1. Rep. John Boehner passes the gavel to Rep. Nancy Pelosi
Political Parties
Objective:
Demonstrate understanding of types of political parties, functions of political parties, and trends affecting political parties today
Rep. John Boehner passes the gavel to Rep. Nancy Pelosi

2. What Role do Political Parties play?
QUESTION: Can you give examples for each party function below?
Governing Role –
Develop governmental policy
Legislative leadership & committee systems organized along party lines
Facilitator - between legislative and executive branches
Recruit & Nominate candidates & develop leaders
Endorse, raise money, provide campaign support & expertise

3. Functions of Political Parties
Screening Agent: Ensure character & qualifications of candidates
“Power Broker” - large parties promote compromise among factions; reduce conflict and extremism
Educate & Mobilize voters and encourage civic participation
Link citizens to their government
make will of people known
inform people about govt. actions
“Watchdog”
hold government officials accountable
criticize party in power

4. Minor Parties: Various Types
QUESTION: What examples can you think of?
Ideological or Doctrinal Parties
Propose alternate, comprehensive platform of social, political, economic matters
principles are more important than votes
Single-Issue Parties: focus on one policy issue
Economic Protest Parties: often regional; focus on economic conditions; disappear as economy improves
Factional / Splinter / Bolter Parties: split from major party; often formed around strong personality and fade when leader steps aside

5. Functions of Minor Parties
QUESTION: What current examples can you think of?
Critic & Watchdog
Innovator
Introduce & support new ideas
take stand on controversial issues
“Spoiler” role - pull votes away from a major party

6. Why do we have a Two-Party System?
Single-Member Districts:
“Winner Takes All”
compare to proportional / multiple member districts give incentive to minor parties
Electoral College extreme example
Plurality System: the person with most votes wins (majority not necessary)
majoritarian systems: greater incentive for small parties / can form coalitions in run-off
Which system do you prefer?

7. Political Party Trends
Party Realignments / Critical Elections:
lasting shift in parties’ support bases
voters change patterns of party loyalty
Why would some say the 1980s was one?
Evidence For:
Conservative resurgence
South becoming less (D)
Republicans controlling Congress more often
Evidence Against:
Congress still controlled by Dem’s often
Democrats were still strong in state & local
Realignment or Dealignment in South?
1952: 1/3 “strong Dems” to only 1/7 in 1984
In past, Southerners voted D more often
Today, split today b/w Ds and Rs

8. How Might you Explain these Trends in Voter Identification?
Democrats down / Independents up / Republicans constant
Democrats down:
New Deal Coalition disappearing; Southerners leaving after Civil Rights movement and Rights Revolutions of 60s and 70s
Decline of party machines
Leaders and activists more liberal
Decline of labor unions
Independents Up:
Less trust in Gov. (Vietnam, Watergate, Iran Contra, Iraq, Media Scrutiny)
Popular Minor Party Candidates (Wallace, Perot, Nader)
Republicans Constant:
Policies closer to mainstream
Platform remained more constant and traditional

9. Why has party strength declined?
Old days before secret ballot:
* Political Machines (Tammany Hall)
* 90% turnout in 1896!
Party control of nominations weakened
* Primaries replaced state conventions
* Voters decide, not party heads
* = less loyalty by candidates
Compare to Europe – American party power is decentralized (e.g. local, county, state, natl.)
Candidates getting more $ from interest groups and special interests
Use of Media & Internet
* Get message out
* Raise money

10. What are some indicators of declining party strength?
Ticket splitting
Party identification down; Independents up
Low Voter turnout

11. Are parties making a comeback?
Question: Do we even need Political Parties?
Parties using internet: organize members / appeal to voters
State and local party leaders are soliciting candidates
Congress voting with party more
Increasing use of filibuster
Question: Why is there more partisanship in Congress if voters are less partisan?
Partisanship on the Rise? Congressman Joe Wilson calls President Obama a liar

12. Elections & Campaigns Two Election Phases: Primary and General
Primaries – candidates run for party nomination
General – party nominees run against each other
What is the “Invisible Primary?”
Primary Elections:
Closed Primary: Democrats may only vote for Democrats; Republicans may only vote for Republicans
Open Primary: Voters may choose which primary to vote in (R or D), but then restricted to vote only for Republicans or only for Democrats
Blanket Primary or “wide-open primary”: May vote for any party’s candidate for any office (S.Ct ruled CA’s version unconstitutional)
Runoff Primary: Some states require winner to obtain a minimum % of the vote, or else a runoff is held between the two frontrunners

13. State Primaries
Iowa is first “Caucus” / New Hampshire is first “Primary”
PA primary held on April 24, 2012 – What impact does that have?
“Front-loading” – states moving their primaries to earlier dates

14. Critiques of Iowa’s Influence
Unrepresentative of nation as a whole?
Rural
Homogeneous
Small population
Earmarks for Iowa

15. Video clip from Iowa Caucus 2008 2nd Video clip from Iowa Caucus 2008

16. Conventions Very different in the past: Back room dealings
Party bosses dominate
Presidential Primaries: delegates, superdelegates, proportional vs. winner takes all, “Brokered” conventions
Purposes:
Select President & VP nominees
Unify party & Motivate members
Free Media to get message across
Show of Party Unity
Set party rules & platform
Post-Convention Bump