Political Parties

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Political Parties

• The dance floor is now in session!

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Quick Review

• Government ensures collective action.
• Government costs a group time, effort, and
  resources (transaction), and obligates the group
  into collective action (conformity).
• A democratic type of government attempts to
  reduce transaction and conformity costs as much
  as possible.
• In a true democracy, the majority rules and
• the minority are powerless

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Quick Review

• A democracy is rule by the people themselves
  whereas a republic is rule by the people through
  representatives
• The democracy of the United States is a republic
  (representative democracy).
• The system of government is a federal government.

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Quick Review

• Proper behavior of a citizen
• Learning your rights
• Learning your responsibilities
• Guarding them both

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Democratic Systems of Govt

• Unitary Voters ? Central Govt ? State and Local
  Govt
• Confederate Voters ? State and Local Govt ?
  Central Govt
• Federate Voters

Central Govt
State and Local Govt
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5.1 Parties and what they do

• Political parties are in the business of winning
• Political party a group of persons, joined
  together on the basis of certain common
  principles, who seek to control govt in order to
  bring about the adoption of certain public
  policies.

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• Coalition a union of many persons of diverse
  interests who have come together to get their
  candidates elected to public office.
• The dominant parties are Republican and Democrat

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• Political parties
• Are essential to democratic government
• Ensure collective action the ability of
  individuals to come together toward a goal or
  interest
• Help create compromise (the primary function of
  politics)
• Helps soften the impact of fringe and extremist
  views

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• The Five (5) functions of a Political Party
• 1) The Nominating Function
• The major function of political parties b/c we
  live in a republic
• Name candidates to various public offices and
  present them to the people to vote

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• 2) The Informer-Stimulator Function
• Inform people and stimulate their interests in
  public affairs to the advantage of the political
  party
• Campaign for their candidates, take stand on
  issues, and criticize opponents
• Advertises, educates, mass produces paraphernalia
  (buttons, pamphlets, etc.) aka propaganda

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• 3) The Seal of Approval Function
• Approves candidates whom political parties see as
  qualified, of good character, and represents
  their interests
• Ensures accountability for those candidates b/c
  their performance reflects the party
• 4) The Government Function
• Congress and State legislators are organized on
  party lines and conduct their business on a
  partisan basis

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• Partisan to show bias and support toward one
  group, issue, situation, etc.
• Parties ensure the legislative and executive
  branch work together b/c there are cohesive
  groups in power rather than individuals

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5.1 Parties and what they do

• 5) The Watchdog Function
• Political parties watch over the conduct of other
  political parties (candidates, platforms, etc.)
• Out of power parties scrutinize and criticize the
  parties in power mostly in the attempt to throw
  their opposition out of power and get their party
  in power

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• America has a two-party system only two
  political parties are dominant at any given time
• Minor partiesor third partieswill virtually
  never have any real significance on the political
  scene in the U.S.

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Four (4) reasons for the Two-Party System
• 1) Historical
• The ratification of the Constitution saw the
  development of the first two political
  partiesthe Federalists (Hamilton) and the
  Anti-Federalists (Jefferson)

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• 2) Force of Tradition
• B/c the U.S. started with a two-party system, the
  tradition continued
• B/c there has always been a two-party system, it
  is widely accepted by the people (the status quo)

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• 3) The Electoral System
• The shape and function of the U.S. electoral
  system allows for only two parties at a time
• Single-member district elections contests in
  which only one candidate is elected
  (Winner-Take-All)
• Only needs to receive a plurality more than the
  other candidates, not a majority (lt50)

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Single-member district elections discourage more
  than two viable candidates from being picked b/c
  voting for minor parties is seen as throwing away
  your vote
• Laws in America discourage minor parties and
  protect the two-party system by making it hard to
  get their candidates on ballots

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The Two-Party System
Proportional Representation
Blue Party Red Party Green Party
District A 5 3 2
District B 2 5 3
District C 6 2 2
District D 7 0 3
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10
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Total

• Blue gets two representatives
• Red gets one representative
• Green gets one representative

