Chapter 8

WSU Essay #5 – Political Parties Exceeds expectationsStudent addresses 5 or 6 of these points Meet expectationsstudent addresses 3 or 4 of these points Does NOT meet expectation student addresses fewer than 3 of these points 2 Explain the main functions of American parties. Also indicate those instances where significant changes have occurred in the American party system.

WSU Essay – Main Functions of P.P.  Nominating candidates  Change: Candidates set out on own/don’t let party screen them out  Funding candidates  Change: Candidates raising more of own money  Structure voting choice  reduce number of candidates on ballot to those with chance of winning 3

WSU Essay Continued  Intermediary between unorganized voters and government  Change: Media/interest groups taking over this role  Provide platform for issues to be discussed  Policies candidates pursue if elected  Mavericks may vote against party lines  Other 4

5 Chapter 8 Scenario : (put into your portfolio) Read page Then answer the following: What do you think about the situation in the 23rd Congressional District in New York? Was the support of the conservative candidate the right move by the Republican Party? Why or why not? Do you think Republicans and Democrats are really different, or do they essentially behave the same why? Explain.

 89% of Americans surveyed after the 2008 election felt elections make the government “pay attention to what the people think.”  Do you agree? 6

Political Parties and Their Functions  Some believe American politics would function better without political parties  Others say political parties necessary for democratic government, but at the same time, do not trust them  Kind of a “love-hate” relationship  Distrust especially strong among younger voters 7

What Is a Political Party?  An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization’s name  Use a nomination process  See the paragraph on pg  Democracies must have at least two political parties that regularly compete against each other 8

Only Two to Tangle 9 Compared with party systems in other countries, the U.S. two - party system is unusual. Most democracies have multiparty systems in which 4 or 5 parties win enough seats to contest for power. (See next slide)

Only Two to Tangle (cont.) 10 (Continued from previous slide) The United Kingdom is the most notable example of a country having a two - party system. The purer U.S. pattern of two-party politics shows clearly in these graphs of votes cast for party candidates running for the U.S. House compared with the British House of Commons.

Party Functions  4 of the most important include:  Nominating candidates for election to public office  Structuring the voting choice in elections  Proposing alternative government programs  Coordinating actions of public officials 11

Nominating Candidates  Political leadership requires certain qualities  (OR should we hold a lottery to fill positions randomly??)  Parties can perform “quality control” by choosing candidates  Party leaders know strengths/faults of candidates better than average voter  Parties also can recruit talented persons to become candidates 12

Structuring the Voting Choice  Work to reduce number of candidates on ballot to those with chance of winning  Loyal party voters provide predictable base of votes  Third-party candidate success difficult  Choice between only two parties reduces information needed by voters 13

Proposing Alternative Government Programs  Parties set out general policies candidates will pursue if they gain office  Candidates tend to support party positions, although exceptions occur  Some party names advertise policies, such as the Green Party, Socialist Party, and Libertarian Party  America’s two major parties have relatively neutral names 14

Coordinating the Actions of Government Officials  U.S. government’s separation of powers divides responsibilities for policymaking  Political parties major bridge for bringing the separate powers together to govern effectively  Members of same party in the House, Senate, and Presidency tend to share principles and cooperate in making policies 15

Getting Older?  The Democratic party formed in 1828  Oldest party in existence?  Republicans formed in 1854  Generations have supported these parties - institutionalized 16

History of U.S. Politics: The Preparty Period  Constitution no mention of political parties  Only factions, not parties, existed when Constitution written  Federalist No. 10 hoped federalist system would prevent factional influences  Factions of the time included :  Tories/Loyalists  Whigs/Patriots,  Federalists and Anti-Federalists 17 Not parties since they didn’t sponsor candidates for elections

The Preparty Period (cont.)  Elections vastly different from today  President and Vice President decided by electoral college  Electors frequently met in private caucuses to propose candidates  George Washington opposed factional politics  Because of neutrality, elected unanimously 18

The First Party System: Federalists and Democratic Republicans  Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton  Wanted stronger national govt  Democratic Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson  Feared strong national govt  Election of 1796 saw John Adams (a Federalist) elected president, with Thomas Jefferson elected vice president  In election of 1800, both parties nominated candidates for both president and vice president 19

