Despite the dysfunctions that proliferate the functioning of its institutions, the American political system continues to function as originally intended: to limit government control beyond of the fundamental protection of freedom. At first glance, the dysfunction of the American political system is naively attributed to party polarization. Yet, according to James Madison, political factions are not necessarily a bad thing. Instead, he argues in The Federalist that it is an essential and effective part of a properly structured government. Bessette and Pitney Jr. support the idea that “strong partisanship…can be healthy for deliberation and democracy” (296). In Federalist 51, Madison suggests that because of the flaws in human nature coupled with the possibility of gaining power through governance, “ambition must be made to thwart ambition” (331). The dysfunction of the American political system is not caused by political partisanship, it cannot be blamed solely on the actions of the media, and the system of government institutions and functions is not at fault: it is a problem of political knowledge and character of citizens. Madison wrote that “knowledge will forever govern ignorance: and a people who intend to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives” (Barbour 179). The systematic dysfunction of American politics is underpinned by the weakening of political knowledge and public involvement. The dysfunction of the modern political system stems from the absence of the leadership that Madison described as necessary in the Federalist Articles (57). Politics is how citizens govern themselves; it is the decision-making method used to select who will govern. A representative democracy, as established...... middle of paper......, 2011. Print.Crabtree, Vexen. “The building blocks of democracy.” Democracy: its foundations and modern challenges. NP, 2006. Web. February 2, 2012. Diamond, Martin. “The separation of powers and the mixed regime. » Oxford University Press 8.3 (1978): 33-43. JSTOR. Internet. February 1, 2012. Hamilton, Alexander, John Jay and James Madison. The Federalist. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2000. Print. Lemann, Nicholas. “Conflicts of interest”. The New Yorker. NP, 2008. Web. February 2, 2012. Mansfield, Harvey C. Student's Guide to Political Philosophy. Wilmington, Del: ISI Books, 2001. Print.McChesney, Robert W. “Making the Media Democratic.” Boston Review. NP, 1998. Web. February 2, 2012. Plato. “The Republic: Book VII.” MIT Internet Classics Archive. MIT, 360 BCE. February 1, 2012. Shapira, Ian. “The death of journalism”. The Washington Post. NP, 2009. Web. February 1. 2012.