Transcript Political Parties - Gonzaga College High School

Political Parties
Chapter 12
What is a Political Party?
• At the most basic level, a political party is
a group of office holders, candidates,
activists, and voters who identify with a
group label and seek to elect to public
office individuals who run under that label.
• American parties are “centrist”.
– Tend not to be as ideological as parties in
other countries.
What is a Political Party?
• Our system contains 2
major parties:
– Democratic Party
– Republican Party
• We also have a
number of minor or
third parties at any
given time.
– Reform Party
– Libertarian Party
What is a Political Party?
• Parties are made up of 3 types of
members:
– Governmental members--the office holders
and candidates.
– Organizational members--workers and
activists.
– Members-in-the-electorate--those who vote for
the party or consider themselves to be allied or
associated with it.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• We’ve had a love-hate relationship with
parties since the beginning of the
republic.
– GW despised parties and warned against them
in his Farewell Address.
– Hamilton and Jefferson, as heads of the
Federalist and Anti-Federalist groups, are
often considered fathers of the modern party
system.
– By 1800 we had a party system with 2 major
parties that has remained relatively stable ever
since.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• The Early Parties
Fade
• 1817-1825: the socalled “Era of Good
Feelings”.
– Party politics nearly
disappeared at the
national level, while
alive and well on the
lower levels.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• The Early Parties Fade
• 1817-1825: the so-called “Era of Good
Feelings”.
– Electorate expanded dramatically.
• US pushed westward
• Most states abolished property requirements.
• Immigration continued.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• Nomination processes and the electoral
college also opened up to additional
participation.
– Broadened the base of parties.
– Conventions were held starting with the 1832
Democratic Convention to nominate
presidential candidates.
• Andrew Jackson the first so nominated.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• The Early Parties Fade (cont.)
• Jackson’s populism and personality
polarized politics.
– Whig Party emerged to oppose him.
• Descended from the Federalists.
• Early leaders included Henry Clay (Speaker of the
House).
• Plagued by the slavery issue.
– Dissolved and replaced by the Republican
Party in 1854.
• Dedicated to abolition and elected A. Lincoln in 1860.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• Democrats and Republicans: The Golden
Age
• From the elections of 1860 to the present, the 2
parties have contested elections in the US and
control of the government has seesawed between
them.
–
–
–
–
–
–
Reconstruction = Republican dominance
1876-96 = Closely competitive system
1896-1929 = Republican dominance
1930s & 40s = Democratic dominance
1950s & 60s = Mixed
1970 to present = Neither party dominant
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• The Modern Era v. The Golden Age
• The “Modern Era” followed the “Golden
Age” (1870-1920).
– Party & government in large cities seemed
interchangeable.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• The era of political
machines, bosses, and
patronage. In exchange
for votes:
• Members got tangible
incentives such as
jobs, money, favors.
• Helped immigrants
settle in.
• Provided social
services, sponsored
community events,
gave food/housing to
the poor.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• Is the Party Over?
• Government has gradually taken over many of
the functions that were performed by the partybased political machines.
– Government prints ballots, provides social
welfare, conducts elections.
– Party organizations have fewer functions and
less ability to enforce party-line votes and
strict discipline.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• Developments that
have decreased the
power of parties:
– 1. Direct primaries
• Candidate selection
moved out of smoke
filled rooms and
into a more public
setting. Qualified
voters now
determine who runs.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• 2. Civil service
laws
– Removed
patronage from
party control.
– Merit based testing
not party loyalty.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• Is the Party Over? (cont.)
– 3. The rise of issue-oriented politics
• Social changes and broad based education has led
to more thoughtful voters and issues that cut across
traditional party lines like environmentalism
• Ticket-splitting has become commonplace.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• Is the Party Over?
(cont.)
– 4. Television
• Emphasizes
individuals and
personalities over
party labels.
Evolution of American Party
Democracy
• 5. The rise of political
consultants
– Hired guns who often
work for both sides and
use whatever works.
– The new intermediary
between the voter and
the candidate and thus
weaken the parties.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• Parties are less popular today than they
have been at earlier points in history.
