Political Parties Unit 3

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Political PartiesUnit 3
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Political Parties

• Groups of people with broad common interests who
  organize to win elections, control government,
  and influence policies.
• US-centrist party system.

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What makes up a Party?

• Composed of committees that
• raise campaign funds
• coordinate election activities
• formulate policies
• recruit members

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What do political parties do?

• Nominate candidates for public office
• Help to organize and operate the government
• Educate the public and energize their supporters
• Act as the loyal opposition (if not
  in power)

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Parties Made Up of 3 Types of Members

• Governmental party
• Office holders and candidates
• Organizational party
• Workers and activists
• Party-in-the-electorate
• Those who vote for party/consider themselves to
  be associated with it

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Evolution of American Parties

• Hamilton and Jefferson, heads of Federalist and
  Anti-Federalists, considered 'fathers' of modern
  party system.
• By 1800, country had 2 party system

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History of American Political Parties
17891823 Republicans- Democrats (Jeffersonians) Federalists
18231832 Era of Good Feelings Multifactionalism Parties based on old party labels new individual alliances
1832-1857 Democrats Whigs
1857- Present (1874-1912 is known as the Golden Age of Parties) Democrats Republicans
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Main Political Parties in U.S. Today

• System contains 2 major parties
• Democratic and Republican Party.
• Number of 3rd parties.
• Important 3rd parties Reform and Libertarian
  Party.

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Recent Polling Data on Party ID
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Splitting Vote Creates Divided Government!
AKADivided Government

• Some split vote between parties, occasionally
  vote for 3rd/independent parties
• EX
• Voter might vote for a Republican presidential
  candidate but vote for Democrat for Congress, and
  Reform Party member for governor.

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Why Democrats seem like Republicans and vice
versa

• Despite differences, Rep. and Dem. considered to
  be centrist parties
• Parties attempt to appeal to as much of
  electorate as possible.
• Blur positions to discourage opponents.
• Declining party ID increased role of interest
  groups.

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Independent Voters

• of independents rising
• Leaners may feel party affiliation, choose not
  to self-identify with party

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What is a Party Platform?

• Formal statement of beliefs, opinions, and policy
  stands tied together by set of underlying
  principles based on partys ideological
  orientation.

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Party Platform

• Formulating most important job parties contribute
• Every 4 years officials, activists, and nominee
  for president compile partys position on variety
  of issues
• Usually unveiled at Party Convention

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2008 Party Platformshttp//www.presidency.ucsb.ed
u/platforms.php

• Democrats 2008
• Renewing Americas Promise
• Renewing the American Dream
• Immediate tax relief for Americas middle class
• Renewing Americas Leadership
• Ending the War in Iraq/Winning in Afghanistan
• Renewing the American Community
• Protecting our Security and Saving our Planet
• Renewing American Democracy
• Open, Ethical Government

• Republicans 2008
• America, the Beautiful
• Defending Our Nation, Supporting Our Heroes,
  Securing the Peace
• Reforming Government to Serve the People
• Expanding Opportunity to Promote Prosperity
• Energy Independence and Security Environmental
  Protection
• Health Care Reform Putting Patients First
• Education Means a More Competitive America
• Protecting Our Families Preserving Our Values

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2004 Party Platforms

• Republicans 2004
• A Safer World and a More Hopeful America
• 2001 and 2003 tax cuts essential
• Iraqi invasion necessary for safety
• Pro-life
• No same-sex marriage ratify new amendment which
  says marriage is between a man and a woman
• Democrats 2004
• Strong at Home, Respected in the World
• Tax cuts created more deficit
• WMD search was a failure
• Pro-choice
• Opposed Constitutional amendment concerning
  marriage

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Creation of Party Symbols- Thomas Nast

• Thomas Nast came up with
• Donkey represented Democrats (around 1870)
• Elephant represented Republicans (1874).
• NOT meant to be complimentary!

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Where do I belong??

