The Relationship between Political Parties & Interest Groups

Parties have a greater influence on government policy as compared to groups. This is because parties have a significant influence on the voting population and this facilitates a greater influence in government policy. Ideally, a democracy is a system of government that allows self-governance and plurality. America is founded on constitutional democracy; an ideology that had been influenced a number of elements and factors. Notably, John Locke in the 1700's argued that people were the sources of power. With the help of the Bible, Greek philosophy, Montesquieu and the Freemasons, John Locke were the primary influenced of the United States Constitution. This democracy has been quite imperative for allowing the public an increased level of control in their governance. This paper will ascertain a framework of understanding of the issue while establishing the significant power parties have over groups.

The United States Constitution allowed the establishment of the federal system and under this system of governance, the powers of the government are spread between the federal, state and local government. As such, each level of government has sovereignty in various areas and shares powers in others. Ideally, the concepts of checks and balances and the separation of powers are similar. This is because they purport to allocate governing powers over the branches of the government; executive, judiciary and legislative, with the intention of ensuring that none of the branches can consolidate undue power unto itself at the expense of others. American history is strife with issues regarding separation of powers whereby the president has the authority to appoint all federal judges while the legislature must confirm the president's appointments (Longley).

With the separation of powers, come the legislature, judiciary, and the executive. The legislature is responsible for making laws, standardizing foreign and federal trade, proclaiming war and monitoring expenditure and taxing dogmas. The executive on the hand consists of the president, various agencies and departments and his or her advisers. They are responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. The judiciary consists of the federal judicial center and the United States Supreme Court. The judiciary evaluates laws.

The US' political parties include the Republicans and the Democrats. Political parties are responsible for introducing major legislation in the houses of Congress and require a majority to accomplish this and undermine the impact of amendments and committee implications. Public opinion also has a significant role in the political system. Ideally, most of the policies and legislation in Congress are usually a response to public pressure. Essentially, public opinion has a significant impact in shaping political direction as parties and politicians align themselves to public demand. Public interest groups are groups of people with a common goal of influencing public policy. They represent the interests of various groups including large corporations and others with ideological perspectives. Notably, they do not have enough power to impact voting patterns of the population.

Ideally, as a citizen, one has the right to fair trial, to vote, to run for elected office and even applying for federal employment. A citizen also has the freedom to worship and expressing themselves as they wish. On responsibilities, a citizen is expected to support and defend the constitution while participating in the democratic process. The current political issues in the United States include immigration issues including the border wall between the US and Mexico, gun control issues and climate change. As such, these issues have been plaguing the political scene in America and it is up to the political parties to make significant efforts to influence government influence towards their alignment.

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