselves to vote. Too much freedom? We are given a choice whether or not to participate in how our government and states make laws to govern its people? This amount of freedom effects our political reference to parties as well.. The massive emigration from either the Rep/Dem party over to the Independent party can be seen as a result of the amount of liberty we are given. The more comfortable we are with making our own decisions the more likely political parties are to vanish. Perhaps one day we will adopt a system of politics much like that of European nations, but only time will tell.
The author points out how many congressmen vote with their parties, and that it doesnt matter what they vote for as long as the republicans are on one side and the democrats on the other. This is true in america. Even though there are educated people who vote based on issues rather than partie lines, these people are few. Most of America sees politics as a black and white issue, my party is right and whatever the other does is wrong.
ReplyDeleteper 3
ReplyDeleteKatie Reber
ReplyDeletePer 3
Is following a party supposed to be just agreeing to everything that the party has to say or are people too lazy to look at the issue at hand and just agree with a party because they are part of that party? Being a part of a political party should not be blind loyalty. People should focus on the issue at hand rather than who is posing the issue. In America, people are not allowed to discriminate based on gender or weight so why are we allowed to discriminate by political party? Just because one person is a Democrat and the another is a Republican doesn't mean that they both don't have good ideas. Instead of just sticking their noses at each other, they should learn to appreciate the good points they both have. There are good points to having political parties, but from this stand point they seem to be detrimental in making an effective government.
Political parties a just a thing to be part of in order to push ur views on the people otherwise known as factions. Now after reading this i came to the conclusion that these factions really dont matter any because people arent loyal to there party. So in a sense yes political parties are obselete because politicians arent voting for the good of the party and what the party desires but as long as the issues become settled and done with everything seems fine. The political parties in america arent techically pushing their views on the people as they would before but appealing to the people and trying to get what they want done. But yes political parties are still essential to get things done in america but we can say they are dying for people in these parties do not always vote on there parties economic and social views.
ReplyDeleteCory Moore
In the past Political parties I feel were the essential factor in getting political participation from the average american citizen, they are what guide us in out decision and vote in the government. the parties acted as leaders to us and we would pick our party by seeing similarities in our beliefs. It is true however that now days the political parties are becoming weaker because americans are voting as independents and establishing in themselves their beliefs and with that they are picking what they like from both sides of the equation. I feel this turn out that is showing a growth in independent participants shows that political parties are not essential
ReplyDeleteAmber arguello :) aka australia
Political parties may be weak compared to other European nations but to say they are over is radical, the 2 dominant parties run the show and will competitively try to out do the other by expanding their political ideology to broader spectrum to include the key ideals of the minor party to win that groups vote, but policy specific to that minor party will never see light of day.(see I can use periods.....) Secondly our political system has altered from getting things done for the better for the majority to how am I gonna get reelected to office, which ultimately is the first part of a political party's goal comes in but where our parties fail is the second part of their goal in which they are trying to enact their ideology into policy, but because they are too focused on reelection their policy making is hindered. And those who say political parties are just a label can not explain the reasoning behind split ticket voting, we should more closely look at liberal vs. Conservative ideology rather then democrat vs republican because people just have split ideologies that they choose the candidate that closely appeals their ideals, which in turn tells the winning candidate that ALL of their policy is "supported" and there for tries enacting policy based on a false assumption that due to our pluralistic system could actually turn out to be less than 40% actually support the policy. Our political parties are weak left and right and whether we change to a majority system and therefore increase the likelihood of longer lame duck periods in which elections are taking linger to run or keep our own extremely flawed system either way, Political parties will remain weak, and in my opinion they should stay weak because of their faction-like appeal to achieve their goals.
ReplyDeletePolitical parties have grown to become a key part of American Politics. We have developed a two part system which depends on them for ideas to gain support and ultimately be passed. These factions must be controlled or we risk being controlled by them. Their political activist members run the risk of becoming ruled by the machine of the party. It is essential that politicians use their own ingenuity when voting and do not strictly adhere to voting based on part lines. Parties have grown to be a part of the American political system and I do not forsee their demise any time soon.
ReplyDeleteCameron Ridley
Period 3
Sabrina Perez
ReplyDeletePer. 3
Honestly i don't care much for the issue of political parties because they are not becoming obsolete anytime soon and Republicans and Democrats will most likely be around for probably as long as America lasts. If it were possibly for a new party to branch out or even get rid of political parties all together and create peace within our country that would solve things but that is a dream and this is reality. so we have to make the best of the parties that we have, i think its is important for the parties to stay true to their beliefs but not let their beliefs affect people and acts that can help our country but not give them a chance because the person or proposal was not created by the same party. In the end it should ultimately be about the people not the parties.
