Election Process
Politics the term used to describe the way that groups of people come to decisions about the actions they will undertake collaboratively. Politics is derived from the Greek word politika. The Greek is taken from the name of a book of theory by Aristotle of the same name. It is used to mean “affairs of state.” Politics involves the attempts of different sides in a political debate to convince other members of government to pass laws which suit their preference. These sides are often organized into different political parties. While the United States has only two dominant parties, politics in other countries may consist of many political parties.
There are two major conflicts between political theories. The first is the conflict between the left and the right. The left is generally seen as more progressive and seeking to eradicate social inequalities, while the right is generally conservative and sees social inequalities and an intrinsic part of human existence. The other major arguments in politics take place between libertarians and authoritarians. Libertarians value a strong individual and a weak state. Authoritarian politics support a weak individual and an empowered state. Libertarian politics support as great a reduction in the size, scope and authority of the government as feasible, while authoritarian politics support a further consolidation of governmental control. There are various degrees of left, right, libertarian, and authoritarian view. Often with in a single political party different members may espouse libertarian and authoritarian beliefs. It is rare, however for a political party to contain approaches that are liberal, conservative, libertarian, and authoritative within a single unified political party. Political parties which are pulled in so many different directions often fracture before very long.
A political debate is the primary method used by parties to resolves these political differences. There are many opportunities for politicians to take part in a political debate during the course of a campaign. The first political debate often occurs within the candidate for political office’s own party. The organization of a political debate is one of the primary ways that candidates secure their parties nominations A candidate will not have to engage in a political debate if he is running unopposed. An unopposed election is rare, and usually only occurs in elections for local office or during the primary season if the candidate is an incumbent with the support of the party. If not, the candidate may have to engage at least two series of political debates. The first political debate would be intra-party, pitting the candidate against a member of the same party, followed by a political debate against a member of a different party when attempting to secure the seat. It is rare for there to be just one political debate between candidates. Often there are a series of debates, with each political debate focusing on a specific topic. The winner of the political debates is afforded the opportunity to set policy and often wins the election, although a strong political argument does not always result in victory in a political debate. Style is often as important as substance.