1. American Government and Politics Today
Chapter 8
Political Parties

2. What is a Political Party?
Definition: a group of political activists who organize to win elections, to operate the government, and to determine public policy.
Parties versus interest groups
Functions of parties
Recruiting candidates to run for elective offices at all levels of government
Mobilize citizens to vote and participate in elections
Bear the responsibility of operating government at all levels
Providing organized opposition to the party in power is an essential role for a party that does not control one or another branch of the government.

3. History of Political Parties
The Formative Years: Federalists and Anti-Federalists
The Era of Good Feelings
National Two-Party Rule: Whigs and Democrats
The Civil War Crisis
The Post-Civil War Period
“Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion”
The Triumph of the Republicans
The Progressive Interlude
The New Deal Era
An Era of Divided Government
In the years after 1968, the general pattern was often a Republican president and a Democratic Congress.
2000 Presidential Election (Red state-blue state)

4. Election 1896

5. Election 2000

6. Election 2004

7. The Two Major Parties Today
The parties’ core constituents
Economic beliefs
Recent economic convergence?
Republican and Democratic Budgets
Democrats have the reputation of supporting the less-well-off, and Republicans the prosperous.
Cultural Politics
Cultural Politics and Socioeconomic Status
The Regional Factor in Cultural Politics
The 2004 Election: Economics and National Security

8. Fig. 8-4 Republican Issues and Democratic Issues

9. The Three Faces of a Party
1-The people who identify with the party or who regularly vote for the candidates of the party in general elections
2-Party organization
National
Convention delegates
National Committee
National Chairperson

10. Three Faces of a Party (cont.)
State party organization
Local (grass roots) organization
Patronage and City Machines
Local Party Organizations Today
3-The Party in Government
Divided Government
The Limits of Party Unity
Party Polarization

11. Why Has the Two Party System Endured?
Often, on major issues confronting the country there have been two clear sides. This duality helped to initiate a two-party system and has maintained this system through the present.
Political socialization and practical considerations
The Winner-Take-All Electoral System
Presidential Voting
Popular Election of the Governors and President
Proportional Representation
State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two Parties

12. The Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Politics
Ideological Third Parties
Splinter Parties
The Impact of Minor Parties
Influencing the Major Parties
Affecting the Outcome of an Election

13. Mechanisms of Political Change
Realignment: a process in which a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance, producing a long-term change in the political landscape.
The Myth of Dominance
The Myth of Predictability
Is Realignment Still Possible?
Dealignment: a major drop-off in support for the parties.
Independent Voters
Not-So-Independent Voters
Tipping

14. Fig. 8-5 Party Identification: 1937-Present

15. The Most Successful Third Party Campaigns Since 1864