Chapter 9: Political Parties

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

         This is probably the most confusing question anyone could ever ask me. I am so on the fence about this topic that it is too difficult for me to choose. Religious issues sway me one way, while economical reasons sway me another, and to be honest I really haven’t figured it all out for myself yet. There are things that I agree with and disagree with in all party platforms. I am still young, and living under the wings of my family my entire life mostly just left me in the dark on political issues. I am still learning, and because I AM still learning, I do not see myself fit to blindly associate myself with a certain party. I actually picked this class over other humanities so that I could understand our government better. Maybe by the end I’ll have it all figured out!!!

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

Because America is so diverse, I do believe we need political parties. Political parties help to hold our government accountable, promote public debate about policy options, and get citizens involved in the public sphere. Some political scientists believe that parties are in decline and that the decline is causing a major problem. Other scientists believe that the parties aren’t declining, but merely changing, and that they are just as strong as they used to be. While researching, I found a lot of articles that dealt with the possibility of the creation of a new party. The idea is that after highly charged elections or in a string of such elections, big and lasting shifts occurred in how voters behaved. Because of this, some political scientist believe we are on the edge of a political revolution. Because people need that influence and back up of people who believe in the same things, I do not believe that America could ever go without parties. There are too many different opinions, with strong supporters behind all of them.

3. Please research lesser known political parties. Which one do you identify with? Why?

I was surprised at the length of the list of political parties. Most were serious, but there were some (such as the United States Pirate Party) that I was shocked actually made the list. I believe I identified the most with the America First Party.  The party is pro-life, opposes all gun control, seeks to end affirmative action, racial quotas, and illegal and unlimited immigration. The party opposes the idea that the Constitution bars expressions of religious faith in the public square. It supports allowing organized prayer in public places, especially in public schools, as well as allowing displays of religious icons (such as tablets of the Ten Commandments) by the government on public property. I agree with most of the beliefs of this party, but would have to deeper research them.