1. Chapter 9: Political Parties

2. Party Basics
A political party is a group that seeks to elect candidates for office by supplying them with a label or party identification.

3. Party Basics View of Party It is a label to the voters.
It is an organization to recruits and campaigners.
It is leadership for the candidates.

4. USA Party History Founding Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans
They were known at the time as the Republicans.
Today they are the modern Democratic Party.
Favored
An agrarian society
Pro-France
Southern

5. USA Party History Founding Hamilton’s Federalists
They focused on centralizing national power.
Favored
Industrialism
Pro-British
Northern

6. USA Party History Civil War Democrats those who favored Jackson
Whigs were those opposed to Jackson

7. USA Party History Civil War Slavery
The issue caused damage to both parties and realignment based on region.
Southern Whigs were destroyed and many Northern Whigs were absorbed by the Republicans.
The Democrats divided regionally into Northern & Southern Camps.

8. USA Party History Civil War Slavery
The Republicans emerged from the multiple factional groups
Northern Democrats
Northern Whigs
Free-Soilers
Know-Nothing Party

9. USA Party History Reform Era
Democrats and Republicans emerged as the two main parties; however, corruption ran rampant through the government (both federal and local).
With the attack on the spoils system, the parties realigned themselves.

10. USA Party History Reform Era
Democrats became the big city/minority/social welfare party/farmers.
Republicans supported the rich/big business.

11. USA Party History Party Decline Voting Pattern
Straight ticket voting had been the norm (voting for the same party candidates).
Split ticket voting became more common (voting for candidates of different parties).

12. USA Party History Party Decline Bloc Balloting
Office-bloc (Massachusetts) lists all the candidates of a given office under the name of that office.
Party-column (Indiana) lists all the candidates of a given party tighter under the name of the party.

13. National Party Structure Today
Hierarchy for both Parties
The national convention is the ultimate authority.
Between conventions, the national committee manages party affairs.

14. National Party Structure Today
Hierarchy for both Parties
Congressional campaign committee
It helps members running for reelection.
Helps to accrue soft money (party money), not delegate (hard) money.

15. National Party Structure Today
Hierarchy for both Parties
National Chairman
He runs the day-to-day work.
The committee elects him.
Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus

16. National Party Structure Today
National Convention
Reserved seating is given to superdelegates (party leaders and elected officials).
Convention Ideology
Republicans represent the most conservative wing.
Democrats represent the most liberal wing.

17. State & Local Parties
The political machine is a party organization the recruits its members with tangible incentives.
Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall

18. State & Local Parties Ideological Parties
Third parties are commonly single-issue factions of the Democrats and Republicans.
Sometimes they begin as “reform clubs” within the party.

19. State & Local Parties
Solidary Groups are groups that form because they want to be “in the know” or have political influence.
Sponsored Party is one that is sponsored by another organization or a local party structure.
The UAW participation in the Democratic Party of Detroit is considered an example of a sponsored party.

20. State & Local Parties Personal Followings
Based on an individual’s charisma.
It is commonly used when party organization is weak in a region.
Senator Strom Thurmond, served as a US senator from South Carolina for 43 years, the first picture is him in the 1960s, the second picture is at his 100th birthday (he was still a senator).

21. The Two-Party System
The US uses a plurality system or a winner-take-all system.
The Electoral College
It is the most dramatic example of the plural system.
Only Maine and Nebraska split there electoral votes.

22. Minor Parties Ideological Parties
These parties have different views of American society and government.
Examples
Socialist Party
Communist Party
Green Party

23. Minor Parties One-issue Parties
Normally has a single issue and avoids other topics or areas.
Examples
Free-Soil Party
Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party Logo

24. Minor Parties Economic-protest Parties
These parties tend to align farmers in a given region but disappear when economic conditions improve.
Examples
Greenback Party
Populist Party

25. Minor Parties Factional Parties
These normally occur when a split over the presidential candidate of a party occurs.
Examples
Bull Moose Party (Teddy Roosevelt)
Reform Party (Ross Perot)

26. Nominating a President
Primaries are the elections to choose candidates for office
Caucus is a meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate.
The delegates (for both parties) are normally issue-oriented activists.