In my opinion, the political parties are not dead, but just a little meaningless. Although how they have been used are not the same as how they were when they were first created, these factions still seem to control our nation. These political parties however, don't always go for what is expected. Many people today are not loyal to the party that they say they are apart of and because of this elections and the votes are not always as expected as we think. These political parties seem to stay around in order to keep third parties out. In any election, either the Democrats come out on top, or the Republcans do. Allowing a third party take the lead means that change would happpen, and these two factions definitely do not want that to happen.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the political parties are not dead, but just a little meaningless. Although how they have been used are not the same as how they were when they were first created, these factions still seem to control our nation. These political parties however, don't always go for what is expected. Many people today are not loyal to the party that they say they are apart of and because of this elections and the votes are not always as expected as we think. These political parties seem to stay around in order to keep third parties out. In any election, either the Democrats come out on top, or the Republcans do. Allowing a third party take the lead means that change would happpen, and these two factions definitely do not want that to happen.
ReplyDeleteBrittney Simon, period 2 :)
I have to disagree with this person. I don't think having our two strong parties restricts us from anything. If anything I think our strong parties help people match many of their beliefs with them making it possible for a person to stick with one party than be split between two or more. Loyalty to a party is not so bad as long as they keep matching your beliefs and you're not making a wrong choice just because you want to be loyal (in that case, you're not thinking with proper morals and ethics in mind and not voting responsibly on what is best).
ReplyDeleteAnd actually, while this guy is saying our political parties are too strong that they restrict us from independence, haven't we learned in class that one of the reasons we have low voter turnout is because our political parties fail at mobilizing voters? Doesn't that mean they are, in actuality, weak? And we have seen in class many times that there has been an increase in Americans calling themselves Independents and not aligning with either party so he can't totally blame parties for less independent thinking.
I mean, our two-party system has worked for us for centuries. If it hadn't work, I think we would have done something about it by now. Political parties to me are a necessity, because without them, then what would we call ourselves? And with so many differing opinions in the nation, without two parties to cater to different sets of opinions and gather them in one party, how would we get anyone to compromise and get anything done?
And third parties can still be made even if they can't get power, and honestly, if they can't get enough power to become major, doesn't that mean there wasn't a strong majority agreeing with them? We can't please everyone because no matter what one action that is good to one person will be bad to another. We're only human after all so let's just stick to listening to two majorities instead of many little parties.
Alexandra Jose
Per. 2
In my opinion, based on the article..the political parties are coming together and agreeing on the same issues rather than doing what is expected of their party. I wouldn't say the parties are dead because there are situations where there with still be a seperation of powers and difference of opinion.
ReplyDeleteRebekah Hernandez Period 2 (:
Although the significance of political parties has decreased, I still feel that they are important in the political world today. Not only does it keep political ideologies organized, but it also maintains the balance between conflicting ideals. With the exception of some cases where individuals are ambiguous in their political ideas, for the most part, I feel that the parties carry on the voice of people, aggregating different opinions from different people. What could we possibly agree upon if there were so many other parties? Despite the fact that the apathetic view upon political parties continues to grow, I still feel that they play a significant role in politics.
ReplyDeleteSimon Hwang P.2
I have to seriously disagree with the viewpoint made by Alexandra. Political parties are not absolutely necessary in seeing out the democratic process and the wants and beliefs of the people, but actually hinder true democracy. Political parties act in a sense as factions in which many different governmental, economical, and societal views are all grouped into one platform, in which us as American citizens and voters have to side with. But politics are not always so clear cut as many voters may side with certain political ideals of a party but not many of the rest. These other ideals may however be included in the platform of the other political party and this is what leads to split ticket voting, the increasing rate of independents, and weaker political parties. Political parties are more of a menace to democracy then an asset because they compel individuals to side with many political ideas that they themselves do not necessarily believe in, and in a way takes away their freedom of choice. In order to have a pure and true democracy voters need to be able to side with and express all of their ideals and beliefs without feeling the need to be loyal to their parties. This would in turn help express what Americans truly want in their government and would help them to place individuals into political offices that will better help to see out legislations that truly benefit the American people.
ReplyDelete-JSAM
Sireena Sy
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I agree with Edwards. Political parties have become more of a problem, if anything. Why don't we just eliminate them? It seems they only create conflicts with their "labels", stereotypes, and loyalty voting.
No one person's ideology can be encompassed in one party's ideals so why not just do away with the system and allow people to have different beliefs on each individual policy. Do not attach a name to their beliefs and voters will not have any misconceptions about the candidate before they learn what he actually has to say. This would also solve the problem of voters choosing only the policies backed by their political party of choice. Without a set party guideline to follow, voters will be forced to examine each issue at hand objectively and independently of the other issues.
Political parties will not become obsolete. There will always be people out there who care enough to never let this go, and with each new generation, there are new supporters. Even if the number of apathetic citizens is rising, that only drives the will of dedicated party members even more. Those that are passionate and loyal to their party will become more motivated to ensure that their opinions are heard and fight harder to convince others.
ReplyDeleteThe labels are what keep people dedicated and what draws people in. While it is arguable that it is the labels that have turned people away in the first place, it would be too rash to assume that we would be better off without it, in a more unorganized and uncategorized way.
