Political Parties

1
Chapter 9

• Political Parties

2
The Functions of Political Parties(Note Parties
have consistently grown weaker in each of the
functions)

• Nominate Candidates
• Raise and Spend campaign funds
• Register voters
• Simplify decisions for voters
• Unify diverse interests
• Act as moderating influence on government
• Reduce diffusion of power in government
• Provide patronage
• Inform public through party platforms

3
Function Nominate Candidates

• Congressional Caucuses? nominating conventions
  (as a reform)? now we have primary elections (as
  a reform of the nominating conventions)
• With expansion of primaries, nominating function
  now seriously lessened. Party leaders no longer
  control nominations? more candidate-centered
  politics than party-centered politics.

4
Function Raise and Spend campaign funds

• declining importance with advent of
  candidate-centered campaigns

Function Register voters
5
Function Simplify decisions for voters

• provide an easy, fast way for busy/uninterested
  voters to base a voting decision "party lens"

6
Function Unify diverse interests

• Example FDRs New Deal Coalition (grand
  coalition)
• However, to appeal to such a wide variety of
  party members, parties must avoid taking strong
  stands? charges of tweedledee/tweedledum, not
  a dimes worth of difference between the parties.
• Coalition of 2008?

7
Function Act as moderating influence on
government

• To win elections, parties must usually nominate
  moderate candidates who appeal to the vast center
  of the American electorate. Fringe elements
  squeezed out.
• this is in contrast to the European multi-party
  system, where fringe parties and candidates are
  common.
• However, as mentioned above, when parties choose
  moderates they tend to look similar (the
  tweedledee/tweedledum criticism)

8
Function Reduce diffusion of power in government

• In theory, a party brings government together in
  order to overcome the systems of separation of
  powers and checks and balances? parties act as a
  unifying force.
• In reality, people tend to split their tickets,
  which leads to a divided government.
• Office-column ballot facilitates split-ticket
  voting (as opposed to party column ballot, which
  facilitates straight ticket voting).

9
Function Provide patronage

• In theory, this should ensure that the will of
  the people is carried out.
• In reality, vast majority of government jobs are
  filled by Civil Service.
• Plus, appointment of people with political
  connections has often resulted in corruption and
  incompetence

10
Function Inform public through party platforms

• however, few people check platforms, which in any
  case are often broadly-worded, i.e., I have
  rather a strange objection to talking from the
  back platform of a train.... It changes too
  often. It moves around and shifts its ground too
  often. I like a platform that stays put.
  Woodrow Wilson

11
The Rise and Decline of Political Parties
12
Origins

• Dangers of factions- Fed 10
• Washingtons warning -baneful effects of the
  spirit of party.
• Nevertheless, parties necessary
• Hamiltons financial plan and support for
  Jeffersons Louisiana Purchase.
• The Party, as a unifying force, was necessary to
  overcome the systems of separation of powers and
  checks and balances that divide government.

13
The Rise and Decline of Political Parties

• Historical development the Six Party Systems in
  American History

14
The Six Party Systems

• 1796-1824 the 1st party system Federalists v.
  Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans
• Republicans success and Federalists demise
• 1828-1856 the 2nd party system Jacksonian
  Democrats v. Whigs
• John Quincy Adams --election went to the house,
  where Speaker Henry Clay gives his support? Adams
  makes Clay Secretary of Stateheir to the
  presidency.
• Jackson (Old Hickory) is wronged ?Grassroots
  organization of the Democrats
• Whigs (party in England opposed to the king)
  springs up, implying that Jackson is acting the
  part of a monarch

15
The Six Party Systems

• 1860-1892 the 3rd party system Republican
  dominance as the party against slavery and party
  that kept the union together
• Jacksonian system unable to survive slavery and
  sectionalism
• New Republicans became dominant because of
• Civil War ?Republicans rely on Union pride
• Bryans alienation of Northern Democrats in 1896

