Post on 13-May-2015
Political Parties and ElectionsPolitical Parties and Elections
One-Party System a.k.a. “no-party system” Pros
The winner always has a majority
ConsOnly one person runs for each position
EXAMPLES:China, Cuba, North Korea
Two Party System Pros
Main viewpoints are represented and one candidate usually receives a majority of votes
ConsLess popular viewpoints are not represented in
elections
EXAMPLESU.S., England, Canada
Multi-Party System Pros
All viewpoints are represented in elections Cons
No candidate receives a majority of the votes, only a plurality
EXAMPLES:France, Italy, Germany
Political Spectrum
Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Reactionary
Political SpectrumPolitical Spectrum
RADICALFavors Extreme Change to create an altered or entirely new social system
LIBERALBelieves that Govt. must take action to change economic, political, and ideological policies thought to be unfair
MODERATEHolds beliefs that fall between liberal and conservative views, usually including some of both
CONSERVATIVESeeks to keep in place the economic political, and social structures of society
REACTIONARYFavors extreme change to restore society to an earlier more conservative state
LEFTLEFT CENTERCENTER RIGHTRIGHT
Plank V. Platform
Plank: A candidate’s stand on one particular issueEx: approving of single-sex classrooms in
schools
Platform: a candidate’s opinion on all of the issues put togetherEx: All of the candidate’s planks put together
make his/her platform
Plurality
When a Candidate wins the most votes
Majority When a Candidate wins more than half the
votes
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RepublicansRepublicans•Founded in 1854 by a group of Whigs, Free-Founded in 1854 by a group of Whigs, Free-Soldiers, and antislavery DemocratsSoldiers, and antislavery Democrats
•First presidential candidate: John C. FremontFirst presidential candidate: John C. Fremont
•Second candidate: Abraham LincolnSecond candidate: Abraham Lincoln
•Became known as the Grand Old Party (GOP) Became known as the Grand Old Party (GOP) in the 1870sin the 1870s
Best gov’t is the least gov’tless taxesoppose deficits, balance budgetde-centralizationde-regulation (laissez-fair capitalism)stress patriotism and strong defensestrong Congressappeals to affluent and middle class
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Using the power of gov’t to solve problemsa strong presidencycurb big business, help the underdognot much objection to taxes or deficitsfavors labor and working personsminoritiessupports gov’t action to foster employmenthelp those unable to help themselvescivil liberties
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The Evolution of the Party System Hamilton and Jefferson, as heads of
the Federalist and Anti-Federalist groups respectively, are often considered 'fathers' of the modern party system.
By 1800, this country had a party system with two major parties that has remained relatively stable ever since.
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Typical Democrat’s
Platform
Typical Republican’s Platform
Planks
Prayer in School
Against For*
Affirmative Action
For Against
Abortion Pro-Choice Pro-LifeTaxes Increase Decrease
Government Spending
Increase Decrease
Democrat vs. Republican
Those not in favor of affirmative action
Affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination.
Affirmative action lowers standards of accountability needed to push students or employees to perform better.
Students admitted on this basis are often ill-equipped to handle the schools to which they've been admitted.
It is condescending to minorities to say they need affirmative action to succeed.
It demeans true minority achievement; i.e. success is labeled as result of affirmative action rather than hard work and ability.
What is a political party?
A political party is an association of voters with broad common interests who want to influence or control decision making in government by electing party’s candidates to public office.
Qualifications to vote
Must be a US citizen Must be 18 years old If you have been convicted of a
felony, your rights of citizenship must be restored.Can be restored by completing
probation or parole.
Straight Ticket vs. Split Ticket When you vote straight ticket you are
voting for candidates of the same party for multiple positions.
When you vote split ticket you are voting for each candidate that you feel will do the best for the position and not just the political party.
Types of Elections
Primary ElectionAn election held before the general
election to nominate candidates of a party for office
General ElectionA scheduled election where voters
determine who will be the public officeholders
National Convention The purpose of a
national convention is:To announce the
party’s candidate and
Unify the party before the general election
Types of Elections
Presidential ElectionAn election to vote for the president
of the United StatesHeld every 4 years
Recall ElectionAn election held to remove an
elected official from office
Electoral College
Electoral votes are determined by the total number of Senators and Representatives the state has in CongressExample: North Carolina has 2
Senators and 13 Representatives. Therefore, it will have 15 electoral votes
Discussion How might the electoral college
increase voter apathy?Apathy= not caring about something,
doesn’t matter who wins, you do not care either way.
Patronage
When a person in office appoints fellow party members to positions in the government
Special Interest Groups A special interest group (also called
an advocacy group) is an organized group that attempts to encourage or prevent changes in public policy (laws)
Ex. NRA (National Rifle Association)MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
Political Action Committees A political action committee, or
PAC, is a political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates.
ExMicrosoft
Funding Political Action Committees (PACs) are the
largest source of campaign funding
Hard Money Money donated to an INDIVIDUAL candidateLimited to $2,000
Soft Money Money donated to the political PARTY Unlimited
Money Spent?
Candidates spend most money on Television ads
What is the most effective ways to reach the most voters? Mass Media
TV
Direct Mail
What is the least effective way to reach potential voters Grassroots - political movements
at the lowest level means that people from within a community are working together to bring about political change.
CanvassingDoor to doorPhone calls
Techniques used to persuade people in a certain direction
Bandwagon
Making it sound like everyone supports the candidate, urges people to follow the crowdEx: “Everyone is voting for him, why
aren’t you?”Ex: “Polls show our candidate is
pulling ahead, and we expect to win in a landslide.”
Glittering Generalities
Information that sounds good but is meaningless ex: “I will be good for America because I will bring us peace and prosperity.”
“Just Plain Folks”
Making the candidate appeal to the common peopleEx: T-shirt and jeans, sitting at the
kitchen tableEx: “My parents were ordinary,
hardworking people, and they taught me those values.”
Name Calling
Attacking another candidate or policy with a name or labelEx: He voted NO on healthcare
for childrenEx: She is a dangerous
extremist and terrorist
Stacked Cards Only presenting one side of the issue and
distorting the facts, making the candidate look good (or bad) no matter what the facts areEx: She did these 10 great things for our
countryEx: He has the best record for protecting the
environment
Endorsement
Getting the support of someone important and famous, used to lure in more votersEx: Oprah Winfrey says she will vote for Barack Obama
Symbols/ Transfer
uses popular symbols (typically patriotic) to create a positive or negative associationAmerican FlagRed, White, and Blue
Civic Responsibility vs. Civic Duty Civic Responsibility:
something a good citizen should do (ex: Vote)
Civic Duty: something a citizen must do (ex: jury duty)
Marbury v. Madison
DecisionEstablished the concept of Judicial Review: the Supreme court has the final authority to find acts of government unconstitutional
McCulloch v. Maryland What happened?
Maryland tried to put a tax on a branch of the Bank of the US
ImpactA state cannot tax a federal institution
AmendmentSupremacy Clause (Article VI)
Plessey v. Ferguson What happened?
Plessy (1/8 of African decent) sat in white only train car, would not move when asked
ImpactEstablished the concept of “separate but
equal” in public facilities
Amendment14th
Brown v. Board What happened?
Mr. Brown wanted his daughter to attend the neighborhood school (she was black and the school was for whites)
ImpactSchools were desegregated. Separate is
unequal
Amendment14