• Party identification often voter's central
  political reference symbol.
• Generally come from one's parents.
• Party ID affected by number of factors

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Democratic Loyalty Trends

• Liberals
• Northeast and West
• Catholics and Jews
• Labor union members
• Women
• Over 80 of African Americans Hispanics vote 3
  to 1 Democratic (not Cuban-Americans!)
• Young people
• Americans under 30 - since 1992 now rock-solid
  Democratic constituency when it comes to
  presidential voting.
• More highly educated vote for Democrats
• Most blue collar workers/unemployed
• The widowed
• Singles

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Republican Loyalty Trends

• Conservatives
• Professionals, executives, and white collar
  workers
• South and Midwest
• Bible Belt
• Men tend to split fairly evenly between 2
  parties, but are more conservative
• Cuban Americans (anti-Castro)
• Married couples
• Evangelicals
• Not all especially young evangelicals
• White Protestants (WASPs)
• Very important since 1980s-Christian Coalition

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Party ID by State
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2009 Poll
2009 Poll
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Young People and Parties-2008
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Young People and Issues- 2008
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Hispanic voters becoming increasingly important

• 2000-2004 Hispanics accounted for 1/2 of growth
  in pop.
• Out of every 100 Hispanics, 40 voting age
  citizens, 23 likely to be registered and only 18
  likely to vote.

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Importance of Religion2004-08

• Stance on religion good predictor of vote.
• more religiously observantGeorge Bush
• less observantJohn Kerry.
• of people with no religious affiliation
  growing.
• 16 of pop., up from 8 in 1980s.
• Reliable Democratic voters.

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Suburbs new contested terrain- 2008

• "Density equals Democrats"
• Republican voters used to dominate suburbs, but
  becoming nation's most important swing districts.
• Conversely, farther out you get from urban core,
  more voters lean toward GOP.

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Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• National Level
• National Committees
• Party in Government
• Chairman/Leadership
• National Conventions
• State Level
• States and Localities
• Congressional districts
• Party in the Electorate
• Local activists
• Precincts
• Grassroots groups
• Informal Groups
• Voters

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Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• National Committees
• Democratic National Committee (DNC) and
  Republican National Committee (RNC) are national
  policy organs of parties.
• Choose national chairpersons, run quadrennial
  conventions.

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Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• Leadership
• Party chairpersons usually selected by sitting
  president for party in power
• Party national committee usually selects other
  national chairperson.
• Chair important spokesperson for party interests.
  

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Party Chairmen

• Republican National Committee Chairman
• Wisconsin Party Chief Reince Priebus
• (Ryns Pree'-bus)
• Democratic National Committee Chairman
• Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Chairman Priebus
Chairman Wasserman Schultz
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Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean
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Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• Each national party has committee of elites-
  decide national agenda, platforms
• Most national party members polarized left or
  right
• For parties to survive, must focus on ability to
  capture swing voter.

Democrats President Obama Majority Leader- Harry
Reid
Republicans Majority Leader Eric
Cantor Speaker- John Boehner
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Primaries and Delegates (Superdelegates)

• Each party holds primary/caucus
• Political elite from e/party selected as pledged
  delegates
• Delegates must vote as state voted on 1st ballot
• Both parties have unpledged delegates who not
  obligated to vote w/state delegates
• Democrats
• Currently 4,049 total delegates to DNC, including
  3,253 pledged delegates and 796 unpledged or
  superdelegates.
• Total of delegate votes needed to win
  nomination is 2,025.
• Republicans
• Currently 2,380 total delegates to RNC, including
  1,917 pledged delegates and 463 unpledged
  delegates.
• Total of delegate votes needed to win
  nomination is 1,191.

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Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• Unpledged (Superdelegates in Dem. Party) dont
  have to indicate candidate preference, compete
  for position.
• Typically members of national committee, elected
  officials like senators or governors, or party
  leaders

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DNC RNC Work Together For 2012 Primary Rules

• RNC and DNC banded together for 1st time to
  establish set of rules for scheduling 2012
  Presidential Election primaries.
• Committees set new policies requiring states to
  push primaries back as far as Feb., punish states
  that host primary before set timeframe
• Penalties include state losing up to 1/2 or more
  of delegates.

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Primary Changes in Primary System in 2012

• Democrats in 2012
• DNC penalize candidates who campaign in
  non-compliant states before primaries in states.
• Candidates lose any delegates to convention won
  in that state. If candidates not visiting state,
  neither is media, rendering contest meaningless.
• Republicans in 2012
• Instead of winner-take-all-new rules state if
  primary before April delegates have to be awarded
  proportionally.
• Can be winner-take-all when April begins. Will
  likely extend primary season for Republicans
  candidates.

