Amaral 1

Taylor Amaral
Dr. Gen
Political Behavior
July 5, 2015
Two Parties Make One
From the time when the United States was created, the issue of having political parties has
been an ongoing debate. In George Washingtons Farewell Address , he said that the spirit that
motivates the formation of political parties creates in the community , jealousies and false
alarmsfoments (causes) occasionally riot and insurrection (revolt against the government)
(Kelman 405). Despite this warning, the United States continued to develop the organized parties
that we see today. Political parties are an alliance of like-minded people that work together to
win elections and work to gain influence within the government. In our government, we have a
two-party system. A two party system is when two parties dominate the government. Each party
represents many diverse opinions and interests. They provide ready information about politics,
help balance the political system by taking account varied opinions, discourage sudden shifts in
political trends, and encourage political participation (Kelman 422). The two-party system helps
function our government while getting national participation at the same time. Political parties
define American Politics. The service the Political Parties have implemented have become the
powerhouse engine to our government. Through the usage of the two-party system, the United
States is able to show and express different views from people that ultimately form the perfect
union we live in. With political parties, we unite the people to stand up and voice their opinion
while supporting different political goals and aspirations, and without this our democracy would
be nothing.

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Political parties were not even in the mindset of our Constitution creators, but as time went on
the creation of political parties formed. Without political parties we would not be able to help
assist the electoral process, organize day-to-day running of government, and the nomination of
candidates. First, political parties help organize citizens with the basics of voting. The parties
encourage people to vote, go to polls, and help run campaigns. Secondly, parties do not focus on
specific issues but rather broad ideas, For example, some people say that voting for a member
of the Democratic Party is shorthand for, I want a government that takes a more active role in
society. Voting Republican sends the message that you want a government to be less
involved (Kelman 406). Therefore you can compare a political party to a team, we have the
captain or the central focus of the party, and then the rest of the team or the citizens follow.
Thirdly, these parties serve as a watchdog of policies; they help policies by making sure they
obey the main goals of the party in power. Ultimately, political parties help the overall electoral
process by bringing citizens from around the country to support a main political goal. By
creating this feeling of one centralized goal it creates the sense of power people want to feel, and
this helps our democracy thrive by allowing people to be able to contribute to that main goal
through political parties.
No one saw the emergence of political parties coming, but they ended up forming as early as
1765 in the United States. The United States was familiar with different groups forming but not
quite to the extent that political parties would have. They emerged, out of resentment against
Hamiltons revenue raising and centralizing policies; an organized opposition began to build.
What once was a personal feud between Hamilton and Jefferson developed into a full blown
and bitter political rivalry (Bailey 196). As a result of Hamilton and Jeffersons feud was the
emergence of political parties. The notion of a formal

Amaral 3
party.organized their opposition to the Hamiltonian program, they
confined their activities to Congress and did not anticipate creating a long-term
partybut as their antagonism towards Hamilton stiffened, and as the amazing
boisterous and widely read newspaperspread their political message.primitive
semblances of political parties began to emerge (Bailey 196).
We were used to groups like Whigs and Tories, and Federalists and Anti-Federalists, but what
was about to emerge was something different. From as early as this time, political parties slowly
started to gain control within everyday politics and government actions. The only real change
that has occurred has been within the parties themselves. It started with the Hamiltonians and the
Jeffersonian, and then it progressed into Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. By 1816, the
Federalist Party died and the United States entered the Era of Good Feelings and everyone lived
as Republicans. But by 1825 it was split once again to National Republicans to Democratic
Republicans, then Whigs to Democrats, and to present day, Republicans and Democrats. Each
party as elections drew near endorsed those interested in running for cabinet whom shared
similar ideologies. A ...traditional method of influencing the political process has been through
the endorsement of-or public declaration of support for- a certain candidate (Kelman 391). The
parties gave money and endorsements to the campaigns through their committees. Therefore
through endorsements and public engagements the political parties help influence the electoral
process in numerous ways.
Republicans and democrats have similar views on the electoral process yet also have
different agendas. The main focus of the Republican party is to gain endorsements and gather
funds to promote their candidates and win the people's vote. The democrats raise funds and
gather endorsements to educate the people on the policies and candidate. Both parties are

