Title: Political%20Parties
1Political Parties
2The Meaning of Party
- Political Party
- A team of men and women seeking to control the
governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly
constituted election. - Parties can be thought of in three parts
- Party in the electorate
- Party as an organization
- Party in government
3The Meaning of Party
- Tasks of the Parties
- Linkage Institution The channels through which
peoples concerns become political issues on the
governments policy agenda. - Parties Pick Candidates
- Parties Run Campaigns
- Parties Give Cues to Voters
- Parties Articulate Policies
- Parties Coordinate Policymaking
4The Meaning of Party
- Parties, Voters, and Policy The Downs Model
- Rational-choice theory Assumes that individuals
act in their own best interest, weighing the
costs benefits.
5The Meaning of Party
- Do People See Differences Between the Parties?
(Figure 8.2)
6The Party in the Electorate
- Party identification is a citizens
self-proclaimed preference for one party or the
other. - Ticket-splitting
- Voting for candidates of different parties.
Year Dem Ind Rep
1964 52.2 23 24.8
1976 40.2 36.8 23.0
1988 35.7 36.3 28.0
2000 34.8 41.0 24.2
7The Party in the Electorate
8The Party Organizations From the Grass Roots to
Washington
- These are the people that work for the party.
- Local Parties
- Party Machines A type of political party
organization that relies heavily on material
inducements to win votes and to govern. - Patronage A job, promotion or contract given for
political reasons rather than merit. Used by
party machines. - Now urban party organizations are generally weak.
- County organizations have partially filled the
void.
9The Party Organizations From the Grass Roots to
Washington
- The 50 State Party Systems
- Closed primaries voters must be registered with
their party in advance and can only vote for that
party - Open primaries voters decide on election day
which party to participate in, and then only that
party - Blanket primaries voters get a list of all
candidates and can vote for one name for each
office, regardless of party label - State party organizations are on an upswing in
terms of headquarters and budgets.
10The Party Organizations From the Grass Roots to
Washington
- The National Party Organizations
- National Convention The meeting of party
delegates every four years to choose a
presidential ticket and the partys platform. - National Committee One of the institutions that
keeps the party operating between conventions. - National Chairperson Responsible for day-to-day
activities of the party.
11The Party in Government Promises and Policy
- These are the party members actually elected to
government. - Candidates are less dependent on parties to get
elected, but they still need help. - Coalition
- A group of individuals with a common interest
upon which every political party depends. - Parties politicians generally do what they say
they will do.
12The Party in Government Promises and Policy
13Party Eras inAmerican History
- Party Eras
- Historical periods in which a majority of votes
cling to the party in power. - Critical Election
- An electoral earthquake where new issues and
new coalitions emerge. - Party Realignment
- The displacement of the majority party by the
minority party, usually during a critical
election.
14Party Eras inAmerican History
- 1796-1824 The First Party System
- Madison warned of factions
- First party were the Federalists
- 1828-1856 Jackson and the Democrats Versus the
Whigs - Modern party founded by Jackson
- Whigs formed mainly in opposition to Democrats
15Party Eras inAmerican History
- 1860-1928 The Two Republican Eras
- Republicans rose as the antislavery party
- 1896 election revolved around the gold standard
- 1932-1964 The New Deal Coalition
- Forged by the Democrats - relied upon urban
working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews,
the poor, Southerners
16Party Eras in American History
- Party Coalitions Today (Figure 8.3)
17Party Eras in American History
- 1968-Present The Era of Divided Party Government
- Party dealignment- disengagement of people from
parties - Party neutrality- people are indifferent towards
the two parties
18Party Eras in American History
- Partisan Control of State Governments 2003
(Figure 8.4)
19Third Parties Their Impact on American Politics
- Political parties other than Democrat or
Republican - Rarely win elections
- But, they bring new groups and ideas into
politics - Two-party system discourages extreme views
20Third Parties Their Impact on American Politics
- Winner-take-all system
- Legislative seats awarded only to first place
finishers. - Proportional Representation
- Legislative seats awarded based on votes received
by the party- more votes, more seats - Coalition Government
- Two or more parties join to run government
21Understanding Political Parties
- Democracy and Responsible Party Government
- 1. Parties have distinct comprehensive programs.
- 2. Candidates are committed to the program.
- 3. Majority party must carry out its program.
- 4. Majority party must accept responsibility.
22Understanding Political Parties
- Individualism and Gridlock
- Easier to pass the buck than bite the bullet
- Lack of uniformity even within parties
- American Political Parties and the Scope of
Government - Lack of uniformity keeps government small
- But, it also makes cutting government programs
harder to do
23Understanding Political Parties
- Is the Party Over?
- No longer the chief source of information for
voters - But, state and national party organizations are
getting stronger - Majority of people still identify with a party,
but still split their tickets - Parties will continue to be around