A P U S Govt Ch 8 Political

A. P. U. S. Govt. Ch. 8, “Political Parties”

Why has there been a “tea party” movement in the U. S. ? • 2011: 800 local tea party organizations—with 200, 000 members • agreed that there should be smaller government —with reduced spending to lower the national debt; also—lower taxes; disagreed with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) • they opposed Pres. Obama and Democrats—and helped Republicans get elected to office in 2010 • They could not agree on a candidate for Pres. in 2012—so had less influence on the election

Two-party system • Democrats and Republicans have dominated natl. and state politics for 125 years • This is the “most distinctive feature of American politics” • Do the parties differ? Are they necessary for democratic govt. ? What functions do political parties perform? Why do we have any political parties?

Political Parties and their Functions • Voting in free elections—allows citizens to control their govt. ; 89% of Ams. feel that elections make govt. pay attention to them • Ams. —have love-hate relationship with political parties: necessary for democratic govt. —but distrusted (esp. younger Ams. ) • Political party: organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization’s name; they are NOT interest groups • Nomination: designation as an official candidate of a political party

Political parties and functions (cont. ) • many people tie in democracy with political parties • political system: a set of interrelated institutions that links people with govt. • 4 important functions of political parties: • 1) nominating candidates: parties screen who would be a good one—and who would not—so that quality candidates are chosen to run • 2) structuring the voting choice: they reduce the number of people on the ballot—and increase chances of winning by reducing info. voters will need to choose • 3) proposing alternative govt. programs: to help voters choose which party would better support their views—based on the policies the party wants to enact • 4) coordinating the actions of govt. officials: they tend to make decisions together based on their party—and they do not want to defy their party wishes or they will lose support of the party; also, to have their policies enacted, they need a majority of support from other politicians

History of U. S. Party Politics • Democratic Party: founded in 1828 (with roots from the late 1700 s)—claims to be the oldest party in existence • Political parties are NOT mentioned in the Constitution— seen as factions • electoral college: a body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for pres. and v. p. ; originally the electors were chosen by the state legislatures • caucus: a closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the selection of candidates for office • GW: elected unanimously by the electoral college to serve as pres. ; he did not represent a political party, though

History of U. S. Party Politics (cont. ) • First Party System: Federalists (strong natl. govt. —Alexander Hamilton) and Democratic Republicans (weaker natl. govt. — Thomas Jefferson) • After GW’s two terms as pres. , John Adams elected pres. and T. J. V. P. —although both were from different parties • Election of 1800: T. J. and Aaron Burr tied in electoral votes; Jefferson was chosen by the House as pres. ; 12 th Amendment: said the electoral college would vote on pres. and v. p. separately—to avoid a tie • Federalist Party: ceased to exist by 1820 • Election of 1824: Andrew Jackson won more popular and electoral votes than John Quincy Adams, but lacked a majority of electoral; so the House decided the election in favor of Adams

History of U. S. Party Politics (cont. ) • Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs • 1828: Andrew Jackson won the first mass election in U. S. history (where there was near universal whitemale suffrage) • Changes in parties: • national convention: gathering of delegates of a single political party from across the U. S. to choose candidates for pres. and v. p. (which replaced the old caucus method)—and adopt a party platform: statement of policies of a national political party

History of U. S. Party Politics (cont. ) • 1834: Whig Party formed (in opposition to Jackson—and former Federalist supporters) • Up to the 1850 s—Whigs and Democrats took turns controlling the presidency • Whigs were torn apart by views for and against slavery • 1854: Republican Party was formed—based on opposition to the expansion of slavery in the U. S. • 1860: Abraham Lincoln was elected president when the Democratic Party split over slavery; this was a critical election: one that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters

History of U. S. Party Politics (cont. ) • electoral realignment: change in voting patterns that occurs after a critical election (e. g. in 1860—North voted Republican; South voted Democrat—thus earning the nickname the “Solid South”—that lasted for 90 years) • two-party system: political system in which two major political parties compete for control of the govt. ; candidates from a third party have little chance of winning office • majority party: when one political party enjoys support from most voters in an area; minority party: the party with less than a majority of voter support • 1860 -1894: Republicans won 8 of 10 presidential elections

History of U. S. Party Politics (cont. ) • 1896: a second critical election; William Mc. Kinley (Rep. ) defeated William Jennings Bryan (Dem. ); key issues included: economic depression; tariffs (taxes on imported goods); and the gold standard (having money “backed” by gold or silver); Populists: wanted more access to money and help for farmers • This marked the beginning of connections between Republicans and business; also the Republicans controlled the presidency and Congress until 1929—and the start of the Great Depression • 1932 -1964: Democratic majority with the New Deal coalition; 1932 was the third critical election in U. S. history; Franklin D. Roosevelt won the first of his four terms as pres. —with the support of labor, liberals, urban workers, Catholics, Jews, and white ethnic minorities • African-Americans: few voted (based on southern restrictions)—but those who did began to vote Democratic for the first time

