Political Parties

1. Political Parties

2. Learning Objectives
• 8.1 Identify the functions that political parties
perform in the American democracy
• 8.2 Determine the significance of party
identification
• 8.3 Describe how political parties are organized in
the US
• 8.4 Differentiate the various party eras in
American history
• 8.5 Asses the impact of third parties on American
politics and their limitations

3. Political Parties: The Basics
• Group of people who join together to
CONTROL the government
– Similar ideas
– Want their ideas to become public policy
– Gain power by winning elections
– United States
• Dominated by two Parties
• Coalition – large group with various interests
• Third/Minor parties play various roles

4. What Party do you Identify
With?

5. I side with Activity
• I Side With

6. The Two Party System
• Two Party System – A system in which two
parties dominate the electoral/governmental
system
• US has always had a two party system
• Minor parties exist, but the have a difficult
time wining in national elections; minor
parties have had success at the local level

7. Political Parties
• Two Party Systems
– About a dozen nations have two party systems
– Two parties dominate
– Minor parties exist

8. Historical Origins
• The Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans
were the first American parties.
• The Jeffersonian Republicans would evolve
into the Democratic Party in the late 1820s.
• The Republican Party grew out of the
antislavery movement in the 1850s.

9. And the Minor(Third) parties
are…

10. American Third Parties
• Third parties have played an important role in
American politics.
• Spoiler role – (2000 Election Bush V Gore) Nader
Green Party
• The ideas of the third party may be adopted by one of
the major parties.

11. American Third Parties
• Third-party success in the United States is limited
by
— the electoral system
• single-member district
• winner take all
— socialization
— belief that voting for third party is a wasted vote.

13. Political Parties
• One Party Systems
– Usually found in authoritarian gov’ts.
– Power through force - Communist China.
Theocracies are also usually a one party sys. Iran

14. Political Parties
• Multi Party Systems
• Most common system in the world
• Represent widely different ideologies
• One party rarely gets enough support for
control
• Often combine to form coalitions
• These systems can be politically unstable
• Lebanon, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and Philippines

15. Functions of a Party
• Nominating
• Government Business
• Informer-Stimulator
• Seal of Approval
• Watchdog

16. Nominating
• Recruit candidates
for office
• Picks those who
can “win”

17. Government Business
• Conducts the
business of
government
• Influence the
national
government

18. Informer-Stimulator
• Informs and
stimulates interest
and discussion
• Get out the Vote

19. Seal of Approval
• Approves
candidates
• Branding function

20. Watchdog
• Party out of power
criticizes party in
power

21. State of the Union 2016
• President Obama provided his vision for the
coming year and the current “state” of our
Union.
– Nikki Halley (R-SC) – GOP response
– Wayne Allyn Root (R-Florida) – Tea Party Response

22. Party Eras in American History
• Political Scientist divide American history into party-
eras in which one party dominated politics for a
significant period of time
• Change when a critical election reveals new issues
and a failure of the party in power
• Usually causes party realignment, when a party
redefines itself and attracts new voters (dealignment)

23. LO 8.5
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

24. Party Eras in American History
• First Party System 1789-1828
– Federalists vs. Jeffersonian “Democratic –
Republicans”
• Financial issues
• Federalists early on (Wash/Adams) but were supplanted by
the Democratic Republicans (Jefferson/Madison/Monroe)
– Second Party System 1829-1856 - Democrats(Democratic–
Republicans) and Whigs
• Spoils system, slavery and tariffs
• Democrats dominated
• Big Block of Cheese Day, Mar 4th

25. Party Eras in American History
• Third Party System 1857-1892
– Republicans and Democrats
• Slavery and Civil War; Reconstruction and
Industrialization
• Republicans Dominated
• Fourth Party System 1893-1932
– Republican and Democrats
• Industrialization, Progressivism, and Immigration
• Republicans Continue to dominate

26. Party Eras in American History
• Fifth Party System
– Republican and Democrats
• Government and Economy
• New Deal Coalition (poor Southerners, African
Americans, city dwellers, Catholics and Jews)
• Democrats Dominate
• Sixth Party System
– Republican and Democrats
– Civil Rights, abortion, foreign policy
– Neither Party has been Dominant – Divided
Government

27. Electoral Alignments and
Realignments
• An electoral realignment occurs when a new party
supplants the ruling party.
• Punctuating each party era is a critical election – new
coalitions form
• Realignments occur roughly every thirty years. – the
displacement of the majority party by the minority
party
• Caused by new issues or new voters

28. Political Parties
• Linkage Institutions
– Translate inputs from the public into outputs by
the policy makers
– Four Main Linkage institutions
• Political Parties
• Elections
• Interest groups
• Media

29. Parties
• Parties as linkage institutions
– Nominate candidates
• Party endorsement
• Primary elections
– Coordinate Campaigns
• TV/internet has made it easier for candidates to
campaign on their own
– Provide cues for voters
• Knowing candidate’s party provides information to
voters

