The diminishing oddness of American political parties

Political parties are the most critical intermediary political institutions between citizens and government. Through competing for control of government in elections, the parties aggregate mass preferences in such a fashion that electoral outcomes become meaningful (what political scientists call “structuring the vote”). Parties also provide government accountability, since support or otherwise for the governing party (or combination of parties) allows citizens to exercise their fundamental democratic power: to “throw the rascals out.” To date no mass democracy has been able to function in the absence of political parties.