1. The Meaning of Party Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs Model
Rational-choice theory: Assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the costs & benefits.
Figure 8.1

2. Party Organization Party Structure
Party professionals in national, state, local day-to-day operations whose goal is to select candidates, build platforms & win!
The key organizational unit of the party structure is at the city, county, state levels
National parties are little more than an affiliation of regional entities---lack any real control over them
BUT most Americans define the parties on the basis of their ______________ identities

3. Local Party Orgs.
Five distinct types of local party organizations have developed:
The machine
Ideological parties
Solidarity Groups
Sponsored parties
Personal followings
Increasingly, local political activists who become nationally known come from interest groups (AFL-CIO, NOW, NEA, etc.)

4. Party Organization – States:
Each state manages its own party operation
Decentralized & fragmented
3 Types of State Primaries:
Open
Closed
Blanket

5. Party Control in State Governments
Partisan Control of State Governments: 2005 (Figure 8.3)

6. They influence platforms! Republican Think Tanks:
Researchers and academics used by the parties as sources of policy ideas
They influence platforms!
Republican Think Tanks:
Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute
Democratic Think Tanks:
Open Society Institute, Center for National Policy
most non-partisan?

7. Parties at National Level
National Committee
National Convention held every four years to:

8. Party Platforms: Democratic Platform Republican Platform
Views on Economy/Taxes? Healthcare? Environment? Defense? Social Issues?
Republican Platform
Libertarian Platform?
Green Platform?

9. Party in Government

10. Political Parties are Linkage Institutions:
They link input from the public with output from policy makers
Four linkage institutions in U.S.:
Political Parties