U.S. Political Parties

U.S. Political Parties

George Washington

If we had listened to George, there would be no political parties in the US today.

“Let me warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party.”

Beginning of Two-Party System

Despite our Founding Fathers not supporting a two party system (one in which two parties dominates politics within the country), the US has had one from the beginning.

The first two political parties were: 1. Federalists (Hamilton, Adams) 2. Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson,

Madison, Henry)

What Are Political Parties?

A Political Party is a group organized…

1. To Nominate Candidates2. To Win Political Power through

elections3. To Promote Ideas About Public

Policies

Two Main Political Parties

Democratic Party More Liberal

Republican Party More Conservative

Democratic Party (DNC) Swept into

Congress in the 2006 election

Held a Super Majority until 2010

Represented by the Donkey

President Barack Obama

Republican Party (RNC) Also known as the

Grand Ole’ Party (GOP)

Represented by the Elephant

Former President George W. Bush

Majority Parties (Republican/Democrat)

Majority Parties are not issue oriented but Election oriented – The whole point is to WIN elections – “Just win baby!”

Congress is organized along party lines and conducts its business through Partisanship: Strong support of their party & its stances

Party out of power often acts as a “watchdog” over the ruling party

Majority Parties (Republican/Democrat

Minor Parties (parties without wide voter support) are often intentionally excluded from participation by majority parties Majority Parties deliberately shape

election laws in states to protect the two-party system

Much more difficult to get on the ballot if you belong to a third party

What Do the Parties Stand For?

Democrats1. Core Belief: A strong government

provides needed services and remedies inequalities

2. Biggest Exception: Government should stay out of people’s moral decisions, e.g. abortion


Democrats

3. Issue Agenda: Education Health/social services Environmental protection

4. Emphasizes…Fairness, especially for disadvantaged groups

5. Relations with Labor Unions: Close and supportive


Democrats

6. Core Supporters: Lower – Income People East & West Coasts Minority groups Secular (nonreligious) individuals Teachers – Mr. Green??? Trial Lawyers


Republicans1. Core Belief: A strong

government interferes with business & threatens freedom

2. Biggest Exception: Government should regulate people’s moral decisions, e.g. abortion


Republicans3. Issue Agenda:

Strong Military Tax Cuts Property Rights

4. Emphasizes…Individual success, not group rights

5. Relations with Labor Unions: Distant & hostile


Republicans6. Core Supporters:

Higher – Income people – Mr. Green???

South, Mountain West Whites Conservative Christians Businesspeople

Multi-Party Political Systems & Party ID Multi-Party System: System where several

major and some minor parties exist Feature of many European nations Positive: Gives voters a much more meaningful

choice and alternative than the two-party system

Negative: Difficult for one party to win a majority of voters; power to govern is shared by many parties

Coalition: temporary alliance of several groups who come together to form a working majority and so to control a government

One-Party Systems

Dictatorships About ½ the US is under a one-party

system (Utah, Montana, Vermont Presidential elections) – one party has virtually no chance of winning in the state

Gerrymandering: manipulating (redrawing) the boundaries of districts to favor one political party

Party Identification

What Influences Party Identification?1. Family: #1 Indicator of which party

you will vote for*Exception: If one parent sides with one party and the other sides with another


What Influences Party Identification?2. Religion

Catholics tend to vote Democratic, however, this is changing because of Right to Life

Jews – traditionally vote Democratic Christian Evangelicals – Republican

¾ supported George W. Bush


What Influences Party Identification?

3. Socioeconomic Status (Income)

Lower – Income: Democratic Higher – Income: Republican


What Influences Party Identification?

4. Regional Differences: East and West Coasts –

Democratic South and Mountain West -

Republican


What Influences Party Identification?5. Other Indicators

Women tend to vote…Democrat, esp. single women

Minorities tend to vote…Democrat, except for Cubans –Republican; more anti-communist

Trend is for College–Educated to vote…Democratic Why? More women and minorities are getting

college educations

YearVoting-agepopulation

Voterregistration Voter turnout

Turnout of voting-age population (percent)

2010** 235,809,266 NA 90,682,968 37.8%

2008* 231,229,580 NA 132,618,580* 56.8

2006 220,600,000 135,889,600 80,588,000 37.1

2004 221,256,931 174,800,000 122,294,978 55.3

2002 215,473,000 150,990,598 79,830,119 37.0

2000 205,815,000 156,421,311 105,586,274 51.3

1998 200,929,000 141,850,558 73,117,022 36.4

1996 196,511,000 146,211,960 96,456,345 49.1

1994 193,650,000 130,292,822 75,105,860 38.8

1992 189,529,000 133,821,178 104,405,155 55.1

Voter Turnout, 1992-2010

Influences on Voter Turnout

1. Socioeconomic Status – lower the income, the less likely you are to vote

2. Education – the higher you are educated, the more likely you will vote


3. Age – 18-25 year olds have the lowest turnoutWho has the Highest???

-The Elderly – 60 and older


4. Social Connections – the more you have, the more likely you are to vote – more interested in what’s happening

5. Attitude – those who find it to be a dirty profession, don’t vote

4 types of Minor Parties

1. Ideological Parties: Those based on a particular set of beliefs; a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters

Green Party: Environment; social & economic justice

Constitution Party: adhere specifically to the Constitution; State’s Rights; Segregation (in the past)

Libertarian Party: support individualism & doing away with most of government’s functions and programs

4 Types of Parties

2. Single-Issue Parties: Focus on only one public policy

Free Soil Party: against expansion of slavery “Know Nothings”: against Irish-Catholic

immigration Right to Life Party: against abortion; pro-life Most fade into history and are often absorbed

as part of a major party’s platform

4 Types of Parties

3. Economic Protest Parties: rooted in periods of economic discontent They don’t have a clear ideology but

instead make both parties their target. Focus on real or imaginary enemies – “Wall

Street bankers” (2011 Occupy Wall St.) Populist Party: supported public ownership

of the railroads, telegraph and telephone companies, progressive income tax, etc.