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The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• National Conventions
• Every 4 years, national committees put together
  presidential nominating conventions.
• Until 1984, got gavel-to-gavel coverage by media
  outlets.
• Today, coverage more selective.
• Conventions allow parties to nominate candidates,
  also to discuss party organizational matters.

2009 Walton Graduate Ryan Gibson and President
Clinton at 2008 DNC in Denver
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National Party Conventions

• Both major parties hold conventions during summer
  of presidential election year.
• Presidential conventions come long way since
  smoke-filled rooms, battle weary after hours of
  negotiating over platforms and presidential
  nominees.

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Decline of Party Conventions

• Before 1960s, National Conventions important
  events that did more than promote candidate and
  party
• Delegates met to promote party unity, establish
  platform, vote for presidential and vice
  presidential nominee
• More of Pep Rally and media event

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Recent National Convention Sites

• REPUBLICAN
• 2012 Tampa
• 2008 St. Paul
• 2004 New York City
• 2000 Philadelphia
• 1996 San Diego
• 1992 Houston
• 1988 New Orleans
• 1984 Dallas
• 1980 Detroit
• 1976 Kansas City
• 1972 Miami Beach
• 1968 Miami Beach
• 1964 San Francisco
• 1960 Chicago

DEMOCRATIC 2012 Charlotte 2008 Denver 2004
Boston 2000 Los Angeles 1996 Chicago 1992 New
York 1988 Atlanta 1984 San Francisco 1980 New
York 1976 New York 1972 Miami Beach 1968
Chicago 1964 Atlantic City 1960 Los Angeles
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The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• States and Localities
• Parties structurally based at state and local
  levels.
• Much of work of party carried out at precinct,
  city, county, and state levels.
• At state level, voters more ideological,
  resulting in larger number of factional splits
  than at national level.
• Inter-party competition remains relatively high
  at state level.

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The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• States and Localities
• Do not always follow national party rules

• Recently some state parties overruled national
  party guidelines concerning primary elections
• Super-Duper Tuesday (Feb. 5, 2008)
• FL and MI bypassed SC, in trouble with DNC

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The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• Party-In-The-Electorate
• Mass of potential voters who identify with party
  labels.
• Group self-identified, seems to exhibit ever
  lower levels of party loyalty.

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The Party-In-The-Electorate

• Declining Loyalty??
• New issues have cut across traditional party
  lines and weakened party affiliation.
• Pollsters find that many self declared
  independents often 'lean' quite strongly in one
  direction

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The Party-In-The-Electorate

• Party Identification
• American voters identify with party, but rarely
  belong to it.
• Tend not to physically join and pay dues instead
  assert are Rep. or Dem.

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Realignment

• Change in a political party that occurs after a
  critical election
• Change includes platform, demographic support,
  and change in majority
• Change is national/local, permanent
• Examples
• Older voters replaced with younger voters
• Formerly Solid South Democratic states have
  become more Republican
• Northeast shifted from Republican to Democratic

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Party Realignment and Critical Elections

• Party Realignment voters change parties during
  election, change permanent and abrupt.
• Called critical elections (electoral earthquake
  in which election results produce surprising
  change)
• Occurred 4 times in American history
• Jeffersonians in 1800
• Republicans (Lincoln) in 1860
• Republicans (McKinley) in 1896
• Democrats (FDR) in 1932

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Political CoalitionsMajor political groupings
that shape American policy

• Last Important Coalition
• New Deal CoalitionDemocrats
• Labor union members
• Poor people
• Southern whites
• most minorities
• and most socially conscious individuals voted for
  FDR in 1932
• Became root of todays Democratic party
• As Southern whites began to abandon Democratic
  party in 1968 and 1972, party began to change to
  accommodate remaining members of coalition

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Dealignment

• Dealignment general decline in party
  identification among electorate
• Increased over past 2 decades
• At least 1/3 of population doesnt identify with
  political party
• For time being, parties still control American
  politics

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Different Roles of the Party

• Which is most important on election day?
• Parties at National Level
• National Convention
• RNC and DNC
• Parties at State Level
• State committees
• Party in the Electorate
• Activists
• The actual voters

