1. Political Parties in America

2. Political Party It is an association of voters with common interests who want to influence government decision-making by getting their candidates elected to public office. They share beliefs about politics and the role of the government. They try to get voters to support their candidates for office.

3. Political Party Anyone in the U.S. can join a party, and there are no requirements. They may ask for donations, but you are not forced to pay dues. You don’t have to take a test or even vote to be a member. They exist at all levels of government: national, state, and local.

4. General Terms Candidate: a person people choose to run for office. Public Office: an elected position.

5. Political Parties Political parties allow for competition in a democratic government and provide a link between citizens and their elected officials. All parties try to appeal to as many voters as possible. By adopting mainstream and moderate positions, they appeal tot eh most people. One way to find out how political parties differ is to look into each parties platform.

6. Platforms and Planks A platform is a series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues. A plank is an individual part of the platform.

7. The American Two-Party System During the majority of U.S. history, there have been two major political parties competing with one another. At any given time, there are numerous political parties, but generally only a couple are very powerful. A two-party system means that there are two major political parties controlling politics and the government in the U.S.

8. The American Two-Party System Today, the two major parties are the Republicans and Democrats. Early on, many early Americans, including the first president, George Washington, warned against political parties. http://richmondthenandnow.com/Images/Famous-Visitors/George-Washington-big.jpg

9. Political Parties Why would people warn against political parties? The Constitution does not mention them! It divides the nation up to the groups, making it a divided, not united, country.

10. History of American Political Parties Started in the late 1700s with the Federalists and Democratic Republicans. Federalists wanted a strong national government and a loose interpretation of the Constitution so that the national government could gain more power. Democratic Republicans favored a weak national government and strong state governments as well as a strict interpretation of the Constitution so that the national government’s power would be in check.

11. History of American Political Parties In 1828, President Andrew Jackson started the Democratic party, which still exists today. The Whig Party emerged to counter it. Eventually the Republican Party would emerge in 1854 and replace the Whigs in opposition to the Democrats. Since in 1854, the United States has had the Democrat and Republican parties.

12. Democrats and Republicans http://www.churchillcounty.org/clerktrs/images/donkeyelephant.gif

13. Democrats They tend to believe that the federal government should be more directly involved in regulating the economy and in providing housing, income, education, and jobs for the poor. They tend to support more programs. This often leads to high taxes- you have to have money to run the programs. http://www.democrats.org/

14. Loyalty Trends (today)- Democratic Most blue collar workers More unemployed/ on govt. benefits Labor union members tend to vote Democratic Democrats have a lead in garnering the women's votes Over 75% of minorities vote Democratic Young people are again more Democratic Catholics, Jews, and religious minorities are mostly Democrats New England and the west coast tend to be more democratic Liberals tend to be Democrats

15. Republicans They support less government involvement and controls and more power in the hands of the states and little government regulation of the economy. They tend to believe that if they help the nation’s economy grow, poor people will have a better chance of finding jobs and meeting their own needs- trickle-down economics. They also support big business. They tend to support fewer programs, which often means lower taxes. It is also known as the GOP- Grand Old Party. www.rnc.org

16. Big business and Chambers of Commerce tend to vote Republican Professionals, executives, and white collar workers tend to be Republican The South and west tends to be more Republican Men tend to split fairly evenly between the two parties Cuban Americans are generally Republicans (anti-Castro) Republicans tend to be Protestant Married couples tend to be Republican Conservatives tend to be Republican Loyalty Trends (today) - Republican

17. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden http://www.whitehouse.gov/

18. Third Parties Even in a two-party system, there will be more than two parties. Third parties are parties that challenge the two major parties. No third party has ever won the presidencies. They can affect the outcomes of elections, however. They also influence government and social policy. They have won some Congressional, state, and local government positions.

19. Third Parties Some third parties from the past include the Populists and Progressives. Some third parties represent a lot of different issues, but many political parties are also single-issue parties. Single-issue parties arise not to win elections, but to promote a specific issue. The Prohibitionist Party, formed in 1872, was one of these- made to ban the sale of alcohol.

