Political Parties in Action AP US Government Chapter 9

State and Local Parties Two Party System Minor Parties Presentation Outline State and Local Parties Two Party System Minor Parties Nominating a President

1) State and Local Parties In every state, there is a Democratic and a Republican state party organized under state law State central committee - county committee - city, town, and precinct committees How are these committees selected?

Tammany Hall in New York A Political Machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives – money, political jobs, and opportunity to get favors from government Tammany Hall in New York William “Boss” Tweed

During the 1870s, 1 out of every 8 voters in New York had a federal, state, or city job

The abuses of the machines led to stricter laws and regulations Stricter voter registration laws reduced fraud Civil service reforms cut down the number of patronage jobs Competitive-bidding laws made it harder to award overpriced contracts to favored business Richard J. Daley

At the opposite extreme from the machine is the ideological party – a party that values principled stands on issues above all else Most ideological parties are independent third parties such as the Socialists, Socialists Workers, Libertarian, and Right-to-Life parties

Solidary Groups are groups that people join to respond to solidary incentives – the social rewards that lead people to join political organizations They enjoy the game, they meet interesting people, and they like the sense of being “in the know” Most of the people prefer the friendships and interest in politics rather than the issues themselves Groups tend to be neither corrupt nor inflexible but they also tend not to work very hard

A sponsored party is a local or state political party that is largely supported by another organization in the community The Democratic party in Detroit has been developed, led, and financed by the political-action arm of the United Auto Workers union

Most candidates will often try to create a personal following – the political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks Sometimes a candidate will try to meld a personal following with an ideological group when candidates need financial backing

To form a personal following, a candidate must have an appealing personality, a lot of friends, or a big bank account (Kennedy and Bush families) Senator Robert F. Kennedy Senator Ted Kennedy President John F. Kennedy

George P. Bush- future presidential candidate? President George W. Bush President George H.W. Bush Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush

2) The Two-Party System Despite the decentralized party system and lack of a single party identity, it is remarkable that for the most part, the US has a two-party system – an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections Only 15 states of the world have a two-party system (195 countries) Most have a multi-party system

At the state and local levels, the parties are not evenly balanced Parties are not as competitive in state elections

Why has the two-party system been a relative permanent fixture in the United States’ political system? Elections at every level of government are based on the plurality, winner-take-all method Plurality system – an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if her or she does not receive a majority Plurality system versus majority system (ex. France)

In every state except Maine and Nebraska, the candidate that wins the most popular votes, wins all of the state’s electoral vote Minor parties can not compete under this system - “wasted vote”

How are Republicans and Democrats seen as different in recent surveys? Democrats have been better at handling such issues as poverty, the environment, and health care Republicans have been seen as better in handling issues such as national defense, foreign trade, and crime Voters are generally split over who has done a better job handling the economy and taxes Some states have made it difficult for third party candidates to get on the ballots

3) Minor Parties The electoral system prevents minor parties from winning but does not prevent them from forming Minor parties have been a permanent fixture in American political culture

There are 4 types of minor parties Ideological Party – Parties professing a comprehensive view of American society and government that is radically different from that of the established parties (Socialist Party; Libertarian Party) One-Issue Party – Parties seeking a single policy, and avoiding other issues (Prohibition Party) Economic-Protest Party – Parties, usually based in a particular region that protest against depressed economic conditions (Populist Party) Factional Party – Parties that are created by a split in a major party, usually over the identity and philosophy of the major party’s presidential candidate (Bull-Moose Party; Dixiecrats)

Few minor parties have ever carried states 1892 – Populist party (5 states)

1948 – States’ Rights Democrats (Dixiecrats)

1968 – American Independent Party (5 states)

Factional parties have probably had the greatest influence on public policy Mugwumps, Bull-Moose, Dixiecrats, and Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 and Ralph Nader in 2000 and 2004

4) Nominating a President The major parties face two contrary forces The desire to win the presidency pushes them in the direction of nominating a candidate who can appeal to the majority of voters and more moderate The need to keep dissident elements of the party from bolting and forming a third party leads them to compromise with dissident or extremists

Who votes in primaries? Delegates may be unrepresentative of the party rank and file because they are chosen in caucuses and primary elections whose participants are unrepresentative Before 1972, most delegates were picked by party leaders, primaries were relatively unimportant and voter caucuses were almost unheard-of Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and Hubert Humphrey in 1968 won the Democratic nomination without even entering a primary After 1972, the vast majority of delegates were selected in primaries and caucuses

Only about half as many people vote in primaries as in general elections Minnesota

In presidential primaries, a good fight draws a crowd The Democratic primaries in 2008 between Obama and Clinton February

Primaries also differ than caucuses – a meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate