1. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Prentice Hall PoliticalScienceInteractive Magleby et al. Government by the People Chapter 7 Political Parties: Essential to Democracy

2. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Party Functions Political Party An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy Unify the Electorate Help Organize Government Translate Preferences into Policy Provide Loyal Opposition Organize the Competition

3. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Where are the political arenas? political parties have become weak in all of these areas –In minds of voters – Label - because people are less likely to identify with a party then they used to be –Organization, recruiting, and campaigning - they nominate and elect candidates, but they have become weaker in organization –Set of leaders in government - people who organize government – especially strong in Congress – usually remain strong

4. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall What makes a strong political party? A powerful party is one whose label has a strong appeal for the voters, whose organization can decide who will be a candidate and how their candidate campaigns and how they will be managed and whose leaders will dominate one or all branches of the government.

5. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Chapter 5, Section 1 Parties and What They Do Nominate Candidate —Recruit, choose, and present candidates for public office. Inform and Activate Supporters —Campaign, define issues, and criticize other candidates. Act as a Bonding Agent —Guarantee that their candidate is worthy of the office. Govern —Members of government act according to their partisanship, or firm allegiance to a party. Act as a Watchdog —Parties that are out of power keep a close eye on the actions of the party in power for a blunder to use against them in the next election.

6. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall The Nomination of Candidates Closed Primary System Only registered members of the party are allowed to vote in the primary Open Primary System Voters are allowed to participate in the primary election without declaring membership in a party Party Convention A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office

7. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall The Nomination of Candidates ( a) The executive Committee of the Republican National Convention in Chicago in 1880 (b) Al Gore Celebrates after winning the nation’s first Democratic primary in New Hampshire (c) Parties also seek to attract voters through registration drives (d) George W. Bush campaigning on his way to the Republican National Convention

8. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall What is a multiparty system? A system of government in which there are several major and many lesser parties that exist – many European Countries are multiparty systems. Chapter 5, Section 2 Advantages Provides broader representation of the people. More responsive to the will of the people. Give voters more choices at the polls. Disadvantages Cause parties to form coalitions, which can dissolve easily. Failure of coalitions can cause instability in government. The Two-Party System

9. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Party Systems Multiparty  Coalition government is necessary  Minor parties have an incentive to persevere  Proportional representation  Governments tend toward instability Two party Winner-takes-all system “ Wasted vote ” syndrome discourages minor parties Government tends toward stability Policy change is incremental

10. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall The Two-Party System One Party Systems these usually exist in dictatorships the One-party system is really a No-Party system But you can say that there are many areas with in the United States in which one party dominates the politics of that area

11. Minor Parties in the United States 11 Chapter 5, Section 4 Splinter Party Those that have split away from one of the major parties. Most splinter parties have broken away under the influence of a major political leader Example: “Bull Moose” Progressive Party Economic Protest Parties Those that are rooted in periods of economic discontent. As the country climbs out of economic difficulty these parties fade away. Example: The Greenback Party Ideological Parties Those that are based on a particular set of beliefs that could be of social, economic, or political concern. These parties generally last a long time. Example: Libertarian Party Types of Minor Parties Single-issue Parties Those that concentrate on a single public policy matter These parties usually fade away once the issue is resolved. Example: Free Soil Party S E C T I O N 4 The Minor Parties

12. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Minor parties play several important roles: “Spoiler Role” Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the major parties’ candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party. Critic Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often take stands on and draw attention to controversial issues that the major parties would prefer to ignore. Innovator Often, minor parties will draw attention to important issues and propose innovative solutions to problems. If these proposals gain popular support, they are often integrated into the platforms of the two major parties. Chapter 5, Section 4

13. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall The Founding of political parties Why did the Founders’ dislike “factions”? they thought they were motivated by ambition and self-interest When did the Republicans and the Federalists emerge? The first parties included followers of Jefferson – republicans The followers of Hamilton were federalist – opposed the republican form of government When was the Jefferson Republicans a success? – the republican were elected to office in 1800 and 1804 and 1820.

14. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Realigning Elections Jacksonian Democrats and Whigs (1824) Abraham Lincoln (1860): Post-Civil War Republican Dominance

15. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Realigning Elections Roosevelt’s optimism and “can do” attitude in the face of the Great Depression helped cement the New Deal Democratic coalition that won him the presidency The New Deal Democratic Party (1932)

16. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Divided Government Since 1953, divided government, with one party controlling Congress and the other the White House, has been in effect twice as long as one- party control of both the legislative and executive branches

17. Since 1968, neither Republicans nor Democrats have dominated the presidency and Congress has often been controlled by the opposing party. 17 1968–1976 Republicans hold the presidency Congress is controlled by Democrats 1976–1980 Democrats hold the presidency Congress is controlled by Democrats 1980–1992 Republicans hold the presidency Senate controlled by Republicans 1980-1986, controlled by Democrats from 1986 to 1994 1992 – 2000 Democrats hold the presidency Congress controlled by Republicans, 1994 to 2006 S E C T I O N 3 The Two-Party System in American History The Start of a New Era: The Era of Divided Government

18. SECTION18 2000 - 2008 Republicans hold the presidency Congress is controlled by Republicans 2006 – Democrats took over control of Congress 2008 - 2010 Democrats hold the presidency Congress controlled by the Democrats 2010- Present Democrats hold the presidency Congress controlled by the Republican

19. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall National Party Machinery Chapter 5, Section 5 All four elements of both major parties work together loosely to achieve the party’s goals. National Convention –Occurs the summer before a presidential election –Adopts party rules –Writes parties platform National Committee –Handles all party affairs –Examples RNC and DNC National Chairperson –Heads up the National Committee –Chosen for a four year term –Focuses on the convention and the campaign Congressional Campaign Committee –Works to re-elect incumbents and to save the seats of retiring party members

20. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall The Three Components of the Party Chapter 5, Section 5 The Party in the Electorate Those who always or almost always vote for party candidates. The Party Organization: Those who run and control the party machinery. Party Components The Party in Government Those who hold office in the government.

21. The Two-Party System SECTION21 There are many factors that can influence party membership: Chapter 5, Section 2 Political party membership is purely voluntary and has always been composed of a cross section of the nations population

22. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Party Identification

23. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall The Future of Major Parties For voters : More people are unwilling to label themselves as “Democrats” or “Republicans” Split-ticket voting— voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election Chapter 5, Section 5 For candidates: Structural changes have increased conflict and disorganization within parties Changes in the technology of campaigning, especially the use of television and the Internet, have made candidates more independent of the party organization The growth of single-issue organizations provides candidates with another source of financial support Weakened connections to political parties: Chapter 5, Section 5

24. Copyright 2006 Prentice Hall Are the Parties Dying? Critique of the American party system 1.Parties do not take meaningful and contrasting positions on most issues 2.Party membership is essentially meaningless 3.Parties are so concerned with accommodating the middle of the ideological spectrum that they are incapable as serving as an avenue for social progress

25. Presidential Debate SECTION25 http://video.pbs.org/video/2286314996 We have already discussed the different political parties in the United States. As we have gone through we have found which political party you agree with and would support in the upcoming election. As you watch and listen to the debate, choose 5 issues that the candidate you support mentions and are important to you. For Homework, you will have to explain why each of these issues are important to you and why you would support this candidate in the upcoming election.