Political Parties and Interest Groups

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Political Parties and Interest Groups
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Linkage Institutions

• Political Parties
• Interest Groups
• Mass Media
• All Promote United States Democracy by Linking
  Citizens to the Political Process

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Political Parties
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Definition of Purpose

• Group of individuals who seek to control
  government by sponsoring candidates for public
  office
• Elect People to Office
• Gain control of Government

• Political Parties and the Constitution
• The issue of political parties is not addressed
  in the Constitution

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Functions

• Nominators
• Policy Makers linkage institution
• Organizers of government machinery
• Informers
• Approvers
• Watchdogs

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Party Systems

• One party authoritarian, dictatorship, Solid
  South
• Two Party US, historical, third parties have
  challenges
• Multiparty Some European nations, contributes
  to coalitions, often unstable due to no clear
  majority

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Party Structure

• Membership
• Party in the electorate
• Party Structure
• Party in Government

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Party Structure

• Party Leader
• Party in the White House
• Barack Obama is the leader of the Democratic
  Party
• Republican leader?
• Highest ranking Republican in Congress
• Nominee for 2016
• Chair of RNC

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National Structure

• National Chairperson
• National Committee
• Handle convention, party affairs
• Congressional Campaign Committee
• Work to get party members elected to Congress
• Control decision making
• Coattail Effect
• Who elects President if no candidate wins
  majority in Electoral College?
• National Convention
• Purpose write/adopt platform, nominate
  President and Vice-President

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Other Characteristics

• Federalism Parties are DECENTRALIZED!
• Separate and Largely Independent Party
  Organizations Exists at National, State and Local
  Levels
• Intraparty rivalry is real
• State and Local Parties purpose is to get party
  members elected to state and local positions in
  government

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Moderation

• Attract as many voters as possible
• Nominate a moderate candidate
• Presidential Elections have become more focused
  on individual candidates
• Platforms historically are not distinctly
  different
• Since early 1980s, Republican Party platform has
  been increasingly influenced by Evangelical
  Christians
• Democratic Party platform becoming increasingly
  influenced by minority groups (2012 Election-
  Hispanic Groups, Women)

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Are political parties becoming extinct?

• Increase in the number of independents
• Split ticket voting is increasing
• Rising use of technology
• Media and independent expenditures
• Interest groups influence has increased

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Persistence of Political Parties

• Electoral College Single-Member District
  Electoral System
• Domination of the Legislature by Two Political
  Parties
• Funding is still high
• Party unity score is high
• Partisanship still the best indicator of how
  someone will vote

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Third Parties (Minor Parties)

• Challenges
• Rep and Dem control the process therefore the
  minor parties are left out
• Wasted Vote in the Mind of the Voter
• Excluded from the Political Process
• Funding
• Debates
• Electoral College
• Influence
• Force issues
• Ross Perot and budget deficit in 1990s

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Third Parties (Minor Parties)
Candidate Election Year Party Popular Vote Electoral Vote
Fillmore 1856 Know Nothings 22 8
Breckinridge 1860 Secessionist 18 72
T. Roosevelt 1912 Bull Moose 27 88
LaFolette 1924 Progressive 17 13
Wallace 1968 American Independent 14 46
Perot 1992 United We Stand 19 0
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Types of Third Parties

• Bolter or Splinter
• Doctrinal (Ideological)
• Economic Protest
• Single Issue

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Third Parties Splinter Parties

• Separates from major party
• Progressive Party in 1912 (R)
• American Independent in 1968 (D)

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Third Parties Ideological

• Reject prevailing attitudes/beliefs
• favor a more active government
• Socialist Party

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Third Parties Economic Protest

• Creation based on economic crisis or policy
• Greenback Party

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Third Parties Single Issue

• Formed to promote ONE issue
• Right to Life Party (pro-life)
• Prohibition Party

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Minor Parties

• Q What tends to happen to single issue parties?
• A Issues may get picked up and their reason for
  existence is eliminated
• Q Which type of minor party has been the most
  successful in winning votes?
• A Splinter
• Q Which type of minor party has been the longest
  lived?
• A Ideological

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Failure of Alternative Parties

• No viable national campaign
• Limited fundraising
• Institutional obstacles
• Single member voting district
• Winner take all system in electoral college

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What about the Tea Party Movement?

• http//www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id6408472nta
  gcontentMaincontentBody

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Realigning Elections

• Critical Elections are Most Associated with Party
  Realignment
• When groups of voters have changed their
  traditional patters of party loyalties

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Dealignment Movement in Which Voters Abandon
Both Parties

• Factors less and less identifying with the major
  parties (1/3 independent)
• Effects on Campaigns
• Moderate stance
• Target independent or swing voters
• Focus on issues that will differentiate party
• As elections become more candidate-centered,
  political parties become less important.
• No one party dominates. The country is evenly
  divided.
• Voters are more cynical about politics.
• Citizens increasingly engage in split-ticket
  voting

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Interest Groups
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Definition

• Groups of individuals or businesses who have a
  common goal of making the political system change
  policy which in turn benefits members.
• Focus? Influence public policy

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Types of Interest Groups

• Economic - NAM
• Business - Farm Bureau
• Increased in number most substantially since the
  mid-1970s
• Ideological - Christian Coalition
• Public Interest - Public Citizen Inc.
• Foreign Policy - Pro-Israel Groups
• Government - National Governors Assn.
• Professional - ABA, AMA, NEA, etc.
• Use caution, names can be deceiving

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Functions of Interest Groups

• Stimulate interest
• Represent members
• Means of participation
• Provide data
• Collective action or grass roots efforts
• Checks and balances watchdogs
• Coalition Building- Interest Groups can Join
  Together to Increase Influence

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How do Interest Groups Provide Data to Government?

• Lobbying
• Publicity
• Litigation (class action lawsuits, amicus curaie
  briefs with Supreme Court)
• Sway Regulations
• Electioneering

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What is lobbying?

• The communicating of ideas or beliefs about
  government to a government policy maker.
  Objective is to influence public policy.
• Qualifications?
• Common backgrounds? Former elected officials,
  lawyers, PR, journalists
• Job responsibilities? Paperwork, testify,
  grassroots efforts, media, endorsements,
  providing legislators with information on
  technical issues (the most significant!)

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What are the Criticisms of Interest Groups?

• Special Interests
• Too much influence in relation to size
• How many are actually represented?
• Dont represent the views of those that they
  claim
• Corruption
• Pluralist system violates the majority
• Poor arent represented

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What is the Role of the PAC?

• Political Action Committee
• Political arm of an association- campaign
  contributions to gain access to legislators
• Effects? (incumbents?)
• Regulated by the FEC
• Federal Election Commission

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What is a Sub-Government or Iron Triangle?
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Differences Between Political Parties and
Interest Groups

• Political Parties

• Interest Groups

• Election
• Policy Generalist- Represent a Broad Array of
  Issues

• Issue
• Do Not Nominate
• Policy Specialist- More Likely to Focus on Narrow
  Set of Issues

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Recap Interest Groups

• ACtions

• Lobbying
• Litigation
• grassroots