Political Parties
Political Parties A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label by which they are known by the electorate. PRIMARY GOAL “elect candidates to public office.”
Purposes They Serve Label Political parties exist as a label (or brand) in the eyes of the voters. That label allows voters who might not be familiar with individual candidates to have a general idea of their values Organization Parties seek to recruit potential candidates and to help campaign on their behalf for political office Set of Leaders Once elected party members work together to organize and control the branches of government they are in so they can achieve their policy goals.
U.S. Party System There are really only two parties that have realistic chances at winning national elections Although the United States has multiple parties...
Two Party System Despite the presence of multiple parties we are a two party system because on a national level we really only have two political parties that have a legitimate chance at capturing offices and control of government.
Why a Two Party System? (Legislative) Proportional Representation Plurality System Used in Europe Ballots list party, not candidate. Parties votes are tallied Party gets to name the representatives based on the percentage they get. Example: 100 Seats in Parliament, party wins 45% of the vote, therefore they name 45 people to Parliament Used in the United States Ballots list individual candidates Each seat is run for separately The person who gets the most votes gets the seat Encourages candidates to try to appeal to the “most” people possible
Why a Two Party System? (Presidential) In the electoral college (more on that later) each state is worth a certain amount of votes In all but 2 states (Maine and Nebraska) the winner of the state gets ALL of the electoral votes Encourages candidates to appeal to broadest group possible
The Role of Minor Parties Despite the fact that their chances at winning elections are minimal they exist because some people believe that voting their conscious is more important than winning. However they do impact our system in other ways. Minor Parties… - Serve as a protest vote - Develop ideas often “borrowed” by major parties - Bring up issues that are ignored by the major parties - Can serve as a “spoiler” in close elections.
Modern Political Parties Modern Political Parties have become much weaker than they were in the past. The proportion of people identifying with a political party has declined from 1960 to1972 1972- 81% identified as either Republican or Democrat. Today- 59% More people today vote a split-ticket (vote for members of different parties in elections ex. A Republican for Congress but a Democrat for President) than in the past.
The Modern Democratic Party Evolution…. - 1800: The Democratic-Republican Party (Jefferson) organizes to opposed The Federalist Party. - 1828: The Democratic Party is formed when factions within the party emerge with elites supporting John Quincy Adams and the rank and file supporting Andrew Jackson. Jackson ends up winning the Presidency. -1932: Although the name stays the same The Democratic Party “realigns” its priorities. FDR runs for President during the Great Depression and turns the Democrats from the party of White Southerners into a broad based coalition of various groups.
The “Typical” Democrat The Typical Democrat is a Black woman living in the city who is an immigrant and both Catholic and Jewish…. The Typical Democrat is a Black woman living in the city who is an immigrant and both Catholic and Jewish…. There really is no such thing as a “Typical” Democrat.
Factions Within the Party The Democratic Party Progressives Centrists “Blue Dog” Democrats Radical Liberal Moderate
The Factions Progressives (Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren) Socially progressive (pro legalization of Marijuana), for a mixed economy (capitalism with socialistic tendencies), and anti-interventionism in foreign policy. Centrist Democrats (Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama) Socially left leaning (medical marijuana and regulated legalization), free trade with a social safety net, and more willing to use American power oversears “Blue Dog” Democrats Lean more socially conservative than most Democrats (members are often Southerners)
The Modern Republican Party Evolution… - 1828: The Democratic-Republicans who backed Adams join with members of the Federalist Party to create the Whig Party - 1854: The tensions of Slavery cause a minor party (The Republicans) to form. The Republicans popularity replaces the Whigs as the second major party in the country. - 1896: The Republican Party switches its focus to economics, supporting the growth of big business. - 1968: After the South rejects the Democratic Party, The Republican Party employs the Southern Strategy, focusing on returning certain powers to the state and opposing the growth of the federal government
The “Typical” Republican White Anglo Saxon Protestant Males with higher incomes.
Factions Within the Party Main Street Republicans The Republican Party Libertarians Christian Right Main Street Republicans Neo-Conservatives Trumpism/Alt-Right Moderate Conservative Reactionary
The Factions Main Street Republicans (Mitt Romney, George Bush) Economic Conservatives who range from Liberal to Moderate Social Conservatives. Tied to business interests Libertarians (Rand Paul) Emphasize free markets (little to no government intervention), less social controls (“not government’s business). Often isolationist but not always Christian Right (Ben Carson, Ted Cruz) Evangelical Christians who put greatest emphasis on conservative social values. Neo-Conservatives (George W. Bush) Stronger belief in using American foreign policy and military to “spread” American democratic values Trumpism/Alt-Right (Donald Trump) Right wing populism, nativist, anti-immigrant and (though not always) linked to white nationalism and anti-democratic tendencies