POLITICAL PARTIES

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7.2

• POLITICAL PARTIES

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National Party Structure/Mechanics

• Still mostly decentralized but that has been
  changing
• Old Days Caucasus method not too democratic
• National Committee
• 25 or so plus chairperson
• Writes platform
• Makes rules about conventions, nominating
• Gets message out and raises
• Chairperson qualities

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Presidential Nominations

• Primary System
• 50 of them
• Start in Spring with New Hampshire and Iowa
• Frontrunners in America have great advantage
• Plus and Minus of starting there
• Need a majority of delegates
• Usually over by Super Tuesday
• Many State have no say at all in matter

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National Conventions

• There is something about a national convention
  that makes it as fascinating as a revival or a
  hanging. It is vulgar, it is stupid, it is ugly.
  It is tedious. Its hard upon both the cerebral
  center and the gluteus maximus. And yet it is
  somehow charming. One sits through long session
  wishing heartily that all the delegates were dead
  and in hell.- and then suddenly comes a show so
  gaudy and hilarious, so melodramatic and obscene,
  so un imaginably exhilarating and preposterous
  that one lives a gorgeous year in an hour
• HL Mencken, Editor, Baltimore Sun , 1914

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National Conventions

• Has turned into one giant infomercial
• Party unity the main goal
• Where?
• Big City
• Big State

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Importance of Third parties (since they rarely
win)

• 1. Spoiler Role2. Sensitive issues
  raised3. Allows Americans the option of voting
  for someone who reflects their own ideas thus
  making for a robust and politically healthy
  choice thus strengthening, in these largely
  cynical and materialistic times, the American
  political ethos that provides opportunity for
  you, for your children and for their children

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Days of Convention

• Day One
• Check in, get credentials- go party
• Speeches of lesser weight
• Day Two
• Speeches of lesser weights during day
• Go party and shop
• Keynote speech at night
• Up and coming superstar
• Good speaker, telegenic

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Days of Convention

• Day Three
• Nominating by majority of delegates
• Kodak moment-
• State by sate they call out votes
• These days a forgone conclusion
• Day Four
• Acceptance speech
• Most important one of campaign

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Reasons We Have Two Party System

• 1. Tradition 2. Radical nature3. Election
  laws4. Single member districts5. Money- a
  classic catch 22

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THIRD PARTIES

• The
  Old The New
  
  
  The Odd

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Types of Third Parties

• Ideological (Libertarians, Socialists,
  et.c)Single-Issue (Right to Life, NORMAL,
  Greenwarriors etc.)Splinter (Green, Bull Moose,
  Dixiecrats, etc.)Economic protest (Greenback,
  populist, etc)