The Twelfth Amendment  Election of 1800 saw top two vote-getters from Democratic-Republican Party – but tied in Electoral College!  Eventually Jefferson elected president  Ratification of 12 th Amendment in 1804 split votes in Electoral College for president and vice president  Democratic-Republicans won next four elections, then fell apart 20

Figure 8.1 The Two-Party System in American History 21 Over time, the American party system has undergone a series of wrenching transformations. Since 1856, the Democrats and Republicans have alternated irregularly in power, each party enjoying a long period of dominance.

The Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs  Jackson’s faction of Democratic Republicans represented “common people” in South and West  Preferred to be called Democrats  Jackson ran for president in 1828; birth of today’s Democratic Party  Increase in suffrage rights led to voters, instead of state legislators, choosing presidential electors  Greater numbers voting required changes from existing parties 22

Party Changes  Major parties began having national conventions to select candidates and adopt party platforms  First, Anti-Masonic Party in 1831; Democrats and National Republicans followed in 1832 (not today’s Republicans)  Coalition of those opposing Jackson formed Whig Party in 1834  Democrats and Whigs alternated presidency for next 30 years 23 Whigs thought Jackson was governing like a king.

The Current Party System: Democrats and Republicans  Antislavery forces organized Republican Party in 1854  John Fremont presidential candidate in 1856; Abraham Lincoln in 1860  Election of 1860 first of four critical elections  Led to electoral realignment, with northern states voting Republican and southern states voting Democratic for decades 24

Eras of Party Dominance Since the Civil War  Democrats and Republicans major parties since 1860 election  Two-party system  Third parties rarely successful, except at state or local level  Balance of power between two major parties different in various parts of country and at different times 25

Four Political Eras Since Civil War  A Rough Balance:  GOP (Republicans) won eight of 10 presidential elections  House and Senate wins balanced  A Republican Majority:  Democrats in trouble because of economic depression in 1896  Republican William McKinley won presidency over William Jennings Bryan; business started supporting Repubs; Republicans basically in power until Great Depression 26

Four Political Eras Since Civil War  A Democratic Majority:  Voters unhappy with economic crisis swarmed to support Democratic candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932  Roosevelt won election over Hoover; Democratic party won majorities in both House and Senate  A major electoral realignment 27

Four Political Eras Since Civil War  A Rough Balance: 1968 to the Present  Richard Nixon’s victory in 1968 a fourth critical election; Republican presidential candidates have done well in South since  Congressional elections in this period mixed: Democrats generally control House, Senate control split about evenly  Party loyalty within regions has shifted; possible electoral dealignment? 28

Figure 8.1 The Two-Party System in American History 29 Over time, the American party system has undergone a series of wrenching transformations. Since 1856, the Democrats and Republicans have alternated irregularly in power, each party enjoying a long period of dominance.

Scenario 2- The Wizard of Oz  Read the Feature Story on page  Have you ever thought of the Wizard of Oz in these terms?  What was the most interesting part of this reading?  Do you think it really was written to promote the Populist movement? Explain. 30

Third Parties/Minor Parties  While two parties dominant, third parties make contributions also  Third parties usually one of four types:  Bolter parties (splinter)  Challenge former parties by forming new parties. T.R.’s Progressives  Farmer-labor parties  Working class doesn’t think it’s getting fair share. Populist/People’s Party  Parties of ideological protest  Propose radically different principles. Socialist, Libertarian, Green  Single-issue parties  Free Soil, Prohibition 31

Figure 8.2 Party Candidates for the U.S. House in the 2010 Election 32

The Third Party Theme 33 The Libertarian Party, founded in 1971, has run presidential candidates in every election since 1972, but has never won a million votes. Ron Paul was the 1988 Libertarian presidential candidate, but was elected to Congress in 1996 as a Republican. The Libertarian party’s website justifiably describes itself as “America’s 3 rd largest and fastest growing political party.” That says something about the state of 3 rd parties in the U.S.

