Chapter 17 Political Parties

What is a Political Party?  An organization of people  Share the same ideas of government  Members committed to party goals  Get candidates elected to office  Get laws passed to aid party goals

Functions of Political Parties Party FunctionsParty Functions Candidate RecruitmentCandidate Recruitment Organize the CompetitionOrganize the Competition Unify the ElectorateUnify the Electorate Inspire and Inform VotersInspire and Inform Voters Translate Preferences into PolicyTranslate Preferences into Policy Provide Loyal OppositionProvide Loyal Opposition Organize GovernmentOrganize Government Help GovernHelp Govern Act as WatchdogsAct as Watchdogs Nominate CandidatesNominate Candidates Ensure Candidate QualityEnsure Candidate Quality

Party Systems  Most countries have political parties  Party systems –One party –Two party –Multi-party

One Party System  Party and government are almost the same- China  One party’s members run for office  Head of government usually head of party  Party members recruit new party members  Party members given top government jobs

Major Parties  Two party system or office –Other minor parties exist –Major parties –Democratic party –Republican Party

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

U.S. Political Parties: Characteristics  Democratic Party –Tends to Attract  Working people (blue collar)  Liberals  Catholics  Minorities  Union Members  People in favor of govt. involvement in social policies

U.S. Political Parties: Characteristics  Republican Party –Tends to attract  Businesspeople (white collar)  Protestants  Conservatives  Non-minorities  Non-union supporters  People against govt.involvement in social policies

American Politics Today  Democrats usually feel that the federal government has a responsibility to help the poor through government intervention.  Democrats are generally seen as liberal.  Republicans hold the view that leaving the economy alone will allow for growth, giving people greater ability to help themselves. They believe in less regulation.  Republicans are viewed as being conservative.

Benefits of Two Party System  Stabilizing –Keeps people near the center –Extreme ideas not supported by populace  Continuity –Government changes parties often –Transition is usually smooth

Disadvantages  Minority groups left out  Ex. Civil rights  Women's movement  Needed major party support

Multi-Party System  Three or more parties- Japan, Israel  Advantage- More voter choice  Disadvantage- Voters divided  No party gets majority votes  Must form coalition government  Coalition may not work- –50 governments in Italy since W.W.II

Third Parties  What are Third Parties? –Parties representing minority opinions that challenge the Democrats and Republicans –Some successful Third Parties:  Populist Party – 1890’s  Progressive Party – split off from Rep. Part in 1912  Libertarian Party – third most popular party in U.S. today

What is Ideology?  Ideology is basically the way you look at how the world works  There are two major ideologies in the United States – Liberal – Conservative

Liberal and Conservative  Common Conservative Issues –Anti-abortion –Allowing prayer in schools –Cutting taxes –Cutting regulations on businesses –Immigration control –Increased military spending

Liberal and Conservative  Common Liberal Issues –Pro-choice –Affirmative Action –Gun control –Aid to the poor –Protecting the environment –Gay rights

The Party Platform  People in political parties need a simple way to explain their so they can attract other people to join their party. Political parties take the complicated issues we hear about every day and create easy-to-understand statements that describe the party’s views about those issues. This set of statements is called the party’s platform because it is what the political party stands on. Political parties keep their platforms broad and simple to attract as many supporters as possible. The ultimate goal of political parties is to get their candidates elected to office. Once in office, the elected official can create policy that supports the party’s platform.  People in political parties need a simple way to explain their beliefs so they can attract other people to join their party. Political parties take the complicated issues we hear about every day and create easy-to-understand statements that describe the party’s views about those issues. This set of statements is called the party’s platform because it is what the political party stands on. Political parties keep their platforms broad and simple to attract as many supporters as possible. The ultimate goal of political parties is to get their candidates elected to office. Once in office, the elected official can create policy that supports the party’s platform.

Minor Parties Although minor parties rarely have a chance of winning the presidency, they still play a vital role in American Politics.Although minor parties rarely have a chance of winning the presidency, they still play a vital role in American Politics. There are 4 main types of minor parties:There are 4 main types of minor parties: 1.Ideological Parties- based on a particular set of beliefs 2.Single Issue Parties- focus on one issue 3.Economic Protest Parties -rooted in changing economic problems in America 4.Splinter Parties- split away from one of the two major parties

Why Minor Parties Are Important Minor parties play several important roles: “Spoiler Role”  Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from major parties’ candidates. Critic  Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often take stands and draw attention to controversial issues that the major parties would prefer to ignore. Innovator  Minor parties will draw attention to important issues and propose solutions to problems. If proposals gain popular support, they are added to platforms of the two major

The Political Spectrum  People who have similar opinions on political issues are generally grouped according to whether they are “left,” “right,” or “center” on the political spectrum.

Politicial Party Organization

Selecting Candidates  Primary Elections –Today major parties in all states nominate candidates at all levels of government through direct primaries –The direct primary is an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election –Closed Primary- election in which only declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party’s nominees –Open Primary- election in which voters do not need to declare their party preference in order to vote for the party’s nominees

Selecting Candidates (cont) –Majority- when one candidate wins more than half of the votes –If no candidate receives a majority vote, the party holds a runoff primary between the top two vote getters –The winner then becomes the party’s candidate in the general election

National Conventions  Conventions select a ticket, a candidate for president and vice president.  The Convention also sets the party’s platform and planks. –Platform – statement of principles, beliefs, and positions on vital issues. –Plank – stance on a single issue.

The National Convention  Each party’s national committee chooses the site and date of the convention and decides how many votes each state will have  On the evening of the opening day, an important party member gives the keynote address, a speech intended to unite the party for the coming campaign; in the next day or two, the delegates listen to committee reports and speeches about them.

The National Convention (cont)  The highlight of the convention is the selection of the party’s candidate for president  The vice presidential nominee usually is chosen to balance the ticket, with a person who has a personal, political, or geographic background different from the presidential candidate’s.  The convention adjourns after the presidential and vice presidential candidates have delivered their acceptance speeches, intended to unify the party and appeal to the national television audience.