Usually disappear when economy improves

4 Types of Parties

4. Splinter Parties: Those that have split of from a major party; most often form around a strong personality

Bull Moose Party (1912) – Teddy Roosevelt; sought various progressive reforms; split from Republicans

Dixiecrats (1948): focused on State’s Rights; first split within the Democratic Party (became more pro-civil rights)

Why are Third Parties Important?

Third Parties rarely win elections but do play an important role in Democratic Governments

Third Parties draw attention to issues that may be ignored by the Majority Parties & force them to adopt the issue(s) as part of its platform.

Referendum: referring and issue to popular vote of the people for approval or rejection


Third Parties also help increase Voter Turnout.

Example? Ross Perot (1992 Election)


3rd Parties tend to exist to promote a Specific Issue or Personality

Growing trend is for a major party to help a 3rd Party with the idea of taking votes that would likely go to a major party – This is the classic “Divide &Conquer” tactic


Currently, the Green Party is viewed as pulling more from the Democrats while the Libertarian takes more votes from the Republicans

The most common argument against voting for a Third Party is that one’s vote is Wasted.

Major Third Parties

Libertarian Support

maximizing liberty, especially in the economy and in social codes of conduct

Small government

Environmental Third Parties

Green Party of the United States

Ralph Nader Environment The Greens/Green

Party USA Smaller fringe

party

More Third Parties American

Independent Party Key Issue:

segregation American Nazi

Party Racist often with

shaved heads Has not fielded a

candidate since Rockwell

Socialist Parties Socialist Party USA Socialist Equality

Party Socialist Labor Party Socialist Workers

Party Democratic

Socialists of America

Briefly successful Parties Prohibition Party Against the sale

of alcohol

Peace and Freedom Party

Against Vietnam War

That’s a party? Pansexual Peace

Party Left-wing Free love Pot Party & U.S.

Marijuana Party Advocate the

legalization of Marijuana

Important 3rd Party Movements

Bull Moose Party (1912) – Teddy Roosevelt – also called the Progressive Party

Women’s suffrage, banking reforms, social welfare assistance for women and children


Socialist Party (1900s) – Eugene Debs Ran for president from jail


American Independent (1968) – George Wallace Continuation of Dixiecrat –

segregationist – “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”

Opposed to racial integration Receives 46 southern electoral votes Shot and paralyzed (1972) by Arthur

Bremer (in order to gain fame)


Independent/Reform – Ross Perot Key focus was the economy 1992 Election – received almost 20

million votes -19% of popular vote NAFTA –”giant sucking

sound heading to Mexico”


Green Party (2000) – Ralph Nader Stole votes from Al Gore The reason Bush won???

The Electoral College The Electoral College is a body of 538

popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and the Vice President

Each state has a number of electors equal to the total number of its Senators & Representatives in Congress

Ohio = 18 Electoral Votes How many Representatives do we have?

16 Reps (18-2 Senators = 16)

The Electoral College

The size of the Electoral College is equal to the total membership of both Houses of Congress 435 Representatives 100 Senators + 3 electors given to D.C. (23rd

Amendment) = 538 electors

The Electoral College

In order to be elected, a candidate must have a simple majority (half + 1) of the electoral votes cast for that office 538 total votes/2 = 269 269 +1 = 270

If no candidate wins a majority, the choice is referred to the House of Reps

Senate selects Vice President (if no majority)

How does the EC operate? 48 states & D.C. have adopted a Winner-take-

all popular vote rule where voters choose between statewide slates of electors

When you vote for a specific President/Vice President, you are voting for a group of electors who have pledged to vote for that candidate.

*The electors don’t have to vote for the candidates that win a majority in the state! They can vote for someone else or refuse to vote. Never happened as a collective group of electors

How does the EC operate?

The candidate that wins the most votes in the state wins the support of All of that state’s electors

It is possible to win the election by winning just 11 states

Two other states, Maine & Nebraska use a tiered system where a single elector is chosen within each district and two electors are chosen by popular vote.

Should we keep the EC? Candidates can fail to get the most

votes in the nationwide popular vote and still win that election 1876, 1888, 2000

Critics argue the EC is undemocratic and gives certain swing states disproportionate clout in selecting the President & Vice President

Those who support the EC say it helps protect the rights of smaller states

Major Third Parties

Reform Party Emphasize… Reform Especially in

the economy


Dixiecrats (1948) – Strom Thurmond Segregationist Platform – race was a

major issue Significance: First splits in Democratic

Party South used to be all Democratic

Third Parties

Third Parties in the US are Secondary Political Parties

Historically, the US has a Two Party system Some say the Electoral College with its

“Winner take all” award of electors has done this

Should we just use Popular Vote instead???

Documents

U.S. Political Parties