Why are political parties a thing?

Political factions or parties began to form during the struggle over ratification of the federal Constitution of 1787. Friction between them increased as attention shifted from the creation of a new federal government to the question of how powerful that federal government would be.

What does Dem Rep mean?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A democratic republic is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. As a cross between two entirely separate systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democracies.

What are some key differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate?

Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by a state’s population. Each state has a minimum of one representative in Congress.

Who were the original federalists?

Influential public leaders who accepted the Federalist label included John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Rufus King, John Marshall, Timothy Pickering and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. All had agitated for a new and more effective constitution in 1787.

Why are members of the House elected to the House?

Members are elected to the House to represent the constituents of their congressional district in the federal government, and to attend to their particular needs. To this end, Representatives and their staff devote individual attention to requests from people of the district.

Why do so many politicians cross the floor?

More than anything, politics is a livelihood for many politicians. Divergence can also be explained by the desire to maximise returns on political involvement. If returns decline for whatever reasons and the politician can no longer see their way, they simply cross the floor.

Why do politicians differ in their preferences?

Politicians have their own preferences and cannot precommit to campaign promises. There is a whole literature on this called ” partisan politicians”. See the Persson Tabellini 2000 textbook. More than anything, politics is a livelihood for many politicians. Divergence can also be explained by the desire to maximise returns on political involvement.

What is the importance of a constituency?

A constituency is important for as long as it sustains the politician’s own interests. The issue arises primarily in single-member constituency systems, but in all systems the voters have to make a choice from among those candidates that are available.