Aim: What is the purpose of political parties? Do Now: What did George Washington say about political parties? Why did he say this? Do you agree with him? Why haven’t we followed his advice?

Political Parties: Organizations made up of people who have similar ideas about the direction of public policies. –They are designed to win elections to get their policies passed. Platform: Parties identify issues that are relevant to voters. –They conduct opinion polls to help the party form a platform, which tells voters what the party stands for. –They educate voters on issues in the perspective of the party

Purposes of Parties:  Parties provide a candidate with a label  Elect party members to office to control the government on the local, state, and national level to implement public policies  Organize government  The “out” party keeps an eye on the “in” party, and critiques the way they run the govt. (loyal opposition)  Help maintain balance  Parties help raise funds for individuals running for office in that party  Individuals are still responsible for their own financing

Explain two benefits and two drawbacks of having a two party system.

I. The Two-Party System A. Republicans 1. tend to favor lower taxes, a strong military, and big businesses 2. believe State and local governments should take a primary role in administering social programs B. Democrats 1. tend to favor higher taxes, especially for the wealthy, and a smaller military 2. believe the Federal Govt. should take a primary role in administering social programs

II. Criticisms of the Two-Party System A. Undemocratic: The American voters only have two choices, year after year B. Power switches back and forth with few major changes in the social system

Red States v. Blue States

III. Pros of the Two-Party System A. Maintains stability and balance in American Government B. Prevents fringe parties from gaining power

Do the two major parties accurately represent your interests?

IV. Power and Structure of Parties A. Party identification is weaker today than in the 19 th Century, as more people identify themselves as independents B. Parties rarely play an important role in the lives of Americans C. People tend to focus on Presidential elections D. Parties are weaker today because they are essentially comprised of coalitions of local parties and groups 1. The power in American government is decentralized, although it is becoming more centralized in recent years E. Party power is also decentralized as it is regulated by State and Federal Laws

V. Organization A. Today, both the Democrats and Republicans have: 1. National conventions that meet every four years to choose a presidential candidate a. Democrats have made an effort to represent women and minorities at their conventions b. Superdelegates have a great deal of power in the Democratic Party (Senators and Representatives) 2. National committees that manage party affairs in between elections 3. Congressional campaign committees that help their members of Congress running for re-election 4. National chairmen who manage the day-to-day work of the parties.

B. The Democrats copied the Republican strategy of sending computerized mailings to mass numbers of people to raise money. 1. Huge amounts of money are now raised by both parties

C. In every state there is a Democratic and Republican state party organized under state law 1. state central committee 2. county committees 3. city, town, and precinct committees.

III. Machines vs. Ideology A. Political Machines base participation on incentives like jobs, money, and government favors B. Most machines are defunct today, but were quite powerful in the 19 th Century (Tammany Hall) C. Parties today are more ideological D. Began with “reform clubs” that became organized social movements (i.e. Christian Coalition)