Amaral 4
addressing the need for political figures but the goals are different. Many feel that the
Republicans assets is the vast amount of wealthy individuals who contribute to their party and
hope this is the view point of which to gather votes. The democrats also use monies to support
their party, but these funds are geared to the people. The party with the most money tends to be
the frontrunner. There's nothing wrong with being rich, to be sure. Most of us probably wish we
were. The problem arises when the rich use their money -- lots of their money -- to, in effect, buy
the election of politicians who will pass laws that will make them even richer (Bryan). The
process unites the people, but the monetary expenditures of each party does create the divide.
This non union between parties is often a sensitive subject, yet is a part of American history.
However both parties, participate in the electoral process by lobbying members of Congress
and government agencies, addressing their concerns through the legal system, and try to
influence public opinion by using the media demonstrating, and supporting (Kelman 391).
Together the parties help unite the nation by both aiding the electoral process in different ways,
keeping the United States, united.
Political parties encourage public participation and express important information to them.
Getting the publics attention may be difficult because of all the different views, but In a two
party system each major party represents many diverse interests and opinions. Though a partys
supporters may vary in their beliefs, they stand behind the overall party message (Kelman 407.)
This method that a two-party system practices is very well developed because it allows multiple
opinions to be apart of a party but still be focused around one main goal. The two-party system is
effective because when two major parties dominate the politics during elections, the winner is
generally associated with a certain party and that party holds most of the power during the reign
of the winner. At this time, the other party is the minority party in which it does not receive as

Amaral 5
much say during the other partys supremacy. Even though the other party may not be in office,
that party still has a voice and a right to continue to provide opinion and input to influence the
nation. This system works in office as a way for the publics voice to continue to be heard even
when their party has less control in office. The foundation of the electoral process and the
choices from the two party system get to exemplify the voices of the nation.
This political system is very helpful for the people of the United States because the political
parties help provide information about politics, help balance the political system, take into
account-varied opinions, discourage sudden changes in the political system, and lastly, encourage
political participation. The parties promote their broad political philosophy like a brand name
would promote its product. Political parties also promote for the public good by acknowledging
other opinions, Each party is made up of both individual voters and organized groups.
Therefore, each party must try and consider all of its supporters interests (Kelman 422). This is
beneficial to the public good because it interests many people through the acknowledgement of
their opinions. By doing so, it encourages public participation because the political parties supply
a way for these diverse opinions to be expressed within the politic system. Lastly, the two-party
system promotes general welfare by discouraging sudden shifts within the government. The twoparty system serves as an anchor because it discourages sudden shifts because we only have two
parties; therefore we only have two opinions. The United States is a diverse country and
political parties provide a way for this diversity to be expressed in the political system (Kelman
424). Political parties help with the promotion of public involvement and awareness, creating a
sense of importance in the hearts of the American people.
The hearts of Americans is based on our two-party system. Many may disagree and feel that
the two-party system is a threat to the United States by creating a more centrist approach.

