Chapter 16Political Parties

Chapter 16Section 1

Development of Parties

Political Party: a group of people with broad common interests who organize to win elections and to control and influence governments and their policies.

One-Party Systems◦ In a one-party system, the party, in effect, is the

government.◦ Such one-party systems are usually found in

authoritarian governments.◦ One-party systems also exist in countries like Iran

where the government is dominated by religion in a system called theocracy.

Parties and Party Systems

Multiparty Systems◦ In nations with a multiparty system, several

political parties compete to control the government and must often form coalitions to do so. Coalition government: one formed by several

parties who combine forces to obtain a majority◦ France has 5 major parties and Italy has 10

leaving voters with a wide range of choices on election day.

◦ Many nations with multiparty systems are politically unstable.

Parties and Party Systems

Two-Party System◦ In the dozen nations with a two-party system, two

major parties dominate the government. In the United States, the two parties are the

Republicans and the Democrats.◦ Minor parties can exist in this system.◦ Minor Parties in the US include:

Libertarian Party Green Party Constitution Party Pirate Party United States Marijuana Party

Parties and Party Systems

Although many of the Founders distrusted factions, by the end of President Washington’s second term, two political parties had formed.◦ Federalists- believed in strong central government◦ Democratic-Republicans- believed the states should

have more power than the central government

The two-party system in the United States changed as political parties appeared and declined.

Growth of American Parties

Parties Before the Civil War◦ After the election of Federalist John Adams, the

Federalists began to fade.◦ Democratic-Republicans held the office of

President for nearly 3 decades.◦ Conflicts drove the Democratic-Republican party

to split into factions. Democrats National Republicans (Whigs)

◦ On the eve of the Civil War, the Republican Party was born.

Growth of American Parties

Parties After the Civil War◦ After the war, Republicans dominated the national

scene with the Democrats the minority party.

◦ Democrats held the Presidency for only 4 terms between 1860 and 1932.

Growth of American Parties

Parties in the Great Depression and After◦ During the Great Depression, the Democratic

Party gained power and remained the majority party for most of the next 50 years.

◦ The Republican Party gained the presidency in 6 of the next 9 terms, starting in 1968, and in 1994 regained control of both houses of Congress.

Growth of American Parties

Third parties have been part of the American political scene since the early years of the Republic.◦ Third Party: any party other than on of the two

major parties

All third parties have one thing in common: They do not believe the two major parties are meeting certain national needs.

The Role of Minor Parties

Types of Third Parties◦ In general, third parties fall into one of three

categories:◦ the single-issue party

Focuses exclusively on one major social, economic, or moral issue.

◦ the ideological party Focuses on overall change in society rather than on

an issue.◦ the splinter party

Splits away from one of the major parties because of some disagreement.

The Role of Minor Parties

The Impact of Third Parties◦ Occasionally, third parties influenced the outcome

of national elections by drawing enough votes to tip the balance to one of the major parties.

◦ Third parties’ ideas often were later adopted by the major parties.

The Role of Minor Parties

Obstacles to Third Parties◦ Third parties face many obstacles:

◦ 1) It is difficult for them to get on the ballot

◦ 2) most voters support the major parties

◦ 3) raising campaign funds is difficult.

The Role of Minor Parties

Chapter 16Section 2Party Organization

Party Membership◦ Both Republicans and Democrats are organized

into 50 state parties and thousands of local parties, as well as a national party.

◦ Voters may become members of a party when they register to vote, usually joining the party whose ideas and candidates, in general, they support.

◦ Party membership involves no duties or obligations beyond voting.

◦ Some members contribute money or do volunteer work.

Membership and Organization

Local Party Organization◦ The basic local unit in the party’s organization is

the precinct, or voting district, and wards made up of several adjoining precincts.

◦ The county level is the one in which the party is most united, and the county chairperson usually exercises a good deal of political power in the county.

◦ But counties are the weakest link in the party’s organizational chain because they are largely run by volunteers.

Membership and Organization

State Party Organization◦ The state central committee, composed of

members from the party’s county organizations, is the most important part of the party in each state.

◦ Its main function is to help elect the party’s candidates for state office.

Membership and Organization

National Party Organization◦ The national convention and the national

committee are the two main parts of the party’s national organization.

◦ The national party chairperson, elected by the national committee, manages the daily operations of the national party.

◦ Both parties have independent campaign committees for Congress.

Membership and Organization

Recruiting Candidates◦ Political parties recruit candidates to run for

office.

◦ Both parties are candidate-oriented rather than issue-oriented.

Political Party Functions

Educating the Public◦ Political parties bring important issues to the

attention of the public, publish the party’s position on these issues, maintain Web sites, and help form public opinion.

◦ Personal attacks against the other party’s candidates sometimes obscure issues.

◦ Since many Americans are not well informed on issues or the candidates, political party membership simplifies their choices.

Political Party Functions

Operating the Government◦ Political parties play a key role in running the

government.◦ Congress and state legislatures carry on their

work on the basis of party affiliation.

Dispensing Patronage◦ Political parties also dispense patronage,

including jobs, contracts, and appointments to government positions.

Political Party Functions

The Loyal Opposition◦ The party out of power assumes the role of

“watchdog” over government.

Reduction of Conflict◦ Because parties need to draw support from many

different and sometimes conflicting groups, parties encourage compromise and adopt moderate policies with mass appeal.

