1. Political Parties

2. Introduction Party polarization
Wide gap between the views on policy issues
Pros – makes choice easier for voters
Cons – hard to find middle ground/compromise

3. The Meaning of Party Party competition
Struggle to control public offices
Gives choice
Vital for a democracy
A group of people seeking to control government by getting elected into office

4. The Meaning of Party “Three-headed political giant” Party electorate
The rank and file membership
Self-identified title
Largest of the three groups

5. The Meaning of Party “Three-headed political giant” Party organization
Offices
National
State
Local
Full time staff
Rules
Budgets

6. The Meaning of Party “Three-headed political giant”
Party in government
Elected officials
Work together in governing

7. Tasks of the Parties Linking institution Picking candidates
Endorsing nominees
Evolution
Party bosses chose nominees
Now, rank and file choose nominees through primaries

8. Tasks of the Parties Run campaigns Give cues to voters
Coordinating campaigns
Mass media reduced this role
Give cues to voters
Articulate policies
Coordinate policy making
Linking government branches together

9. The Meaning of Party Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs Model
Rational-choice theory
Voters want to see their opinions turned into policy
Candidates want voters’ votes

10. The Meaning of Party Independents The wild card
Party identifiers usually vote for party
Independents tend to be moderate
To win elections
Keep the party base
Sway the independents

11. The Party in the Electorate
Party image – what the voters think the parties stand for
Party identification – self-identified preference for a particular party

12. The Party in the Electorate
The rise of independents
“fashionable” to declare as independent
More of a “youth thing” than for older people
Most likely to practice “ticket splitting”
Voting for different parties for different offices
Makes no state is completely “safe” for a given party

13. The Party Organizations: From the Grass
Decentralized
Fragmented
Limited role

14. The Party Organizations: From the Grass
Local Parties
Party machines
Ran local politics
For patronage
Rewards for party loyalty
Not based on merit or competency

15. The Party Organizations: From the Grass
Local Parties
Progressive reforms
Job by merit
Fair-bidding for contracts
Still a force in local elections

16. The Party Organizations: From the Grass
The 50 State Party Systems
Barely held together by national party apparatus
Varies state to state
Ballot layout up to state parties
Primary format
Open primary –
can vote in either party primary
Closed primary –
can only vote in registered party

17. The Party Organizations: From the Grass
The 50 State Party Systems
Mostly deal with funding the candidate’s election campaign

18. The National Party Organizations
National convention
Write party platform
Nominate candidates
Presidential
Vice presidential

19. The National Party Organizations
National committee
Representatives from each state
Carry on operations between conventions

20. The National Party Organizations
National chairperson
Head the committee
Carry on day-to-day
operations
Who?
Party in the White House
= president
Party out of power
= contested position

21. The Party in Government: Promises and Policy
Voters expect elected official turn promises to policy
Form coalitions
Groups of people interested
in similar agendas
Most promises are kept
Voters seem to elect promises more than people

22. Rise of Political Parties
Founding Era
Party conflicts were
Mostly about policy differences
Seen to be an indictment on the legitimacy of the national government

23. Rise of Political Parties
The Founding Era
Republican*
Federalist
Jefferson
Hamilton
Weak Central Government
Strong Central Government
Agrarian base
Industrial & banking base
Southern stronghold
Northern Stronghold

24. Rise of Political Parties
Founding Era
Every president since the Jefferson-Hamilton/Adams conflicts has had to persuade the public that, despite partisan politics, the presidency exists to serve all of the people.

25. Rise of Political Parties
Jacksonian Era
Political participation becomes a mass phenomenon
New laws enlarged eligible voter status
Population growth swelled voter numbers
Presidential Electors chosen by popular vote in most states
Party conventions replace legislative caucuses for selection of nominees

26. Rise of Political Parties
Civil War and Post-War Era
Slavery divides parties as much as it does the nation
Modern Republican Party emerges from the “Free Soil Party”
Whig Party fades away
The McKinley-Bryan election
Realignment / Critical Election
Last time a nominee ran on “agrarian power” base
Republican party strengthens

27. Rise of Political Parties
Civil War and Post-War Era
McKinley
Businessmen, professionals, skilled workers, prosperous (large scale) farmers
Regional strength
Northeast
Upper Midwest
Pacific Coast

28. Rise of Political Parties
Civil War and Post-War Era
Bryan
Alienated northeasterners
Moralistic rhetoric
“Crusading for inflation” (Free Siverite)
Regional strength
South
Rural Midwest
Rocky Mountain states

29. Rise of Political Parties
Civil War and Post-War Era
States become single party states at the national level

30. Rise of Political Parties
Civil War and Post-War Era
The single party splits into factions at the state level
Stalwarts
Build up party machinery
Party loyalty is prized
Patronage is
expected
Interested in WINNING at all costs
Mugwumps (Progressives)
Reformers
Advocacy of party platform
Principle was prized above all

31. Evolution of Political Parties
The Era of Reform
Progressives push measures to reform the abuses of the political parties
Wanted primaries to replace party conventions
Break corrupt alliances of business and parties
Strict voter-registration requirements
Used media to get the word out

32. Evolution of Political Parties
The Era of Reform
Successes
Initiative
Referendum
Recall
Direct Primaries
Effects
Weaken party machines and bosses
Weaken party structure in general

33. Political Parties Realignment and Critical Elections
Sharp and LASTING shifts in popular support for a political party
Kinds
One party disappears and is replaced by another one
Both parties continue but one loses support of a sub-group

34. Decline of Party Importance
Proportion of people identifying with one party or the other is in decline
Split ticket voting has increased
Use of office-bloc ballot expands
Massachusetts ballot
Candidates are grouped
by office
Candidates in each race are listed randomly

35. Decline of Party Importance
Use of party-column ballot declines
Indiana ballot
All party candidates are
listed in a single column
Can vote straight ticket by
checking off column

36. Decline of Party Importance

37. United or Divided Governments
Executive
Legislative (Senate)
Legislative (House)
Unified Government –
when one party controls
The Executive Branch
The Legislative Branch
Senate AND
House
Rare in contemporary US history

38. United or Divided Governments
When the opposition party controls
one of the above three centers
of power
Party Dealignment
Electorate is moving away from their political parties
They are not moving (wholesale) to the other major party
Executive
Legislative (Senate)
Legislative (House)

39. Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics
An alternate party from the dominant two parties
A regular feature of American politics
Rarely win major office

40. Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics
Types
Single issue party
Splinter party
Party of a personality

41. Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics
Importance
Bring previously disinterested people into the political world
Send a targeted message about a topic

42. Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics
Importance
Acts as a safety valve
Those who feel neglected have
a place to turn to
Allows new or fringe ideas to be part of the peaceful political process
Brings other ideas into the major parties’ platforms

43. Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics
Hindrances
Winner-take-all system
Not proportional representation for second, third etc. place
Tradition

44. Democracy and Responsible Party Government: How Should We Govern?
Responsible Party Model
Parties present clear, distinct platform
Candidates must be committed to party’s platform
Actions
Majority party must implement platform
Minority party must state how they would do things differently
Majority party accepts full responsibility for outcomes

45. Democracy and Responsible Party Government: How Should We Govern?
Trouble with America is ….
Our parties are too decentralized in power
Candidates self-label
Candidates can gain nomination
without party support
No method to punish officials
who buck the party line

46. American Political Parties and the Scope of Government
American political parties are often factionalized internally
Makes it difficult to change the scope of government powers
Makes it easier to officials to get more from the government for the people back home