Chapter 9- Political Parties:
(1).
Define what a Political Party is, and explain its key goal and
purpose in politics.
(2). Summarize the party’s
functions in theory, and discuss their limitations in reality.
(3). Discuss the organizational role
of Party’s during primary elections.
(4). Examine the centrist characteristics of
(5). Contrast
(6). Discuss the limitations of the spatial theory model when applied to
real politics.
(7). Trace the history of U.S Party systems and Elections.
(8). Examine critical
elections & their relationship to party realignment theory.
(9). Contrast party realignment with dealignment,
and discuss its political significance.
(10). Discuss the changing purpose & role of National party
organizations & conventions.
(11). Discuss modern party
organizations & relationships at local, state, and national level.
G-9 CHAPTER OUTLINE Political Parties
v 9-1 What Is a Political Party?
§ Electoral
organization:
· Coalition seeking to control government
& its polices
· How? By getting its candidates elected to office
· Formed
around shared political cleavages
§ 9-1a 7
Party
Functions – provide organization & info
· recruit candidates – to run for office
· nominate candidates – by
most common method today:
¨ Direct
primaries comprise 3 different types:
Ø closed
primaries
Ø open
primaries
Ø blanket
primaries
¨ caucus/convention
system
· mobilize voters – get
out the vote drives
· contest election- “wage war” in the general
election
· form governments- organize along party lines
¨ government appointments
¨ leaders
& members of committees
· coordinate
policy across different branches of Gov’t
¨ President,
Congress, State, local party cooperation
¨ Leaders
stress party loyalty (with mixed
results)
· Provide accountability- unintended side effect
¨ Used by voters to hold elected official accountable
v 9-2 Characteristics of
§ Two
party system => centrist in
political ideology
· Capitalism & democracy
accepted by both sides
· No socialists or fascists stand realistic chance
· Disagreement
come at the narrow margins
¨ Mostly
about how to meet same accepted goals
¨ Political & economic security for
the
§ 9-2a The Spatial
Theory of Elections (Figure 9-1)
· in a
perfect world of perfect information:
¨ candidate
closer to center should win election
Ø median
voter hypothesis
Ø (
· Chance
& impact of minor party challenges?
(Fig 9-2)
¨ Nader’s Green Party affect
on Gore-2000 (
§ 9-2b
· single
member - plurality electoral system (?)
¨ single district representative => winner
take all
Ø impact?
=> Duverger’s Law & voter choice?
· proportional
representation system
¨ national parliament => proportional
seats
Ø impact
on minor party challenges & voter choice?
§ 9-3c The
Spatial Model Applied to Real Politics
· Attempt
to explain shift of different voter groups:
¨ 1956 Party
platforms on Brown v. Board of
Ed.
Ø Democrats waffle while GOP accepts decision
¨ 1960 civil rights movement=> JFK
seen supportive
¨ 1964 civil
rights act => LBJ vs.
Goldwater
Ø Party
positions? => impact?
¨ Since
1968 => Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”
Ø Southern white voters => GOP
Ø Solidification
of African Americans w/Democrats
· Debate
of the losers over direction of Party on issues:
¨ Back
toward center or closer to Party’s roots?
· Spatial Theory model
limitations => over simplification
¨ Ignores
party in power performance, scandals, war, $
¨ Reality:
too many variables affect model description
v 9-3 The History of
§ 9-3a The
First Party System (1796–1824)
· Federalists
¨ Strong
central government & economic policy
¨ Northeast
sectional concentration
· Democratic-republicans
¨ Weak
central government w/rural agrarian $$$
¨ South
& Western states
· Federalist
overreach themselves + War of 1812 stand
¨ Dem-republicans take
over=> era of good feelings
§ 9-3b The
Second Party System (1828–1856)
· Jackson & 1st
mass political party => Democratic
party
¨ Rules
expanding right to vote to all males 21 years +
· Whig party formed in opposition
(primarily to
¨ Formed
coalition: North’s industrialist & South’s $$
§ 9-3c The
Third Party System (1860–1892)
· Slavery issue became more
contentious by mid-1850s
· Whigs attempted to hold
North-South coalition together
¨ Avoid
avoided clear statement on slavery as result
· Republican party
formed & made clear anti-slavery aim
¨ 1860=>
¨ Reconstruction=> Democratic South=>
close races
§ 9-3d The
Fourth Party System (1896–1928)
· Democrat
¨ William Jennings Bryan nominated
by Dems:
Ø “Cross of Gold” => cheap $$$ for
debts
· GOP’s McKinley’s landslide
begins 32 year GOP run
¨ (Woodrow Wilson only
exception in 1912)
§ 9-3e The
Fifth Party System (1932–?)
