Political Parties: Introduction
Although a lot of criticism is leveled at political parties, many observers of politics agree that political parties are central to representative government because they provide meaning to citizen’s choices between competing candidates in elections. The alternating of power and influence between the two major parties is one of the most important elements in American politics. With the recent trend toward divided government—where Congress is controlled by one party and the Presidency by another—seems to have blocked any major changes in the scope of government. And why does it really matter? If you are not sure, read about what happened in the Presidential election of 2000 and see how significant even the third parties have been in this century.