History of U. S. Party Politics (cont. ) • 1968 to the Present: 1968 was the fourth critical election; Richard Nixon (Rep. ) won most of the South, and this started Republican support in that area since then • Democrats: have controlled the House for most of the sessions—though today it is controlled by Republicans—and now have support in the North and urban areas (including workers, unions, and ethnic minorities—African-Ams. and Latinos) • electoral dealignment: a lessening of the importance of party loyalties in voting decisions

The American Two-Party System • bolter parties: formed by factions that split off from one of the major parties; they sometimes take votes from the major party and influence the election; e. g. Teddy Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose Party” (1912) • farmer-labor parties: coalition of farmers and workers who believed that they were not getting their share of society’s wealth; e. g. the Populists of the late 1800 s • parties of ideological protest: usually favor more govt. activism—and want radically different policies; e. g. the Socialist Party; or less govt. involvement; e. g. Libertarians

The American Two-Party System (cont. ) • Single-issue parties: tend to promote one principle; e. g. Antimasonic party (1820 s-30 s); Free Soil Party (1850 s); and Prohibition Party • third parties: express some voters’ discontent with the major parties and work for their own objectives; few have won a lot of votes—and none have won the presidency—but they DO have an effect on the policies adopted by the two major parties • Minor parties function as “safety valves”—they allow those unhappy with the status quo to express their discontent

The American Two-Party System (cont. ) • 50% of Ams. today—think there needs to be a third party in the U. S. • Two reasons for only two parties: • 1) electoral system: winner-take-all—only one position is at stake, so two parties battle for it (especially the presidency) • 2) political socialization: people tend to obtain party support from their families and those around them • majority representation: the system by which one office, contested by two or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most votes • proportional representation: legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

Party Identification in America • party identification: a voter’s sense of psychological attachment to a party • “voting—is a behavior; identification is a state of mind”; declare allegiance to a party to be a member of that party • the proportion of Republicans and Democrats combined has exceeded that of independents in every year • the proportion of Democrats has consistently exceeded that of Republicans, but has shrunk over time • the proportion of independents (no party identification) has nearly doubled in the past 50 years • Identification can change over time (e. g. Southern Democrats)

Party Identification in America (cont. ) • Democrats: lower incomes and less education; advanced degrees; no religious preference; more women than men (especially with more education); younger people; nonwhites • Republicans: higher income and more education; some religious preference; more men than women; older people; whites • half of Americans adopt their parents’ party • more younger people are independents • older voters could be either party—depending on long-term loyalties

Party Ideology and Organization • Democrats: want govt. spending to advance social welfare— and promote equality; including money to stimulate the economy • Republicans: want more govt. spending on defense—less on social programs • involved Democrats: 48% are liberals; involved Republicans: 85% are conservatives • party platforms: how the party stands on the issues—usually decided at the party convention to nominate candidates for office; how money is spent by govt. is determined largely by these platforms (for the party that wins the election)

Party Ideology and Organization (cont. ) • Democrats: talk about equality, inequality, marriage, abortion, and discrimination in their platform • Republicans: talk about order, crime, criminals, and spending in their platform • Both: favor a market economy over a planned economy—but Republicans more so • Organization: both parties have state and national organizations • national convention: occurs every 4 years; delegates meet to nominate a candidate for president and forms the platform; also, governs the party for the next 4 years

Party Ideology and Organization (cont. ) • national committee: composed of party chairpersons and party officials from every state; it governs the party for the 4 years in-between conventions • party conferences: a meeting to select party leaders and decide committee assignments, held at the beginning of a session of Congress by Republicans or Democrats in each chamber • congressional campaign committees: an organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support its own candidates in congressional elections; shows that the natl. party structure is loose

Party Ideology and Organization (cont. ) • Both party organizations do NOT control presidential campaigns—the candidates do • Democrats: allowed more leeway in choosing delegates to its convention in 1972 • Republicans: strengthened its organization—and fundraising, research, and service roles • fund-raising: Republicans have typically raised more money than Democrats—but that changed in the early 2000 s • Party machine: a centralized party organization that dominates local politics controlling elections

Party Ideology and Organization (cont. ) • patronage: awarding govt. positions to your supporters who help you win an election • social services: giving more benefits to those who support you politically • both these were considered dishonest—and discontinued • national committees have begun to send money to state and local parties (to help with organization and elections) • “decentralization of power”—has been the “most distinguishing characteristic of Am. political parties” • But the parties have improved their national organization and fundraising

The Model of Responsible Party Government • responsible party government: a set of principles formalizing the ideal role of parties in a majoritarian democracy • 4 components to it: • 1) parties should present clear and coherent programs to voters • 2) voters should choose candidates based on the basis of party programs • 3) the winning party should carry out its programs once in office • 4) voters should hold the governing party responsible at the next election for executing its program