I think political parties are still present and important, even though the strictness of each party on its members has decreased. Political parties have become stuck to America like crazy glue where it is impossible to have parties become obsolete in America. Even though now people seem to choose through what they believe in and not strictly by his/her political party's nominees, political parties still shape the general ideas of a person and create a basic foundation and even though people are not extreme to his/her own party's belief, people still hold on to some of the beliefs of his/her party. As of now, political parties are not obsolete and i don't think political parties will become obsolete in America anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteJoyce Park
Period 3
Political parties are essential to our nation, or else, how would anything get done? How would important decisions be made? How would our nation unite? But the parties have become rather biased and self-interested. Why does that sound like I'm calling them factions? Simple, I am. Our political parties today have become the factions that the Founders tried so hard to suppress. The members unanimously vote on what they desire, without taking into consideration how the people feel. However, take them as we will, we would be unorganized and, more or less, lost without them.
ReplyDeletePolitical parties have great influence on our nation because they play a huge role in decision-making. However, the two major parties, Democratic party and Republican party,prevent the birth of new ideologies since people who identify themselves as Democrats or Republicans often vote according to their parties' beliefs without thinking about what really is the best. The political party label is somewhat a restriction on ideas and thoughts.I think people should have more voice in expressing their political beliefs, not just following those set by the political parties.
ReplyDeleteSpring Chau
Per.3
Political parties is something that are nation needs and is helpful in uniting it. But, parties nowadays have changed their opinion to make decisions on what they want not the people. But yet the people that vote have to vote for one or the other. they have to chose the party that benfits them the most even though it might benefit them a little. parties are important in our country for major decisions to be made and i think they are not close to become obsolete. Cristian Salas P.2
ReplyDeleteEdwards makes very good points about the state of political parties today in the US, especially when he brings up the loss of individualism that results from constantly voting along party lines. It is true that many citizens, no matter how knowledgeable they really are about the issue, will tend to follow what their parties dictate to them and not what they truly think. However, despite the reasons that Edwards brings up in his argument, to completely eliminate the parties, no matter how good one’s intentions are, would create chaos. As a nation, we have accepted the two-party system since its inception during the Founding Era. Many citizens have roots in either party due to their families or other surroundings. To take away this part of their lives is to take away part of their identities. For some, political parties actually help them develop and/or strengthen their own ideologies. People hear what stances each party takes on various issues and can use these observations to either agree with the party or form their own opinions. Yes, political parties today sometimes place too much emphasis on blind loyalty, but to say that parties have become insignificant is unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteHolly Pham, Period 3
Political parties are absolutely not becoming obsolete. To say so would be to say that political parties will no longer be in use/existence. There is virtually zero chance that political parties will ever be obsolete, especially not in the United States, where we have the freedom to differ in opinions.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with the latter half of Edwards' message, but not the former: "The parties once served a purpose, but they have degenerated into a system that discourages independent thought and undermines representative government." I definitely concur that political parties have degenerated from their original form, that they now restrict independent thinking, and somewhat undermine the representative system, but not to the degree of no longer serving a purpose. A few chapters back, we learned that political activity is confusing to citizens. Parties serve as a way to simplify issues, for citizens to understand more clearly than they could by making their own decisions. At the end of the article, Edwards commented that "today, they are passe, black-and-white television, remnants of a time that has passed." I disagree. The Republican and Democratic parties are not the only parties in America. True, they are the dominant ones, but if the people wanted to, they could shift power to any other two parties, or vote as Independents. In addition, they have the power to remove any official that they believe is not genuinely serving his people. Perhaps it is just political ideologies of the people becoming more polarized? I don't know.
In short, Edwards has a valid point, but I don't fully agree with his belief that political parties are no longer meaningful.
Christina Huang
Period 3
Political parties made sense in the past, when it was much more difficult to get information on candidates. However, today, the two major political parties may influence voters to blindly vote in correspondence with his or her party, instead of putting actual thought into what they are voting on. The political party label is restricting; disagreements within the parties are not heard because people don’t want to go against what the rest of the party is saying. Political parties are becoming obsolete. People shouldn’t label themselves one way or the other, decisions shouldn’t be made based on who else agrees with it.
ReplyDeleteShannon Smith, per. 3
Political party allow for the majority of people which full under their wide beliefs to be represented and have legislation they approve of be put into action. Party allow for another level on which people look out for eachother and attempt to create laws that do the same. With that being said, however, Political parties should not take the place of a person's mind, meaning that if your a democrat it doesnt mean you should blindly vote for everything the democratic party puts on the ballot. As people of the United states and the world we are obligated and obliged to think for ourselves an ability we as a whole use far to little. A ballot is a place for one to show thier opinion on a candidate or piece of legislation not a place to blindly support a party. Blind support is part of what can allow massive curruption in government.
ReplyDeletePolitical parties look out for thier own, and in theory do what is right for the party as a whole. If this is the true case then upon reading and understanding each part of the ballot a person of either side would vote with thier party. The key is that people must think, comprehend, and truly submit thier own opinion on what is right and wrong for the country and its people. Political Parties are a positive entity when they are not about holding offices and are about presenting positive reform for everyone.
In conclusion, Voting should not be a time for checking boxes mindlessly but a place where each individuel wieghs in on what they believe would most benefit themselves and everyone in the nation around them.
