U.S. Government and Politics (11.1) Political Parties U.S. Government and Politics

Essential question for this unit What is the role of the people in Government? * This unit is about the Linkage Institutions

Review interest groups Influence/ put pressure on policymakers Persuade public officials to support the interest group position Help stimulate interest in public policy Examples: American Civil Liberties Union, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Amnesty International, National Rifle Association

Political Parties and what they do Political party = a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office. Election oriented People belong to political parties voluntarily. It is a personal choice to support a particular party.

Political Parties and what they do Historically, political parties have shown to be essential to democratic government. Political parties are important because they “provide a link” from the people to the government offices. Parties help the will of the people made known to government, and by which government is held accountable to the people

Functions of political parties Nominating candidates - parties select, present them to voters and help them win elections Informing and activating sponsors - look to influence participation in public affairs Inform people - educate the public to their advantage Bonding agent - insure good performance of party candidates

Functions of political parties Governing - those who govern are chosen based on the party Help government run more smoothly - political parties help different branches work together Watchdog - criticizes the policies and behaviors of the party in power Help Democracy work - linking the people and government

How do Interest Groups differ from political parties? Political Party Goal: Win elections/control an office in Gov’t (Pres, Congress,etc) Goal: Inform and persuade those in gov’t Members share common interests/ political ideas Need $ to operate $ PACS “make” policy “influence” policy $ Campaign funds Similarities

Reasons for a Two-party system In a typical election, only the Republican and Democratic Party’s candidates have a reasonable chance of winning. There are several reasons why America has had and continues to have a two-party system.

Reasons for a Two-party system Historically, this country began with two parties - the Federalists and the anti-Federalists over conflict about the Constitution. Traditionally, it has remained with two main parties. Third parties have never been very successful. 2) Election law purposely discourages non-major-party candidates. It is hard for third party candidates to make it onto ballots and gain full attention.

Reasons for a Two-party system 3) The prevalence of single-member districts = electoral districts from which one person is chosen for each elected office Plurality = largest number of votes cast for office is the winning candidate SMD and plurality discourages other parties from running.

Political Party game = reasons for a two party system

Political Spectrum A political party logo is a symbol that represents the entire party. The Republicans and Democrats have adopted the elephant and the donkey respectively to represent their parties.

Political Spectrum Parties, such as Republican and Democrat, are represented on a political spectrum = a range of political views. Republicans (right wing), traditionally carrying a conservative approach to politics. Democrats (left wing) and traditionally more liberal in their political approach. Bipartisan = two major parties find common ground

Political Spectrum The Democratic and Republican parties had different platforms for taxes and healthcare in the 2012 election. How do the party platforms reflect the political spectrum?

Multiparty and One-party Some critics argue that the American two-party system should be scrapped. Replace it with a multiparty arrangement, a system in which several major and many lesser parties exist, seriously compete for, and actually win public offices. Multiparty systems have long been a feature of most European democracies, and they are now found in many other democratic societies elsewhere in the world.

Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Minor/3rd parties have impact on American politics. First to use a national convention to nominate a presidential candidate (1831) They play the “spoiler role” - they sometimes pull support away from the major parties. Play the “innovator role”. They support issues often ignored by the major parties. Historical ex = women’s suffrage

Third and minor parties The pie chart shows the percentage of the popular vote each party garnered in the 2012 presidential election. Did the minor parties affect the election results? Explain.

Conclusions / Takeaways Quick write and report out: Give a summary of role of political parties on U.S. politics