Download Ch 11 Political Parties

11/3/2013
Political Parties
Chapter 11
The Role of Political Parties in a
Democracy
What are political parties?
They recruit and run candidates for public office under
the party label.
They try to organize and coordinate the activities of
government officials under the party name.
Many political scientists believe that parties are
essential to democracy.
The political party is seen by some as the main
instrument of popular sovereignty and majority rule.
When political parties are working properly, they can be
essential tools of popular sovereignty.
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How Parties and Majority Rule Are
Related
Parties’ mobilizing activities can contribute to
democracy by educating people about politics.
Elections create an incentive to include as many
voters as possible, with a majority being the
optimal goal.
Parties try to broaden their appeal by running
candidates from many ethnic, racial, and religious
groups.
Parties provide a way for the people to keep
elected officials responsive and responsible
through competitive elections.
Parties can make majority preferences effective.
The Two-party System
Most nations have either one-party
systems or multiparty systems.
Most Western democracies have
multiparty systems.
Two parties have dominated the political
scene in the United States since 1836.
Democrats and Republicans have
controlled the presidency and Congress
since 1860.
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How has the two-party system developed?
History of the Two Party System
Parties were created almost immediately, even
though the Founders were hostile to them in
theory.
The first party system: Federalists versus
Democratic Republicans (1800-1817)
Federalists became tainted by certain actions,
beginning with the Alien and Sedition Acts enacted to
repress dissent and opposition to Federalist policies.
The two-party system evolved into a one-party or
no-party system by 1817, generally known as the
Era of Good Feelings (1817-1825).
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History of the Two Party System
The second party system: Democrats
versus Whigs (1824-1854)
A strong two-party system developed in the
1830s between the Democrats (formerly the
Democratic Republicans) and the Whigs.
The Democrats and Whigs were very different
parties from those in the first party system,
brought about by a significant democratization
of American life.
The issue of slavery plagued the Whigs and
they soon dissolved to be replaced by the
Republican Party formed in 1854
History of the Two Party System
From the Civil War to 1896: Following Reconstruction,
Republicans and Democrats were somewhat balanced in
national politics.
The party system of 1896: Republican party dominance
The late nineteenth century was a time of rapid
economic and social change; protest movements and
third parties developed.
Republicans dominated American politics from the 1896
election until the election of 1932.
After 1896, the rate of voter participation dropped
sharply and never fully recovered.
The states of the deep South used intimidation and laws
to remove blacks from the electorate, eliminating the
Republican party as a factor in southern politics.
Political Machines – Party organizations that recruit
members by offering tangible incentives such as jobs,
money, favors in exchange for votes
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History of the Two Party System
The New Deal system: Democratic party
dominance
The New Deal party system grew out of the
crisis of the Great Depression and favorable
public reactions to government efforts to deal
with the economic collapse.
The party system underwent a realignment
(1932-1936) from Republican to Democratic
dominance.
Why a Two-party System?
Why does the United States have a twoparty system when most Western
democracies have multiparty systems?
Electoral rules
Restrictions on minor parties
Attitudes of the American public
The absence of a strong labor movement
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Minor Parties
Minor parties have played a less-important role in the United
States than in virtually any other democratic nation.
In our entire history, only the Republican party has managed
to replace one of the major parties.
Minor parties articulate and popularize new ideas that are
eventually taken over by one or both major parties.
Because minor parties are not likely to win national elections,
they are usually not as cautious as the major parties.
Barriers to minor-party success
Obstacles - Transitioning from social movement to party is
difficult
Proportional representation - Apportions legislative seats
according to percentage of votes a party receives
Winner-take-all system - Party that receives at least one
more vote wins the election
What are some of America’s minor parties?
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Where did the party symbols originate?
Party Realignments
Realignments - Dramatic shifts in partisan
preference that drastically alter the
political landscape
Existing party affiliations subject to upheaval
Thomas Jefferson formed the DemocraticRepublican party to oppose the Federalists
The Whig Party dissolved and the Republican
Party gained strength over the issue of slavery
Voters turned away from Republicans in favor of
Democrats in response to the New Deal.
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What does a realignment look like?
The Organization Political Parties The National Party
The national chairperson
Often selected by president or newly nominated
presidential candidate
Chief fundraiser and spokesperson
The national committee
Coordinates national convention and presidential campaign
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
Republican National Committee (RNC)
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The Organization Political Parties - The
National Convention
Every four years
Present a positive image of the candidate
Serve as pep rallies
Delegates
Formerly selected by party leaders, now often elected in
primary elections and caucuses
Superdelegates
Democratic Party officials whose vote at the convention is
unpledged to a candidate
Allow Democratic Party some control
The Organization Political Parties State and Local Parties
Roots of the party
Virtually all government regulation of political parties
is handled by the states
Vast majority of party leadership positions are held at
state and local level.
Precinct
Smallest voting unit; fundamental building block of
the party
Precincts report to the counties and they report
to the state executive committees.
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The Organization of Political Parties Informal Groups
Official and semi-official groups
Affiliations of state and local party women
Affiliations with college campus organizations
Supportive interest groups
Provide money and labor
labor unions, chambers of commerce
Think tanks
Institutional collections of policy-oriented researchers
and academics
Activities of Political Parties
Running Candidates for Office
Raising money
Well-developed networks of donors
Raise money and disseminate it to candidates
Mobilizing support and getting out the vote
Public opinion polls and tracking surveys
Create TV advertisements
“Get out the vote” Election Day activities
Formulating and Promoting Policy
National Party Platform
Most visible instrument used to formulate, convey,
and promote public policy
Each party develops a lengthy platform outlining its
positions
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How much money do parties raise?
Activities of Political Parties
Formulating and Promoting Policy
National Party Platform
Most visible instrument used to formulate, convey,
and promote public policy
Each party develops a lengthy platform outlining its
positions
About two-thirds of the winning party’s platform
tends to be enacted
About one-half of the losing party’s platform tends
to be enacted
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What do party platforms say?
Activities of Political Parties
Organizing Government
Parties in Congress
Party members in Congress select congressional leaders
Those congressional leaders hold enormous power
The presidential party
President is informal party leader
Parties in the federal courts – federal judges do no run
for office under a party label, but they are appointed by a
partisan president and their nominations must be
approved by a partisan Senate.
Parties in state government - the parties’ role and
influence at the national level generally hold true for
state politics as well.
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Party Identification - Political Socialization
Parents - Single greatest influence on political
beliefs
Marital status
Economic status
Charismatic leaders - Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Ronald Reagan
Geography
Gender
Race and ethnicity
Age
Social and factors
Religion
Who identifies as a Democrat? A Republican?
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Polarization
Geographic divide
“The United States of Canada” to the north
“Jesusland” to the south
Stereotypes of political identifiers
Republicans = NASCAR
Democrats = Starbucks
Wedge issues
“Guns, God, and Gays”
Abortion, gay marriage
Congress
Least productive in history
Lack of moderates, lower incentive to compromise
Consequences to electorate
Forcing moderate electorate to choose between extremes may
increase voter apathy
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