The Meaning of Party Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs Model Rational-choice theory: Assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the costs & benefits. Figure 8.1

Party Organization Party Structure Party professionals in national, state, local day-to-day operations whose goal is to select candidates, build platforms & win! The key organizational unit of the party structure is at the city, county, state levels National parties are little more than an affiliation of regional entities---lack any real control over them BUT most Americans define the parties on the basis of their ______________ identities

Local Party Orgs. Five distinct types of local party organizations have developed: The machine Ideological parties Solidarity Groups Sponsored parties Personal followings Increasingly, local political activists who become nationally known come from interest groups (AFL-CIO, NOW, NEA, etc.)

Party Organization – States: Each state manages its own party operation Decentralized & fragmented 3 Types of State Primaries: Open Closed Blanket

Party Control in State Governments Partisan Control of State Governments: 2005 (Figure 8.3)

They influence platforms! Republican Think Tanks: Researchers and academics used by the parties as sources of policy ideas They influence platforms! Republican Think Tanks: Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute Democratic Think Tanks: Open Society Institute, Center for National Policy most non-partisan?

Parties at National Level National Committee National Convention held every four years to:

Party Platforms: Democratic Platform Republican Platform Views on Economy/Taxes? Healthcare? Environment? Defense? Social Issues? Republican Platform Libertarian Platform? Green Platform?

Party in Government

Political Parties are Linkage Institutions: They link input from the public with output from policy makers Four linkage institutions in U.S.: Political Parties