"Democracy is not unthinkable in the absence of political parties. President George Washington in his 1796 Farewell Address specifically
warned against the development of political parties in the U.S. He
believed this would result in specific geographical areas (north and
south) fighting each other for political power over the other. Obviously, this assessment was correct. In light of the American Civil War, one could say party politics almost destroyed our nation. Also, if one party became dominant, the leaders in that party may consolidate power to themselves at the expense of the people, and a single tyrant may then usurp power as well.
The United States was governed rather effectively before two major parties, the Federalists and the Republicans, formed. The political system itself in America is designed to exist w/o parties. People don’t vote for parties, but individual candidates in each local district. It makes the politicians directly accountable to the people, not party leaders. A democracy, or, in our case, a Republic without parties would in fact be more effective. Voters would be unable to make uninformed generalizations based on party (example: not all Republicans are Pro-Life). They would have to look more closely at each individual candidate in order to get a clear picture of who each candidate was. Thus, in the absence of what is often deceptive party politics, the people are empowered more politically.
The act of legislative governing is also improved significantly. The absence of parties in no way prevents voting coalitions from forming. “If you vote for my bill, I’ll vote for yours.” It also doesn’t inhibit a candidate’s ability to run for office. Any two persons could still endorse each other and raise money for each other, however, instead of supporting each other because they are of they same party, they will stand together because they truly share a common vision for the future of their country. In addition, the absence of two major fundraising juggernaughts to contend with means that almost anyone could run for office without being bombarded with round-the-clock, annoying TV adds.
Finally, the abolition of parties would eliminate cumbersome layers of
beurocracy. This would not only cut down on corruption, but would
streamline legislative leadership by eliminating things like “minority
leaders,” “majority leaders,” and so forth. Decisions could then be made much more quickly.
More people would also be encouraged vote. Instead of the boring old Red v. Blue slugfests, legislative politics would be more dynamic, with different voting coalitions for different issues. This would make
politics more interesting without the need of a scandal. People would pay more attention to the major issues being discussed. The emotional desire to see their side on an issue win out would give them an incentive to vote. Also, the absence of huge party voting blocks will make them fell that their vote counts more."
Personaly, I think it's a great idea.