Jenny Kim P.3
ReplyDeleteI think in general political parties have great influence on our nation. Our government would not be able to get anything done without a set party. However, it is true that America has somewhat decreased in party strength compared to Europe. But I think the system that America has is the best for our nation because it is able to shape the government based on general ideas.
Andrew Massey P.3
ReplyDeleteThe political parties of america have changed from supporters of the people to supporters of the party. party members no longer care about anything unless it strengthens their agenda. parties have become selfish, and less interactive with the community. this could just be a change in the social norms of our time but the logical answer would be that people have become selfish. If party members choose to vote on an idea of another party then they are seen as traitors. since all of this is in effect the country cannot live up to its full potential. in the end parties have a bad influence on our nation, even if nothing gets done without them, but is what they accomplish the right thing?
i think political parties arent what they used to be but i still think they are necassary...it may be true that people dont stay loyal to one particular faction but they may have a majority of those beilefs and want to support that...i dont think the parties are obsolete they are still needed to get participation from the people
ReplyDeletezach smith per. 2
Melissa Magana
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I don't think political parties are becoming obsolete anytime soon just because most likely the Republicans and Democrats are going to be around for a long time. These two parties prevent new ideologies to form because it's either the Democrats win, or the Republicans do. They won't let a third party happpen. They may influence voters to blindly vote in with what his or her party is. On the ballot, voters should show their opinion on a candidate. People should be allowed to have different beliefs on each individuals policy. These factions seem to control the nation. The political parties are not dead,they are important because we need them to get things fixed and corrected. Basically the Government relies too much on Political Parties.
political parties are important in america and yeah its true that people dont stay loyal to their party and somethimes they dont vote for their own party but i do not think the parties are obselete.
ReplyDeletefelix maya
per.3
Personally I feel that political parties are indeed a way to get people to become actively involved in politics Yet on the other hand it is a way for an individuals interest to blind them while making decisions for the citizens of this country. With so many fears for the loss of votes, want of power, and the competition of the two partie. It is obvious to see that there are many influences while making descions for our country, and one can only be swayed in deciding those decisions by these factors, that in fact do not play a role in the well being of our citizens. I believe that the two parties represent our nations most common idealogies and speak for the poeple that they govern yet I fear they are becoming more about what they should do rather then what they have to do which is what is pushing the American people away from their countrie's own parties.
ReplyDeleteShirley Leanos Per. 3rd
Gisselle Valiente
ReplyDeletePer.2
I do believe that nothing would get done without political parties, we need them. Yes theres the question of how loyal citizens can be to one party, and loyalty between party members, and parties causing citizens to blindly votew/out serious thought on what or who they are voting for but even with lack of loyalty and many other factors America just wouldnt be what it is today.It just wouldnt be. Granted the parties have become weaker overtime but they will always remain. I mean look how long the Republicans and Democrats have remained without another party dominating. Even if those were gone, parties would still exist. It would just be a matter of how efffective they would be in winning public vote.
I agree strongly with the author. It seems the parties themselves have undermined the democratic process. If one person votes for a candidate from senate based on their agenda then the beliefs that the candidate stood for, was voted for, is essentially lost within the crowd of the bigger party. If the senate votes within parties as much as even 80% of the time, then the agendas the American public wishes to see is lost. What would be interesting though, is to see what percent of senators created bills. This way we see how much policy making is just for the sake of the party, or innovative and for the people.
ReplyDeleteDavid Kim
Period 3
Victoria Garcia period two:
ReplyDeleteWhat are up the entries? I thought it was the wrong blog for the longest time. But anyways, this bugs me: people don't have loyalty to their political parties so if the votes change so much, why do we need to confine ourselves to a certain party? We wanted to cure factions in the making of the constitution and we ended up with two+ in the end. I love how government always says they want things to change but never want to take the time to make that change because they're afraid they won't be liked anymore. Boo hoo. They can find a new job. But anyways, political parties aren't that important if people jump around whenever they hear something they like. Unfortunately, people do this so much, I don't feel the need for political parties to declare how people feel about issues. Yes, they're good for organization and we love saying we're part of something big, but doesn't it all seem like a dream? Parties say what they want to people to hear, making it seem all too good to be true. It seems like we're blinded by what we want to see, not what we actually do see.
Mina Bolous
ReplyDeleteI do not think political parties are becoming obselete because the 2 political parties we have now share some of the same ideas. Yes they do conflict on a lot but ultimately they share some views. Political Parties are play a key role in America. Without parties people wouldnt get all fired up around election season on whose going to win! political parties in some way are corrupt they care about themselves more then America.
Political parties seems to be a great thing but it can also be a nuisance. Political parties bring a better level of interest in politics than any other factor. Political parties can cause Americans to support the party that is closer to their ideals. These parties can also have a negative appearance toward Americans. These parties can develop a sense of confusion among the American people causing them to believe that Republican party or the Democratic party are completely useless. This can cause American citizens to loss interest in their government and causing them to begin to stop participating in various political activities. Overall, political parties in the United States need to better relate to the American people but keep the attraction for citizens to participate in their government.
