The American System of Government

It is clear from recent political battles that these elements often clash and that there is considerable argument over how much power each wields. For some time there have been complaints about the power interest groups have in influencing legislation in Washington, for instance, though in truth the definition of what constit

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ich. . . escalate to a flash point. . . (Burnham 206). The political parties are thus creatures of the public, as are all interest groups in some measure. They may be creatures of a large segment of the population, as is true of Republicans and Democrats, or they may be creatures of smaller units, as is true of some business groups or special interest groups. The public is both fragmented and unified. The political parties bring together different constituents and empower them, but often they do so in a way that does not address all their interests: The votes of women, blacks, and Latinos have been largely taken for granted over the years. Sometimes planks have been put into platforms to attract their votes. Surely that will be enough, the party leaders reasoned. But it is not enough. It never is (McKenna 497). These smaller units form their own interest groups and factions, sometimes following the larger political party with which they are affiliated, sometimes not. Political parties and smaller factions alike have constituencies which they must satisfy or they lose support. Often the public is portrayed as at the mercy of special interest groups, though in truth some portion of the public is every special interest
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2143
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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