Chapter 5: Political Parties
What is a Political Party? (5.1) Shared political beliefs Seek to win elections to control gov’t 113th Congress – Senate 113th Congress - HR
What do Political Parties do? (5.1 cont) A link between the people and the gov’t. 4 main jobs of political parties Nominating candidates – main function of PP Must be credible candidates and good once elected Informing & Activating Supporters Campaigns, commercials, pamphlets, rallies, etc. Governing Many of our politicians are chosen by party. They must follow the party – Partisanship Encourages compromise within the gov’t Acting as a Watchdog Mostly done by the party out of power - Romney Obama
Different types of Party Systems (5.2) Multiparty Systems Most of Europe Many parties have a real chance of winning Each party has a different agenda Positives & Negatives More choice, more diverse rep., more instability Coalition to win support of majority One-Party Systems (aka “No Party”) Dictatorships Certain areas of America
British Parties http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/state-of-the-parties/
America’s Two-Party System (5.2) Minor parties exist, but only 2 major parties have a real chance to win Why a two-party system? Tradition – Federalists and Anti-Fed Electoral system – laws help major parties American Ideological Consensus
Evolution of the Two-Party system The history of American politics can be broken up into 4 eras The Era of the Democrats, 1800-1860 Began with Jefferson The Era of the Republicans, 1860-1932 Civil War (Lincoln) - Depression The Era of the Democrats, 1932-1968 FDR - Nixon Divided Government Mistrust
The Future of the Two-Party System Probably will weaken More independents Split-ticket voting Primary Elections Technology helps
Timeline of election results
Minor Parties Wide variety Have little (if any) chance of winning. Importance: Innovators Critics Spoiler Examples: Green, Reform, Libertarian, Tea, Right to Life, Communist
Democrats vs. Republicans Many factors influence political socialization Geography, Gender, Age, Race, Education, Income, Occupation, Religion Family Often, these factors conflict Issues
Democrats (Liberal, Left) Republicans (Conservative, Right) Symbol Leaders Government size Business Taxes Abortion Social Spending Defense Spending Immigration Death Penalty Same-sex marriage Affirmative Action Domestic (ANWR) Drilling Kyoto Treaty Crime School Vouchers Three strikes law Minimum Wage Social Security Health Care Religion World Peace Gun Control