ReplyDelete-Jaron Moringlane
Per. 2
Political parties are the factions essential to our nation. Those elected are elected by citizens whom share similar beliefs. The main goal of a political party is to put as many people into as many offices at as many levels as possible in order to put into effect the ideas that those of the party share in common. The government relies too much on political parties for them to be obsolete. Without political parties i believe it would be difficult for anything to get done.
ReplyDeletealyssa nunez per.3
Andi Cantrell
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I keep seeing that people are stating that political parties are factions with total disregard for what the people want and need. We need to keep in mind that "the people" are what create these representatives and vote them into office. I agree with the author in the aspect that people do tend to vote for someone just because of their party, regardless of if we agree with the policies that they are planning to try and pass. But what I believe is that this is not as true as it once was; that people are starting to have more radical ideologies and aren't as loyal to their parties, which some may say is a negative but I believe to be proof that our country is more diverse in beliefs and are not afraid to express their opinions and what's best for them by voting for the opposite party.
It's rather glorious that people can agree to disagree on parties, yet acknowledge the ideology of the other party when they believe them to be correct...
Kamal Andrawis
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
Political parties have a great influence on our nation's politics. Candidates are part of a party because they believe the plan they have will help benefit the ideas and proposals that party would want. I think political parties are very useful because it helps us learn about the candidate and what they want to do if elected into office. Even though parties may lead to voters choosing the candidate just because they say they are a part of the candidate's party does not mean they will fulfill the party's ideology. Without political parties, our nation would have candidates and people would vote without really knowing what that candidate is all about.
Ashlee Gilford
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
I do believe that we need political parties. There are a lot of people who do not have internal efficacy and this is what political parties are for. They give us the knowlege on what needs to be taken care of in the wold. What we as people need to do isi not just vote just for the poltical party that you are going for, (like the author says we do)but vote for the party that talks about your issue and how which party willbenefit you.
Although political parties have unfortunately transformed in how they function and their goals, to say they are obsolete would be disregarding a major foundation of our political system. This is not to say Edwards' argument is without merit. The goal of a party is to seat as many people in as many offices on as many levels as possible to further their policy. Sadly, when trying to reach this goal they lose sight of the good of the country. They vote in a mob mentality and hive-mind regarding important issues. They disregard the pros and cons and simply vote one way because thats what "they are supposed to do." Whether this be to strengthen their party or just facilitate the change in policy that correlates to their ideology, it is detrimental to the well being of the nation.
ReplyDelete-Charles Aramayo Period 3
i believe that there should not be dominating political parties that discriminate against any 3rd party that wants to run. I agree that the current parties are undermining the democratic process, and we need to prevent these unhealthy factions from taking over completely. Not everyones opinions are being heard, which is the exact opposite that our founding fathers intended. Our opinions are being suppressed by the agendas of the political parties. We need to become more independent and not think of what is best for our party, but what is best for our country.
ReplyDeleteTiana Harris period 3
audi sinaga, period 3
ReplyDeletemembers of political parties may not feel obliged to either vote for or against something. instead, they follow whatever their party thinks is right. more people are declaring themselves as "independent," as they are developing their own ideas and having their own stances on political and economic issues. political parties, as they have since the beginning of America, will continue to exist and complete but hopefully, the nation's people will not so blindly follow whatever their party endorses.
Abel Soalno
ReplyDeleteper 2
It is not hard to see that our political system revolves over two political paties. but what people dont seem to get is we have been using this system of govt., state and national close to 200 yrs. these other political parties cant seem to rally their people together or get their ideas out to the public for a 'fighting' chance in electoral voting. the only way to get elected into office, in this age is siding with Reps or Dems
Tommy Truong
ReplyDeletePolitical Parties was transformed in many aspects compare to when they once were. Ideology and the well being of the people seems to matter less to many of our political candidates. Nowadays our candidates worries about keeping their positions and their jobs more than the well being of the people they suppose to lead. Even though, it is true that parties' goal is to have as much members of their party to be elected, but they need to place the people as their first priority. Why? Because they have the knowledge and skill to see the long run effect of policies. They need to be able to initiate/cast their vote toward a plan that will help our nation's ongoing crisis and benefit the nation to the fullest,instead following their voter so they can keep their seats. Political parties serve the people no purpose if all the candidates bandwagon together and vote in order to keep their position.
Jewel Curameng from 3rd Period was here...
ReplyDeleteSo this political party system. It's not over. Our government has held on to this two party system since its founding fathers. Alright, maybe not that far back, but pretty close. Sure Third parties have tried to step in, but it takes two to tango, and our political culture has only ever allowed two to continue. Think about the bull moose party back in the beginning of the 20th century, that certainly didn't end well for the democrats now did it? So we've established that there is a political party system to stay. Now what? Well now we face the music. What's the problem? The problem is that our parties are....disillusioned. They're like horses with blinders on. They've forgotten that they need to see the whole picture. They're so caught up in the competition, I don't think they remember exactly what they stand for anymore. Not to mention some of the things that they do are downright dirty, such as a certain president getting away with ignoring his duties. (cough BUSH cough) What the problem is that people have low external political efficacy. They don't feel like they can change anything. So they choose to run with the pack. But getting lost with the crowd defeats the point of political parties. What's the point if you're only part of a party just to say you are, or just because you agree with their general beliefs. What if you happen to disagree with a policy they approve of? Do you agree just because that's your party? no! You shouldn't, sure they make not like you for it, but you can't agree with everything. It's not practical. People should realize that political parties are made by the people's beliefs, and that they create a much bigger impact should they put in the effort. Political parties should try looking at their party effectiveness. Are they standing for what they should?
