CHAPTER 7 POLITICAL PARTIES

This chapter provides a fairly detailed exploration of political parties, with emphasis on the two party system that has evolved in the United States.

Role of A Political Party A party is a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label. Arenas A label in the minds of the voters Set of leaders in government Organization for recruiting and campaigning

Reasons for differences from European parties Federal system decentralizes power Early on, most people with political jobs worked for state and local government. National parties were coalitions of local parties. As political power becomes more centralized, parties become weaker still Parties closely regulated by state and federal laws Candidates chosen through primaries, not by party leaders President elected separately from Congress

Decline in Party Identification, 1952-2000 .

Cleavages and Continuity in the Two Party System

1. Founding 2. Andrew Jackson - 1824 3. Whigs 4. Progressives and the Era of Reform A. Primary Elections B. Non Partisan Elections at the local level C. Strict Voter Registration Rules D. Civil Service Reform E. Initiative, Referendum and Recall

Occurrences: change in issues 1800: Jeffersonians defeated Federalists 1828: Jacksonian Democrats came to power 1860: Whigs collapsed; Republicans won 1896: Republicans defeated Bryan 1932: FDR Democrats came to power

1972-1988: shift in presidential voting patterns in the South Fewer Democrats, more Republicans, more independents Independents vote Republican Now close to fifty-fifty Democratic, Republican Party dealignment, not realignment

Party Structure Today 1. Nation convention ultimate power, nominates presidential candidate. 2. National committee composed of delegates from state manages affairs between conventions. 3. Congressional campaign committees. 4. National chair manages daily work.

The Democrats have evolved into a factional party emphasizing the mobilization and conciliation of party activists. (Pluralism). The Republican party has become a bureaucratic party devoted to winning elections by focusing on raising money and providing consulting services to its candidates.

Some of the above changed in 1992 and 1994, the Democrats became adopting direct mail and sophisticated focus groups and polling to insure more electable candidates. Republican have become more isolated on the ideological extreme be dominated by the Christian Coalition. Is it better to win or be ideologically pure?

Consequence of reforms Parties represent different set of upper-middle-class voters Republicans represent traditional middle class Democrats represent the "new class" Democrats hurt because the traditional middle class closer in opinions to most citizens

State and Local Party Organizations 1. The Machine 2. Ideological Party 3. Solidary Groups 4. Sponsored Parties 5. Personal followings

The machine Recruitment via tangible incentives High degree of leadership control Abuses Gradually controlled by reforms But machines continued Both self-serving and public regarding Winning above all else

Ideological parties Principle above all else Usually outside Democrats and Republicans But some local reform clubs Reform clubs replaced by social movements

Solidary groups Most common form of party organization Members motivated by solidary incentives Advantage: neither corrupt nor inflexible Disadvantage: not very hard working

Sponsored parties Created or sustained by another organization Example: Detroit Democrats controlled by UAW Not very common

Personal following Examples: Kennedys, Curley, Talmadges, Longs Viability today affected by TV and radio Advantage: vote for the person Disadvantage: takes time to know the person

U.S. Political Parties The two-party system Rarity among nations today Evenly balanced nationally, not locally Why such a permanent feature? Electoral system: winner-take-all and plurality system Opinions of voters: two broad coalitions

American Parties As Broad Coalitions 1. Plurality, winner take all system, especially in the electoral college. 2. Voters agree on enough issues to make broad coalitions possible, no real differences like organization of the economy, prerogatives of the monarchy, and the role of the church.

Types of Minor Parties 1. Ideological parties 2. One issue parties 3. Economic protest parties 4. Factional parties

Examples Ideological parties: comprehensive, radical view; most enduring Examples: Socialist, Communist, Libertarian One-issue parties: address one concern, avoid others Examples: Free Soil, Know-Nothing, Prohibition Economic protest parties: regional, oppose depressions Examples: Greenback, Populist Factional parties: from split in a major party Examples: Bull Moose, Henry Wallace, American Independent

Are there Significant Differences - Primarily Between Activists, not between voters. Nominating A President 1. Are the delegates representative of the voters? 2. Who Votes in Primaries?

Are the delegates representative of the voters? Democratic delegates much more liberal Republican delegates much more conservative

Who votes in primaries? Primaries now more numerous and more decisive Stevenson and Humphrey never entered a primary By 1992: forty primaries and twenty caucuses Little ideological difference between primary voters and rank-and-file party voters

Caucus Meeting of party followers at which delegates are picked Only most-dedicated partisans attend Often choose most ideological candidate: Jackson, Robertson in 1988

Parties versus voters Democrats: win congressional elections but lose presidential contests Candidates are out of step with average voters on social and tax issues So are delegates, and there's a connection Republicans had the same problem with Goldwater (1964) Rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans differ on many political issues, but the differences are usually small Delegates from two parties differ widely on these same issues

Formula for winning president Nominate candidates with views closer to the average citizen (e.g., 1996 election) Fight campaign over issues agreed on by delegates and voters (e.g., 1992 election)

SELF TEST

For more information about this topic, link to the Metropolitan Community College Political Science Web Site http://socsci.mccneb.edu/pos/polscmain.htm