Modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of political parties

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• Modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of
  political parties
• --E.E. Schattsneider

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Whats a Party why would we want to go to one?

• Political Parties Are Outgrowths of the Electoral
  Process.
• For every district level where an election is
  held, there is a party unit.
• The nature of the American electoral system
  encourages the two-party system.

• political parties
• organized groups that attempt to influence the
  government by electing their members to important
  government offices by
• recruiting candidates, developing issues
  positions, local party machines, fundraising

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Aspects of American Parties

• According to political scientist V.O. Key, Jr.,
  there are three key aspects of political parties
• Party-as-organization
• Party-in-the-electorate and elections
• Party-in-government

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What good are parties?

• Many political scientists believe that strong
  political parties are essential to the proper
  functioning of democracy.
• national communities
• Aids to efficient government
• Aids to democracy linking mechanism

• responsible party government
• a set of principles that idealizes a strong
  role for parties in defining their stance on
  issues, mobilizing voters, and fulfilling their
  campaign promises once in office

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Turn off the Lights The Partys Over

• Todays weaker parties
• Why did parties change?
• Progressive era reforms, direct primary, voter
  changers
• Post WWII technological developments in campaigns
  ( vs. people, polling, focus groups, direct
  mail, tv ads)
• McGovern Fraser Reforms and the direct primary

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Consequences of party decline

• Problems in effective leadership
• Single issue politics and interest groups
• Less information, more alienation
• Less participation, low turnout
• Campaining further separated from governing
• Decline in collective responsibility.

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The Two-Party System in America

• America has a stable two-party system that first
  emerged in the late 18th century as a conflict
  between Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton and
  Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson.

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• Democrats
• The modern Democratic Party emerged out of the
  Republican party established by Thomas Jefferson
  in the late 18th century and revitalized by
  Andrew Jackson in the 1820s.

• Republicans
• The modern Republican Party emerged in the 1850s
  as an antislavery party and out of the remnants
  of the Whig Party.

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Electoral Realignments

• Realignments tend to involve
• A large number of voters changing their party
  allegiance
• A great deal of voter participation in an
  election
• A stable change in the party controlling the
  government

• electoral realignments
• the point in history when a new party
  supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the
  dominant political force

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• Realignments
• 1800 ? Jeffersonian Republicans dominate.
• 1828 ? Jacksonian Democrats democratize
  American politics.
• 1860 ? The emergence of modern Republicans (and
  their victory in the Civil War) creates a
  post-Reconstruction competitive balance
  between Democrats and Republicans.

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• 1896 ? Republicans reassert their dominance.
• 1932 ? Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal
  produce an extraordinary era of Democratic
  dominance.
• 1968 ? Richard Nixons victory and the demise of
  the Democrats solid South produces a
  highly competitive era of divided party
  control of government.

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• Throughout these realigning eras, many third
  parties came and went.
• Third Parties tend to be short-lived because
• One of the two major parties adopts their issues.
• The single-member plurality electoral system
  limits their opportunities for electoral success.

• Third parties tend to compete against the two
  major parties in the United States and can have a
  great deal of influence over ideas and electoral
  outcomes.

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• Since the 1950s
• Democratic party identification has slipped.
• Republican party identification has remained
  stable.
• There has been a substantial rise of independents

• This decline of party identification and the
  rise of independent voters is referred to as the
  dealignment of the American electorate.

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• Different demographic and ideological groups tend
  to support one party or the other.
• Women are more likely to support Democrats than
  men are.
• Jews are more likely to support Democrats whereas
  Protestants are more likely to identify with
  Republicans.
• Socioeconomic class has an effect on party
  support with the wealthy being more likely to
  support Republicans.

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• In 2004 exit polls revealed important
  differences in levels of support for Bush and for
  Kerry by different demographic groups.

• Race and Ethnicity
• 88 of African Americans voted for Kerry.
• 54 of Latinos voted for Kerry.
• Gender
• 53 of men voted for Bush.
• 48 of women voted for Bush.
• Religion
• 80 of white born-again Christians voted for Bush.

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• What do you think are the consequences of party
  decline?
• What do you think explains the rise of
  independents in the second half of the 20th
  century?
• Why do you think that some groups (like women or
  the less wealthy) prefer Democrats while others
  prefer Republicans? How might this affect
  political campaign techniques?

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• A somewhat unique aspect of party-in-government
  in the United States is the possibility of
  divided government.
• In divided government, one party controls the
  executive branch while the other party controls
  at least one chamber of Congress.

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• Since the realignment of 1968, divided
  government has been more prevalent than unified
  government.

• Periods of Unified Government
• Carter Years, 1977-1981
• Clinton Years, 1993-1995
• George W. Bush Years, 2002-2006

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• What is good about divided party control of
  government?
• How does divided government make it difficult for
  the voters to hold the party in power
  responsible?
• How might unified party control of government
  subvert Madisons hope that the ambition of
  Congress would counteract the ambition of the
  president and vice versa?