Abe Lincoln was central to the origins of the Republican party. On one hand I consider myself non-partisan, because of the ways in which party politics often play against our common goals that would help focus on the mutual aims for national security, full employment, food, shelter, etc.
On the other hand, what much of anything is accomplished without organization, especially on a national basis? Prior to the two-party system, candidates emerged from independent and loosely gathered regional campaigns. America is diverse enough... how likely is it that a single person has sufficient simultaneous appeal to the masses across the vast number of issues on stage? And in this day and age, how would enough resources be raised and coordination be managed timely for elections if each individual must explain and sell to the populace his ideology and round up a support group?
It could be said that national parties grew out of that need for efficiency. However well the Republican and Democratic party principles remain stable, the voters need not inspect every candidate's views in the detail that they otherwise might. They can rest assured to some extent, like Christians with their leader, that the person shares many of the core beliefs they hold. From there they can sift through the particulars of each one's near-term plans and choose their favorite.
Those who prefer when voting to discern each person in the more cumbersome route can find satisfaction in that. Regardless, in matters of deciding how to employ the resources of the country for its betterment, the human condition cries out for compromise from its leaders in all but the most fundamental beliefs, in order to reach the needs of so broad and varied a constituency. And so it can be that teamwork rises above blind partisanship, trading animosity for degrees of consensus, in order to further the health of the nation.
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