C H A P T E R 7

What Is a Party?• A political party is a group of persons

who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office.

• The two major parties in American politics are the Republican and Democratic parties.

• Parties can be principle-oriented, issue-oriented, or election-oriented. The American parties are election-oriented.

What Do Parties Do? Nominate Candidates—Recruit, choose, and

present candidates for public office.

Inform and Activate Supporters—Campaign, define issues, and criticize other candidates.

Act as a Bonding Agent—Guarantee that their candidate is worthy of the office.

Govern—Members of government act according to their partisanship, or firm allegiance to a party.

Act as a Watchdog—Parties that are out of power keep a close eye on the actions of the party in power for a blunder to use against them in the next election.

Why a Two-Party System? The Historical Basis. The nation started out with two-

parties: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Force of Tradition. America has a two-party system

because it always has had one. Minor parties, lacking wide political support, have never made a successful showing, so people are reluctant to support them.

The Electoral System. Certain features of government, such as single-member districts, are designed to favor two major parties.

Ideological Consensus. Most Americans have a general agreement on fundamental matters. Conditions that would spark several strong rival parties do not exist in the United States.

Party as nominator of candidates

Most states use the primary as a way of nominating

Some use caucus or conventions-party leaders play stronger role in nominating

How ballots are organized affects party nominations Party column ballot-easier to vote

straight ticket. Office block ballot-organized by

office candidate is running for, makes straight ticket less likely

Nonpartisan elections-no affiliation with party is indicated on ballot-local, judicial

Party Column Ballot

Office Column Ballot

The Caucus-history & modern use

Caucus-meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform

By 1820’s this became corrupt-backroom deals

Convention method of nomination

1830’s-1840’s Party Conventions-delegates, usually chosen directly by party members

Once again, falls to corruption, replaced by primary election

How do primaries differ?

1.) who may run and how one qualifies for the ballot;

2.) whether the party organization can or does endorse candidates before the primary;

3.) who may vote in a party’s primary; 4.) how many votes are need for

nomination-plurality, majority or some other number determined by party rule or state law.

Impact of differing types of Primary

elections Open primaries-any voter, regardless of party may vote

Permits crossover voting-Republicans voting in Democratic primary & vice versa

Closed primaries-only persons of registered in the party holding that primary may vote

Primary system and the Power of the Party

Decreases the role of the party in nominating candidates.

Party officials have less influence in an election so have much less control over nominations

***PARTY’S DO NOT CONTROL WHO IS NOMINATED IN OUR CANDIDATE CENTERED SYSTEM

Blanket Primaries

Washington and California experimented with this

All voters could vote for any candidate, regardless of party-allowed raiding of other parties ballot

Watchdog Role

Parties give each other a polite reprieve from attack shortly after an election

This is called the honeymoon period. Most Presidents have used this to

their advantage-the first 100 days.

The Party as an agent of governing

Legislative: all committees are chaired by majority party, all committees have a majority of members that are of the majority party in that house.

Executive: Patronage- President appoints or selects party loyalists to key government and federal judicial positions

Patronage…the awarding of government jobs to persons of the winning party

The Party as agent of governing

Even the party in power must moderate its position because it usually needs the help of the minority…to get legislation passed and especially to get re-elected.

Other Party Systems

Multi party systems-parliamentary systems Exception –England-strong two party

system

Italy/Israel-many parties-coalitions necessary, minor parties get concessions(positions in cabinet, etc.) in exchange

Creates incentive and environment for strong third/fourth parties to flourish

Multiparty Systems Parties run slates of candidates for legislature Winners determined by Proportional

Representation-parties receive proportion of legislators based on proportion of votes

________________________________________ U.S.-Winner-take-all-only candidate with most

votes takes office. Minor parties can rarely overcome the

assumption that a vote for them is wasted Plurality-most votes Majority-more than 50%

Multiparty Systems

Advantages Provides broader

representation of the people.

More responsive to the will of the people.

Give voters more choices at the polls.

Disadvantages Cause parties to

form coalitions, which can dissolve easily.

Failure of coalitions can cause instability in government.

One-Party Systems

Types of One-Party Systems

Example:

Republican North and Democratic South until the

1950s.

Modified One-Party Systems where one party regularly wins

most elections

One Party Systems where only one party is

allowed.

Example:

Dictatorships such as Stalinist Russia

Party Membership Patterns

Family Major events

Economic Status Religion

Occupation Age

Factors that can influence party membership:

The Nation’s First Parties

Federalists Led by Alexander

Hamilton Represented wealthy

and upper-class interests

Favored strong executive leadership and liberal interpretation of the Constitution

Anti-Federalists Led by Thomas

Jefferson Represented the

“common man” Favored Congress as

the strongest arm of government and a strict interpretation of the Constitution

Change and Continuity Parties have changed but many important

elements of the system have not. Such as…~Parties are moderate and accommodating~minor parties have played a role but

never eclipsed the major parties~the “plate tectonics” of parties had been

realigning elections-a turning point that redefines the agenda and the alignment of voters within the parties

Realigning Elections

Characteristics: 1. intense electoral involvement(voters) 2. disruption of traditional voters 3. changes in relationships of power

within the community 4. formations of new and durable

electoral groupings

Realigning Elections contin…

Final Characteristic: 5. Cyclical-coincide with

a. expansion in suffrage or b. changes in rate of voting

Key Realigning Elections1824, 1860, 1896, 1932

1824 Jackson defeated by John Q. Adams

in the House of Reps Comes back with Martin Van Buren

to win by combining various interests and regions

Solidifies a new Democratic Party with nation wide support

Federalists become the Whigs

1860

Republican Party evolves out of crisis over slavery

Lincoln elected in 1860, dominate for 50 yrs.