Amaral 6
Centrism is not doing what the people say, but doing what is right and seems reasonable at the
moment. In an article from Archives, it states that, Some see the two party system as a strength:
as an advantage over the hopelessly fragmented multi-party systems of some European
nations.but.the two party system leads to polarization of opposing viewpoints with no room
for a more centrist approach (Haraldsson). People believe that political parties encourage a
centrist approach because it is a political ideology that is based on reason off of a pragmatic
reality and circumstance. The two-party system actually negates this completely. Centrism is
most commonly feared because the decisions made are based on current situations, or short-term
circumstances, when sometime long-term decisions are necessary. A multi-party system actually
creates a more centrist approach because there are so many opinions from so many different
parties. With these multiple opinions, it creates short-term decisions, on current situations. This
constant change of opinions and short- term decision causes both instability and a centrist
approach. The two-party system only consists of two parties, so the fear of instability is unlikely.
The two-party system allows for people to address both specific issues as well as dominant
concerns because there are only two voices to hear from. Voters know that even if they disagree
with a certain candidate on one issue, he or she represents the broader issues of his or her party.
The resulting stability gives elected officials and parties more room to focus on the big picture
(Kelman 424). Due to the United States being a two-party system and not a multi-party system,
we do not need to fear constant changes or a centrist approach within our political system and
government.
Political Parties lie at the heart of American politicspolitical parties created democracy,
anddemocracy is unthinkable save in terms of parties (Aldrich 1). In other words, democracy
is not a functional idea without the addition of political parties. Political parties are the collective

Amaral 7
enterprises that function all aspects of the government together, the partys main goal is shown
and represented in the works of the Congress, Senate, and the President. Morris P. Fiorina has
written (1980, 26) that, the only way collective responsibility has ever existed, and can exist,
given our institutions, is through the agency of a political party; in American politics,
responsibility requires cohesive parties (Aldrich 3). The two-party system does just that. The
importance of maintaining the two parties is crucial because the constant competition of a party
gaining office is what fuels democracy and participation. Together the two-party system has
created and maintained each partys goals and ambitions. My basic argument is that the major
political party is the creature of the politicians, the partisan activist, and the ambitious office
seeker and officeholder. They have created and maintained, used or abused, reformed or ignored
the political party when doing so has furthered their goals and ambition (Aldrich 5). The
addition of the political party has made us stronger not weaker; this system is beneficial for our
country because when such politicians seek to achieve something, they turn to the political party
to use useful ideas as a vehicle to solving the issue faced. Politicians depend on political parties
to create a functioning government. This shows how involved and active political parties are in
all three branches of the government. And because political parties are made up of citizens, the
peoples opinion helps influence the three branches of government as well. Political parties are
made up of the people, and without the people there would be no functioning democracy.
Today, we see political parties as our government. In the past couple years many people believe
that they influence too much and cause more controversy than good. But recently, as said in the
Chicago Tribune, the limitations on the political parties were lifted, if one examines the latest
Supreme
Court decision on campaign finance law, one positive outcome comes into view: It will

Amaral 8
give a helping hand to out struggling two-party system. The McCutcheon decision lifted
the limit on what the parties can raise and contribute to their candidates, a small step
toward putting them back in the ball game, while regrettably further enhancing fat-cat
(Witcover)
This ruling matters because it returned power back to the parties that had been previously
restricted. Political parties are not here to create issues, but rather promote one central goal for
our political system. Meaning that political parties are not here to violate the power they are
given but to share the power among the people to ensure that their voices are heard. These parties
are not out for harm, or blood sucking for more power, but they are here to make sure the people
stay united through different views. And simply at the end of the day, different views come
together to form a better outcome for all.
The two party system allows democracy to persist in the United States, and should not be
altered or demolished (Evinger 2). The two party system fuels the American Government. It
allows people to choose between the two parties based on the goals from those two parties, and
allowing people the opportunity to choose is crucial. People can choose a party By researching
the programs a party supports and it politicians voting records, you can determine much about
the basic political beliefs of its candidates (Kelman 421). Another plus to the two party system
is that even though there is two different parties, sometimes they share opinions on specific
issues. For instance, in a survey about tax deductions they took a poll on what Democrats and
Republicans supported. The one issue on which the parties did not differ was tax deductions.
However, Democrats and Republicans do differ on questions concerning income taxes and tax
reform. This means that the parties disagree on the general issue of taxes, although they concur
on one specific dimension of that issue (Schraufnagel 479). This is beneficial because it allows

