Well said Mr. Northrup.    My concern is that politics tends to be dominated by activist who develop myopia to the opinions of other.  Since The Party seems to have forgotten door to door grass roots activism, we can't expect The Party to represent the greater public as much as the noisier voice of activist voters.  

Suppressing contrary opinions is a serious problem problem that leads to authoritarian and/or elitist governing.      Don't expect the self-interested political parties to come to your door, or, ask your opinion in any kind of meaningful way.