Political Parties

1
Political Parties

• Chapter 8

2
The Meaning of Party

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

3
The Meaning of Party

• Tasks of the Parties
• Linkage Institution The channels through which
  peoples concerns become political issues on the
  governments policy agenda.
• Parties Pick Candidates
• Parties Run Campaigns
• Parties Give Cues to Voters
• Parties Articulate Policies
• Parties Coordinate Policymaking

4
The Meaning of Party

• Parties, Voters, and Policy The Downs Model
• Rational-choice theory Assumes that individuals
  act in their own best interest, weighing the pros
  cons.

5
The Party in the Electorate

• These are the voters in an election.
• Ticket-splitting
• Voting for candidates of different parties.

Year Dem Ind Rep
1964 52.2 23 24.8
1976 40.2 36.8 23.0
1988 35.7 36.3 28.0
2000 34.8 41.0 24.2
6
The Party Organizations From the Grass Roots to
Washington

• These are the people that work for the party.
• Local Parties
• Party Machines A type of 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.
• Now local organizations are generally weak.

7
The Party Organizations From the Grass Roots to
Washington

• The 50 State Party Systems
• Closed voters must be registered with their
  party in advance and can only vote for that party
• Open voters decide on election day which party
  to participate in, and then only that party
• Blanket voters get a list of all candidates and
  can vote for one name for each office, regardless
  of party label

8
The Party Organizations From the Grass Roots to
Washington

• The National Party Organizations
• National Convention The meeting of party
  delegates every four years to choose a
  presidential ticket and write the partys
  platform.
• National Committee One of the institutions that
  keeps the party operating between conventions.

9
The Party in Government Promises and Policy

• These are the party members actually elected to
  government.
• Candidates are less dependent on parties to get
  elected, but they still need help
• Coalition
• A group of individuals with a common interest
  upon which every political party depends.
• Parties politicians generally do what they say
  they will do.

10
The Party in Government Promises and Policy

• Rep Platform 2000
• Bush Regan set the stage for todays
  prosperity.
• The party of peace through strength.
• Personal saving accounts are the cornerstone

• Dem Platform 2000
• Clinton turned America into the prosperous
  country of today.
• Reversed a decline in defense spending.
• Create privately managed savings accounts.

11
Party Eras inAmerican History

• Party Eras
• Historical periods in which a majority of votes
  cling to the party in power.
• Critical Election
• An electoral earthquake where new issues and
  new coalitions emerge.
• Party Realignment
• The displacement of the majority party by the
  minority party, usually during a critical
  election.

12
Party Eras inAmerican History

• 1796-1824 The First Party System
• Madison warned of factions
• First party were the Federalists
• 1828-1856 Jackson and the Democrats Versus the
  Whigs
• Modern party founded by Jackson
• Whigs formed mainly in opposition to Democrats

13
Party Eras inAmerican History

• 1860-1928 The Two Republican Eras
• Republicans rose as the antislavery party
• 1896 election revolved around the gold standard
• 1932-1964 The New Deal Coalition
• Forged by the Democrats- relied upon urban
  working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews,
  the poor, Southerners

14
Party Eras inAmerican History

• 1968-Present The Era of Divided Party Government
• Party dealignment- disengagement of people from
  parties
• Party neutrality- people are indifferent towards
  the two parties

15
Third Parties Their Impact on American Politics

• Political parties other than Democrat or
  Republican
• Rarely win elections
• But, they bring new groups and people into
  politics
• Two-party system discourages extreme views

16
Third Parties Their Impact on American Politics

• Winner-take-all system
• Legislative seats awarded only to first place
  finishers.
• Proportional Representation
• Legislative seats awarded based on votes received
  by the party- more votes, more seats
• Coalition Government
• Two or more parties join to run government

17
Understanding Political Parties

• Democracy and Responsible Party Government
• 1. Parties have distinct comprehensive programs.
• 2. Candidates are committed to the program.
• 3. Majority party must carry out its program.
• 4. Majority party must accept responsibility.

18
Understanding Political Parties

• Individualism and Gridlock
• Easier to pass the buck than bite the bullet
• Lack of uniformity even within parties
• American Political Parties and the Scope of
  Government
• Lack of uniformity keeps government small
• But, it also makes cutting government programs
  harder to do

19
Understanding Political Parties

• Is the Party Over?
• No longer the chief source of information for
  voters
• But, state and national party organizations are
  getting stronger
• Majority of people still identify with a party,
  but still split their tickets
• Parties will continue to be around

20
Internet Resources

• Republicans
• Democrats
• Libertarians
• Reform Party