Womens Rights and Party Change

1
Womens Rights and Party Change

• American Political Parties
• Prof. Wolbrecht
• 30 March 2009

2
Party Issue Positions

• Decentralized party system no definitive party
  position
• Might be better thought of as tendencies
• Multiple party actors multiple indicators
• Presidents State of the Union, speeches
• Presidential candidates Speeches, party platforms
• Members of Congress Roll call votes,
  cosponsorships
• interest group ratings
• Congressional candidates Speeches, statements
• Prominent party figures Speeches, statements

3
Cosponsorship behavior
Above line Mostly Democrats
Below line Mostly Republicans
4
Explaining Party Issue Positions

• Party elites adopt the issue positions that they
  believe
• will best achieve their goal of maintaining and
  expanding their base of electoral support (the
  Parties' Coalitions)
• are most consistent with their current
  over-arching ideological position

5
Party issue position determined by

• Parties' coalitions (each partys base of
  support)
• Parties' ideological positions
• Issue itself

6
Party Ideology

• Republicans Neoliberalism (1928-present)
• Central dichotomy the state versus the
  individual
• Themes
• Antistatism
• Free market capitalism
• Right-wing populism
• Individualism

Source Gerring 1998
7
Party Ideology

• Republicans Neoliberalism (1928-present)
• Central dichotomy the state versus the
  individual
• Democrats Universalism (1952-present)
• Central dichotomy inclusion versus exclusion
• Themes
• Civil rights
• Social welfare
• Redistribution
• Inclusion

Source Gerring 1998
8
Party Positioning on Womens Rights, Pre-1970s

• Party Coalition Ideology Issue
• Dems Organized labor Inclusion Protection
• Progressive women Social welfare (employment
• regulation)
• GOP Business interests Antistatism Equality
• Professional women Free market (anti- Moderates
  regulation)

9
Womens Rights Issue
10
Party Positioning on Womens Rights, Post-early
1970s

• Party Coalition Ideology Issue
• Dems Social movements Inclusion Radical change
• Civil rights Social welfare Special interest
• Professional women Civil rights
  Non-traditional
• Organized labor Active federal role
• GOP Social conservatives Antistatism Status quo
• Business interests Free market Traditional
  roles
• Anti-federal role