20. “Rent Is Too ____ High” Party http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o- TeMHys0

21. Prohibition Movement http://i.b5z.net/i/u/895699/i/VDP_ -prohibition-poster_ezr.JPG http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/ media/0701_012201.jpg

22. Ideological Parties Some third parties, called ideological parties, focus on changing society in major ways. Some examples include the Socialist Labor Party and the Libertarian Party. The Green Party is an example that opposes the power of corporations and favors decision making at the grassroots level. It also supports environmentalism and social justice. http://www.gp.org/

23. The Green Party http://www.gpnj.org/cumberland/untitled.jpg

24. Independent Parties Sometimes third parties form around well- known individuals who cannot get support from one of the two major parties. The Independent Party and Reform Party have been two major independent parties. Ross Perot was a major Reform Party candidate. He did not win the presidency but he may have swayed the 1992 election.

25. Election of 1992 In 1992, the Republican party candidate, George Bush, and Democratic candidate, Bill Clinton, were running for the presidency, along with Ross Perot, a third party candidate. He did not win, but may have split the Republican party vote and allowed Bill Clinton to win. http://ap.grolier.com /images/cache/026/ pl384.jpg http://parallel.park.org/UnitedStates/bill-portrait.gif http://www.historyplace.com/s pecials/calendar/docs- pix/bush.jpg

26. Political Parties Around the World Other nations have political parties as well. Some only have one party that the government allows. Democracies often have several parties. Communist governments or dictatorships often only have one party.

27. National Party Organization Both major parties, Democrats and Republicans, are organized at local, state, and national levels, which are only tied to together loosely. All the levels want the party to win as many offices as possible.

28. National Party Organization Each party has a national committee, which is made up of representatives from each state. It helps raise funds for presidential elections and organizes the party’s national convention. A national party chairperson runs the committee. Another key job is to hold a national convention every four years. At the national convention, party delegates from all states nominate candidates for president and vice president.

29. National Party Organization A delegate is a representative. Each party chooses its delegates through a combination of primary elections and caucuses, or meetings, or state and local party organizations. The decision for the presidential and vice presidential candidates are chosen at the national conventions. The parties also set up congressional campaign committees.

30. State and Local Government Each party has 50 state committees. Some are stronger than others. They focus on getting their party’s candidates elected to state offices. Local party organizations focus on getting members of their party elected to city, town, and county positions. Each city or county is divided into election districts or precincts.

31. State and Local Government A precinct is a geographic area that contains a specific number of voters. Each party has a precinct captain to organize its party members. Several precincts make up a larger election unit called a ward. Political parties set up county committees in counties. A county chairperson heads these.

32. State and Local Government Sometimes local party organizations become very powerful. A strong party organization is called a political machine. One of the most notorious was Tammany Hall in New York City. They often help out the weak in order to get their votes because they represent great numbers.

33. Joining Political Parties You don’t have to join a political party to vote. They do offer citizens a good way to get involved in politics. The greater the numbers you have supporting your ideas, the more likely they are going to become a reality. Members of political parties can vote, volunteer, contribute money, or even run for election.

34. Role of Political Parties The most important role is nominating candidates. They perform the nomination process, in which they select candidates for public office. Major parties in all states nominate candidates at all levels through direct primaries. A primary is an election in which voters choose candidates to represent the party in a general election.

35. Role of Political Parties Primary: pre-election election Closed primary: most states have this; this is an election in which only the declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party’s nominees. Each party has its separate primary- Republicans vote in the Republican primary and Democrats vote in the Democratic primary.

36. Role of Political Parties Open Primary: a few states hold these; voters do not need to declare their party preference in order to vote for the party’s nominees. A lot of people fear open primaries because members of another party might vote for the other party in order to get the weakest candidates into office.

37. Role of Political Parties The party’s nomination goes to the candidate who receives the most votes in most states. A plurality is the most votes. A majority is 50% plus 1. If a state requires a majority and no clear winner receives a majority, then a runoff primary is held between the top vote getters.

38. Role of Political Parties Candidates who are not affiliated with one of the two major parties can get on the ballot for the general election in most states through a petition. Since they do not have primaries, they use petitions. A petition is where qualified voters sign papers declaring support for the candidate, and if enough signatures are received, the candidate will be put on the ballot.

39. The Roles of Political Parties 1. Political parties nominate candidates for office. 2. They also campaign for its candidates- campaigning is promoting a candidate. Parties raise money for the campaigns as well. They also try to get voters to the polls on election day to vote.

40. The Roles of Political Parties 3. They help manage government when their party wins offices. 4. Acting as a Watchdog: Parties also play the watchdog role in which when that party is out of power, it watches for mistakes or misuse of power of the party in power, hoping to help its party win the next election.

41. The Roles of Political Parties 5. Linking the Different Levels of Government: political parties operate at all levels of governments and help them organize. 6. Informing citizens of what is going on 7. Representing the people and their message