For what it's worth, in the US (as opposed to, say, the UK), party politicians aren't tightly bound to their party's policies. This partly explains why some Rep

For what it's worth, in the US (as opposed to, say, the UK), party politicians aren't tightly bound to their party's policies. This partly explains why some Republicans on the West coast could be considered "too liberal" to win in the Midwest, while some Southern Democrats from the last decade formerly endorsed segregation. And the parties encompass so many issues, it's nearly impossible for anyone to be a partisan down the line while remaining consistent. Isolationists and libertarians will clash in the Republican's tent, while union supporters and environmentalists might clash in the Democrat's tent. Parties aren't awesome, they often get distracted by short term tactical goals that hurt the country rather than pursuing long term strategies to refine public policy. But I think that's a vision and leadership problem, not a problem with parties themselves. The wide range of views within each party should at least provide some reassurance that the parties aren't always just giant soul-crushing machines. Just sometimes.