Chapter 10, Sections 1-3

“Political Parties”

Development of Political Parties A political party is a group of citizens (voters) with similar views on public issues who work to put their ideas into effective government action and who band together to elect a candidate.

Development of Political Parties One job of political parties to nominate candidates. That is, to select them to represent their respective political party. Parties pick candidates who agree with their beliefs and try to persuade voters to support their candidates for running for office

Political Spectrum Generally, parties are often labeled as “liberal” or “conservative”, depending on their views. Parties fall somewhere on the political spectrum (a range referring to differences in political views). Most people somewhere in the middle, making them “moderate”, simply leaning more towards one side or the other. Left Moderate Right “ Liberal ” “ Conservative ”

Warning… Our first President, George Washington, warned against the notion of political parties… "It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration....agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one....against another....it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption...thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.“ - Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

Roots of the Two-Party System The United States has had its current two-party system since Despite President Washington’s warning, two rival political groups were formed shortly after he was elected. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton were the leaders of these groups.

Democratic Party Thomas Jefferson wanted less power for the national government and more power for the state governments, which he felt were closer to the citizens. Those who agreed with Jefferson made up the Democratic – Republican Party which was later renamed the Democratic Party

Today’s Major Parties A basic difference between the major parties is their belief in how much the government should be involved in the lives of Americans. Today, the Democrats are generally said to be more liberal. – Favor a larger role of government – Believe that the government should provide social programs – Are not opposed to taxing the people to fund those programs.

Republican Party Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong national government and a strong President. He felt that if the government was too weak, individual rights were at risk. Hamilton’s group was called the Federalist Party, which became the Whig Party, and eventually evolved into the modern day Republican Party.

Today’s Major Parties A basic difference between the major parties is their belief in how much the government should be involved in the lives of Americans. Today, the Republicans are generally said to be more conservative. – Favor limiting the role of government – Believe in reducing the number of government social programs. – Are opposed to raising taxes.

Third Parties Although they sometimes challenge the two major parties, a Third Party has never won a Presidential election and has rarely won any other major elections.

Third Parties Third Parties, however, can affect the outcome of elections; as well, they may influence government and social policy. Some Third Parties arise to promote a social, economic, and moral issue.

Types of Third Parties Single – Issue parties fade when the issue loses importance or a major party adopts that issue. – Ie. The Prohibitionist Party pushed for laws against the sale of alcohol.

Types of Third Parties Ideological parties focus on changing society in major ways – Ie. The Green Party opposes the power of corporations and favors decision-making at the grassroots level. – The Libertarian Party would like to increase individual freedoms by cutting the size of the U.S. government.

Third Parties Third Parties rarely win major elections because of the two-party tradition. While the names of Republican and Democratic candidates are automatically placed on the ballot, Third-Party candidates must obtain a large number of signatures to get on the ballot.

Party Platforms To know where a party stands on the major issues, the voters can look at the party’s platform.

Party Platforms A platform is a series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on issues. Each individual part of a platform is called a plank. The platform communicates to voters what the party plans to do if it wins.