1. “Linkage Institution”
Political Parties
“Linkage Institution”
“No one party can fool all of the people all of the time; that's why we have two parties.” – Bob Hope

2. Political Parties
A party is a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label (party identification), by which they are known to the electorate
United States parties have become weaker as labels, sets of leaders, and organizations

3. Parties in the US and Europe
European parties are disciplined gatekeepers, to which voters are very loyal, though this has been declining recently
The federal system decentralizes power in U.S.
Parties are closely regulated by state and federal laws, which weaken them
Candidates are now chosen through primaries, not by party leaders

4. The Evolution of American Party Democracy
Hamilton and Jefferson, as heads of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist (Democratic-Republicans) groups respectively, are often considered “fathers” of the modern party system.
By 1800, this country had a party system with two major parties that has remained relatively stable ever since.

5. The Rise and Decline of Parties
During the Jacksonian era political participation became a mass phenomenon
From the Civil War until the 1930s most states were dominated by one party

6. The Results of Reform
Progressives pushed measures to curtail parties’ power and influence
The worst forms of political corruption were reduced
All political parties were weakened; parties became less able to hold officeholders accountable or to coordinate across the branches of government

7. Democrats and Republicans: The Golden Age
From the presidential elections of 1860 to the present, the same two major parties have contested elections in the United States: Democrats and Republicans.
Reconstruction -- Republican dominance
closely competitive
Republican dominance
1930s and 1940s -- Democratic dominance
1950s and 1960s -- closely competitive
1970-present -- neither party dominant

8. Figure 9.1: Decline in Party Identification, 1952-2002
Insert Figure 9.1 (formerly 7.1 in 9e)
National Election Studies, The NES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior, , table 20.1, and data for 2002 updated by Marc Siegal.

9. Party Structure Parties are similar on paper
RNC effectively created a national firm of political consultants
Democrats moved to factionalized structure and redistributed power
By the 1990s, DNC had learned from the RNC: adopted the same techniques, with some success

10. Party Structure
National Convention – meets every 4 years, nominates President
National Committee – manages party affairs on daily basis
Congressional campaign committee – supports party’s candidates
National chair – manages daily work

11. Goal of a Political Party?
WIN ELECTIONS

12. Nominating a President
Primary: an election in which voters select the candidate who will run on each party’s ticket
Caucus: a meeting of party followers at which delegates are picked

13. Table 9.1: Who Are the Party Delegates?
Insert Table 9.1 (formerly 7.1 in 9e)

14. Table 9.5: How Party Delegates and Party Voters Differ in Liberal Ideology
Insert Table 9.5 (formerly 7.5 in 9e)

15. Function of Parties
Connecting citizens to government (linkage institution)
-Political Efficacy – citizen participation level and awareness of government decisions
Run candidates for political office
Inform the public – help voters decide who to vote for in elections
Organizing government – coordinate government policy-making

16. Other Roles of the American Parties
The two-party system has been used to resolve political and social conflicts.
Mobilizing Support and Gathering Power
A Force for Stability
Unity, Linkage, Accountability

17. Why 2 parties? Winner-take-all system
Electoral system—winner-take-all and plurality system limit the number of parties
3rd party usually joins one of other parties
Opinions of voters—two broad coalitions work, although there may be times of bitter dissent

18. Reasons for the Two Party System
State laws have made it very difficult for third parties to get on the ballot
Opposite – Proportional Representation – % of votes is directly applied as the % of representatives

19. Table 9.4: The Public Rates the Two Parties
Insert Table 9.4 (formerly 7.4 in 9e)

20. Political Party Issues

21. National Conventions
National committee sets time and place; issues a “call” setting the number of delegates for each state and the rules for their selection
In 1970s, Democrats’ rules were changed to weaken local party leaders and increase the proportions of women and minorities
In 1988, the number of superdelegates was increased

22. “Grass Roots”
“Grass Roots” – parties can also reach the voters personally and “get-out-the-vote” on a local level

23. Minor Parties Third Parties have played a role in politics Types
Ideological parties: comprehensive, radical view; most enduring
One-issue parties: address one concern, avoid others
Economic protest parties: regional, protest economic conditions
Factional parties: from split in a major party, usually over the party’s presidential nominee
Individual personality – those dominated by one figure head (Ex. – 1912 Theodore Roosevelt – Bull-Moose, 1968 George Wallace – American Independent Party)

24. Minor Parties: Third-Partyism
Minor parties are not a threat to the two major parties. (At least not in winning elections but they are in helping them lose elections)
Only eight third parties have won any electoral votes in a presidential contest.
The third parties that have had some success are:
1996 and 1992: Ross Perot’s Reform Party
1968: George Wallace’s American Independent Party
1924: Robert LaFollette’s Progressive Party
1912: Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party
1856: Millard Fillmore's American Party

25. Impact of Minor Parties
Conventional wisdom holds that minor parties develop ideas that the major parties adopt
Factional parties have had probably the greatest influence on public policy

26. Party Identification
Dealignment – weak membership, more “independents” or moderates – popular trend in the last 50 years
Strait ticket voting – strong party membership, support all candidates for one party
Ticket splitting – voting for candidates from multiple parties

27. Party Realignment
Critical or realigning periods: periods when a sharp, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties
Two kinds of realignments
A major party is defeated so badly that it disappears and a new party emerges
Two existing parties continue but voters shift their loyalty from one to another

28. Realignments
1860: slavery issue fixed new loyalties in the popular mind
1896: economic issues shifted loyalties to East/West, city/farm split
1932: economic depression triggered new coalition for Democrats
1980: Could not have been a traditional realignment, because Congress was left in the hands of the Democrats

29. Realignment?
“Gridlock” – Congress and Presidency controlled by different parties
Party Polarization -A vote in which a majority of one party opposes the other
Republican sweep of Congress and Presidency - party loyalty stronger?
split the Presidency and Congress again
might bring a Democratic sweep

30. Party Decline Evidence that parties are declining, not realigning
Proportion of people identifying with a party declined between 1960 and 1980
Proportion of those voting a split ticket increased

31. Figure 9.2: Trends in Split-Ticket Voting For President and Congress, 1920-2000
Insert 9.2 (formerly 7.2 in 9e)

32. Figure 9.2 Split-Ticket Voting for President/House, 1952–2004
Source: American National Election Studies, November 2005, table 9B.2.
Copyright © 2011 Cengage

33. Declining Party Loyalty?
The number of independents in the U.S. rose from 19% in 1958 to 37% twenty years later.
Identification with the two major parties today is in the mid 80% range.
Pollsters often find that many self-declared independents often “lean” quite strongly to either the Democratic or Republican party.
“Leaners” do feel party affiliations, but choose not to self-identify with a party.

35. Political Ideology

36. Political Ideology Which are you?

37. Freedom vs. Order /Equality

38. 2013 FRQ
Political parties play important roles in United States elections and government institutions. Over the past several decades, the influence of political parties in elections has declined while their strength in Congress has increased.

39. Political Ideology
(a)  Describe two important functions of political parties in United States elections.
(b)  Describe one important role political parties play within Congress to promote the party’s public policy agenda.
(c)  Explain how each of the following factors has weakened the influence of political parties over the political process.
 Direct primaries
 Candidate-centered campaigns
(d)  Explain how party polarization has strengthened party influence in Congress.