· 1929 Stock Market Crash=> Great Depression
¨ GOP Hoover offers
balanced budget as solution
¨ Nation’s
unemployment rises to 25%
¨ Nation
demands jobs & action=> GOP
stalls
· FDR’s landslide & New
Deal coalition begins shifts:
¨ Poor,
working class & unions align w/Democrats
¨ Upper
middle class & wealth align w/GOP
¨ Above alignments
cut across sectional lines
Ø (in
contrast to previous party systems)
Ø Only exception?
· Democrats would
dominate majority until 1960s
¨ New Deal coalition would start
to weaken
§ 9-3f Critical
Elections and Party Realignment Theory
· Disruption
causing changes in basic party coalitions
¨ Occurred
during 1828, 1860, 1896, & 1932
elections
· Result:
parties became more ideologically polarized
¨ Voter
turnout significantly increased
¨ Blocks
of voters switched parties
· Name
scholars give this shift in party coalitions?
· Two
theories describing causes of shifts:
¨ Parties
fail to respond to $, social, demo. tensions
Ø Impact
of rapid industrialization after Civil War
¨ Party
straddles major issue cutting across party lines
Ø Whigs straddle slavery issue
=> Republican party
· Parties
fail to adapt to changes or offer new choices
¨ Voters
quite party & go where needs are met
§ 9-3g
From Realignment
to Dealignment?
· Historically,
realignments occur every 35-40 years
¨ (It’s
been over 70 years since the last one)
¨ what’s
the problem? Are we already in
realignment?
· The
growth in ticket spitting? (Figure
9-3)
¨ Signs
of party
dealignment?
Ø growth
in no party identification => Independent
¨ Signs of
6th party realignment
forming?
Ø Shift
of South & Rocky Mountain West to GOP
Ø NE & Midwest Voters
=> Democratic Party
§ 9-3h The
Uncertain Future
· No body
knows for sure =>
¨ Evidence
of both continues to shift
¨ No
clear trend apparent (back & forth)
· Even
more uncertain with close balance of power
¨ Senate
if now 51 to 49 in favor of GOP
¨ Last
term it was just the opposite
¨ Result:
no clear trend is obvious
v 9-4 Modern Party Organization
§ Formal
Party Structure – (see
Figure 9-4)
· Parallel
the different levels of government
· All
pursing shared goal of electing party’s candidates
· Each
level with different focus, priorities & functions
§ 9-4a Local
Organizations
· Power
of the party machine
¨ Selective
benefits => material benefits
¨ Patronage
jobs => loyalty to the party (Chicago)
· Reforms
reducing power of the party machine (Fig 9-5)
¨ Australian
ballot
¨ Direct
Primary
¨ Merit
civil service system =>
spoils system’s decline
Ø Pendleton Act of 1883 (
· Other Progressive reforms & their consequences:
¨ Club movement=> parallel formal party
organization
Ø Response
to rules weakening parties (
¨ Candidate
centered campaign => independent
Ø Impact
of TV & radio=> eliminate middle man
Ø FECA campaign $$ limits $1000 &
$5000(PACs)
§ Candidates
must conduct mass fundraising
§ Computer technology => mass mailing lists
· organize
independent fundraising operations
¨ Result:
parties relegated to support role (less power)
Ø Organize
fundraising & campaign rallies &parties
Ø Distribute
literature & operate phone banks
Ø Door to
door canvassing & other activities
§
· S