Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Public Policy Political parties and interest groups: How do they influence our political decisions?

Key Terms Political Party Interest Group Platform Two-party System Pluralism Political Action Committee (PAC) Lobbying Public Policy

Political Parties Political parties have played an important role in American politics since the early years of the Republic.

What Do Political Parties Do in a Democracy? The primary goal of parties is to get their candidates elected to office. Parties recruit candidates and support campaigns. Parties help organize elections and inform voters. Parties organize the government. Parties unite diverse interests and make collective action possible. Platforms Parties serve as a loyal opposition to the political party in power.

The Structure of Political Parties

The Two-Party System The Constitution makes no mention of parties. None existed Early 1800s – political system w/ two major parties emerged First parties came from within President Washington’s administration

The Two-Party System Alexander Hamilton Federalists Anti-Federalists Alexander Hamilton Favored a strong national gov’t Support came from commercial & industrial interests in the north Disappeared after T.J. became president. Thomas Jefferson Favored a weak national gov’t & strong state gov’ts Support came from farmers & rural interests in the south Single-handedly destroyed the Federalists (not really but sounds cool)

Evolution of the Two-Party System Feds/Anti-Feds  Democratic- Republicans  Dem-Reps/Nat’l Reps  Dems/Whigs  Dems/Reps

Republicans & Democrats in the 21st Century All kinds of Americans support either party. However, there are trends and “more likely”s among the Republicans and Democrats.

Republicans & Democrats in the 21st Century White Male Relatively affluent (financially well-off) White collar Highly Religious Conservative Member of a minority group Female Less affluent Blue collar Moderately religious/secular Liberal

Red and Blue America

What Issues Do They Disagree On? Size of the national gov’t Reps: small nat’l gov’t; more power to states Dems: strong federal gov’t Taxes Reps: across-the-board tax cuts Dems: tax cuts for poor; tax raises for wealthy to support programs Regulation of business Reps: prevents economic growth Dems: protects consumers, workers, & environment

What Issues Do They Disagree On? Social issues Reps: more likely to oppose issues like legalizing same-sex marriage, abortion, and gun control laws Dems: more likely to support issues like same-sex marriage rights, abortion, and gun control laws Environment Reps: believe environmental regulations hurt businesses & economy Dems: favor strict environmental regulations

Third Parties Four main types of third parties in the U.S.: Single-Issue: focus on one issue (taxes, immigration) Economic Protest: unite opponents of particular economic policies Ideological: view politics & society through their ideology (Libertarian) Splinter Groups: offshoots of major parties (Tea Party) Examples: Socialist Party, Independent Party, Green Party Are Independents really independent? Not so fast…

Interest Groups Americans join all kinds of groups that reflect their interests, from garden clubs and hiking groups to civic organizations. When such groups seek to influence government, at any level, they are called special-interest groups or special interests.

Are Interest Groups Good or Bad? Many Americans distrust special interests. Believe groups seek to achieve goals at expense of society. James Madison believed pluralism was the key to “factions” (interest groups) Interest groups offer a way to participate in the political process. Play a critical role in the democratic process.

Are Interest Groups Good or Bad? Thousands of interest groups in the U.S. Although different, same basic goal All try to persuade elected officials to take actions to support their interests

What Kinds of Groups Do Americans Join? Economic Interest Groups Business groups, trade organizations, professional associations, labor unions Examples: Business Roundtable, American Medical Association, and United Farm Workers of America Citizens Groups Claim to promote the public interest Ex: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)

What Kinds of Groups Do Americans Join? Government Groups National Governors Association, National Education Association (NEA) Others: foreign policy groups, nationality groups, religious organizations

The Rise of Political Action Committees Funding organizations Collect donations and funnel $$ into political campaigns 1980 - $131M 2012 - $560M

How Do Interest Groups Influence Policy? Lobbying An attempt to influence policy by persuading public officials to favor or oppose action on a specific issue. Research and Policy Proposals Think tanks: an organization of scholars and policy experts who study public issues and write articles and books that summarize their research Litigation Lawsuits Ex: NAACP in Brown v. Board of Ed Grassroots Mobilization Strong and vocal support from large group of people at local level

What Makes an Interest Group Powerful? Size & Money Unity of Purpose Effective Leadership Information & expertise

Public Policy Public policy refers to government actions or programs designed to achieve certain goals. Creating public policy is a multistep process.

The Dynamics of Policymaking Issue Identification Agenda Setting Policy Formulation Adoption Implementation Evaluation