30. Parties
• Articulate policies
– Party’s platform advocates specific policy
alternatives
• Coordinate policy making
– Coordination among the branches of
government
– Party Members look for support among party
members

31. Parties
• Three Headed Monsters
– Party in the electorate
– Party as an organization
– Party in government

32. The Party in the Electorate
• Voters who cast their ballot on the basis of
party identification – party image
• Largest “part” of the party
• People who vote a straight ticket have a
high party identification
– Party identification is dying. More voters are
declaring themselves as independents and
splitting their vote (ticket splitting)

33. The Party in the Electorate
• Party Coalitions - the groups who identify
with party, often described in demographic
terms
• NASCAR Dads middle age white man
• African Americans
• Soccer moms – woman; swing voter
• Evangelical Christians
• Latino vote? Cuban/Rep - Hispanic/Dem
• Millennials?

34. The Party in the Electorate
• In other countries being a party member
involves:
– Formally joining a party
– Carrying a membership card
– Paying dues
• In America
– There is no formal membership
– If you believe you are, you are

35. The Party in the Organization
• National party, State Party, local party
organizations
• Very decentralized and fragmented
• Formal organizations have little power
• Local political machines were once the
main power of political parties – Patronage
played a major role in this

36. The Party in the Organization
• The 50 State Party Systems
– No two are alike
– Wide discretion in the regulation of party
activities and how they chooses to organize
elections
• Primaries – intra party nominating elections
– Open – Open to all registered voters
– Closed – Open only to party members
– Blanket –Voters are allowed to pick members from both
parties
– Caucus – local meeting where preferences are expressed

37. New Hampshire Primaruy
• NH Primary
• caucuses-vs-primaries

38. National Primary Elections
• Political Parties have presidential primaries
– An election in which voters of each party choose
delegate for the national convention
– Rules differ from state to state
– Run from January to June in an election year
– New Hampshire and Iowa are the first two
– A candidate must win the support of more than half of
the party’s delegates in order to get that parties
nomination
– Average turnout 20-30%; mainly from “party faithful”

39. PA Gubernatorial Race
• Primary Election April 26th
• General Election – November 8th

40. Presidential Primaries
• +
• Democratic way of choosing candidates
• -
• Cost time and money
• Inter party “fight among candidates

41. The Party in the Organization
• National Party Organizations
– National Committee – Keeps the party
operating between elections
– The Democratic National Committee and the
Republican National Committee raise campaign
funds, manage the party’s image, and head off
factional disputes.
– National Convention – meeting of party
delegates every four year to choose a president
and write the party’s platform

42. National Convention
• The National convention is a chance to showcase
the unity of the party.
• Presidential candidate is nominated, party
platform is drafted, and party rules are enacted.
• The unite behind these candidates to beat the
opposing party

43. The Campaign
• During the late Summer of a Presidential
election year
• Travel throughout the country
• Hitting the key states(swing States)
• Debates are held

44. The Party in Government
• The elected officials who hold political office after
running under a party label
• The party that controls more government offices will
have more influence in determining who gets what,
when , and how
• Translating campaign promises into public policy
• Parties help to form coalitions that support a
particular party objective
– Caucus in Congress
– Committees in Congress

45. Democratic Party Coalitions
• Female - Dem
• African Amer
• Hispanic except Cuban
• Jewish?
• White Catholic?
• Income below 20,000
• Union member
• Urban

46. Republican Party Coalitions
• Male –Repub
• Over 50
• White evangelical
• Income above 100,000
• Business owner
• South
• Post graduate

47. Third Parties/Minor parties
• Very few Americans identify with a minor
party
• Very few run under a minor party label
• Have little party in government
• Have no party in government
• Duverger’s Law – voters desert the weak parties
on the grounds that they have no chance of winning

48. LO 8.6
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

49. Third Parties
Libertarian Party Platform
Green Party Platform
Constitution Party Platform

50. Understanding Political Parties
• Role of Political Parties in a Democracy
– Recruiting and nominating candidates
– Campaign assistance
– Campaign platforms
• Pledges and promises
• Candidates not required to support the platform
– Cooperation in government
• Coordination between branches of government
• Accountability – helps us figure who to reward and punish

51. Parties and Policy
• Political parties must attempt to offer policy
proposals that appeal to the greatest number of
voters.
• As a result, the two major parties look and sound
very similar.????
• differences remain.

52. Responsible Party Model
• Critics of the American system advocate this
model.
– ideally candidates should say what they mean
and do what they say.
– All to often this is not the case
– Parties should:
• Present distinct differences
• Candidates should be committed to that program
• Majority must implement those programs/minority party must state what
it would do
• Majority party must accept responsibility for performance

53. What kind of Democracy do
American Political Parties Create?
• Parties can help democracy by
– Putting qualified people on the ballot
– Helping them to win elections
– Giving citizens clear choices
– Getting citizens to vote

54. Parties and Democracy
• Parties are deemed essential for the existence of
democracy.
• Democracy is enhanced through strong and
responsible parties.

56. Elvis Has Left the Building!!!