[Stealth Hunter]

Originally Posted by the_tyrant

and then what?
Absolute monarchy?
Anarchy?

Be a little more overly-dramatic, why don't you.

Originally Posted by tater

So you'd ban 2 people standing around agreeing about anything political?

That's not the same as sophisticatedly organizing yourself into a political clique that actively serves in the government of not only each and every state, but ultimately the entire country, with an outlined agenda- protecting and serving its own interests.

Originally Posted by Platapus

The solution is not to abolish political parties but to educate the citizens to not rely on them or give them power.

The problem is that many citizens are quite happy being told what to think and how to vote by their respective political party.

With many more citizens being happy to vote for whatever candidate best represents their own personal interests. The costs of a bad vote are borne by the public at large, and the chance of an individual casting the deciding vote is, unfortunately, tiny. People will vote for what makes them feel good and what benefits them. Honestly, they couldn't care less about much else. Though many are ignorant and irrational, many are self-serving and conniving.

But as far as the OP is concerned, I favor Washington's views on political parties:

"They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests."

His words were quite prophetic, looking at the current situation we find ourselves in (and have found ourselves in the past 20-25 years or so). Moreover, the problem extends not only to the parties themselves, but the the political system. It is made too much like a profession and not like what it should be: a public service. It should be treated no different than jury duty, and that goes not only for the Congress and Legislative Branch, but for the Supreme Court and Judicial Branch, and the White House and Executive Branch.

Ultimately, they do more harm than good by dividing not only people, but the framework that our country is supposed to be running off of. And clearly, as I said earlier, this has been the case in recent times. Getting rid of the current ones won't do anything. New ones will just appear. As has been before in the past, so shall be in the future. Unless we disband them altogether. Either that, or we change our system.