What is a Political Party???

Political parties have not always existed in the United States, but rather have developed in the arena of politics since even the early days of Congress. Political parties have developed out of different preferences of the public and their factions.

Professor Tofias, in the notes for this week, began by referencing an equation called, “the first fundamental equation of political science” (an idea of Charles Plott). Where “Preferences X Institutions = Outcomes”. I find this equation thought-stimulating because political parties can be thought of as either preferences or institutions within the political system. The way I have always thought about parties is that they are groups that originate from citizen’s wide array of preferences, or also through their sometimes dissenting opinions or factions. But political parties can also be thought of as institutions in which our preferences are converted into political outcomes, as an arena for expressing our preferences. Or perhaps can political parties be thought of as both?

James Madison, in The Federalist No. 10, discusses factions and the role they have played in shaping the roles and positions of man-kind. He argues that the factions within mankind have split them into parties. Here he sheds a dim light on mankind by saying that the dislike among these parties causes them to loathe the thought of each other instead working together for the “common good” of society. In his opinion, it is through government that these feelings of animosity can be controlled.

One more point from the readings this week. I found George Washington’s farewell address to be rather pessimistic about political parties. While Tom Delay’s farewell address to the House of Representatives takes the opposite view of political parties and somewhat embraces their existence. I’m perplexed by the transition between these two contrasting views, and hope that this course will help me understand it further.