    *NOTE to the author     there is a big difference between the two parties. Democrats are more liberal and Republicans are a lot more conservative.       Note to the Note   The question was related to the PARTIES, not the philosophy of individual members.
It works like this: a political party through its manifesto says-if you vote for me then I will do this for you. Uses: 1. Canvassing of vote for political parties 2. Helps people to decide which party to vote for 3.
Thus, another function of political parties is to present alternative policies to the electorate, called their political platform. A political platform is the ideals and positions a political party has. Thus, we often learn of the ideals a political party has from the members that support it.