16
The Six Party Systems

• 1896-1928 4th party system second period of
  Republican dominance with its coalition of big
  business and the working classes against the
  Democratic rural interests
• Era of reform- Progressives push measures to
  weaken parties
• Primary elections
• Nonpartisan elections at city and sometimes state
  level
• Strict voter registration requirements
• Civil service reform
• Initiatives and referendum
• Effects Reduction in worst forms of political
  corruption, weakening of all political parties
  and reduction of voter turnout

17
The Six Party Systems

• 1932-1964 the 5th party system
• Democratic dominance begun under FDR and the New
  Deal
• FDRs grand coalition (New Deal coalition)
  included urban dwellers, labor unions, Catholics,
  Jews, the poor, Southerners, Blacks, farmers

18
The Six Party Systems

• 1968-present the 6th party system Era of
  Divided Government.
• Much split-ticket voting
• Presidents of one party (typically Republican)
  with Congresses of the opposite party (typically
  Democratic).
• An era of party dealignment, as voters are moving
  away from both parties and are increasingly
  independent

19
Realigning (critical) elections-

• Long term change in alignment
• Definition periods when a major, lasting shift
  occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or
  both parties.
• Examples 1800, 1828, 1860, 1896, 1932, and some
  believe 1980?but we have to think about why
  Reagan was elected

20
Structure and Reforms of the Parties

• National Level structure
• Parties similar on paper
• National convention ultimate power ?nominate
  presidential candidate
• National committee composed of delegates from
  states ? manages affairs between conventions
• Congressional campaign committees
• National Committee Chairman and other chairs
  maintain day to day activities

21
Party structure diverges in the late 1960s

• RNC moves to bureaucratic structure a
  well-financed party devoted to electing its
  candidates? runs a national political consulting
  firm
• Democrats move to factionalized structure to
  redistribute power
• RNC uses computerized mailing lists to raise
  money, then DNC adopts same practice
• Money used to provide services to candidates
• To sidestep federal spending limits, DNC and RNC
  send money to state parties
• RNC now tries to help state and local
  organizations
• Democrats remain a collection of feuding factions

22
National conventions

• National committee sets time and place and set
  number of delegates for each state
• Formulas used to allocate delegates
• Democrats shift formula away from South, to North
  and West
• Republicans shift formula from East to South and
  Southwest
• Result Democrats move left, Republicans right
• Democrat formula rewards large states and
  Republican rewards loyal states
• Democrats set new rules
• In 1970s, rules changed to weaken local party
  leaders and increase influence of women, youth,
  minorities by developing a quota system
• Hunt Commission in 1981 increases influence of
  elected officials and makes convention a more
  deliberative body (decrease factionalism)
• Consequence of reforms parties represent
  different sets of middle class
• Dems become factionalized

23
Parties solidify who they represent

• Representation
• Republicans represent traditional middle
  class-more conservative
• Democrats represent new class-more liberal
• Democrats hurt since traditional middle class
  closer in opinions to most citizens
• To become more competitive, Democrats adopt rule
  changes
• In 1988, number of superdelegates increased while
  special interest caucuses decreased
• 1992 rules
• Proportional representation implemented
• States that violate rules penalized
• Conventions today only ratify choices made in
  primaries

24
State and Local Levels

• Power distribution Must look at incentives to
  understand the organization of state/local
  parties
• The Machine ? Money, MoneyMoney!
• The Spoils System
• patronage jobs ? temporary jobs awarded to
  loyal party members.
• Loyalty shown on election day when individual
  would produce 10 votes for the candidate.
• in the case of Richard Daleys Chicago party
  machine, these individuals would be expected to
  donate 5 of their income
• Kickbacks etc
• Party welfare system
• response to the spoils system?