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The Two-Party System
Two Party System / Winner-Take-All
Blue Party Red Party Green Party
District A 5 3 2
District B 2 5 3
District C 6 2 2
District D 7 0 3
3
1
0
Total

• Blue gets three representatives
• Red gets one representative
• Green does not get representatives

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• 4) The American Ideological Consensus
• Over time, the American people have shared much
  of the same ideals, basic principles, and
  patterns of beliefs
• This has produced two major parties that are in a
  lot of cases alikebut not completely alike

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Alternate Systems
• Multi-party systems major and minor parties
  exist who have realistic power in a nation
• This is the way w/ a lot of democracies in Europe
  as well as Japan, Israel, Canada, and others

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Various parties are based on some particular
  interest (economic class, religious belief,
  political ideology, etc.)
• This system is unstable b/c no one party can gain
  a majority and so have to form coalitions with
  other parties
• Parties constantly shift in power coalitions
  dissolve, shift, and/or form in new ways

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• One-party systemput simply, a dictatorship it
  is really a no-party system b/c the one party
  rules and competition is virtually non-existent

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Political Membership
• Membership to political parties in the U.S. is
  purely voluntary
• As a result, the major parties try to be as
  broadly based as possible to attract as many
  members as possible

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Historically, there have been trends In the last
  few decade
• African Americans, Catholics, Jews, union members
  ? Democrat Party
• White males, Protestants, the business community
  ? Republican Party (GOP)
• 2/3 of people follow the party allegiance of
  their parents

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5.2 The Two-Party System

• Major events change party allegiances
• Civil War
• Republicans white male, anti-slavery, bigger
  govt
• Democrats white male, pro-slavery, smaller
  govt
• The Great Depression
• Democrats bigger govt, activist govt
• Republicans smaller govt, non-interventionist
  govt

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5.4 Minor Parties

• Also called a third party a political party
  formed as a dissenting or independent group from
  members of one or both of the two prevailing
  major parties.

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5.4 Minor Parties

• 1) Ideological Parties
• Those based on a particular set of beliefs toward
  social, economic, and political matters
• Ex. Libertarian Party individualism, doing
  away with most of todays govt function and
  programs

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5.4 Minor Parties

• 2) Single Issue Parties
• Those concerned with a single matter
• Example American (No Nothing) Party opposed
  Irish-Catholic immigration in the 1850s

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5.4 Minor Parties

• 3) Economic Protest Parties
• Parties that are rooted in economic discontent
• Parties that are disgusted with the major parties
  and want better economic times
• Example Populist party agrarian discontent
  (farmers), public ownership of railroads,
  telephone, and telegraph companies, lower
  tariffs. 1890s

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5.4 Minor Parties

• 4) Splinter Parties
• Parties that have split away from the major
  parties
• Example Bull Moose Party led by T. Roosevelt
  split from the Republican party, 1912
  progressive ideals and reform

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5.4 Minor Parties

• Contributions of third parties
• The Natl Convention (from the Anti-Mason party,
  1831)
• Initiative and referendum in local govt (from
  the Populist party, 1890s)
• Spoiler role takes votes away from one major
  candidate which causes the other to win

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5.5 The Organization of Political Parties

• National Party Machinery
• national committee RNC DNC
• national chairperson
• - RNC Reince Priebus
• - DNC Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
• national convention every 4 years
• - nominate president and vice president
  candidates
• - write platform
• - unify party

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5.5 The Organization of Political Parties

• State Local Party Machinery
• - State Organization
• State Central Committee
• State Chairperson
• - Local Organization
• County Central Committee
• Precinct Committee persons

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5.5 The Organization of Political Parties

• 3 elements of the Party
• the party organization
• the party in the electorate
• the party in the government

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5.5 The Organization of Political Parties

• The Future of the Major Parties
• 1. sharp drop in straight party voters more
  registered independents
• 2. increase in split-ticket voters
• 3. open party primaries to other voters

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5.5 The Organization of Political Parties

• 4. candidates less dependent on party
  organizations
• 5. rise of PACs super PACs
• 6. not going away

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