Factions, factions, everywhere

Factions. It seems that the founding fathers certainly took a dim view of them, and perhaps not without a good reason.
After all, they themselves were a sort of political party at the beginning, a group of like-minded people with a specific policy goal in mind: namely the policy of self-determination. So it might not be all that shocking that they could look at what they had done and see how dangerous a small group of highly motivated people can do.

But is such demonizing really warranted? After all it's only natural that people of a like mind get together, and that they accomplish more together than they do alone, and thus are encouraged to continue their alliance. I think that it's in this vein that Tom DeLay made his statements: that because parties have become so integral to the political system of the US, being active in party politics is synonymous with being active in politics. Speaking before the advent of the major political parties Washington and company had the luxury of issuing nonspecific warnings about the danger of factionation, where today we have to play the hand we are dealt. Now certainly Washington wasn't an uneducated man, there are dangers to factions, especially as they grow in power. Implicit in the structure of a 'party' is the concept of us, the party itself, arrayed against them, people of competing interests. Of course the danger of this kind of thinking is immediately opposite when the us is seeking political power it becomes all to easy for the nameless, faceless 'them' to be given a name, and become the target of oppression or outright aggression.

So are political parties necessary? Are they Good? Are they Bad?
In all honesty I think necessary or not, for good or evil, they are inevitable. People will join with those of like opinion to support things that are important to them, collectively. Much like the formation of unions, people of common interests and desires will almost certainly realize that stating their case together and pledging support as a voting bloc they can secure a better outcome than by acting alone.