What makes American political parties unique? Discuss the ramifications of changes in levels of American partisanship (party affiliation and identity) on the power of political parties in the present era? How do the trends of de-alignment or lower rates of party loyalty and realignment reflect changes in the issues and mobilization of groups into the process?/ With money replacing time and membership as key parts of the interest group system, describe the impact on American democracy. Which groups are being negatively affected or left out of the process of interest group influence of policy and policymakers?

1)The Founders of the nation’s governing structure understood that citizens might not be politically well informed, thus a representative democratic structure was preferred rather than a pure or direct democracy. For this reason, we inquire about the role of public opinion and individual and group attittudes on government. Discuss the role of public opinion in the American political system. Find two examples

2)With money replacing time and membership as key parts of the interest group system, describe the impact on American democracy. Which groups are being negatively affected or left out of the process of interest group influence of policy and policymakers? Use and give some specific examples

3What makes American political parties unique? Discuss the ramifications of changes in levels of American partisanship (party affiliation and identity) on the power of political parties in the present era? How do the trends of de-alignment or lower rates of party loyalty and realignment reflect changes in the issues and mobilization of groups into the process? In your opinion, do party members think for themselves or do they follow cues from party leadership? Find some recent analyses of the regional shifts and battlegrounds between the two major parties. What do you think?