Transcript Political Parties  Chapter 12 American Government: Roots and Reform

Chapter 12
Political Parties
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To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions
American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition
Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato
 Pearson Education, 2009
Political Parties
 Organized effort to gain power through elections.
 Consist of three entities.
 Governmental party, or the office holders.
 Organizational party, or the workers and activists.
 Party in the electorate, or the voters.
Roots of the Party System
 Federalists and Democratic-Republicans were earliest.
 1820s Era of Good Feelings is relatively party-free.
 Whigs and Democrats after 1832.
 Development of the Republican Party in 1854.
Twentieth-Century Party System
 1876-1912 was Golden Age of parties due to machines.
 Parties weakened in the modern era.
 Development of direct primary system.
 Changes in civil service laws.
 Growth of candidate-centered and issue-oriented politics.
 Increase in ticket-splitting.
Party Realignment
 During a realignment, party coalitions change.
 Critical elections put key issues into perspective.
 1800, 1860, and 1932 were critical elections.
 No uniform realignment has occurred since 1932.
 Political system characterized by secular realignment.
Functions of the Party System
 Mobilizing support and building coalitions.
 Encouraging stability in the political system.
 Providing accountability for public policy.
 Running candidates for office.
 Providing a cue for voters.
 Formulating policy through a national party platform.
Minor Parties
 Winner-take-all system makes it difficult to win office.
 Sharp contrast to proportional systems used elsewhere.
 Rooted in sectionalism, protest, issues, and people.
 Do best when there is little trust in other parties.
 Can have success in putting issues on agenda.
Party Organization
 National committees, which hold conventions.
 State committees.
 Local committees.
 Informal groups, such as PACs and think tanks.
 Changed dramatically in recent years.
 New rules about soft and hard money have played role.
Party in Government
 Parties play a major role in organizing Congress.
 Parties shape perceptions of presidents.
 Presidents--to varying degrees--act as party leaders.
 Party may predict some judicial decisions.
Party in the Electorate
 Party identification shapes political worldview.
 May be shaped by demographic characteristics.
 South, middle-aged, and white-collar more Republican.
 Evangelicals and married more Republican.
 Women, minorities, and Jews more Democratic.
 Unions, advanced degrees, and single more Democratic.
Dealignment and Party Strength
 Argument that we are in a period of dealignment.
 Voters are much less likely to identify with a party.
 Result of the growth in issue-oriented politics.
 Parties are important in electorate and in government.
 Parties continue to be competitive with one another.
AV- Partisan Identification
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Figure 12.1- American Party History
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Figure 12.2- Realigning Elections
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Figure 12.3- Party Organization
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Figure 12.4- Political Party Finances
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Figure 12.5- Congressional Party Unity
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Figure 12.6- Gender Gap
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Table 12.1- Party Platforms
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Table 12.2- Party Identification by Group
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