Political Parties

Role of Political Parties in a Democracy  What is a political party?  Why are parties essential to democracy? Keep elected officials responsive Stimulate political interest Ensure accountability Help people make sense of complexity in politics Make government work They facilitate majority rule

American Two-Party System  Why a Two-Party System?  Role of Minor Parties in the Two-Party System  Shifts in the American Two-Party System

TABLE 9.1: Major political parties in American history

Why a Two-Party System?  Proportional representation (PR) v. SMDP Seats apportioned by percentage of vote  Winner-take-all First past the post Incentives v. disincentives for small parties Cabinet v. president

9.2 Why a Two-Party System?  Restrictions on minor parties Ballot access requirements differ by state Signatures required to get on ballot 5% minimum for federal funding Not reimbursed until after election © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

It’s all about the Electoral College © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9.2 Role of Minor Parties in the Two-Party System  Becoming less important  Types of minor parties Protest parties Ideological parties Single-issue parties Splinter parties  Splitting the vote © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Party realignments years of one party dominance Then voting coalitions shift 9.2 Shifts in the American Two- Party System © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9.2 FIGURE 9.1: Timeline: Party eras in the United States © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

 New Deal party era Shifts in the American Two- Party System

FDR adds to his coalition

 Dealignment era Divided government  Parties at war era Emotional appeals to base Closely divided elections Absence of bipartisanship Shifts in the American Two- Party System

Partisanship at the boiling point

The Democratic and Republican Parties Today  Parties as Organizations  Party Ideologies  Parties in Government and in the Electorate

FIGURE 9.2: Political party organization in the United States

Parties as Organizations  Party membership Party identification is everything Core supporters make up party base  Not hierarchical chain of command Loose organization

Parties as Organizations  Party organizations as candidate- centered Voters and donors have control  Party conventions Meet every four years Nominate presidential and VP candidates Write party platform  National party committees Conduct party business between conventions Campaign service organizations

Parties as Organizations  Congressional campaign committees Raise money, conduct research, provide media services, encourage candidates Controlled by party members in Congress Highly professionalized and well funded  State party organizations Relatively independent  Associated interest and advocacy groups Push parties apart on policy and ideology

FIGURE 9.3: Party identification and ideology, 2013

 Ideology and party in public perceptions Increasing public perception of differences  Ideology and policies in party platforms Differences in rhetoric  Ideologies of party activists More extreme  Divisions within the parties Economic/social issue split 9.3 Party Ideologies

Parties in Government and in the Electorate  Government Unified government bridges separation of powers, checks and balances Divided government leads to gridlock  Electorate Independents Active partisans Leaners 9.3 © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

FIGURE 9.4: Trends in party identification 9.3 © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Discussion Questions Why does the United States have a two- party system when most democratic countries have multiple parties? What role do parties serve in a democracy?