Political Parties Objectives Examine how political parties in

Political Parties Objectives: • Examine how political parties in a democracy serve as key linkage institutions. • Examine the significance of divided government and explain how the recent pattern of divided government may explain party dealignment. • Explain how electoral rules such as the “winner-take-all system” and plurality system have helped to maintain a two-party system in the U. S. Bell Ringer: In your opinion, are third parties in the U. S. weak because Americans don’t vote for them, or do Americans not vote for third parties because they know they can’t win? Agenda: Political Parties Homework: Key Terms & first section of Guided Reading questions due next class Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Meaning of Party Political Party: – a group of persons who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office. – Parties can be thought of in three parts: – Party in the electorate – Party as an organization – Party in government Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Meaning of Party Tasks of the Parties – Linkage Institution: the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda – Parties Pick Candidates – Parties Run Campaigns – Parties Raise Funds – Parties Give Cues to Voters – Parties Articulate Policies – Parties Coordinate Policymaking Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

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 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. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Meaning of Party Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Party in the Electorate Party image – A voter’s perception of what Republicans or Democrats stand for Party identification – A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other – Republican, Democrat, or Independent Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Party in the Electorate 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. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Party in the Electorate Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

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 – Due to progressive reforms, urban party organizations are generally weak. – Revitalization of party organization at county level Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington The 50 State Party Systems – Closed primaries: Only people who have registered with the party can vote for that party’s candidates. – Open primaries: Voters decide on Election Day whether they want to vote in the Democrat or Republican primary. – Blanket primaries: Voters are presented with a list of candidates from all parties. – State parties are better organized in terms of headquarters and budgets than they used to be. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

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 the party’s platform – National Committee: one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions – National Chairperson: responsible for day-today activities of the party Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Party in Government: Promises and Policy Party members actually elected to government Which party controls government has policy consequences. Coalition: a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends Parties and politicians generally act on their campaign promises. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Party in Government: Promises and Policy Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing

Party Eras in American 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 Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Party Eras in American History 1796 -1824: The First Party System – Madison warned of “factions” – Federalists: first political party 1828 -1856: Jackson and the Democrats Versus the Whigs – Modern party founded by Jackson – Whigs formed mainly to oppose Jacksonian Democrats Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Party Eras in American History 1860 -1928: The Two Republican Eras – Republicans rose as the antislavery party – 1896 election centered on industrialization 1932 -1964: The New Deal Coalition – New Deal coalition: forged by the Democrats; consisted of urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics, Jews, the poor, Southerners Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Party Eras in American History Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Party Eras in American History 1968 -Present: The Era of Divided Party Government – Divided government: one party controls Congress and the other controls White House – Divided government due in party to: • Party dealignment: disengagement of people from parties as evidenced by shrinking party identification • Party neutrality: people are indifferent towards the two parties Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Understanding Political Parties Democracy and Responsible Party Government – Responsible Party Model 1. Parties have distinct comprehensive programs. 2. Candidates are committed to the program. 3. The majority party must carry out its program. 4. The majority party must accept responsibility. – American political parties fall short of these conditions. – No mechanism for party discipline Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Understanding Political Parties American Political Parties and the Scope of Government – Lack of uniformity keeps government small • Big programs like Health Care (1994) fail – But also makes cutting government programs difficult • Individuals focus on getting more from government for their own constituents Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Understanding Political Parties Is the Party Over? – Political parties are no longer main source of information for voters; media are – Yet parties will play an important but diminished role in American politics • State and national party organizations have become more visible and active • Majority of people still identify with a party Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

The Decentralized Nature of the Parties Both of the major parties are highly decentralized and fragmented. WHY? The party out of power lacks a strong leader. The federal system distributes powers widely, in turn causing the parties to be decentralized. The nominating process pits party members against one another because only one person can chosen to be the party’s presidential candidate. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics Third parties: electoral contenders other than the two party parties; rarely win elections Third parties are important. – Are “safety valves” for popular discontent – Bring new groups and ideas into politics Two-party system – Discourages extreme views – Contributes to political ambiguity Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Minor Parties in the United States Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as

Why Are Minor Parties Important? “Spoiler Role” • Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the major parties’ candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party. Critic • Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often take stands on and draw attention to controversial issues that the major parties would prefer to ignore. Innovator • Often, minor parties will draw attention to important issues and propose innovative solutions to problems. If these proposals gain popular support, they are often integrated into the platforms of the two major parties. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Types of Minor Parties Ideological: Those based on a particular set of beliefs on political, social, and economic matters Example: Libertarian Party Single-issue: Have only one public policy matter they focus on Example: Free Soil Party Economic Protest: Generally form when the economy is bad. No real policy agenda, just unhappy with how major political parties are handling situation and demand change Splinter: When conflict within a major party causes that party to divide and some of its members break away and form their own party Example: The Greenback Party Example: “Bull Moose” Progressive Party Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics Multiparty Systems in Other Countries – 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 form a majority in a national legislature Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Summary Parties are a pervasive linkage institution in American politics. – Party in electorate, government, and as organization America has a two-party system. The decentralized nature of political parties makes major change difficult and encourages individualism in politics. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.