Magleby chapter6 ppt

6Political Parties Essential to Democracy

Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Objectives

6

6.1

6.2

Identify the primary functions of parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system from those in European democracies

Describe changes in American political parties and identify four realigning elections


Learning Objectives

6

6.3

6.4

Evaluate the functions of parties as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the electorate

Explain party fund-raising and expenditures, and assess their regulation


Learning Objectives

2.2

6

6.5 Assess the effects of recent party reforms and the long-term prospects for the current party system


What Parties Do for Democracy Party Functions The Nomination of Candidates Party Systems Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration

6.1


Party Functions Organize the competition Parties nominate candidates, and then support them by raising money,

providing training, and mobilizing voters to volunteer and vote for

them. Unify the electorate - must present a unified front even

during internal conflicts Organize the government - In Congress, the majority

party selects the committee chairs and has a majority in each committee. This is clearly important when it comes to passing legislation.

Make policy - Elected party members must support party policies

Provide loyal opposition

6.1


Political parties help inform and motivate voters. Here, a senior and political science major at Western Kentucky University makes calls from the local Republican Party headquarters urging

voters to support GOP candidates.

6.1


The Nomination of Candidates Early caucus gave way to convention Direct primary

Open primaries - voters can vote for candidates from any party. Closed primaries - only voters registered for a party can vote and

they must vote for party candidate.

Local caucuses Choose delegates who choose delegates to state and national conventions

6.1


Iowa Caucus 6.1

Iowa’s Democratic caucus is an unwieldy and complex process. Here, a precinct captain takes a head count to determine support for various candidates.


Party Systems

Presidential vs. Parliamentary government• US has 2 main parties and some minor ones• Parliamentary governments are often multiparty systems. Winners are

determined through proportional representation.

Proportional representation - seats are apportioned in the legislature based on the percentage of the vote won by each party. In such a system, even small parties can gain seats and perhaps a place in the governing coalition.

6.1


Chancellor Merkel 6.1

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Party, which has a majority in the Bundestag (Parliament) thanks to an alliance with two other parties.


Party Systems

“Winner-take-all” system - The candidate who receives a plurality of the vote—not necessarily a majority—gets

the seat. There is no advantage to coming in second. Lack of incentive for small parties -

Candidates for small parties are unlikely to win and it’s hard to convince people that a vote for them is not a wasted vote.

6.1


Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration Candidate-based parties - usually last only as

long as the candidate Ideology-based parties - tend to last longer.

Examples are Libertarian and Green Parties Limited success and influence - minor parties have

never won more than a handful of congressional seats and their influence on national policy and on the platforms of the two major parties has been limited.

6.1


TABE 6.1: Minor parties in the United States 6.1


6.1 What is a meeting of local party members to choose candidates for public office and to decide the platform called?

a. Open primaryb. Direct primaryc. Conventiond. Caucus

6.1


6.1 What is a meeting of local party members to choose candidates for public office and to decide the platform called?

6.1

a. Open primaryb. Direct primaryc. Conventiond. Caucus


A Brief History of AmericanPolitical Parties The Nation’s First Parties Realigning Elections The Last Half Century

6.2


The Nation’s First Parties

Constitution Ratification debate - caused the first parties to form

Hamilton and the Federalists - In order to usher measures through the first Congress, the Washington administration, under the leadership of Alexander Hamilton, formed a coalition of factions and legislators called the Federalist party.

Jefferson and the Democratic-RepublicansIn response, those politically opposed, led by Thomas Jefferson, formed a counter-coalition, known as Republicans, then as Democratic-Republicans, and finally as Democrats.

6.2


Realigning Elections

1824: Andrew Jackson and the Democrats 1860: The Civil War and the rise of the Republicans 1896: A party in transition 1932: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal alignment

6.2

The two-party system has remained constant but about every 32 years, realigning elections involve more voters and change the relationships of power within the broader political community.


Realigning Elections

1932: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal alignment• the dividing line between Republicans and Democrats became

the role of government in the economy.

6.2


The 1932 election is seen as a “critical election” resulting in an enduring realignment. Franklin Roosevelt and the Democrats enlarged the role of government in response to the Great Depression.

The 1932 election 6.2


The Last Half Century Party demographic shift -Major shifts in party demographics

have occurred in recent decades, most notably in the South. “Solid South”/Republican South - Once controlled by

Democrats, many white Democrats left the party when leaders passed civil rights legislation. The exodus continued as Democrats supported more liberal stands on abortion and social issues and the Republican South reinforced the shift to conservatism.

