1. US Government October 26, 2015

2. Daily Warm-up:10-26-15  Would your family support one another in a crisis? Might they disagree on some family matters? Does any one person control everyone in the group?

3. Daily Objectives:  Students will be able to…  understand why the major parties have a decentralized structure.  describe the national party machinery and how parties are organized at the State and local levels.  identify the three components of the parties.  examine the future of the major parties.

4. Agenda:  1. Daily Warm-up  2. Daily Objective Review  3. Political Parties: Party Organization PWPT  4. National Committee Simulation  Homework: 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th, & 6 th Periods-Complete Guided Reading pg. 10

5. The Decentralized Nature of the Parties  Both political parties are highly decentralized (fragmented); often beset by factions/internal squabbling  Neither party has a chain of command from the local to the national level  State party organization—loosely tied to the national level  Local party organization—often independent of their State parent organizations  Usually they cooperate with each other; not always the case

6. The Decentralized Nature of the Parties  The Role of the Presidency  President’s party usually more organized than opposing party  President=party leader; through access to media, popularity, power to make appointments to federal office  The opposing party typically will have a number of personalities (in competition with each other) try to lead the party

7. The Decentralized Nature of the Parties  The Impact of Federalism  Federalism causes the decentralization of political parties because the governmental system is highly decentralized.

8. The Decentralized Nature of the Parties  The Role of the Nominating Process  Candidate selection is an intraparty process; nominations are made within the party.  The nominating process can be a divisive process.  Fights over nominations pits members of the same party against one another.

9. National Party Machinery  At the national level, parties have 4 main elements:  National Convention  National Committee  National Chairperson  Congressional Campaign Committees

10. National Party Machinery  The National Convention  Meets in the summer of every presidential election year to pick the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.  Adoption of party’s rules; writing of party’s platform  No control over the selection of the party’s candidates for other offices nor over the policy stands those nominees take.

11. National Party Machinery  The National Committee  Between conventions, the party’s affairs are handled by the national committee and national chairperson.  Comprised of a committeeman/woman from each State chosen by the State’s party organization.  Republican National Committee (RNC) includes the party chairperson from each State in which the GOP has recently had a winning record and members from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.  Members of GOP groups also serve on the RNC (ex.: National Federation of Republican Women)

12. National Party Machinery  The National Committee  Democratic National Committee (DNC) includes the chairperson and vice-chairperson from every State; includes members from the party organizations of the larger States; up to 75 at-large members chosen by the DNC; several members of Congress, governors, mayors, Young Democrats  The National Committees have little power.  Most of its work centers on staging the National Convention every 4 years.

13. National Party Machinery  The National Chairperson  The national chairperson is the leader of the national committee.  Serves a four-year term; chosen by the National Committee (presidential candidate)  The national chairperson directs the work of the party’s headquarters and its staff in Washington.  In presidential election years, the committee’s attention is focused on the national convention and then the campaign.  In between elections, the chairperson and committee work to strengthen the party and its fortunes.  Promote party unity, raise money, recruit new voters

14. National Party Machinery  The Congressional Campaign Committees  Each party has a campaign committee in each house of Congress.  Work to reelect incumbents and to make sure seats given up by retiring party members remain in the party  Members of these campaign committees are chosen by their colleagues; serve for 2 years

15. State and Local Party Machinery  The State Organization  Party machinery is built around a State central committee headed by a State chairperson  Chairperson can be anyone; most often it’s the Governor, a U.S. Senator, some other powerful leader of the State  Chairperson and committee work together to further the party’s interests within the State.  Build an effective organization and party unity, find candidates and campaign funds

16. State and Local Party Machinery  Local Organization  Generally follow the electoral map of the State; a party unit for each district in which elective offices are to be filled (congressional and legislative districts, counties, cities and towns, wards, and precincts)  ward—unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members  precinct—smallest unit of election administration; the voters in each precinct report to one polling place

17. The Three Components of the Party  Can be viewed from a social standpoint—in terms of the various roles played by their members. Three basic and closely interrelated components:  The party organization  Leaders, activists  The party in the electorate  Party loyalists who vote the straight party ticket; those who call themselves party members  The party in government  Party’s officeholders

18. The Future of the Major Parties  Parties aren’t popular in U.S.; Americans accept them as necessary institutions  Been in a period of decline since 1960s  Voters are less likely to identify as Republican or Democrat; growing number identify as independents  Increase in split-ticket voting—voting for candidates of different parties for different offices in the same election  Party structural changes—made parties more open but have led to internal conflict  Changes in the technology of campaigning  Growth of single-issue organizations

19. National Committee Simulation  Group #1  RNC—nominate officers and formulate your party’s platform  Group #2  DNC—nominate officers and formulate your party’s platform