1. Longman PoliticalScienceInteractive
Magleby & Light
Government by the People
Chapter 7
Political Parties:
Essential to Democracy
Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

2. Party Functions Political Party
An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy
Organize the Competition
Unify the Electorate
Help Organize Government
Translate Preferences into Policy
Provide Loyal Opposition
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3. The Nomination of Candidates
Closed Primary System
Only registered members of the party are allowed to vote in the primary
Party Convention
A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office
Open Primary System
Voters are allowed to participate in the primary election without declaring membership in a party
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4. The Nomination of Candidates
Caucus: A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform
Hillary Rodham Clinton; contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008
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5. Party Systems Two party Winner-takes-all system Multiparty
“Wasted vote” syndrome discourages minor parties
Government tends toward stability
Policy change is incremental
Multiparty
Coalition government is necessary
Minor parties have an incentive to persevere
Proportional representation
Governments tend toward instability
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6. Parties as Institutions
National party leadership
Party platforms
Parties at the state and local levels
Party leadership is decentralized
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7. Parties in the Electorate
Party Activists
Party Regulars
Candidate Activists
Issue Activists
Party Registration
The act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when registering to vote
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8. Realigning Elections Jacksonian Democrats and Whigs (1824)
Abraham Lincoln (1860): Post-Civil War Republican Dominance
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9. The New Deal Democratic Party (1932)
Realigning Elections
The New Deal Democratic Party (1932)
Roosevelt’s optimism and “can do” attitude in the face of the Great Depression helped cement the New Deal Democratic coalition that won him the presidency
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10. The Resurgence of Richard Nixon (1968)
Realigning Elections
The Resurgence of Richard Nixon (1968)
Permanently disrupted the New Deal Coalition that had dominated presidential politics for 36 years
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11. Partisan Realignment and Dealignment
Voters have shown no consistent preference for one party over the other
Dealignment: Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents.
Still, two-thirds of all “independents” are really partisans in their voting behavior/attitudes
One-third consistently Democratic, one-third consistently lean Republican, and one-third appear to have little interest in politics
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12. Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration
Ideological Parties
Protest Parties
Single-Issue Parties
Splinter Parties
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13. Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration
Libertarian Party
Green Party
Reform Party
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14. Minor Parties in the United States
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15. Party Identification
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16. Divided Government
Since 1953, divided government, with one party controlling Congress and the other the White House, has been in effect twice as long as one-party control of both the legislative and executive branches
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17. Reform Democrats Republicans 1968: Disarray and disputes
System of proportionality
Superdelegates
Republicans
1970s: Emphasis on grassroots organization and membership recruitment
Ahead in campaign donations until 2006
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18. Are the Parties Dying? Critique of the American party system
1. Parties do not take meaningful and contrasting positions on most issues
2. Party membership is essentially meaningless
3. Parties are so concerned with accommodating the middle of the ideological spectrum that they are incapable of serving as an avenue for social progress
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19. Winning wins over principle
Are the Parties Dying?
Winning wins over principle
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