Do Now-Write the question The primary election system of selecting presidential candidates has had which of the following effects? (a) It has increased the importance of state party organizations. (b) It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process. (c) It has reduced the role of citizens in the candidate selection process. (d) It has lowered the cost of running for office. (e) It has led to a decline in the importance of party voter-registration drives 1

Do Now-Write the question Parties in the United States are relatively weak today mainly because a. the laws and rules under which they operate have taken away much of their power. b. political leaders have insisted that ballots do not identify the party of candidates. c. interest groups are less influential than they were 40 years ago. d. many voters have lost their sense of commitment to party identification. e. A and D. 2

Do Now-Write the question “ The Constitution limits the size of the District of Columbia to _____________” -State of Alabama literacy test, 1936 The question above and the literacy test from which it came were most likely designed to (A) determine the literacy of potential voters (B) prevent Black people from exercising their right to vote (C) assess the general population's understanding of the Constitution (D) promote opposition to statehood for the District of Columbia (E) stop people from moving to the District of Columbia 3

Do Now-Write the question Which one of the following is an action that does NOT involve participation in the political process? A. creating a blog to write about politics B. contacting a senator to get help in getting a veteran’s benefit that you believe you are entitled to C. reading about politics in the newspaper D. giving money to a PAC E. signing a petition on the Internet supporting the repeal of a law 4

5

Focus Questions 6 Who Governs? 1. How has America’s two-party system changed, and how does it differ from the party systems of other representative democracies? 2. How much do parties affect how Americans vote? To What Ends? 1. Did the Founding Fathers think that political parties were a good idea? 2.How, if at all, should America’s two-party system be reformed?

Learning Objectives 7 1.Define the term political party and contrast the structure of the European and American parties, paying particular attention to the federal structure of the American system and the concept of party identification. 2.Trace the development of the party system through its four periods. Explain why parties have been in decline since the New Deal. 3.Describe the structure of a major party and distinguish powerful from powerless party organs. 4.Indicate whether there are major differences between the parties. Describe some of the issue differences between delegates at Democratic and Republican conventions, and compare these differences with those of the party rank and file.

Political Parties – Here and Abroad A Political Party is a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label (part identification) Reasons for differences with European parties 1. Candidates are nominated by the party. 2. Party runs the campaign not the candidate. 3. The party in power will pick the prime minister 4. Federal system decentralizes power in U.S 5. Once elected the party will work and vote together. 6. Political parties are very important and part of private life or the overall culture. 8

Political Parties Exist in 3- Arenas 1. Among the voters who psychologically identify with it. 2. As a grassroots organizations staffed and led by activists. 3. As a group of elected officials who follow its lead in lawmaking. 9

Political Parties Getting Weaker in all 3 Arenas 1. As a label, more independent voters and split ticket voting. 2. As a set of leaders, Congress is less under their control. 3. As an organization, much weaker since the 1960s. 10

Political Parties Internet Assignment 11

Rubric for the Sections on Handout 12

Do Now-Write the question Which of the following statements about political parties and the United States Constitution is true? (A) According to the Constitution, only two major political parties may exist at any time. (B) The Constitution requires political parties to be restricted by both federal and state law. (C) The Constitution indicates that political party leaders at the national level be elected by political party leaders at the state level. (D) The Constitution specifies that political party leaders must be native-born United States citizens. (E) The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution. 13

Do Now-Write the question and answer choices The Founders—and George Washington in particular—thought of political parties as a. the primary means of communication between voters and representatives. b. “factions” motivated by ambition and self- interest. c. a necessary element of democratic political processes. d. a useful device for purposes of recruitment. e. the logical result of republican principles. 14

A Message From Kid President… 15

The Rise and Fall of Political Parties 1. The Founding (to the 1820s) 2. The Jacksonians (to Civil War) 3. The Civil War and sectionalism 4. The era of reform 16

5 - Major Party Critical Realignments  1800 – Jefferson’s Republicans defeat the Federalists  1828 – Jackson Democrats come to power  The New Republicans come to power replacing the Whigs  1896 – Republicans defeated William Jennings Bryan  1932 – Democrat FDR comes to power 17

The National Party Structure Today 1. Parties similar on paper (National Convention has ultimate power, composed of delegates from states that manage affairs, Congressional Campaign Committees, and a National Chair that manages daily work) 2. Party structure diverges in late 1960s - Republican: Bureaucratic structure, well-financed and devoted to elected candidates. - Democrats: Factionalized, redistributes power. 3. Both Parties will… -Computerized mailing lists to raise money -Send money to states parties to sidestep federal spending limits

The National Party Structure Today Continued 4.National Conventions - Set time and place; issues call setting number of delegates for each state - Formulas to allocate delegates is complicated (DNC shifting away from South to North and West, RNC shifting from East to South and Southwest) - DNC formula rewards large states; RNC reward loyal states - RNC represents the traditional middle class – Conservative - DNC represents the New Class --- Liberal

State and Local Parties 1. State-level structure – (State, County, Local) 2. The Machine – recruits members by dispensing favors, ex. Jobs) 3. Ideological parties--extreme opposite to machine 4. Solidarity Groups - friendship more than politics 5. Sponsored parties – example UAW in Detroit 6. Personal following – Kennedy and Bush families 20

The Two-Party System 1. Rarity among nations today 2. Evenly balanced nationally, not locally 3. Why such a permanent feature? -- Electoral System – winner takes all -- Opinions of voters -- States laws make it hard for third party candidates to get all the ballot. 21

Minor Parties Ideological parties--comprehensive, radical view; most enduring Examples: Socialist, Communist, Libertarian One-issue parties-address one concern, avoid others Examples: Free Soil, Know-Nothing, Prohibition Economic protest parties-regional, protest economic conditions. Examples: Greenback, Populist Factional parties-from split in a major party Examples: Bull Moose, Henry Wallace, American Independent Movements not producing parties; either slim chance of success or parties accommodate via direct primary and national party convention Examples: civil rights, antiwar, labor Factional parties have had greatest influence Ross Perot in 1992 and

Nominating the President 1. Nominating a president -By tradition, the party "out of power"-the one not holding the presidency- holds its convention first. 2. Two contrary forces: party's desire to win motivates it to seek an appealing candidate, but its desire to keep dissidents in party forces a compromise with more extreme views 3. Are the delegates representative of the voters? 4. Who votes in primaries? 5. Who are the new delegates? 23

Parties Vs. Voters 1. Democrats: have won more congressional elections than presidential contests 2.Republicans had same problem with Goldwater (1964) 3.Rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans differ on many political issues 4.Delegates from two parties differ widely on these same issues 24

Burnham and Brownstein Responses 1. Read the Burnham and Brownstein essays. 2. One page minimum response: “Describe the factors that make up a realigning election. Explain whether or not the election of Barack Obama signaled a realignment in American Politics.” Use information from the article and textbook to support. 3. One page minimum response: “Brownstein argues that ‘hyper-partisanship’ may be of great benefit to citizen participation in politics. However, explain how this position has negative effects on the country. Explain where you see the future of the political parties in the era of non- compromise. 25