Amaral 9
the people to choose which party fits them according to their specific issues, rather than broad.
Parties generally agree on bigger issues, allowing the people to focus on more specific issues
allow them to feel like they have more influence.
Over the years, the two party system has remained in effect with very little change. It is not
uncommon for an outside party to run to make it a third party campaign. In a two-party system
a third party is any political party, besides the two that dominant ones, seeking to directly
participate in government (Kelman 413) Other parties are allowed to compete against the
Republican Party and the Democratic Party, but every contender so far has failed (Evinger 2)
This shows that the beliefs and goals that come from the two-party system dominates our
country. For instance, all the way back to the 1800s, The major distinction between the partieswith the democrats supporting more government on behalf of disadvantaged groups and the
Republicans supporting less government (Kelman 426) But 200 years later, The Republicans
are broadly seen as the party of business and of less rather than more government action and
regulation. The Democrats remain the standard bearers for organized labor and the entitlements
that grew up with Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal (Allen 26). This shows that even
throughout the years and the changes within the government, the ideals that come from the
Republicans and the Democrats have kept this country together. To hold power in this system, a
party must expand its base beyond the relatively small number of people who have very intense
concerns about specific issues and move to satisfy the many people in the middle (Kelman 407).
This expresses how as the years progress, the parties have to still appeal to the masses so they
adjust to issues in order to gain more support. This method that they practice helps keep the
country together. As years progress this system will continue to thrive and blossom because the

Amaral 10
Democrats and the Republicans unite the people by allowing them to voice their beliefs and
appeal to the masses.
By the year 2000, politics will simply fade away. We will not see any political parties (Pryor
207). As present day proves, Mr. Fuller was incorrect when he made this statement. Today,
politics decide the government and the government dictates the people. One of the key
components of our government is the two-party system and without it we would struggle to have
a functioning government. Political parties are made up of citizens of the United States and the
goals of those citizens. The whole point of our government is that people should have a voice
and without the voice of the political parties, there is no democracy. Even though George
Washington warned us in his Farewell Address that political parties were not the answer, we still
stand here today stronger than ever with the presence of political parties. These parties serve as
platforms to our political system, they aid the electoral process, they help the nomination of
candidates, elections, national support, and most importantly, encourage participation from any
human within the United States. Our two-party system enables us to have different opinions and
stability at the same time; the fear of instability does not exist because each party has a platform
with one central goal. Political parties are the life to our government. Without them we would not
have a functioning democracy or the United States as we know today. Ultimately, the United
States we know today would not be able to survive without political parties. Political Parties are
the oxygen to our democracy, and together they provide our freedom.

Amaral 11
Works Cited
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Allen,FrederickE."TimeforaThirdParty?"TheSaturdayEveningPost.N.p.,Feb.Mar.2012.
Web.30July2015.
Bailey, Thomas Andrew. The American Pageant. 11th ed. Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin,
1988. Print.
Bryan."WeAreLosingAnyVoiceinOurElectoralProcess."13Oct.2013:1158.EBSCOhost.
Web.
Evinger, Barbara, and Rosalind Montanez-Muhinda. "Point: The "Two-party System" Is Alive
and Well in American Politics." Points of View Reference Center [EBSCO]. N.p., 2015. Web. 14
Aug. 2015.
Haraldsson, Hrafnkell. "Is the Two-Party System Best for America?" PoliticusUSAs Archives.
N.p., 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 05 July 2015.
Kelman, Steven. American Government. Austin: Harcourt Brace, 1999. Print.
Pryor, Frederic L. The Future of U.S. Capitalism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print.
Scot, Schraufnagel. "Issue Positions Of Democrats and Republicans in the U.S House 1998: A
Research Note." MasterFILE Premier [EBSCO]. N.p., 2002. Web. July 2015.
Witcover, Jules. "Political Parties." Articles about Political Parties. Chicago Tribune, n.d. Web.
12 July 2015