The author believes that political parties in the US leads to a lack of independent thinking, but this is not always true. Although politics is dominated by parties, parties do not always adhere to their party ideology. Somethings there are factions that form within the parties. Parties are set up on a basis of common beliefs so they are not entirely lacking knowledge, so in a way they are following what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteNami Mottaghi
Per. 3
In a way I guess you could say that our political parties are like factions. political parties lead the way for our nation to be run. Because we use the winner takes all method it leaves only room for our two parties to exist. Other parties form but none of them are able to survive because the popularity of democrats and republicans is far too strong. We put so much power in the hands of these two groups. We are so used to the two party system that third parties do not even get a chance because Americans feel that history shows that this is the way it is suppose to be when in fact in just might be time for a change.
ReplyDeleteTonya brown
Period 2
I see it more as peer presure than anything else, such that most representatives in our government are career politicians, putting the bread on the table with their votes. If people really want to see free will, voters are the best example, they vote for anyone they like or suits their expectations, they can split tickets and such. I doubt that political parties completely destroy democracy that being that the people are able to vote for most reps. in two of the three branches, but it does slow down the process in laws and decisions are made, a such it is the career polititian and not the parties that ruin the system set up by the framers.
ReplyDeleteMayra A.
Although I do believe that the author has made some valid arguments, i do not think that political parties are obsolete, atleast in the United States' set of politics. Our party system has held true for centuries, we've got the system down and have made a democracy that may not work for other countries, but has been constructed and revised to provide our nation with the structure that we need. I understand that modern political parties may not still be exactly what the founders intended them to be or be utilized for, however they now serve a purpose that pertains to the people of today. Freedoms and rights are not being taken away because there is no regulations or laws saying that a party member must only believe in the ideologies of their declared party, which is why we have split ticket voting and separate elections and polls for each candidate and law. Citizens still have the opportunity to do whatever their little hearts desire, pertaining to politics of course.
ReplyDeleteI believe political parties in America will stick around forever. For the longest time, the Democratic and the Republican parties are the only parties that our nation takes into consideration; our nation has always had these two and it's basically all we know. I think political parties won't end up "outdating" or disappearing because they have such a huge affect on how our nation is ran and the decision that are made. These two parties represent two different ideologies that a majority of our nation is structured upon. Saying this, however, also means that our nation's represented opinions and ideologies are so limited and constricted. This makes it very difficult, almost impossible, for other people with different thoughts (from the 2 parties) to speak their voice and have a say in government decisions. All in all, I think political parties have their positives and negatives, but despite the negatives that come along with them, they will be sticking around for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteNicole Pham. p.3
Katie Ward Per. 2
ReplyDeleteWe were found on the idea of the two party system but not everyone's ideology fits into this 2 "parties" through they are very broad. So in today's government people vote based on who they feel represents them through political issues and what not but what about the third party. In Europe they at least have a chance to run to be on the ballot and if they don't make the democracts and the republicans have to make an alliance with them to get the majority vote. In the end the third party gets represented but in the pluralist system they totally get kick to the curb by the government on the state as well as the national level because of laws. But the biggest thing that excluse the third party is the democrat and republican party. why would they fix something to let anything party in to compete with them as well. The two major parties are going to do what they can to stay on top. As mr. cavanaugh said in class they make the rule in the first place.
I see the political parties as just a general ideology that people can be under. I think it's good that some people stray away from their parties, though it shows that they are not loyal to their own party, it shows that they are thinking independently and not having the party tell them how to vote. I don't necessarily think that this is diminishing democracy as the article states. I feel this will lessen the feeling of large, over powering parties if politicians think independently.
ReplyDeleteKelly Moreno
period 2
I think that every person has their own independant way of thinking about things, as well as their own independant interests. It would be impossible and way too hectic if we all tried to put into action our own individual agendas. That's why we have Political parties. Although true that we can't go through with everything we desire, we can try to go go through with some by joining up with other peers who have common interests. This is why Republicans usually vote republican and democrats usually vote democrat. It is much more practical, in terms of achieving a goal politically, to work with a large group than to work with a small group or by yourself.
ReplyDelete- Michael Oktay P.3
This articles shows me that if you're in a certain political party than you would vote for your political party candidate at least 80% or more at the time. I believe that people need to think about the issues and not blindly following the leader and just because you're in a certain party you're going to vote for your candidate, and there is no law stating you can't switch parties. I also, believe that if we did a majority type of voting system, people would be more open to different polices, and wouldn't vote just on who is running from their party. The majority, who make it easier for a 3rd party candidate to be in the race, and that 3rd party candidate might have the same ideology as other Americans, so other Americans may choose them, instead of just blindly following their own party.
