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