Dems survive only with white male base in South

Election of 1896McKinleyBryan

1896

Party in power did not change hands * exception called a converting

realignment because party in power was same but was reinforced by those characteristics of realignment because of the threat to the party

1932 Laissez faire economics-hands off-

Hoover vs. Keynesian economics-government

could influence economy through fiscal and monetary policy adopted by FDR

American Parties: Four Major ErasThe Three Historical Eras

The Era of the Democrats, 1800—1860– Democrats dominate all but two presidential elections.– The Whig Party emerges in 1834, but declines by the

1850s, electing only two Presidents.– The Republican Party is founded in 1854.

The Era of the Republicans, 1860—1932– Republicans dominate all but four presidential

elections.– The Civil War disables the Democratic Party for the

remainder of the 1800s.The Return of the Democrats, 1932—1968

– Democrats dominate all but two presidential elections.– Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President

four times.

American Parties: Parties Today

The Start of a New Era: The Era of Divided GovernmentSince 1968, neither Republicans nor Democrats have dominated the

presidency and Congress has often been controlled by the opposing party.

1968–1976 Republicans hold the presidency

Congress is controlled by Democrats

1976–1980 Democrats hold the presidency

Congress is controlled by Democrats

1980–1992 Republicans hold the presidency

Senate controlled by Republicans 1980-1986, controlled by Democrats from 1986 to 1994

1992 – 2000 Democrats hold the presidency

Congress controlled by Republicans, 1994 to present

2000 Republicans hold the presidency

Congress is controlled by Republicans

Minor Parties in the United States

Splinter Party

Example: “Bull Moose” Progressive

Party

Economic Protest Parties

Example: The Greenback Party

Ideological Parties

Example: Libertarian

Party

Types of Minor Parties

Single-issue Parties

Example: Free Soil Party

•Ideological parties tend to last the longest

•Examples-Prohibition, Libertarian, and Green parties

Minor Parties in the United StatesMinor Parties in the United States

Why Minor Parties Are Important

Minor parties play several important roles:“Spoiler Role”

Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the major parties’ candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party.

Critic Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often

take stands on and draw attention to controversial issues that the major parties would prefer to ignore.

Innovator Often, minor parties will draw attention to

important issues and propose innovative solutions to problems. If these proposals gain popular support, they are often integrated into the platforms of the two major parties.

Third Parties in History Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party

Third Parties in History, contin…

George Wallace’s American Independent Party- 1968 election-13 million votes, 46 electoral votes

Continued…

Ross Perot-The Reform Party- won 19 million votes, 19% of the total vote in 1992

Reform Party contin…

Without Ross Perot to lead it, Reform party under candidate Pat Buchanan failed to get even 1% of the popular vote.

The Decentralized Nature of the Parties

Both of the major parties are highly decentralized and fragmented.

Why?• The party out of power lacks a strong leader.

• The federal system distributes powers widely, in turn causing the

parties to be decentralized.

• The nominating process pits party members against one another

because only one person can chosen to be the party’s

presidential candidate.

National Party Machinery

The National

Convention

The National

Chairperson

The Congressional

Campaign Committees

The National CommitteeAll four elements of both major parties work together loosely to

achieve the party’s goals.

State and Local Party Machinery State and local party organization varies from State to

State, but usually follow the general principles below.

The Three Components of the Party

The Party in the Electorate

Those who always or almost always vote

for party candidates.

The Party Organization:

Those who run and control the party

machinery.

Party Components

The Party in Government

Those who hold office in the government.

The Future of Major Parties

For voters :

More people are unwilling to label themselves as “Democrats” or “Republicans”

Split-ticket voting—voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

Distrust of Parties

For candidates:

Structural changes have increased conflict and disorganization within parties

Changes in the technology of campaigning, especially the use of television and the Internet, have made candidates more independent of the party organization

The growth of single-issue organizations provides candidates with another source of financial support

Weakened connections to political parties:

Parties today

Institutions: ~National party leadership

National Convention National Committee National Party Chair Congressional/senatorial campaign

committees Proposed soft money bans, but parties need $Grass Roots

State, county, city level separate structure

Institutions of the Party, contin…

Party Platform-official statement, vague on purpose

Party platform-doesn’t help a presidential candidate but can hurt a candidate

Party Activists

Those who identify themselves as strong Republican or strong Democrat are the most active in politics and are generally more knowledgeable and informed.

The Fate of the Party system Three challenges

1. Parties do not take meaningful and contrasting positions on

issues 2. Party membership is meaningless 3. Parties are concerned with the middle

of the ideological spectrum so they are not capable of social progress

Is the Party System in Severe Decline? Reforms of early 1900’s progressives

weaken parties Nonpartisan elections and the large

number of elections make it harder for party to exert influence

The new media have reinforced the role of the candidate

Will the Parties have a revived role? The national party organizations are

better funded

Have the big $$$ that candidates need in such an expensive election process.

Party Unity

Party Unity Score-the percentage of members who vote together on roll call votes in Congress Clinton had the highest party unity

scores from his party in 1993 than any party in the past 40 years 85% of Dems, 84% of Reps