1. Ch 9

2. What is a Political Party?  Group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label by which they are know to the electorate  Party exists as  1. label in the minds of the voters  2. organization that recruits and campaigns for candidates  3. a set of leaders who organize government

3. Political Parties United StatesEurope  Parties have become weaker in all three areas  Party as label and nominating function has become much weaker  Party as a set of leaders still somewhat strong  Candidates chosen by primary elections  Parties much stronger as nominating function  Party loyalty stronger  Parties choose the candidates who are running  Parties play a more comprehensive role in people’s lives

4. The rise and decline of the Political Party  Founders disliked parties  No mention in the Constitution  Washington’s Cabinet Jefferson Republican vs Hamiltonian Federalists

5. Critical or realigning elections  Periods when a major lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties  5 Major realignments  1. 1800 election  2. 1828 election  3. 1860 election  4. 1896 election  5. 1932 Election

6. 1824-The Jacksonians  Rise of political participation as a mass phenomena-drop in property qualifications

7. 1831-Anti-Masonic Party and the rise of National Conventions

8. 1860-Civil War and Sectionalism

9. 1860-Sectionalism  North became Republican  South became Democratic  GOP controlled the White House and the senate  William Jennings Bryan-3 time presidential candidate-deepened divisions in country  Many states became one party states

10. 1896 election

12. 2 major factions in parties  The “stalwarts” –The old Guard  Party regulars who built the party, enforced loyalty, and dispensed patronage The “mugwumps” or “progressives” Disliked party patronage and the machinery. Wanted reforms like civil service reform and primary elections

13. 1932 election

14. Takeaways on critical elections  A new issue of utmost importance cuts across existing party divisions  Shift in the voting patterns of the south  Southern white independents overwhelmingly vote for Republicans  Rise of dealignment rather than realignment

15. 2012 Map

16. Party decline Decline of party identification

17. Rise and decline of Split ticket voting

18. Political Party organization  Decentralized Nature of American Parties-at each level of structure they do pretty much what they want and operate independently  National Party structure-5 elements

19. Political Parties

20. National Party Committee (DNC and RNC)  Chooses the National party chairman  Helps prepare the national convention every 4 years

21. National Party Chairman  Chosen by the national party committee for a 4 year term  Directs and coordinates party activities at national level by raising money, recruiting candidates, and motivating voters

22. National Convention  Delegates meets every 4 years to choose the party nominee for Pres and Veep  Sets party platform and party rules  Delegates allocated to states by complex process set up national committees

23. National Convention continued  Delegates now are really just ratifying choices already determined by primaries and caucuses- voters in these primaries  Democrats have adopted rules to make delegates more reflective of racial minorities and women  Democrats allow for super delegates-elected officials and party leaders not tied to any one candidate based in their party status

24. Super delegates!!

25. House and Senate Democratic and Republican Committees  Recruits candidates to run against other parties vulnerable Hose and Senate members  Protects your own members who are incumbents  Raise money for election cycle

26. State and local level- determined by state law  State Party committee headed up by state chairman  County Party committee headed by local chairman  Porter County Republican Committee  Porter County Democratic Committee

27. The Machine  Party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives-money, political jobs, an opportunity to get favors from government  Tammany Hall in NY City and the Tweed Ring  1870’s-1/8 voters had a federal, state, or city job

28. The Machine  Immigrants received government services in return for votes  Machine was a vast welfare association  Fraud and corruption!  “Vote early and vote often!” Power of the machine has been reduced! Hatch Act-Illegal for federal service employees to take part in politics Civil Service reforms-reduced patronage

29. Cook County and Chicago  Democratic Machine Politics

30. The Two Party System  Only 15 nations have 2 party systems  English style politics  Elections based on the plurality winner take all system  Single member district  The electoral college-winner take all!!  Broad consensus on major economic issues  Laws of states make it difficult for 3 rd parties

31. Minor parties  Permanent part of American political life  4 types of 3 rd parties  A. Ideological parties-socialists, Marxists, Libertarian  B. One-Issue Parties-Free soil Party, Prohibition Party  B. Economic Protest parties-Populists  D. Factional Party-Bull Moose Party, Dixie Crats, Reform Party of Ross Perot

32. 1912 Presidential Election

33. 1988 Presidential Election

34. 2000 Presidential election

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