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Different Roles of the Party

• Which is most important on election day?
• The Parties at the National Level
• National Committees
• RNC and DNC
• Runs National Convention
• The Parties at the State Level
• State committees
• The Party in the Electorate
• Activists
• The actual voters

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The Modern Transformation of Party Organization

• Republican Strengths
• Until 1992, Republicans outclassed Democrats in
  most categories of campaign service and
  fundraising.
• Have developed particularly effective direct mail
  fundraising organization, and party often has
  trouble legally spending all money it collects.
• Supports large array of activities and services
  including
• party staff
• voter contact
• polling
• media advertising
• campaign staff training and research

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The Modern Transformation of Party Organization

• Democratic Party Gains
• Remained weak/disorganized until it suffered
  defeats in 1980s.
• Democrats trailed Republicans in most campaign
  and fundraising functions until 2008 (Obama
  campaign changed this).
• Dem. now have own direct mail program and
  multi-million dollar media center for producing
  TV and radio spots at very low rates.
• Democratic party campaign committees in Congress
  now raise significant amounts of money from
  congressional incumbents.

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The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• Party in Government
• Consists of party members who are elected or
  appointed to office
• Includes
• Congressmen and Senators
• The President and Appointees
• The Federal Judges and Justices
• Elected officials at the state and local level

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The Party in Government

• Congressional Party
• Party unity and cohesion seem to be growing
  recently.
• Electoral insecurity caused by increasing
  competitiveness of party system seems to be
  partially cause.
• Also parties may be more homogeneous than earlier
  years.
• Carrot and stick of party money as well as growth
  of party-based advertising and polling also play
  a role.

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The Party in Government

• Congress Party
• Party highly important, very visible in Congress.
  
• Party groups select leadership of both houses,
  arrange committees, and organize and operate
  Congress.
• Have methods of enforcing party discipline (good
  committee assignments, prime office assignments,
  fund raising help, legislative assistance,
  favorable treatment for a pork barrel project,
  endorsements, electoral help by popular party
  leaders)
• Party discipline not terribly effective in most
  cases.
• Most elections candidate centered and
  individualistic, many party sanctions cannot have
  that much influence.

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The Basic Structure of American Political
Parties-The Party in Government

• The Presidential Party
• Important party leader. Successes and failures
  reflect on party.
• Raises money, campaigns, and sometimes his
  "coattails" help party nominees.
• Some presidents very interested in party
  building and very helpful to party organization
  and candidates.
• Called pro-party presidents.
• Other presidents act as if they are 'above the
  fray' and are almost nonpartisan.

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2010 Midterm Election Cartoons
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The Party in Government

• Parties and Judiciary
• Members of judiciary do follow election returns,
  influenced by public opinion.
• Products of own party identification and have
  same partisan perceptual screens as rest of us.
• Many judgeships are electoral positions and
  officially nonpartisan, usually undercurrent of
  party affiliation.
• Judges are appointed.
• Positions are patronage and usually go to judges
  who agree politically with elected official (an
  active party member) who appoints him/her.

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The Party in Government

• Parties and State Government
• Governors have more patronage available to them
  than president does.
• Material rewards and incentives help governor
  maintain party discipline and promote his/her
  agenda.
• 41 governors have line-item veto that gives
  considerable powers
• In legislatures, state legislatures generally
  have more party unity and cohesion than national
  Congress
• State legislative leaders generally have more
  power than federal counterparts.

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The Party in Government

• Parties and State Government
• Most of same logic of party's relationship to
  national legislature, executive, and judiciary
  apply at state level as well.
• Occasionally, 3rd party will dominate state
  level.
• Bernie Sanders Vermont Senator- Independent
• Jesse Ventura Minnesota Governor- Reform Party

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The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• Informal Groups
• Parties supplemented by number of other groups
  such as National Federation of Democratic Women,
  Young Republicans, State Governor's Associations,
  interest groups, PACs, and many more.
• Think tanks such as Heritage Foundation for
  Republicans and Progressive Policy Institute for
  Democrats.

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So, if we have so many different viewpoints,
Why Does America only have Two Main Political
Parties, then??

• Any theories out there??

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So, if we have so many different viewpoints,
Why Does America only have Two Main Political
Parties, then??
The answer is the way the Framers set up the
Constitution!
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For Example..

