Political Parties and Popular Sovereignty

If political parties are working effectively, they should act as facilitators of popular sovereignty. I will use the promotion of popular sovereignty to asses The Struggle for Democracy‘s list of methods by which parties encourage political equality.

1. The chapter asserts that political parties keep elected officials responsive to the needs of constituents. We saw evidence of this in the 2016 election where voters who felt they had been underrepresented by the Democratic party during the Obama presidency responded positively to the Republican party platform presented by Donald Trump. Trump’s emphasis on low-income working class Americans as formerly cast aside by liberal politicians struck a chord with voters who were ready for a president with a greater interest in their political concerns.
2. Additionally, political parties should stimulate political interest and draw out participation from constituents. The democratic base participated in a massive way when President Trump issued his travel ban, turning out to airports across the country to hold political protests against the discriminatory nature of the executive order. This activism reflects a main tenant of liberal ideals, which is overcoming racial and ethnic discrimination, and also demonstrates the influence of a political party’s beliefs on political participation.
3. Recently political parties have been faced with the decision whether or not to hold members accountable whom have been accused of sexual misconduct and harassment. The Democratic party has responded with a degree of accountability by pressuring John Conyers to resign from the House. He resigned from his position as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary committee, however. Republicans have faced a similar issue as Roy Moore continues to deny multiple allegations of sexual harassment. The party appears relatively split, with many denouncing the Alabama politician while others would rather see him in office regardless of the serious accusations he has sustained. Although the two parties are making considerable strides in the direction of holding their members accountable, it appears there is still a great distance to go.
4. Political parties also serve to simplify the complex nature of policy and policy positions. However, the Republican party seems to be intentionally covering up the true nature of its tax bill, failing to note that its dismantling of the individual mandate within the Affordable Care Act will cause healthcare premiums to rise substantially. By omitting this information when informing its base and choosing instead to focus on tax cuts, the Republican party is not necessarily giving its constituents access to good information.
5. Finally, political parties should help make government work. We see this when we consider how it is easier to pass legislation in separately controlled legislative and executive branches. Because the parties are forced to compromise with one another, they are more likely to pass legislation desired by constituents on both sides of the political spectrum.

Overall, political parties do a relatively comprehensive job at promoting popular sovereignty through their various functions. However, this theory, like all others, contains important imperfections which point to opportunities for both political parties to improve their procedures and commitments to the best interests of their constituents.