1. Political Parties
Party competition: battle of the parties for control of public offices.

2. Political Parties: groups of people seeking to control government by winning elections
So who are the members of these teams? “The Three-Headed Political Giants”
The Party in the Electorate
The Party in the Organization
The Party in Government

3. Party in the Electorate
The largest component of an American political party.
Does not require a membership card
Does not require any dues.
You only have to claim you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc.
Political parties link the people of the United States to their government and its policies.

4. Party as an organization
National office, a full-
time staff, rules,
bylaws, & budgets.
Each party maintains a
state & local headquarters
Chairpersons, committees
& officials in Washington
D.C.

5. Party in Government
Consists of elected officials who call themselves members of the party
They do not all have to agree on policy but share a common party label.

6. Duties of the Parties Nomination Function
this function belongs to political parties ONLY!
Run Campaigns
coordinate political campaigns
Informer-Stimulator
give the people cues on how to vote
Party image- the voter’s perception of what the parties stand for

7. Duties of the Parties Articulate Policies
they advocate specific policy alternatives
Coordinate policymaking
they provide essential coordination among the branches

8. Parties, Voters, & Policy: The Downs Model
A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians.
It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs & benefits of possible alternatives.
Extremely Slightly Moderate Slightly
Liberal Liberal Moderate

9. Rational Choice Theory
Downs argues that
Voters want to maximize the chance that policies they favor will be adopted by government
parties want to win office
Thus, in order to win office, the wise party selects policies that are widely favored. AND that (according to Downs Model) is moderate.

10. Party Identification: a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.
Trend: decline of both parties and resultant upsurge of independents
Major exception: African- Americans more solid democrat
Ticket-splitting: voting with one party for one office & with another party for other offices.
Party Electorate
Most European nations:
give membership cards
pay dues
vote to pick their local party leaders

11. State party organization 1,000’s local organizations
National Convention
State party organization
1,000’s local organizations
Parties are decentralized and fragmented
Party machines: type of party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage.
Patronage: key inducement used by party machines; a job, promotion, contract
Boss Tweed, Richard Daley

12. Primaries
Closed Primaries: elections to select party nominees in which people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidate.
Open Primaries: elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election day whether they want to vote Democrat or Republican
Blanket Primaries: elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from ALL the parties.

13. National Party Organization
National Convention: the meeting of party delegates every 4 yrs. To choose a presidential ticket & write the party’s platform.
National Committee: One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions.
National Chairperson: person responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party & is usually nominated by the presidential nominee.

14. Party Eras in American History
Party eras: historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections
Critical election: an electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, & the majority party is displaced.
Party realignment: the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
They are usually associated with a major crisis or trauma in the nation’s history.

15. 1828-1856: Jackson Democrats versus the Whigs
Party Eras
: Jackson Democrats versus the Whigs
: First Party System
Federalist Party: 1st & shortest-lived major party
Washington, and John Adams VS
Democratic-Republicans, or Jeffersonians
Jefferson, Madison, & Monroe
Popular in rural south
General Andrew Jackson founded the Democratic Party.
- western & southern areas; new immigrants supported
- Martin Van Buren VS
Whigs – Northern industrialists & Southern planters
- William H. Harrison & Zachary Taylor

16. Party Eras Republicans became the anti- slavery party.
: Republican Eras
: New Deal Coalition
Republicans became the anti- slavery party.
Led by Abraham Lincoln
Thrived for more than 60 years
Favored the gold standard
Democrats voted out the Hoover Republicans.
New Deal Coalition
Urban dwellers
Labor unions
Catholics and Jews
Poor
Southerners
African Americans
Intellectuals
Frank Baum lampooned the Republicans with his book.

17. Party Eras
1968-Present: The Era of Divided Party Government
1968-Richard Nixon (R) elected President with a Democratic Congress.
Ronald Reagan (R) Opposite
George H. Bush (R) Party in
Bill Clinton (D) Congress
Congress & White House have only been simultaneously controlled by the same party for just 6.3 of the 34 years from to 2002.

18. Third Parties: their impact on American politics
Electoral contenders other than the two major parties.
Rarely win elections
Types of third parties
Ideological Parties
Economic-Protest Parties
Single-Issue Parties
Splinter Parties

19. Multiparty Systems in Other Countries
America has a winner-take-all system. European countries use a proportional representation that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election. Germany has a coalition government, when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature.
Social Democrats
Greens Party

20. Democracy & Responsible
Responsible party model: a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work.
According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use these choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates.
Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises.

21. Individualism and Gridlock
Founding fathers feared political parties.
Individual members of Congress can vote as individuals
Politicians can pass the buck rather than bite the bullet.