It's already almost useless to have formal parties, Bill... ;-) In fact, it's considerably worse than useless. James Madison agreed with me on that in the founding days of your republic. Look it up.

Like-minded people always get together to discuss issues, and they don't need any political parties in order to do that.

In an assembly NOT divided artificially into competing power blocs called "parties" the members DO get together with those they agree with on any given issue, and they discuss it in their own private time. They then discuss it collectively, publicly amongst the whole assembly. They debate it. Everyone who has something to say about it says it. Pros and cons are presented. Finally, a vote is taken...and when that vote is taken, he or she who votes is NOT under pressure from any party machine to vote in a certain fashion. He or she can vote freely, according to conscience, without fear of party reprisals for not voting "the party line".

I call that good. Very good. It is the essence of true democracy.

Political parties are like a cancerous growth on the body politic.

In 1650, could anyone name a country without a monarch? That changed. We can change our systems too.