ABSTRACT
AMERICANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN deeply suspicious of political parties. George Washington warned “in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party” in his “Farewell Address” in 1796. 1 People blame parties for a variety of sins, including partisan bickering that leads to polarization instead of solutions to problems. And yet most political scientists believe, along with E. E. Schattschneider, that “modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of political parties.” 2 Why are parties so disliked if they are essential to democracy? What makes them essential in the first place? This chapter addresses those questions as it explores the role of political parties in campaigns and elections in the United States.