• However, they remain vital agents of
change and representation.
• One of their most important roles is they
convert a huge array of ideas and
opinions into a comprehensible pair of
ideas.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• Principal Party Roles:
• 1. Mobilizing support and gathering power
– Party members can usually be counted on to
support office holders elected under the party
banner.
• 2. A force for stability
– Promote stability and act to moderate public
opinion due to their pragmatic drive to win
elections.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• 3. Unity, linkage,
accountability
– Parties link branches
and levels of
government.
– Also link voters and
elected officials.
– Because they must win
national elections, they
can also function as
unifiers of the country.
• Dampen sectionalism.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• 4. The electioneering
function
– Parties organize and
compete in elections.
• They recruit
candidates, provide
staffing, give
money, and provide
numerous other
services during
election cycles.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• Principal Party Roles (cont.):
• 5. Party as a voting and issue cue
– A voter’s party identification acts as a filter for
information.
• If a citizen doesn’t know much about a candidate or
race, they usually vote party.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• 6. Policy
formulation and
promotion
– Parties convey
their ideas about
public policy
through the
national party
platform.
The Roles of the American
Parties
• 6. Policy formulation and promotion
(cont.)
– The party platform:
• A document explaining party positions on key issues
in advance of the presidential nominating
convention.
• About 2/3 of platform promises have usually been
implemented when the party’s candidate wins the
election.
The Basic Structure of
American Political Parties
• National Committees
– The DNC and the RNC are the national policy
organs of the parties.
• Choose national chairpersons and run the
quadrennial conventions.
• Leadership
– Party chairpersons are usually selected by the
sitting president for the party in power.
• A spokesperson for party interests.
The Basic Structure of
American Political Parties
• National Conventions
– Every 4 years, the
national committees
put together the
presidential nominating
conventions.
• National media
exposure.
• Conventions allow
parties to nominate
candidates and also to
discuss party matters.
The Basic Structure of
American Political Parties
• States and Localities
– Parties are structurally based at the state and
local levels.
• Much of party work is carried out at the precinct, city,
county, and state levels.
The Basic Structure of
American Political Parties
• Informal Groups
– Parties are supplemented by a number of other
groups such as
•
•
•
•
•
National Federation of Democratic Women
Young Republicans
Interest groups
PACs
Think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation
(Republican) and the Progressive Policy Institute
(Democratic).
The Party in Government
• The Congressional Party
– Party groups select the leadership of both
houses, arrange committees, and organize and
operate the Congress.
– While not terribly effective in most cases,
Congressional party leaders have some
methods for enforcing party discipline.
• Good committee assignments
• Fund raising help
• Endorsements
The Party in Government
• The Presidential Party
– The president is an
important party leader.
• Raises money,
campaigns, and
sometimes his
“coattails” help party
nominees.
• Pro-party presidents:
helpful to party
building, organization,
and candidates.
The Party in Government
• The Parties and the Judiciary
– Members of the judiciary are products of their
own party identification and have the same
perceptual screens as the rest of us.
– Many judgeships are electoral positions and
though officially nonpartisan, there is an
undercurrent of party affiliation.
– Other judgeships are appointed--usually based
on patronage--and typically go to judges in
political agreement with the appointing official.
The Party in Government
• The Parties and State Government
– The same logic applies on the state level as on
the legislative, executive, and judicial levels.
– However, governors have more patronage
available to them than a president.
– State legislatures generally have more party
unity and cohesion than the national
Congress.
The Modern Transformation of
Party Organization
• Republican
Strengths
– Until 1992, the
Republicans
outclassed the
Democrats in most
categories of
campaign service
and fundraising.
The Modern Transformation of
Party Organization
• Republican Strengths (cont.)
– Creativity came from their minority status from
1932-80 in Congress.
• Effective direct mail fundraising organization.
• Party has trouble spending all the money is raises!
– However some problems exist.
• Too few volunteers and too many paid staff.
• Over reliance on technology and money.