Political Party Functions

Chapter 16Section 3

Nominating Candidates

Historically, individuals have sought nominations for public office in one of four ways:◦ Caucus

◦ Nominating Convention

◦ Primary Election

◦ Petition

How Candidates are Selected

In 19 states party leaders hold caucuses to select candidates for public office.◦ Caucuses: private meetings of party leaders.

The caucus became widely criticized because most people had no say in selecting the candidates.

Modern caucuses have candidates selected at the neighborhood level, then voted at the county, congressional district and state levels.

Caucuses

As party caucuses came under attack, the nominating convention to choose candidates became popular.◦ Nominating Convention: an official public meeting

of a party to choose candidates for office

Local party organizations send representatives to a county nominating convention that selects candidates for county offices and chooses delegates who will go to a state nominating convention.

Nominating Convention

State nominating conventions select candidates for statewide office and chooses delegates who will go the national convention.

In theory nominating conventions are more democratic than caucuses but their openness to corruption made them undemocratic.

Nominating Convention

The direct primary is the method most used by parties today to nominate candidates.◦ Direct Primary: an election in which party

members select people to run in the general election

Most states hold closed primaries, in which only party members vote, but some states have open primaries, in which any voter can participate.

Primary Elections

Primary elections, run according to state law and held at regular polling places, are used to select party candidates for the House, Senate, governor, and other state and local offices.

In most states, candidates need only a plurality of the votes to win, not a majority.

In other states, a runoff primary is held if a candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.

Primary Elections

A person can file a petition, signed by a specified number of voters, to be placed on the ballot.

The caucus or convention candidate of the major parties has an advantage because of party backing and resources.

Petition

Every four years, each major party holds a nominating convention to choose candidates for president and vice president in the November general election.

The task of the delegates to the convention is to select a ticket that will win the general election.◦ Ticket: candidates for president and vice

president

Presidential Nominations

Before nominating conventions, congressional caucuses selected presidential candidates.

From 1800 to 1824 congressional leaders from each party met in secret to select their party’s ticket.

The caucus movement lost steam and since 1832 a convention of party members has chosen major party presidential candidates.

History of Presidential Nominations

For years when citizens voted in primaries, they chose from groups of party members who supported a specific candidate.

The group that won the state primary would vote for their candidate at the national convention.

Today major parties provided a more democratic nomination process with party rules encouraging participation by women and minorities.

History of Presidential Nominations

Most primaries operate in one of the following ways:◦ They may be a delegate selection process or

presidential preference poll, or both.◦ Either the candidate who wind the primary gets

all the state’s convention delegates or each candidate gets delegates based on how many popular votes he receives.

◦ Delegates selected on the basis of the popular vote may be required to support a certain candidate at the national convention or they can be uncommitted.

Presidential Primaries Today

Criticisms of presidential primaries include:◦ 1) the process extends over too long a period.

◦ 2) the primaries focus on the image of a candidate more than on the issues.

◦ 3) relatively few people vote in primaries, thus the winner may not be as popular as the victory would indicate.

◦ 4) primaries often result in one-sided conventions that become rubber stamp operations.

Criticisms of Presidential Primaries

Preconvention Planning◦Each party’s national committee chooses

the site and date of the convention and decides how many votes each state will have.

The National Convention

Assembling the Convention◦ Many of the delegates who assemble at the

convention are already pledged to a candidate, though some are not.

◦ On the evening of the opening day, an important party member gives the keynote address, a speech intended to unite the party for the coming campaign.

◦ In the next day or two, the delegates listen to committee reports and speeches about them.

The National Convention

The Rules Committee◦ Each party’s rules committee governs the way the

convention is run and sets the convention’s order of business.

◦ The delegates must approve any rule changes from the previous convention.

◦ Most delegates accept the rules committee’s report, but sometimes bitter battles are fought by delegates who oppose decisions made by the rules committee.

The National Convention

The Credentials Committee◦ The credentials committee must approve the

delegations from each state.

◦ Rival delegations can come to the convention claiming to be the delegates of their state.

◦ Sometimes lively fights have occurred between rival delegations for a state’s seats.

The National Convention

The Committee on Permanent Organization◦ A committee on permanent organization selects

the permanent chairperson and other permanent officials for the convention.

The Platform Committee◦ The platform committee is assigned the

important task of writing the party’s platform—a statement of its principles, beliefs, and positions on vital issues.

The National Convention

Nominating the Candidates◦ The highlight of the convention is the selection of

the party’s candidate for president. ◦ The convention chairperson instructs the clerk to

read the alphabetical roll call of the states and the chairperson of each state calls out the delegates’ vote.

◦ The candidate who receives a majority of the vote becomes the party’s nominee.

◦ In recent years, front-runners have had enough committed delegates that it was known they would be the party’s nominee, and they were selected on the first roll call ballot.

The National Convention

The Vice-Presidential Nomination◦ The vice presidential nomination sometimes

creates some suspense because the presidential candidate’s choice, who is always selected by the delegates, is not known in advance.

◦ The vice presidential nominee usually is chosen to balance the ticket, with a person who has a personal, political, or geographic background different from the presidential candidate’s.

The National Convention

Adjournment◦ The convention adjourns after the presidential

and vice presidential candidates have delivered their acceptance speeches.

◦ Speeches are intended to unify the party and appeal to the national television audience.

The National Convention