SSCG 8 A The Student will demonstrate knowledge

SSCG 8 A: The Student will demonstrate knowledge of local, state and national elections. a. Describe the organization, role and constituencies of political parties. Political Parties

Bell Ringer �In one well-written paragraph, please explain how you can take an active role in the Political Process. (What can you do? Why is this important? How does your role relate to Democracy? )

Bell Ringer Political Party Overview http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 o. Xpg. Z 9 SSu. U Political Party Rap http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 lt-f 3 QQ 7 -A

Vocabulary �Political Party: A group of people that try to control and influence the government by getting people elected to political office �Major Party: Political parties that are supported by a large number of people and have significant influence the government �Minor Party: A political party that is not supported by a large number of people

Purposes of Political Parties � Nominate Candidates Narrow down voters’ choices, select candidates that best represent the ideology of the party � Develop a Platform Goals and statements that clarify the goals of the elected officials in the party � Educate the Public Primarily about the candidates in the party, but also on key focus issues � Rally Voters Motivate people to TURN OUT to vote � “Bonding Agent” Makes sure candidates are qualified and stick to party ideals while in office- “gluing” the party together

America’s two party system �Political parties are NOT mentioned in the Constitution �But, America has a TWO PARTY SYSTEM, �Benefits of a two party system: Stability Continuity �Why do we have a two party system? Started with Federalists and Anti Federalists Once two major viewpoints were established, we naturally evolved to a 2 party system- and now, its all that we know It is difficult for a minor party to be successful in elections

Major and Minor Parties �In the United States, our major parties are REPUBLICANS and DEMOCRATS �Political ideology: Republicans: tend to be more conservative Democrats: tend to be more liberal

? Liberal ? Conservative Support for greater government control/regulation in economic matters and less government control/regulation of individual matters. ? Libertarian Support for minimal government control of both economic and social issues Support for less government control/regulation in economic matters and greater government control/regulation of individual matters. ? Totalitarian Support for complete government control of economic and social issues

Govt. Control Freedom Conservative Totalitarian Liberal Economic Issues Govt. Control

The Symbols �Over time, symbols have been associated with the political parties �Originally, the parties did not CHOOSE their symbols �Political cartoonists started using them as a way to poke fun at the parties �Thomas Nast was actually the cartoonist responsible for the creation of these animals in his political cartoons. Nast’s cartoons were published in Harper’s Weekly, and he is considered the man behind these symbols

Similarities of Major Parties in U. S. �All value personal rights, freedoms �Educational opportunities for all �Economic opportunities for all �Government duty- to protect nation �Preserve environment �Help citizens

Differences �Disagree on ways to meet goals �Example: Democrats- government directly helps the poor Republicans- government helps economy and poor get jobs

Third parties �Third parties or minor parties are OTHER parties in the United States that have a smaller support base �There are several types: Ideological party: united by a belief in a political ideology (i. e. communist party) Single Issue party: united by their support of ONE major issue (i. e. Green Party- the environment) Economic Protest: United by dissatisfaction with a current economic situation Splinter party : A group of major party supporters that have split away from the major party

First, the last bit of Party Vocab �Incumbent: person holding political office �Constituents: A person that is represented by an elected official in government �Nomination: the act or process of selecting a person to serve in political office �National Convention: A meeting that is held by each major party in the U. S. This meeting occurs every 4 years in August, and during this meeting, the Parties announce their Presidential nominees and policy ideas

The election is TOMORROW! Write a ½ to 1 page explanation of who you would vote for in the election and why you would do so. Use complete sentences and make sure you fully explain why you are voting for this person. Be sure to include some examples of issues that you agree with this candidate on. (Economy, Abortion, Taxes, Foreign Policy, etc)