POLITICAL PARTIES Chapter 9

The Role of Political Parties in American Democracy  What Are Political Parties?  Abide by party platform  Includes party activists, citizen volunteers and elected officials  political parties:  Broad coalitions of interests organized to win elections in order to enact a commonly supported set of public policies.  party platform:  Document that lays out a party’s core beliefs and policy proposals for each presidential election. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 2

The Role of Political Parties in American Democracy  What Political Parties Do  Parties in the Electorate  Parties in Government  Party caucuses: Group of party members in a legislature.  Party Organization  National committees at top  national committee: Top level of national political parties; coordinates national presidential campaigns. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 3

The Role of Political Parties in American Democracy  The Party Nomination Process  Primaries  Closed  Open  Blanket  primary election: Election in which voters select the candidates who will run on the party label in the general election; also called direct primary.  general election: Election in which voters choose their elected officials. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 4

The Role of Political Parties in American Democracy  The Party Nomination Process (cont.)  The Presidential Nomination  Primary (for delegates to national convention)  Caucus – less formal  Democrats winner-take-all system opposed  Proportional representation (Democrats 1976; Republicans 2010)  Superdelegates formed in 1981  caucus: Meeting of party members in town halls, schools, and private homes to select a presidential nominee.  winner-take-all system: Electoral system in which whoever wins the most votes in an election wins the election.  proportional representation: An electoral system that assigns party delegates according to vote share in a presidential primary election or that assigns seats in the legislature according to vote share in a general election. 5

The Evolution of the Presidential Nominating Process, Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 6

The Dynamics of Early Party Development  Political Factions: Federalist versus Antifederalist  Federalist – stable federal government  Antifederalist – sovereign states that governed themselves  Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and the Emergence of the Democratic Party  Democratic-Republicans  Andrew Jackson originated modern political party Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 7

Federalist and Antifederalist Policies Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 8

The Dynamics of Early Party Development  The Antislavery Movement and the Formation of the Republican Party  Republican party formed from split in Democratic party and third parties  Party Loyalty and Patronage  Jobs built party loyalty  Machine politics  third parties: Minor political parties that present a third alternative to the two dominant political parties in the American political system.  patronage system: Political system in which government programs and benefits are awarded based on political loyalty to a party or politician. 9

The Dynamics of Early Party Development  Reform and the Erosion of Party Control  Progressives eroded party control  Merit-based government employment created  Ballot reforms – Australian ballot system  Change in method for nominee selection  Australian ballot: Voting system in which state governments run elections and provide voters the option of choosing candidates from multiple parties; also called the secret ballot. 10

The Effects of a Two-Party System  Limited Political Choice  Median voter theorem--Theory that, in a two-party race, if voters select candidates on the basis of ideology and everyone participates equally, the party closer to the middle will win.  The Structural Limits  single-member plurality system: Electoral system that assigns one seat in a legislative body to represent citizens who live in a defined area (a district) based on which candidate wins the most votes.  plurality vote: Vote in which the winner needs to win more votes than any other candidate.  majority vote: Vote in which the winner needs to win 50 percent plus 1 of the votes cast.  Not a pure majority  The Role of Third Parties  Often absorbed into one of the major parties  Some success at lower levels Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 11

The Effects of a Two-Party System  Obstacles to Third Parties and Independents  Little influence in legislature  Challenges to Party Power from Interest Groups  Groups provide support when party responsive to their needs Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 12

American Political Parties,

Party Alignment and Ideology  The Parties after the Civil War  Republicans in the Northeast and West  Democrats in the South  The New Deal and the Role of Ideology in Party Politics  Roosevelt’s federal government helped the individual  Democrats now relied on federal government to ensure economic stability  Republicans for limited federal government  party alignment: Voter identification with a political party in repeated elections.  realignment: Long-term shift in voter allegiance from one party to another. 14

Party Alignment and Ideology  Civil Rights, the Great Society, and Nixon’s Southern Strategy  Democrats associated with civil rights  Great Society based on federal expansion  Republicans opposite views on civil rights to appeal to southerners  Republicans limited government intervention Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 15

Party Alignment and Ideology  The Reagan Revolution and Conservative Party Politics  Roe v. Wade decision affected political parties  Reagan protected individual political freedom  Undermined Communist countries  The Modern Partisan Landscape  Clinton addressed socially liberal policies  Led to Republican party resurgence (Bush)  Corruption/Iraq War - voters back to Democrats  responsible parties: Parties that take responsibility for offering the electorate a distinct range of policies and programs, thus providing a clear choice. 16

Political Parties and Democracy  Do parties hold officials accountable?  Parties do a mixed job of promoting equal participation  Voters free to join any political party  Obstacles to third-party formation  Two-party system hinders multiple perspectives  Is there widespread participation? Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 17