Political Parties

The Meaning of Party Party Competition-battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of public offices Political party- team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in duly constituted elections Three headed political giant The party is the electorate The party as an organization The party in government

Tasks of the Party Linkage Institutions- translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers Parties pick the candidates -nomination- official party endorsement Parties Run Campaigns Parties give cues to voters Parties Articulate Policies Parties coordinate policymaking

Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs Model Parties compete in a marketplace Rational-choice theory 1. voters want to maximize the chance that policies they favor will be adopted by government 2. parties want to win office, select policies that are widely favored Successful parties rarely stray far from the midpoint public opinion Try to differentiate themselves

The Party in the Electorate Party image- voter know or think they know what Democrats and Republicans stand for Party Identification- self proclaimed preference for one party or the other In US we don’t formally join parties Young people politically independent of party 2012 42% of Americans identified as independent Ticket Splitting- voting with one party for one office and the other party for another office

The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington Pyramid shaped organization Decentralized and fragmented

Local Parties Party Machines- party organization that depends on rewarding its members in some material fashion Patronage- job awarded for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone Fall of party machines to local organizations Distribute yard signs, register voters, get out the vote on election day

50 State Party System No two states have same organization in their party State parties have wide discretion Open vs closed primaries Permanent headquarters for party organizations

The National Party Organization National convention- supreme power within each party Meet every 4 years to decide party platform and nominate candidates for president and vice president National committee- operates the party between conventions National chairperson- head of party organization that deals with day to day operation

The Party in Government: Promises and Policy Voters attracted to party in government by its performance and policies Coalition- a set of individuals and groups supporting the party Depends how well government keeps its promises

Party Eras in American History America a 2 party system and always has been Minor parties cant really win One party usually dominates for a given period of time Party Eras- when a majority of Americans identify with the party in power, thus party tend to win elections Critical election- electoral earthquake where parties coalition fractures, and new issues appear dividing the electorate Party realignment- akin to political revolution, major crisis or trauma in history

1796-1824: The First Party System Federalist party led by Hamilton Needed help for national bank John Adams only president Democratic-Republicans led by Jefferson Put up three president with two terms a piece Gained power from agrarian interests Mostly made of southerners

1828-1856: Jackson and Democrats versus the Whigs Democratic-Republicans become the Democratic Party under Jackson Pushed by westerners and southerners against elites Martin van Buren gets one term Whigs only get two presidents Harrison, and Taylor Brought together more to oppose democratic policies but could not agree on much after that

1860-1928: The Two Republican Eras Slavery splits both democrats and whigs Republicans rise in late 1950s as antislavery party Abraham Lincoln first republican president Second Era starts with election of McKinley vs Bryan Republicans favor gold standard, industrialization, banks, high tariffs Democrats favor silver standard and western farmers Republicans hold onto power till the stock market crash of 1929

1932-1964: The New Deal Coalition Hoover didn’t handle the great depression well The Rise of Democrats led by FDR and the new deal FDR Wins 4 presidential election with his popular policies helping pull America out of Depression New Deal coalition included: Urban Dwellers Labor Unions Catholics and Jews The Poor Southerners African Americans Johnsons Vietnam war policies splinter the democratic party plus refusing to run again

1968-Present: Southern Realignment and the Era of Divided party government Richard Nixon's “southern strategy” Watergate Leads to Carter Iranian Hostage crisis leads to Reagan Less of electorate aligned with either party Congress and presidency often split between parties Party dealignment- many people gradually moving away from both parties

Third Parties: Their impact on American Politics 3 Types of third parties Promote a certain cause Splinter parties, or offshoot of major party Parties that are extension of a popular individual Almost never win office Bring up many important issues Green party candidate cost Gore the 2000 election Two parties firmly entrenched

Democracy and Responsible party government: How should we Govern? 1. parties represent distinct comprehensive programs for governing the nation 2. Each parties candidates must be committed to its program Majority party must implement its program 4. Majority party must accept responsibility for the performance of the government

Democracy and Responsible party government: How should we Govern? Party in power convert promises into policy Parties vary in membership Obama and the Blue Dog Democrats Decentralized parties

Americans political parties and the scope of government Unlike European parties American parties lack discipline They promise something but they are not cohesive as a group Vary in opinion in one party Lose party structure make the goal to get more for constituents to get reelected