Question:
There are literally thousands of elected officials across the United States at the local, state, and national levels. The two major political parties remain as important to the election and reelection of public officials today as ever before. What impact have political parties had upon relations not only between the state and federal government, but also between state and local governments? Do you think that the Federalists or anti-Federalists took into account the power of political parties and their arguments? Overall, do you believe that the political parties have been helpful in defining roles of federalism, or have they complicated the relationship between different levels of government?