2008 election and the Tea Party - The 2008 election saw an increase in voter turnout. It also produced the Tea Party Movement. Tea Party activists are conservatives and predominately Republicans, who helped the GOP gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

6.2


6.2 Which of these is not a characteristic of realigning elections?

a. Weak voter involvementb. Disruptions of traditional voting patternsc. Changes in relationships of power within the

broader political communityd. The formation of new and durable electoral

groupings

6.2


6.2 Which of these is not a characteristic of realigning elections?

6.2

a. Weak voter involvementb. Disruptions of traditional voting patternsc. Changes in relationships of power within the

broader political communityd. The formation of new and durable electoral

groupings


American Parties Today

Parties as Institutions Parties in Government Parties in the Electorate Party Identification Partisan Dealignment?

6.3


Parties as Institutions National party leadership

National party conventions - meet every four years at a national party convention to nominate a presidential and vice presidential candidate and ratify the party platform.

National committee and chair draft the party’s platform

Party platform - details the issues and where the party stands on them

Parties at the state and local levels - Each state has a state committee headed by a state chair, and below the state committees are county committees, which vary widely in function and power.

6.3


House Speaker John Boehner 6.3


FIGURE 6.1: Difference in perception of what the parties stand for, 1984–2008

6.3


Parties in Government In the legislative branch

Members have more power and influence when their party is control of the House or Senate. Committee chairs belong to majority party

In the executive branch Presidential appointments based on partisanship - nearly all senior White House staff and members of the Cabinet.

In the judicial branch Partisan appointment process

Importance of parties varies at the state and local levels

6.3


Parties in the Electorate

Party registration - the purpose is to limit the participants in primary elections to members of that party and to make it easier for parties to contact its potential voters.

Party activists fall into 3 categories Party regulars Candidate activists Issue activists

6.3


Ted Cruz 6.3


Party Identification

Party identification is acquired during childhood Party identification is relatively stable over time Party identification is the single best predictor of how people will vote

6.3


TABLE 6.2: Combined party identification by decades, 1950s–2000s

6.3


FIGURE 6.2: Presidential vote by party

6.3


Increasing number of Independents Most self-identified Independents vote along partisan lines Pure Independents make up same proportion as 1956

6.3Partisan Dealignment?


TABLE 6.3: Voting behaviour of partisans and independents, 1992–2008

6.3


6.3 Which of the following is the best predictor of voting behavior?

a. Party identificationb. Interest in single issuec. Ideologyd. Choice of candidate

6.3


6.3 Which of the following is the best predictor of voting behavior?

a. Party identificationb. Interest in single issuec. Ideologyd. Choice of candidate

6.3


How Parties Raise and Spend Money Party expenditures - Political parties, like candidates,

rely on contributions from individuals and interest groups to fund their activities. Political action committees (PACs) give more to candidates than party committees.

2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act - created to regulate soft money

Independent expenditure option - must use money raised with normal “hard money” (limited and disclosed) contribution limits

6.4


6.4 What happened after the passage of Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

6.4

a. Political parties were weakened by limits on funding

b. Political parties were strengthened by a surge in contributions

c. There was no change in contributions d. Contributions at first weakened but then

had modest increases


6.4 What happened after the passage of Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

6.4

a. Political parties were weakened by limits on funding

b. Political parties were strengthened by a surge in contributions

c. There was no change in contributions d. Contributions at first weakened but then

had modest increases


Are the Political Parties Dying?

Reform Among the Democrats Reform Among the Republicans Continued Importance of Parties

6.5


Reform Among the Democrats Use of direct primaries Proportional voting

Nominees won delegates based on votes they received Super delegates

Party leaders who do not have to run for election as delegates

6.5


Democratic National Convention, 1968 6.5


Grassroots campaigns - seminars and training workshops for young party professionals.

More membership recruitment - women, minorities, youth, and the poor.

• Donor base - Until 2004, Republicans had cultivated a larger donor base and were less reliant on soft money contributions that became so controversial in recent elections.

• In the 2010 election cycle, the Democratic Party committees all raised and spent more than the Republican Party committees. However, both sides raised substantial contributions, much of it from small donors.

6.5Reform Among the Republicans


Continued Importance of Parties Parties fill democratic functions Parties help organize government Through parties, citizens influence

government

6.5


6.5 How did the Republican Party become better organized in the 1970s?

a. By using grassroots methodsb. By training young professionalsc. By increasing membership among different groupsd. All of the above

6.5


6.5 How did the Republican Party become better organized in the 1970s?

a. By using grassroots methodsb. By training young professionalsc. By increasing membership among different groupsd. All of the above

6.5


Discussion Question

Are you a member of a major or minor political party? Why? How would you classify your level of partisanship?

6