Reply #129: Wrong, the Repub Party came in when there was ONE PARTY.

[caseymoz]

The Whigs had collapsed. Nothing had come in to replace them. It was the Democratic-Republicans who ruled at that time.

That did leave an opening for a second party, and look at the turmoil it took for that to happen!

Unlike most any other constitution, ours does not allow for parties. Other Constitutions recognize parties as a fact and build their legislative structures allowing them. Ours doesn't even mention them. The Founders thought parties were a very bad thing and specifically wrote the Constitution to discourage them. Ironically, if it had worked as planned, we would have one-party rule. And we did for a few decades before the Civil War.

I always say to 3rd party people that we can't pretend we have a parliamentary system when we don't. If you don't vote for any reason, at least vote defensively, and get more involved with the primaries.