AP Gov Political Parties 9/29/2017
Party Structure National Convention National Committee Meets every 4 Years and Nominates the President Convention Bounce National Committee Manages party affairs on a daily basis State and Local Committees While there is a national committee, THERE IS NOT A TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT 9/29/2017
Goal of a Political Party? WIN ELECTIONS Gain Control of the Gov.
Function of Parties Connecting citizens to government (linkage institution) -Political Efficacy – citizen participation level and awareness of government decisions Run candidates for political office Inform the public Party Platform Help voters decide who to vote for in elections Voting Cue Straight Ticket vs. Split Ticket
Rise and Decline of Political Parties Founders- Disliked parties, thinking of them as “Factions” Federalist 10 Washington spent most of his Farewell Address condemning parties Thomas Jefferson started the first Party, Republicans in 1790 9/29/2017
Party Realignments This is a very rare occurrence in which existing party affiliations change dramatically and the change lasts over several election cycles 9/29/2017
Critical Elections Critical Election- election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues 2006 2008 2010 2014 2016 9/29/2017
No more Realignment Just Dealignment A general decline in partisan identification and loyalty in the electorate 9/29/2017
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Declining Loyalty Republicans and Democrats are split fairly evenly…about 1/3rd for each side Number of Independents are on the rise In 1958 19% said they were Independents but only 20 years later it rose to almost 38% which is where we stand today However, most “independents” have been found to lean quite strongly to one direction or the other…Most choose not to self identify with a party This could signal an erosion in the appeal of the parties 9/29/2017
Declining Loyalty 9/29/2017
Impact of Parties The Mass of potential voters who identify with party labels Party Identification Voters identify with a party but rarely belong to it They do not physically join or pay dues Becomes a voter’s central political reference symbol and a way of interpreting a complex world Party Loyalties normally come from one’s parents but can be influenced in other ways? What ways? 9/29/2017
Party Stables? These trends seem to hold true Labor Unions tend to vote Democratic South and Midwest still tend to vote Republican while the Northeast goes Dem Over 80% of African Americans and many Hispanics vote Democratic Young People are again becoming more democratic GOP attracts white collar but the Democratic attracts the Blue collar worker Married voters tend to lean Republican and widowed are mostly democrats 9/29/2017
Why Third Parties will never work… Is it a good or a bad thing? 9/29/2017
Types of Third Parties Single Issue Parties Single issues like Prohibition of alcohol or an extreme ideological position like socialism or libertarianism 9/29/2017
Types of Third Parties Splinter Parties Off shoots of a Major Party
Types of Third Parties Popular Individual Jesse “the Body” Ventura or Ross Perot
Why 3rd parties will Never Win Winner Take-All System Who ever gets a plurality of the votes receives all of the States electoral votes Funding An independent party must raise a lot of money and they get no help from the government Federal Funding Must get 10% of the National Vote to receive federal funding in the NEXT election Ballot Access State Ballot Laws Single Member Districts Every district has ONE representative. No proportional representation in America. 9/29/2017
Importance of Third Parties 3rd Parties can take away votes and elections from major parties. This affects the presidency. Gore lost by 537 votes in FLA. 97,000 Floridians voted for Nader Bring new issues to the political agenda Serve as “safety valves” for popular discontent 9/29/2017