Historical Third-Party Successes  Third parties not very successful  Rarely receive more than 10% of the vote  Bolter parties have won more than 10% twice  Republican Party originated as single- issue third party  Third parties have better record as policy advocates, and safety valves  Women’s suffrage, graduated income tax, direct election of Senators all started with 3 rd parties.  Safety valve- discontented can show unhappiness 34

35 24 total candidates ran in various states of many different parties in the 2008 Presidential election. All of them together captured less than 2% of the actual vote.

Why a Two-Party System?  Historical basis  Tradition  Electoral system  Majority vs. proportional representation  Head start in structuring the vote  Laws getting on the ballot – petitions with thousands of signatures and $$$ 36

The Federal Basis of the Party System  Party identification important political concept  Most people identify with one of the two major parties  Data show three tendencies:  Republicans and Democrats together outnumber Independents  More Democrats than Republicans  Democratic numbers shrinking over time 37

Figure 8.4 Distribution of Party Identification,

Party Identification  Party identification predisposes but does not mandate voting behavior  Factors affecting party identification:  50% Americans adopt parents’ party 39 IncomeEducation ReligionGender RegionEthnicity Age

Figure 8.5 Party Identification by Social Groups 40 PEW 2008 survey As income increases, more likely: R As education increases, more likely: R, except advanced degrees Protestants more likely than unaffiliated to be R Women, Hispanics, nonwhites more likely D Easterners least likely to be R Less Independents as age increases Younger people identify with a party as they mature

Fewer Citizens Are Partying  Partisanship has declined since early 1950s  Also true in many other democracies  Reasons given include more education and political sophistication  See pg. 268 chart 41

Party Ideology and Organization  Significant differences in ideology between Republicans and Democrats  Approaches to concepts of freedom, order, and equality affect spending priorities  R = spending on order (defense)  D = spending on equality (welfare) 42

Figure 8.6 Ideologies of Party Voters and Party Delegates in Ideological differences more pronounced when looking at party activists Republicans classify themselves as much more conservative than Democrats classify themselves as liberal.

2008 Party Convention Platforms  (Both parties said about same number of words at convention)  Reps. said “free/freedom” 59 to 26 compared with Dems.  Dems said “equal/equality/inequality” 14 to 6.  Reps said order/”crime/criminals” 34 to 18.  Reps said “taxes” 98 to 42  Dems said “poverty” 31 to 2  This shows what is important to each party’s platform 44

National Party Organization  Some believe Republicans more organized as a party than Democrats  Each party has four major organizational components:  National convention  National committee  Congressional party conferences  Congressional campaign committees 45 See page

National Party Organization  National parties not particularly powerful  Do not direct or control presidential campaigns. Candidates hire own staff.  RNC usually raised more $ than DNC  See pg

State and Local Party Organizations  At one time, both parties had powerful state and local party machines  National parties supply funding, candidate training, poll data and research, and campaigning instruction 47

Decentralized but Growing Stronger  American parties one of most decentralized in the world: decision making governance closer to people.  Even though party identification dropping, political party organizations growing stronger  Still, not clear how well parties link voters to government 48

The Model of Responsible Party Government  Parties essential to making government responsive to public opinion in majoritarian model  Parties should present clear and coherent programs to voters  Voters should choose candidates based on party programs  Winning party should carry out proposed programs  Voters should hold governing party responsible for program execution at next election 49

WSU Essay #5 – Political Parties Exceeds expectationsStudent addresses 5 or 6 of these points Meet expectationsstudent addresses 3 or 4 of these points Does NOT meet expectation student addresses fewer than 3 of these points 50 Explain the main functions of American parties. Also indicate those instances where significant changes have occurred in the American party system.

WSU Essay – Main Functions of P.P.  Nominating candidates  Change: Candidates set out on own/don’t let party screen them out  Funding candidates  Change: Candidates raising more of own money  Structure voting choice  reduce number of candidates on ballot to those with chance of winning 51

WSU Essay Continued  Intermediary between unorganized voters and government  Change: Media/interest groups taking over this role  Provide platform for issues to be discussed  Policies candidates pursue if elected  Mavericks may vote against party lines  Other 52