POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICS

Political Party A group of voters with common interests who want to influence government by campaigning and electing their party’s candidates to office.

Two-Party System The traditional format of U.S.’s electoral process. Democrats/Republicans….their views differ Two parties are competing for power.

Third Party Minor parties resulting from ideas on specific issues May include ethnicity, economic, regional topics It challenges the two major parties.

Platform A series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues

Plank Each individual part of the party’s platform.

Democrat vs. Republican Similarities between parties: Differences between parties: Organize to win elections Influence public policies Reflect both liberal and conservative views Define themselves in a way that wins majority support by appealing to the political center. Stated in a party’s platform and reflected in campaigning.

Third Party Differences Progressive “Bull Moose” Party Introduce new ideas or press for a particular issue Often revolve around political personality… for example Teddy Roosevelt. They can change the outcome of an election of drawing votes away from one of the main parties. Example: Progressive “Bull Moose” Party split the Republican Vote allowing Woodrow Wilson the Democrat to win

National Party Impact National Committee Responsibilities Representatives from the 50 state party organizations who run a political party, Raises funds for presidential elections Organizes the party’s national convention Create informational websites about candidates Fun-raising for campaigning Create advertisements for radio and TV National Party Chairperson Individual elected by the national committee who manages the daily operations of the national party.

What happens at the National Convention? Delegates write the party’s platform. Delegates nominate the party’s presidential candidate. Speeches and demonstrations to support the candidate.

Roles and Functions of Political Parties Roles of Political Parties Function of Political Party Nominate candidates Campaign Inform citizens Linking levels of government Acting as a watchdog Recruit and nominate candidates Educate the electorate about campaign issues Help candidates win elections Monitoring actions of officeholders.

State and Local Committees State Committees Local Committees Electing party candidates to state offices Elect their party’s candidates for national offices These are town, city and county committees Committees include people elected by their fellow party members

Political Machine Strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votes

Media’s Role Strategies for evaluating campaign speeches, literature, and advertisements for accuracy. Strategies are: separating fact from opinion, detecting bias, evaluating sources, identifying propaganda

Separating Fact From Opinion Detecting Bias Facts can be proven by checking them against other resources Opinions usually cannot be proven Opinions are more reliable when the writer gives facts to support them Detecting Bias Bias is often attached to issues that have an impact on people’s emotions Decide whether the piece of info presents only one side of an issue, while suggesting it covers all sides. Determine if the info is supported by opinions or facts Look for hidden assumptions generalizations not supported by facts.

Identifying propaganda Evaluating sources Ask yourself a few questions Who’s the author? Credentials? Is it current information? What kind of media is it found? What’s the purpose of the article/info? Is the info facts or opinions? What evidence is there to support it? Are there pictures, graphs, tables to support info? Identifying propaganda Endorsement Glittering generality Bandwagon Name calling Just plain folks Stacked cards Symbols

Mass Media’s role in Elections Identifying candidates Emphasizing selected issues Writing editorials, creating political cartoons, publishing opinionated pieces. Broadcasting different points of view

Political Cartoons Who are the main characters in the cartoon? What do they represent? Describe the action in the cartoon. What’s the purpose of the cartoon?