A political ideology is "a general belief about the role and purpose of government" or when "an individual has a consistent pattern of opinions across a broad range of specific issues" (Patterson 186). Political ideologies lead to the development of political parties, which are a formal grouping of interests joined together for the purpose of getting their candidates for public office elected under a common label, agenda, and ideas. There are many harmful aspects of political parties such as: intense, conflict filled party-centered campaigns (election campaigns in which political parties hold most of the initiative and influence, not the individual) and the sense of political parties never getting anything done. However, the beneficial aspects
