Political Participation

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Political Participation

• Political Parties

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Todays Lecture

• What are political parties?
• Party electorate, government, organization
• What are the historical party eras?
• Realignments
• What about parties today?
• Characteristics of todays party era

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Political Parties

• Political Party A team of men and women
  seeking to control the governing apparatus by
  gaining office in a duly constituted election.
• Parties want to win elections
• Parties can be thought of in three parts
• Party in the electorate
• Party as an organization
• Party in government

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Tasks of Parties

• Parties Pick Candidates
• Parties Run Campaigns
• Parties Give Cues to Voters
• Parties Articulate Policies
• Parties Coordinate Policymaking
• A political party is a linkage institution

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The Downs Model

• Rational-choice theory
• Assumes that individuals act in their own best
  interest, weighing the costs and benefits of
  possible alternatives
• Downs Model
• Voters maximize chances that policies they favor
  are adopted by government.
• Parties want to win elected office.

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The Downs Model
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The Party in the Electorate

• These are the voters in an election those who
  identify with a political party.
• Party identification a citizens self-proclaimed
  preference for one party or the other
• Republican, Democrat, or Independent
• Ticket-splitting voting with one party for one
  office and with another party for other offices
• Independents are most likely to split tickets.
• No state or race is completely safe due to split
  tickets.

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Party Identification
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Party Organizations

• Grass Roots Organizations local people who work
  for the party.
• Especially important in early presidential
  primaries
• Local Parties
• Party Machines Political party organization that
  relies heavily on material inducements to win
  votes and to govern.
• Patronage A job, promotion or contract given for
  political reasons rather than merit. Used by
  party machines.
• No longer prominent
• Party machines and local organizations are now
  generally weak due to progressive reforms

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State Party Organizations

• State parties affect how presidents are selected
• Primaries (which type?) or caucuses
• Republican Party has more state-wide variation in
  selection procedures

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National Party Organization

• National Convention The meeting of party
  delegates every four years to choose a
  presidential ticket.
• Formal send-off for president and vice-president
• Approve the party platform
• National Committee Party organization that keeps
  the party operating between conventions.
• Fund raising

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The Party in Government

• These are the party members actually elected to
  government.
• Candidates are less dependent on parties to get
  elected, but they still need help money,
  recognition, etc.
• Coalition A group of individuals with a common
  interest upon which every political party
  depends.
• Parties have platforms and politicians have
  promises they generally act on these promises
  once in government.

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Party in Government Today

• Presidency controlled by Democrat
• 111th Congress controlled by Democrats
• House
• Republican 178
• Democrat 257
• Senate
• Republican 41
• Democrat 56

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Parties in American History

• Party Eras Historical periods in which a
  majority of votes cling to the party in power.
• Critical Election A massive change in electoral
  politics where new issues and coalitions emerge
  in one election
• Often occurs around a national crisis e.g., Civil
  War, Great Depression.
• Party Realignment The displacement of the
  majority party by the minority party, usually
  during a critical election.

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Burnham

• Contrast between two forces lead to realignments
• American politics
• System designed to slow change of voters
• Fragmented system of government slow to change
• Political culture, which favors status quo
• Socio-economic systems change quickly
• Dynamic and regular business cycles

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Burnham

• Resolution of political/socio-economic in a
  realignment
• Constant build up of pressure in the political,
  which cannot change, but which increasingly
  contrasts with socio-economic
• Slash point or trigger event in socio-economic
  relieves the pressure and realigns these two
  forces
• Realignments happen every 30-38 years

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Burnham

• Realignment periods characterized by
• High intensity in party nomination process
• Increased ideological polarization
• Heavy mobilization of the electorate
• Policy change in terms of increased linkage,
  coordination, or alignment between electorate and
  government
• Representation increases as voters vote for those
  candidates who will fulfill wishes of
  mobilized/partisan electorate

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Party Eras

• 1796-1824 The First Party System
• First party Federalists
• 1828-1856 Jacksonian Democrats v. Whigs
• Modern party founded by Jackson
• Whigs formed to oppose Democrats
• 1860-1928 The Two Republican Eras
• Republicans rose as the antislavery party
• 1894 Depression kept Republicans in power
• 1932-1964 The New Deal Coalition
• Forged by the Democrats- relied upon urban
  working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews,
  the poor, Southerners

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The Current Party System

• 1968-Present The Era of Divided Party Government
• Party dealignment and party neutrality people
  are more indifferent towards and disengaged from
  the two parties
• Since 1968, only 9 years of unified government
• Some wonder if the 2000 and 2004 elections have
  ushered in a new party era of Republican
  dominance

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Is the Party Over?

• Party is not the chief source of information for
  voters (media are), but
• Party identification is still best predictor of
  vote choice
• Majority of people still identify with a party
• Partisanship is increasing among public and
  legislators
• State and national party organizations are
  getting stronger
• Parties are integral part of organization and
  operation of government and elections

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Summary

• Parties are a linkage institution
• Parties goal is to win elections
• Parties have operated in several distinct party
  systems or eras
• The current party system is one of divided
  government and weak parties
• But this trend is beginning to change