ReplyDeleteDion Chiu per 2
Agnijita Kumar, period 3
ReplyDeleteI feel as though all of the above posts have been criticizing the ways in which politicians vote or identify with different legislations. My question is, if we were to place a Democrat in a seat in our House of Representatives,and they began to vote with the Republicans, wouldn't we, the people who voted the said Representative be upset? We vote him in due to the ideals he or she presented. And part of this decision process was because of their political party and ideology. Of course we as voters should know better than put a check next to any person with Democrat or Republican by their name, but does everybody? I feel as though this is where the true value of political parties comes into play. The uninformed voters who attend the voting polls could make great use of their political parties. I mean, would you rather someone circle random boxes, or make more educated guesses about matters by siding with their party? Because as Americans, we don't exactly have the time to care about every single last piece of legislation, I think political parties are useful. We can assume with the ideologies we have, we have a higher chance of agreeing with what our parties agree or disagree with. Thus, with this identity in place, I don't think political parties are going anywhere for a while.
I personally just loath the idea that our politicians would be so ignorant, the government is supposed to serve the citizens, not the polls. The amount of partisanship is disgusting, and it can only point our country in the wrong direction. The party system, for what I've seen from the news only limits, rather than expand
ReplyDeleteKenneth Yontwises P. 2
according to this article, it appears that the political parties who are there to represent the different views of the people, have no real differing views at all when it comes to making decisions. it seems like the parties are almost lazy and saying, "yeah that sounds good, you have my vote" rather than actually looking over what is being proposed. maybe this is what cav was talking about when he said both parties share the same core ideologies. being a democrat or republic or libertarian, or whatever other parties there are, isnt much of anything but a title, theres nothing supporting the party because no one is loyal, making political parties merely a title.
ReplyDelete-jarrett smith per 3
Connor Dye p2
ReplyDeleteI think that the political parties are used to get things done. If every person in there party faught for what they believed in, then the partys would split. I think that the senators choose a political party that best coincides with their beliefs, and for the issues that the disagree on, they just go with their party. Political parties are good in this way because it allows them to get things done in the world of politics, but it also keeps the senators from fighting for what they actually believe in whichin a way makes joining a political party pointless.
SHELLY LU
ReplyDeletePER.2
I agree with Agi! Only two major political parties exist today because they are big and broad enough to cover most if not all of the issues and opinions of the people. The fact that Democrats and Republicans in office are voting with their party seems very reasonable. They represent the opinions of the people who voted them into office. Whether they are Democrat or Republican, their actions should be based upon what their party tells them because otherwise, they would be acting or voting based on their own views instead of based on the views of the people they are representing. If the senators voted based on their own views, more independent thought and wiser decisions could be made but they could also be ignoring and completely neglecting the views of the people. The stats say that most senators vote with their party around 80%- 90% of the time, shouldn’t it be expected that they vote with their party, since they are calling themselves Republican or Democrat because they hold the Democratic or Republican beliefs and ideals? Also, I think the two political parties offer a balance in voting, that different opinions can be equally represented.
Pattie Santos P3
ReplyDeleteThough political parties seem important, they can hinder how an individual votes. Citizens should vote for whomever they see would best govern a given issue. Political parties may cause these citizens to cast votes according to ideology alone. What if that person does not believe in a certain way a candidate handles issues? What if that person is only voting for the candidate because of his party? Political parties do help people decide on whom to vote for, but it also prevents them from being open-minded to other candidates. This, I think, is why more people are becoming “independents”. Having this label allows people to not stick to one side, but to be “swayed” by both. Political parties are not over in theory, since they have become a big part of our nation. However, we will come to a point when the independent party will have grown significantly enough for people to notice a certain decline in the party system.
James NeVille period 2
ReplyDeletePolitical parties themselves are decent because they allow for a more organized system of voting and make it so policy can actually be put into place. The problem isn't the parties it is the politicians. Politicians turn a deaf ear to what people have to say unless it is during election time. After elections the only thing that is actually done is the revealing of false promises of getting things done. The only problem with political parties would have to be that there is to much arguing between the two that nothing really gets done.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNancy Wu
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
I think it is important that political parties still exist but I think multiple parties would be better than just two parties. With two different but broad parties that try to embody all the ideas of a certain group of people, people have to make the choice of whether they lean more toward one or another. A lot of people, however, agree with different aspects of both political parties. It is good that in the past few decades, the government was not dominated by one party so the ideas of both parties are heard, but this rich tradition of Democrats and Republicans make it nearly impossible for third parties to succeed. Political parties are still a good idea but when only two major parties exist, it is hard for those with novel or mixed ideas to be represented.
