1. POLITICAL PARTIES

2. What is a Political Party?
Group of persons who seek to control the government and affect public policy
How will they do this?
Win elections and hold office
Party members share:
Common beliefs and principles
Commitment to set of public policies

3. U.S. Political Parties
Does this definition apply to our major parties?
Are the Democrats or Republicans really concerned with the issues? OR, are they concerned with winning elections?
Election-oriented
So, why all the talk about the issues?
Votes…voters want to hear them talk about the issues

4. Party Functions Nominating Candidates Support candidates financially
Select candidates for public office and present them to the voters
Support candidates financially
Informing and Activating Supporters
Educating voters (websites, social media, blogs, online fundraising, online chats, internet campaign ads, and instant news)
Take a stand on issues & criticize the opponents views
News media plays a major role

5. Party Functions Acts as a watchdog
Party out of power watches the party in power (party that controls the White House)
Criticizes what is done in behavior and policy
Urges voters to vote them out
Forces officeholders to be more responsive to popular concerns

6. The Two-Party System Why do we have a two-party system?
Historical Basis
Force of Tradition
Electoral System
American Ideological Consensus

7. The Historical Basis Rooted in the earliest days of our nation
Did the Framers want political parties?
No, but parties were born out of the debate over ratification of the Constitution
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
What were they afraid of? What would parties do that would be so bad?
Fearful that they would divide the nation
Do they?
No, in fact, they unify because they both take middle of the road stands on issues to attract voters

8. The Force of Tradition Human institutions are self- perpetuating.
Americans accept it
We have a two-party system because we’ve always had a two-party system
As a result, minor parties have made little headway and struggle to survive

9. The Electoral System
The system is set up in such a way that only 2 parties have much of a chance
Single-member districts
Only one candidate is elected to office
Voters feel as though votes for minor party candidates are wasted votes
The 2 major parties work together to write election laws in such a way as to make life difficult for minor parties
Hard to get on the ballot

10. The American Ideological Consensus
The US is a pluralistic society (several distinct cultures and groups) but Americans tend to think alike on issues
Parties move to the middle to attract the most voters

11. Other Political Systems: Multiparty One-Party
Parties represent a wide variety of class, religious, sectional, and political interests
Tends to make government unstable
Dictatorships
Party of the ruler is only one allowed
In regions of the US, 1 party tends to dominate
Two-party competition is spreading

12. Party Membership
Voluntary…a person is or isn’t a member of a party based on personal choice
Influenced by family, socioeconomic status, age, education, residence, significant events

13. Republican Party
White
Protestant
Businessmen
Professionals
Rich

14. Democratic Party Minorities Jewish Catholics Intellectuals Laborers
Younger voters
poor

15. The Nation’s First Parties
Federalists
Democratic-Republicans
Led by Alexander Hamilton
Liberal Constructionists
Wanted a stronger national government
Appealed to financial, manufacturing, commercial interests
Anti-Federalists become known as democratic- republicans
Led by Thomas Jefferson
Resigned from his position of Secretary of State to lead the party
Strict Constructionists
Wanted a smaller national government
Favored the “common-man”
Farmers, laborers, shopkeepers, planters

16. The Third Parties 4 Distinct types of minor parties:
Ideological Parties
Based on a particular set of beliefs
Libertarian, Socialist, Communist Parties
Don’t get many votes, but are long-lived
Single-Issue Parties
Focus on one issue
Right to Life Party
Fade away as times change and major parties take up their cause

17. The Third Parties Economic Protest Parties Splinter Parties
Focus on economic discontent
Greenback Party
Enemies are “Wall Street bankers”, monetary system
Splinter Parties
Break off from one of the major parties
“Bull Moose” and “Dixiecrat” Parties
Formed around a strong personality
Theodore Roosevelt
Fade away when the leader steps aside

18. The Role of Third Parties
Introduce useful innovations in American politics
Bring about change by getting issues known
Policies of a third-party often become planks in mainstream party platforms
Spoiler Role: a strong candidate will take votes away from one of the major party candidates
Ex: Ross Perot
Serve as critics and reformers in American political life
Issues such as suffrage, railroad regulation
Major parties adopt the ideas of minor parties when they begin to gain popular support

19. Role of the Presidency
President’s party is more solidly united and more cohesive
President automatically becomes the leader of the party when elected
Party out of power does not have a comparable leader

20. Role of the Nominating Process
What are parties trying to do?
Win elections
In the nomination process, they are trying to find the candidate with the best chance of winning the election and becoming the officeholder
Does this process divide the party?
Yes, it does and then they try to come back together

21. The Future of Major Parties
Major parties are in a state of decline because:
Voters identify themselves as independents
Big increase in split-ticket voting
Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices on the same ballot