• 1. The Electoral College
• 1 candidate per state gets all votes
• In 48/50 states
• 2. American Election rules
• Winner-take-all elections.
• AKA first past the post
• 3. 2 parties control primaries and election rules
• Set ballot requirements
• Set voter registration requirements

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More reasons.

• 4. Our Single-Member Congressional districts
• Congressmen run in single-member districts
• Only 1 winner in SMD
• 1 representative can be elected per Congressional
  district
• Compare to multi-party systems in Europe,
  India, and Israel where many opinions and ideas
  can have a voice in government.
• Most parliaments use proportional
  representation, more inducements to compromise
  because of large number of parties.

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Minor (or Third) Parties

• Third parties are generally niche parties that
  have their roots in
• Sectional issues
• Dixiecrats
• Economic protest
• Populists protest of the late 1800s
• Specific issues
• Green Party and the environment

• Specific ideologies
• Libertarian Party
• Failures of the major parties
• Ross Perot arose out of the major parties'
  failures to deal with the deficit and debt as key
  issues
• Charismatic personalities
• TR and the Bull Moose Party
• Ross Perot in 1992
• Or a combination of the above!

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Why Third Parties Tend to Remain Minor

• Institutional Reasons
• most states allow Democrats and Republicans an
  automatic place on the ballot, but have laws
  requiring third parties to gather signatures and
  petition
• state and national legislatures are organized on
  a party basis and aim to perpetuate that

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Why Third Parties Tend to Remain Minor

• Institutional Reasons
• public funding of campaigns is more generous for
  the two major parties, third party candidates
  must get more than 5 of the vote and major party
  candidates do not
• the news media ignore minor parties since they
  are perceived as 'non-winners.'
• Do not participate in debates

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Why Third Parties Tend to Remain Minor

• Institutional Reasons
• We have a"single-member plurality" electoral
  system
• this system, also called first-past-the-post,
  means that only the winner gets elected.
• In proportional representation systems, there
  tend to be more parties because parties are
  rewarded (with seats in parliament for example)
  for as little as 1 or 5 of the vote.

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Why Third Parties Tend to Remain Minor

• Other Reasons
• dualist theory states that there is a binary
  nature to American politics
• we have non-ideological, centrist politics
• Third parties play a valuable role in American
  politics. They popularize new ideas, serve as
  vehicles of popular discontent, induce change in
  the major parties, assist party realignments, and
  allow the expression of dissent and opposition.

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Why Dont Third Parties Win?

• FYI
• Third parties appear sporadically and generally
  not a threat to the two major parties.
• Only eight third parties have ever won any
  electoral votes in a presidential contest, and
  only five have ever won more than 10 in a
  presidential election.

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The Importance of Third Parties

• Third parties play a valuable role in American
  politics.
• They popularize new ideas
• Serve as vehicles of popular discontent
• Induce change in the major parties
• Assist party realignments
• Allow the expression of dissent and opposition.

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Important Third-Parties

• 2000 Ralph Nader and Green Party
• 1992 and 1996 Ross Perots Reform Party
• 1968 George Wallaces American Independent Party
• 1948 Dixiecrats
• 1924 Robert LaFollettes Progressive Party
• 1912 Teddy Roosevelts Bull Moose Party
• 1870-1912 The Populists/Progressives
• 1860 The Republican Party Not considered a
  third party today!
• 1856 Millard Fillmore's American Party

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Other Third Party Successes

• Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
• Vermont Socialists
• Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
• Independent Democrat
• Minor, or third, parties more successful at the
  state and local levels than at the national
  level.

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Websites of Major Parties

• Major Parties
• Democratic National Committee
• www.democrats.org
• http//www.democrats.org/a/party/platform.html
• Republican National Committee
• www.gop.com Or www.rnc.org
• http//www.gop.com/2008platform/
• Third Parties
• Green Party
• http//www.gp.org
• Libertarian Party
• www.lp.org
• Reform Party.
• www.reformparty.org

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Who is in the drivers seat today?

• Republicans
• Conservative Coalition
• Neo Cons
• Tea Party
• Democrats
• New Deal Coalition
• Third Parties
• Independents
• Moderates
• Ticket Splitters
• Single People
• The Political Elite

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