While I do agree that the idea of political parties are slowly decaying, I do not believe that it will simply disappear. This country was built on separate parties: federalists and anti-federalists. Before, parties worked because of the ability to mobilize and the limited amount of ideologies. However, parties now have to consider so many different ideas - some named as abortion, environment, taxes, immigration, health care, education, military, etc etc. There's just such a vast amount of things that can not be broken down to just two parties. Everyone will have different ideas. Some may be democratic in economics, but republican towards politics. Therefore, I do not agree that a two party system will last because of the vast varying ideas. Parties will definitely tend to exist, but more than two parties might be a more soluble solution to the disagreements in government.
ReplyDeleteAndy Shin
Period 3
P.S. Sorry I sleep in your class so much! I'll try to stay awake more often!
It feels as though the politicians are doing what the people want and not the right thing. Most of the time they are two different things. However, if they do not do this they won't be able to push their agenda and won't win reelection. Also, I disagree with the statement that political parties are destroying democracy because for those representatives to get elected they must be selected by the people-Akash.
ReplyDeleteAmerica's political parties are not as they used to be. Hundreds of years ago people set their allegiance wholly to a single party. Split tickets were unheard of. Thinking one way on a set of ideals then thinking another for another set was also unheard of. Nowadays, these political parties have shaky foundations. The percentage of voters who stay true to their party is dwindling. Ideologies are molding together; democratic when it comes to the economy, republican when it comes to social policy, etc. Because of this, I believe that the two party system is going to disappear. As these parties begin to lose their extremists and gain moderate thinking, I think that either a third, moderate, party will form or parties will become a thing of the past, allowing the candidate's ideals to show instead of a party with a generic backing of ideals. It is not a matter of whether or not parties are becoming obsolete, but rather, how are ideologies conflicting or merging.
ReplyDelete^Joshua Quinto
ReplyDeleteper. 3
Kayla Steuben
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Without political parties, America would definately be a lot different. This is due to the fact that people care more about having their party in power than who or what they are actually voting for. Some legislation or decisions are made solely because a certain party is supposed to be in favor of them. This has made the actual views of the American people unimportant and made politicians more corrupt. It has also kept what may have been perfectly good politicians out of office just because they don't side with the democratic or republican parties. Overall, political parties have made politics nothing more than a game.
Politics in America are definitely more based on political parties than anything else, and even though their is an average 80% of each party voting according to their political backgrounds, there is still 20% on each side that are not loyal to their party. I think this way of politics does weaken our democracy, because without the loyalty to the party, why were they voted into office in the first place?
ReplyDeleteThere is much commotion between the two parties. I feel though that that commotion has changed from being a united country to two "factions" dukin it out to see who will be on top. Over time the government has relied too much on the two political parties that its too hard to regulate more laws on being more united then the competitive nature we have created. The parties are more of what they want to pass other then listening to the people and taking in their thought and ideas to better our country. These parties are like a divorced couple fighting over the rights of the children but never to even ask for their opinion.
ReplyDeleteSateki finau per.2
Political parties are a part of our government because they serve a good function; they allow citizens to untie under similar ideologies and thus vote accordingly, but blind voting based solely on parties is foolish. This foolishness is rooted from the individual voter however, and not a fault of the party. We as voters must be informed enough to judge our vote based on more than the party next to a candidate. I do believe that having a two-party system instead of a multi-party system like those used in many Euro countries, might be a problem. By including more parties in our ballots we might be able to able to cover a broader range of views as not everyone falls under strictly Democratic or Republican.
ReplyDelete-Mohnia Husson P2
i agree with what edwards is saying in this article. people, politicians included, tend to vote with their party rather than their beliefs in todays america. When edwards says, "Loyalty to party undermines the very essence of representative government, which depends on entrusting members of one's community to act in one's stead as an evaluator of legislative policy" i think he is completly right. the representatives that are voted into the house and senate are there because their beliefs appealed to ours and we feel they will do what is best for us. BUT, if they are only voting with their party and as a "team" they are not evaluating the legislative policy or doing what they feel is best. they are simply remaining loyal and not fulfilling their purpose. that is not what a party is for.
ReplyDeleteTyler Sapp, p.3
in case you do not remember, i was absent monday and tuesday, so i did not know about this until today when i recieved the new syllabus, so you told me to do it tonight.
I completely agree with Edwards, about how politicians only vote for what their party believes in and not what they personally believe in. We as humans have the capability that most if not animals posses and that is the ability to think for ourselves. With the politicians as well as people voting for what their party wants and not what they want, shows they are voting almost roboticly or as if they have been brainwashed and forgot how to think on their own. The purpose of the parties has completely changed from when they were formed to the present day and that saddens me because of the sole fact that our democracy is being run by people who only think of their party's best interest and not of the people, economy and political interests.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Anzaldo, Per. 3
Boyang Liu period 2
ReplyDeletePolitical party, no matter in which nation's political system, plays a critical role on maintaining normal functioning of the respective government. One fact to realize is they are more than a faction which collect some special group interests, but rather, a necessary union to make certain ideology a reality. That being said, the Federal system in our nation had sigificaly weaken the party power, make them unable to control the member vote or even mombilize them with full force. Although as the article suggest, there is still a strong occurance that people still only agree on what their party said, but this is already a big leap forward, and they should not ven be considered discouraged.