Longman PoliticalScienceInteractive Magleby & Light Government by the People Chapter 7 Political Parties: Essential to Democracy Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

Party Functions Political Party An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy Organize the Competition Unify the Electorate Help Organize Government Translate Preferences into Policy Provide Loyal Opposition Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The Nomination of Candidates Closed Primary System Only registered members of the party are allowed to vote in the primary Party Convention A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office Open Primary System Voters are allowed to participate in the primary election without declaring membership in a party Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The Nomination of Candidates Caucus: A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform Hillary Rodham Clinton; contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Party Systems Two party Winner-takes-all system Multiparty “Wasted vote” syndrome discourages minor parties Government tends toward stability Policy change is incremental Multiparty Coalition government is necessary Minor parties have an incentive to persevere Proportional representation Governments tend toward instability Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Parties as Institutions National party leadership Party platforms Parties at the state and local levels Party leadership is decentralized Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Parties in the Electorate Party Activists Party Regulars Candidate Activists Issue Activists Party Registration The act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when registering to vote Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Realigning Elections Jacksonian Democrats and Whigs (1824) Abraham Lincoln (1860): Post-Civil War Republican Dominance Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The New Deal Democratic Party (1932) Realigning Elections The New Deal Democratic Party (1932) Roosevelt’s optimism and “can do” attitude in the face of the Great Depression helped cement the New Deal Democratic coalition that won him the presidency Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The Resurgence of Richard Nixon (1968) Realigning Elections The Resurgence of Richard Nixon (1968) Permanently disrupted the New Deal Coalition that had dominated presidential politics for 36 years Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Partisan Realignment and Dealignment Voters have shown no consistent preference for one party over the other Dealignment: Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents. Still, two-thirds of all “independents” are really partisans in their voting behavior/attitudes One-third consistently Democratic, one-third consistently lean Republican, and one-third appear to have little interest in politics Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration Ideological Parties Protest Parties Single-Issue Parties Splinter Parties Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration Libertarian Party Green Party Reform Party Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Minor Parties in the United States Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Party Identification Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Divided Government Since 1953, divided government, with one party controlling Congress and the other the White House, has been in effect twice as long as one-party control of both the legislative and executive branches Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Reform Democrats Republicans 1968: Disarray and disputes System of proportionality Superdelegates Republicans 1970s: Emphasis on grassroots organization and membership recruitment Ahead in campaign donations until 2006 Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Are the Parties Dying? Critique of the American party system 1. Parties do not take meaningful and contrasting positions on most issues 2. Party membership is essentially meaningless 3. Parties are so concerned with accommodating the middle of the ideological spectrum that they are incapable of serving as an avenue for social progress Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Winning wins over principle Are the Parties Dying? Winning wins over principle Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman