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Political Participation

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Title: Political Participation


1
Political Participation
  • Political Parties

2
Todays Lecture
  • What are political parties?
  • Party electorate, government, organization
  • What are the historical party eras?
  • Realignments
  • What about parties today?
  • Characteristics of todays party era

3
Political Parties
  • Political Party A team of men and women
    seeking to control the governing apparatus by
    gaining office in a duly constituted election.
  • Parties want to win elections
  • Parties can be thought of in three parts
  • Party in the electorate
  • Party as an organization
  • Party in government

4
Tasks of Parties
  • Parties Pick Candidates
  • Parties Run Campaigns
  • Parties Give Cues to Voters
  • Parties Articulate Policies
  • Parties Coordinate Policymaking
  • A political party is a linkage institution

5
The Downs Model
  • Rational-choice theory
  • Assumes that individuals act in their own best
    interest, weighing the costs and benefits of
    possible alternatives
  • Downs Model
  • Voters maximize chances that policies they favor
    are adopted by government.
  • Parties want to win elected office.

6
The Downs Model
7
The Party in the Electorate
  • These are the voters in an election those who
    identify with a political party.
  • Party identification a citizens self-proclaimed
    preference for one party or the other
  • Republican, Democrat, or Independent
  • Ticket-splitting voting with one party for one
    office and with another party for other offices
  • Independents are most likely to split tickets.
  • No state or race is completely safe due to split
    tickets.

8
Party Identification
9
Party Organizations
  • Grass Roots Organizations local people who work
    for the party.
  • Especially important in early presidential
    primaries
  • Local Parties
  • Party Machines 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.
  • No longer prominent
  • Party machines and local organizations are now
    generally weak due to progressive reforms

10
State Party Organizations
  • State parties affect how presidents are selected
  • Primaries (which type?) or caucuses
  • Republican Party has more state-wide variation in
    selection procedures

11
National Party Organization
  • National Convention The meeting of party
    delegates every four years to choose a
    presidential ticket.
  • Formal send-off for president and vice-president
  • Approve the party platform
  • National Committee Party organization that keeps
    the party operating between conventions.
  • Fund raising

12
The Party in Government
  • These are the party members actually elected to
    government.
  • Candidates are less dependent on parties to get
    elected, but they still need help money,
    recognition, etc.
  • Coalition A group of individuals with a common
    interest upon which every political party
    depends.
  • Parties have platforms and politicians have
    promises they generally act on these promises
    once in government.

13
Party in Government Today
  • Presidency controlled by Democrat
  • 111th Congress controlled by Democrats
  • House
  • Republican 178
  • Democrat 257
  • Senate
  • Republican 41
  • Democrat 56

14
Parties in American History
  • Party Eras Historical periods in which a
    majority of votes cling to the party in power.
  • Critical Election A massive change in electoral
    politics where new issues and coalitions emerge
    in one election
  • Often occurs around a national crisis e.g., Civil
    War, Great Depression.
  • Party Realignment The displacement of the
    majority party by the minority party, usually
    during a critical election.

15
Burnham
  • Contrast between two forces lead to realignments
  • American politics
  • System designed to slow change of voters
  • Fragmented system of government slow to change
  • Political culture, which favors status quo
  • Socio-economic systems change quickly
  • Dynamic and regular business cycles

16
Burnham
  • Resolution of political/socio-economic in a
    realignment
  • Constant build up of pressure in the political,
    which cannot change, but which increasingly
    contrasts with socio-economic
  • Slash point or trigger event in socio-economic
    relieves the pressure and realigns these two
    forces
  • Realignments happen every 30-38 years

17
Burnham
  • Realignment periods characterized by
  • High intensity in party nomination process
  • Increased ideological polarization
  • Heavy mobilization of the electorate
  • Policy change in terms of increased linkage,
    coordination, or alignment between electorate and
    government
  • Representation increases as voters vote for those
    candidates who will fulfill wishes of
    mobilized/partisan electorate

18
Party Eras
  • 1796-1824 The First Party System
  • First party Federalists
  • 1828-1856 Jacksonian Democrats v. Whigs
  • Modern party founded by Jackson
  • Whigs formed to oppose Democrats
  • 1860-1928 The Two Republican Eras
  • Republicans rose as the antislavery party
  • 1894 Depression kept Republicans in power
  • 1932-1964 The New Deal Coalition
  • Forged by the Democrats- relied upon urban
    working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews,
    the poor, Southerners

19
The Current Party System
  • 1968-Present The Era of Divided Party Government
  • Party dealignment and party neutrality people
    are more indifferent towards and disengaged from
    the two parties
  • Since 1968, only 9 years of unified government
  • Some wonder if the 2000 and 2004 elections have
    ushered in a new party era of Republican
    dominance

20
Is the Party Over?
  • Party is not the chief source of information for
    voters (media are), but
  • Party identification is still best predictor of
    vote choice
  • Majority of people still identify with a party
  • Partisanship is increasing among public and
    legislators
  • State and national party organizations are
    getting stronger
  • Parties are integral part of organization and
    operation of government and elections

21
Summary
  • Parties are a linkage institution
  • Parties goal is to win elections
  • Parties have operated in several distinct party
    systems or eras
  • The current party system is one of divided
    government and weak parties
  • But this trend is beginning to change
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