atest indicator of voting behavior (Sabato, 1988, p. 8).
Ironically, the Founding Fathers were far more contemptuous of political parties than their European counterparts. The Constitution was crafted in part to obstruct encroachments by organized factions. Much to their credit, the RepublicÆs founders chose not to impose legal sanctions against party organizations. Instead, they formulated a system of governance that they expected would make parties impotent and whither away. James Madison in The Federalist Papers argued that the doctrines of federalism, bicameralism, and separation of
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