25
Two-Party System

• Why such a permanent feature?
• Electoral system?winner-take-all and plurality
  system
• Opinions of voterstwo broad coalitions work,
  although times of bitter dissent
• State laws have made it very difficult for third
  parties to get on the ballot (e.g. Washingtons
  top two primary)

Plurality System the winner is that person who
gets the most votes, even if he or she does not
get a majority of all votes cast
26
Minor (Third) parties

• Types
• Ideological parties (Doctrinal)-comprehensive,
  radical view apply a general philosophy to wide
  variety of issues ex Socialist, Communist,
  Libertarian
• One-issue parties-address one concern, avoid
  others Examples Free Soil, Greenbacks,
  Prohibition
• Economic protest parties-regional, protest
  economic conditions Examples Greenback, Populist
• Factional parties-from split in a major party
• Examples Bull Moose, Henry Wallace, American
  Independent
• Movements not producing parties either slim
  chance of success or parties accommodate via
  direct primary and national party convention
• Examples civil rights, antiwar, labor
• Factional parties have had greatest influence
• Personalities Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996, TR in
  1912

27
Reasons for third party campaigns

• Raise issues rather than win elections
• Influence the outcome of presidential elections
  (1992!!, 2000!!!)

28
Obstacles

• Two-party tradition
• winner-take-all (whoever gets the most
  ?plurality) system in Congressional and
  Presidential elections
• getting candidates on every ballot
• getting money and media coverage

Perot won 19 of the vote in 1992, but had zero
electoral votes since he did not win any states.
29
Nominating a President

• By tradition, the party "out of power"-the one
  not holding the presidency-holds its convention
  first.
• Two contrary forces party's desire to win
  motivates it to seek an appealing candidate, but
  its desire to keep dissidents in party forces a
  compromise with more extreme views
• Are the delegates representative of the voters?

30
Who votes in primaries?

• Primaries now more numerous and more decisive
• Stevenson (1952) and Humphrey (1968) won the
  presidential nomination without entering any
  primaries
• By 1992 forty primaries and twenty caucuses
  (some states with both)
• Less ideological difference between primary
  voters and rank-and-file party voters
• Caucus meeting of party followers at which
  delegates are picked
• Only most dedicated partisans attend
• Often choose most ideological candidate Jackson,
  Robertson in 1988

31
Who are the new delegates?

• However chosen, today's delegates are more
  issue-oriented activists
• Advantages of new system
• Increased chance for activists within party
• Decreased probability of their bolting the party
• Disadvantage may nominate presidential
  candidates unacceptable to voters or rank and file

32
Parties versus voters

• Democrats have won more congressional elections
  than presidential contests
• Candidates are out of step with average voters on
  social and taxation issues
• So are delegates.., and there's a connection
• Rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans differ on
  many political issues
• But differences are usually small
• Delegates from two parties differ widely on these
  same issues
• Delegates (and candidates) need to correspond
  with views of average citizens
• But candidates must often play to the ideological
  extremes to win delegate support.

33
Impact of Parties and relative party strength

• Congress- majority party controls all committees,
  picks chairman, and controls key leadership
  positions
• Executive
• nearly all White House Office and top positions
  in the Executive Branch are partisan
  appointments many go to people in campaign
  (political appointees).
• development of Civil Service System has greatly
  reduced party influence over the bureaucracy.
• Judicial? nearly all appointments are partisan.
• State and local? State positions are partisan
  while local ones are not
• Strength
• National government? divided government typical
  of last few decades
• State governments
• Governors 23 Republican, 27Democrat (Jan. 2009 ?
  21Reps 29Dems)
• State legislatures 24 Demo controlled, 16 Rep
  controlled, 9 split, 1 non-partisan (Nebraska has
  a unicameral legislature and parties are not
  listed on the ballot)

34
Recap weaknesses of the parties

• Parties lack strong rank-and-file membership and
  strong grass roots organization
• Not responsive enough to social reform choose
  moderates who do not want to alienate anybody
• Parties have lost many of their traditional
  functions, or these functions have been weakened
• Nomination of candidates (now done by primary
  elections)
• Funding of political campaigns (trend towards
  candidate-centered campaigns).
• Unifying government (we often have divided
  government, and intra-party conflict can be
  strong? John McCains critiques of W. Bush)
• Providing patronage (jobs now filled by Civil
  Service).
• Parties are decentralized
• Each organized along the federal model Natl
  Convention ?National Committee?State
  committees?Local Committees
• Result Neither the DNC nor RNC has true clout
  over the state and local committees.