Lecture #14 American Government; Political Parties 1

1. WEEK #8 LECTURE #14
POLITICAL PARTIES
PART 1
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
PROFESSOR ANAND SHASTRI
FALL 2015

2. OUTLINE OF PART 1 POLITICAL PARTIES
PART 1A) BASICS OF POLITICAL PARTIES
PART 1B) FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL PARTIES
PART 1C) THE POLITICAL PARTIES’ COMPOSITION
PART 1D) PARTY ORGANIZATION CONCEPTS

3. PART 1A) BASICS OF
POLITICAL PARTIES

4. WHAT IS A POLITICAL PARTY? WHY HAVE THEM?
DEFINED: “A BROAD AND ENCOMPASSING ORGANIZATION, A
COALITION OF MANY AND DIVERSE PARTNERS, THAT IS
COMMONLY CALLED UMBRELLA-LIKE” (ALDRICH 2011)
WHY? THEY SOLVE 3 TYPES OF PROBLEMS
• COLLECTIVE POLICYMAKING
• SOCIAL CHOICE PROBLEM IN POLICYMAKING
• COLLECTIVE ACTION IN ELECTIONS

5. ALDRICH’S RESPONSIBLE PARTY THESIS
• MAKE POLICY COMMITMENTS TO THE ELECTORATE
• CARRY THEM OUT IN OFFICE
• WHEN NOT IN OFFICE, COME OUT W/ ALTERNATIVE POLICIES
• BE SUFFICIENTLY DIFFERENT TO GIVE VOTERS TRUE CHOICE
PROBLEMS WITH THIS APPROACH:
• ASSUMES ONLY TWO PARTY IS GOOD WAY
• ALTERNATION OF PARTIES IN OFFICE CAN RESULT IN ERATIC
POLICIES
• PARTIES RARELY LIVE UP TO THIS IDEAL

6. WHY DO WE HAVE A TWO PARTY SYSTEM?
• DUALIST THEORIES
• SOCIAL CONSENSUS THEORIES
• PARTY SELF-PROTECTION
• INSTITUTIONAL FORCES

7. PART 1B) FUNCTIONS OF
POLITICAL PARTIES

8. BASIC FUNCTIONS OF U.S POL PARTIES
DEFINE: GROUP ORGANIZED TO NOMINATE CANDIDATES, TO
TRY TO WIN POLITICAL POWER THROUGH ELECTIONS, & TO
PROMOTE IDEAS ABOUT PUBLIC POLICIES (HERSCHEY 2007)
KEY (1964) TRIPARTITE:
1) PARTIES-IN-THE-ELECTORATE
2) PARTIES-AS-ORGANIZATION
3) PARTIES-IN-GOVERNMENT

9. PARTIES-IN-THE-ELECTORATE
• SIMPLIFYING CHOICES FOR VOTERS
• INFORMING CITIZENS
• GENERATING SYMBOLS OF IDENTIFICATION & LOYALTY
• MOBILIZE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE

10. PARTIES-AS-ORGANIZATIONS
• RECRUITING POLITICAL LEADERSHIP & SEEKING GOV’T. OFFICES
• TRAINING POLITICAL ELITES
• ARTICULATING POLITICAL INTERESTS
• AGGREGATING POLITICAL INTERESTS

11. PARTIES-IN-GOVERNMENT
• CREATING MAJORITIES IN GOVERNMENT
• ORGANIZING THE GOVERNMENT
• IMPLEMENTING POLICY OBJECTIVES
• ORGANIZING DISSENT AND OPPOSITION
• ENSURING RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
• CONTROLLING GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
• FOSTERING STABILITY IN GOVERNMENT

12. KEY TERMS FOR PARTY FUNCTIONS
• ELECTIONEERING (PG. 454)
• PRIMARIES OPEN VS. CLOSED
• NOMINATING CONVENTIONS
• GOVERNING (PG. 458)

13. PART 1C) THE POLITICAL
PARTIES’ COMPOSITION

14. PARTY MEMBERSHIP
PARTY IDENTIFICATION: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACHMENT
THAT AN INDIVIDUAL HAS TO A PARTICULAR PARTY
• DEMOGRAPHIC DEMOCRATS: WOMEN, NON-WHITES, LIBERAL
WHITE MEN, UNION-WHITES, SECULARISTS, POSTGRADUATES
(EXCEPT FOR MBA), POOR, URBAN
• DEMOGRAPHIC REPUBLICANS: ELDERLY WHITES, CORPORATISTS,
WORKING-CLASS WHITES, RELIGIOUS RIGHT, RURAL & EXURBAN

15. IDEOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION
REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS BECOME ALIGNED W/ CONSERVATISM
DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS BECOME ALIGNED W/ LIBERALISM
POLICY DIMENSIONS
• ECONOMIC & BUDGETARY
• FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY
• RACIAL
• SOCIO-CULTURAL “CULTURE WARS”

16. IDEOLOGICAL WINGS OF REPUBLICAN PARTY
REPUBLICAN PARTY
• ECONOMIC RIGHT
• SECURITY HAWKS
• RACIAL RIGHT
• RELIGIOUS RIGHT
• EISENHOWER MODERATES (ROCKEFELLER REPUBLICANS)

17. IDEOLOGICAL WINGS OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
• OLD LEFT ECONOMIC POPULISTS
• NEW LEFT 60’S SOCIAL LIBERALS
• RACIAL IDENTITY LEFT
• PEACE DOVES
• DLC/BLUE-DOGS (DLC NOW DEFUNCT)

18. PART 1D) PARTY
ORGANIZATION TERMS

19. LECTURE ONLY PARTY ORGANIZATION POSITIONS &
TERMS
• NATIONAL PARTY ORGANIZATION
• NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR
• NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR
• DIRECT PRIMARY ELECTIONS

20. PARTISAN ORGANIZATION IN EVOLUTION PROCESS
• PARTY MACHINES (PG. 450)
• PARTY BOSSES (PG. 450)
• PATRONAGE (PG. 450)
• PARTY PRIMARY (PG. 450)