The Modern Transformation of
Party Organization
• Democratic Party
Gains
– Massive defeats of
the 80s catalyzed
the party to
improve its
fundraising and
campaign
functions.
• 1992, won the
presidency for the
first time in 16
years.
The Party-In-The-Electorate
• The party-in-the-electorate is the mass of
potential voters who identify with party
labels.
The Party-In-The-Electorate
• Party Identification
– American voters
identify with a party,
but rarely belong to it.
– Loyalties tend to come
from one’s parents but
can also be affected by
peers, charismatic
personalities,
cataclysmic events,
and intense social
issues.
The Party-In-The-Electorate
• Declining Loyalty
– The number of
independents is rising-from 19% in 1958 to
almost 38% in 1978.
– If pollsters go beyond
simply asking
affiliation, they often
find that many self
declared independents
often lean quite
strongly in one
direction or the other.
The Party-In-The-Electorate
• So who remains in the party stables?
• In general, the following trends seem to
hold true:
– Group affiliation--labor unions tend to vote
Democratic, Chambers of Commerce tend to
vote Republican.
– Geographic region--South still tends to vote
Democratic in presidential races, the West
seems to be strongly Republican.
The Party-In-The-Electorate
– Gender--Democrats seem to have a slight lead
in garnering the women’s vote.
– Race & ethnicity--over 80% of African
Americans and many Hispanics vote
Democratic except for Cuban Americans who
are generally Republican.
– Age--young people are again becoming more
Democratic.
– Religion--Protestants tend to favor the
Republican Party and Catholics and Jews are
mostly Democrats.
The Party-In-The-Electorate
– Social & economic factors--the GOP remains
the party of professionals, executives, and
white collar workers and the Democrats lead
among blue collar workers and the
unemployed.
– Marital status--married people tend to lean
Republican and the widowed are mostly
Democrats.
– Ideology--liberals tend to be Democrats and
conservatives tend to be Republicans.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• One of the most
significant political
trends of recent times
is the demise of onepartyism or one party
dominance of
elections in a given
area.
– The formerly “solid
South” is no longer
solidly Democratic.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• More and more
individuals split
their vote between
the parties, and
sometimes vote for
third parties.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• Minor Parties: Third-Partyism
– Third parties appear sporadically.
– Not a threat to the 2 major parties.
• Only 8 third parties have ever won any electoral
votes in a presidential contest and only 5 have ever
won more than 10% in a presidential election.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• Minor Parties:
Third-Partyism
(cont.)
– Among the third
parties that have
had some success
are:
• 2000--Ralph Nader
and the Green Party
• 1996 and 1992-Ross Perot’s
Reform Party
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• 1968--George
Wallace and the
American
Independent Party
• 1924--Robert
LaFollette’s
Progressive Party
• 1912--Teddy
Roosevelt and the
Bull Moose Party
• 1856--Millard
Fillmore’s American
Party
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• Minor Parties: Third-Partyism (cont.)
– Third parties generally arise from one of the
following causes:
•
•
•
•
•
Sectionalism--Dixiecrats in 1948
Economic protest--Populists in 1892
Specific issues--Green Party and the environment
Ideology--Socialists, Communists, Libertarians
Charismatic personalities--George Wallace’s
American Independent Party
• Failure of the major parties--Ross Perot rose out of
the major parties’ failure to deal with the deficit and
debt as key issues.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• Why Third Parties Tend to Remain Minor
– “Single member plurality” electoral system-first-past-the-post means that only the winner
gets elected.
– Most states allow Democrats and Republicans
an automatic place on the ballot, but have laws
requiring third parties to gather signatures and
petition.
– State and national legislatures are organized
on a party basis and aim to perpetuate that.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• Why Third Parties Tend to Remain Minor
(cont.)
– Public funding of campaigns is more generous
for the 2 major parties; third party candidates
must get more than 5% of the vote and major
party candidates do not.
One-Partyism and ThirdPartyism
• Why Third Parties
Tend to Remain
Minor (cont.)
– The news media
ignore minor
parties since they
are perceived as
“non-winners”.