American Government and Politics Today

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American Government and Politics Today

• Chapter 8
• Political Parties

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What is a Political Party?

• Definition a group of political activists who
  organize to win elections, to operate the
  government, and to determine public policy.
• Parties versus interest groups

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Functions of Political Parties

• Recruit candidates to run for elective offices at
  all levels of government
• Mobilize citizens to vote and participate in
  elections
• Bear the responsibility of operating government
  at all levels
• Providing organized opposition to the party in
  power is an essential role for a party that does
  not control one or another branch of the
  government.

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History of Political Parties

• The Formative Years Federalists and
  Anti-Federalists
• The Era of Good Feelings
• National Two-Party Rule Whigs and Democrats
• The Civil War Crisis
• The Post-Civil War Period
• Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion
• The Triumph of the Republicans

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History of Political Parties

• The Progressive Interlude
• The New Deal Era
• An Era of Divided Government
• In the years after 1968, the general pattern was
  often a Republican president and a Democratic
  Congress.
• 2000 Presidential Election (Red state-blue state)

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Election 1896
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Election 2004
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The Two Major Parties Today

• The parties core constituents
• Economic beliefs
• Recent economic convergence?
• Republican and Democratic Budgets
• Democrats have the reputation of supporting the
  less-well-off, and Republicans the prosperous.

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The Three Faces of a Party

• 1-The people who identify with the party or who
  regularly vote for the candidates of the party in
  general elections
• 2-Party organization
• National
• Convention delegates
• National Committee
• National Chairperson

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Three Faces of a Party (cont.)

• State party organization
• Local (grass roots) organization
• Patronage and City Machines
• Local Party Organizations Today
• 3-The Party in Government
• Divided Government
• The Limits of Party Unity
• Party Polarization

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Why Has the Two Party System Endured?

• Often, on major issues confronting the country
  there have been two clear sides. This duality
  helped to initiate a two-party system and has
  maintained this system through the present.
• Political socialization and practical
  considerations
• The Winner-Take-All Electoral System
• Presidential Voting
• Popular Election of the Governors and President
• Proportional Representation
• State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two Parties

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The Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Politics

• Ideological Third Parties
• Splinter Parties
• The Impact of Minor Parties
• Influencing the Major Parties
• Affecting the Outcome of an Election

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Most Successful Third Party Campaigns
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Mechanisms of Political Change

• Realignment a process in which a substantial
  group of voters switches party allegiance,
  producing a long-term change in the political
  landscape.
• The Myth of Dominance
• The Myth of Predictability
• Is Realignment Still Possible?
• Dealignment a major drop-off in support for the
  parties.
• Independent Voters
• Not-So-Independent Voters
• Tipping

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Party Identification 1937-Present
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Questions for Critical Thinking

• Do democratic governments need political parties?
  If a democratic government has political parties,
  will the structure always be a two-party system?
  What factors impact how many political parties
  will exist?
• Is party identification a major factor for voters
  in presidential elections?

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Questions for Critical Thinking

• Why is it difficult for independent candidates or
  minor party candidates to get elected to
  Congress?
• What inferences can be made about the voting
  population through the closely divided elections
  of 2000 and 2004?