Problem
Consider the role and purpose of political parties in the United States and assess their importance today. You may wish to consider a variety of issues, including the strength of parties across all levels of government, the state of partisanship in the public, how ideological the parties are, what parties accomplish today (especially compared to other institutions like the media or interest groups), and whether organizations like political action committees (PACs and/or Super PACs) undermine the need for parties or provide new ways for parties to fulfill their roles.