1. Organization of Political Parties
AP GoPo

2. Minor Parties AKA Third Parties Usually organized around:
Charismatic candidate
Single ideology (Prohibition, Green Party, etc.)
Never won presidency
Couple of contenders (who??)
Very few seats in Congress
How many?
Do better in gubernatorial elections

3. Minor Parties Limited impact on government from the inside
Very few minor party representatives in Congress
Limited impact on policy
Can’t make serious changes without players in the game

4. Parties at the National Level
Legislative Branch:
Partisanship is important
Sway is based on who controls House & Senate
Can be an incentive to get things done
Is that the case with this Congress?

5. Parties at the National Level
Executive Branch:
Staff & Cabinet members typically same party
Some Cabinet members come from opposing party to show unity & respect
Who was in Obama’s Cabinet?
Who’s in Trumps?

6. Parties at the National Level
Judicial Branch:
Designed to operate as non-partisan
Judge appointments based on party lines
Marbury v. Madison
Who were Obama’s Supreme Court picks?
Who did Trump pick?

7. Parties at the State Level
Parties are decentralized
Organizations for each level: national, state, local
State & local parties run in a similar fashion to national level
State committees headed by state chairs
State laws regulate party committees
Most committee members come from the local levels

8. Parties at the State Level
Some states have a strong minor party presence
New York
Right to Life Party; Conservative Party
Some states are very active; some county levels are activesome are not at all
Nebraska
Parties play almost no role
State legislature is nonpartisan

9. Parties at the Local Level
County committees
Recruit for county offices (treasurer, county executive, etc.)
Primary elections typically decide winners

10. Thoughts?
What are your thoughts on political parties after creating your own and knowing what you know about the Democrats, Republicans, and Minor Parties?