1. AP Government Chapter 9 Part I pgs. 198-204
Political Parties
AP Government
Chapter 9 Part I pgs

2. Essential Questions
How has America’s two-party system changed, and how does it differ from the party systems of other representative democracies?
Did the founding fathers think that political parties were a good idea?

3. What is a Political Party?
A political party is a group of voters, activists, candidates, and office holders who identify with a party label and seek to elect individuals to public office.

4. PARTIES HERE AND ABROAD
Pgs

5. Parties weaker in all 3 areas
3 Political Arenas
LABELS
People identify
ORGANIZATION
Recruits and campaigns
LEADERS
Try to organize and control legislative and executive branches
Parties weaker in all 3 areas

6. Europe U.S. Candidates nominated by party leaders
Campaigns run by the party
Party workers and funds used
Party label main way people choose candidate
Expected to vote and act together with party if elected
Parties have little control over who gets nominated
Campaigns run by candidate’s staff
Party contributes to candidate after Primary
Party label or ideology may influence who you choose
Once elected may differ from party

7. What contributes to party weakness?
Federal system decentralizes all political authority (including party authority)
Important decisions made at state and local levels
Education, land use, public welfare
Today---more centralized but……….
Closely regulated by state and federal laws weaken parties
Winning election to Congress doesn’t mean picking the Executive

8. Our political culture weakens parties
U.S.
Europe
Parties don’t play important role in daily lives, rarely “join” party
Parties separate from other parts of our lives
Social, business, working, cultural lives nonpartisan
More of us identify as “independents”
Large #s join, pay dues, attend meetings
Parties sponsor activities
Parties dominate organizations (labor unions, youth groups)

9. Founders disliked Factions (Fed #10)
Madison warns against power of factions to destroy the country and oppress the citizens.
Argues in favor of the ratification of the Constitution, demonstrates how federal government under the Constitution will ensure the rights of all while not bowing to the pressures of factions, whether minority or majority.
Demonstrates danger of factions, proposes ways to remove the causes of factionist beliefs
Advocates only way to eliminate the factions’ hold on the people is to control the effect
minimize their voice inside the system of a republic.

10. Distrust of Parties
“the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it”
G. Washington

11. The Evolution of American Party
Hamilton and Jefferson, as heads of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist groups respectively, are often considered 'fathers' of the modern party system.
By 1800, this country had a party system with two major parties that has remained relatively stable ever since.

12. The Founding Jefferson’s followers first political party
“Republicans” suggesting
Hamilton’s followers Federalists
Both loose caucuses of key figures in politics
Jefferson conciliatory in his inaugural address
Parties weak- nobody had been “born” into it
Political participation limited

13. Jacksonians “2nd party system” 1824- to Civil War
More political participation
Increased population and increased enfranchisement
Elections became spectacle
Bottom up
Eliminates Caucus system of selecting presidential candidates
(Jackson/Adams/Clay Caucuses chose 3rd place Clay, then House chooses Adams for president when nobody got majority of electoral college. Clay becomes Sec. of State)

14. Jacksonian Reforms National party system (Dems & Whigs balanced)
Greater electorate
Election of 1824 led to changes in nominating candidates
Caucuses no longer choose candidates
Party convention invented
First convention 1831
Allows local control over nominating process

15. Civil War and Sectionalism
Deep divide over slavery
Parties could not avoid taking sides
Modern Republican party began as a third party, becomes major party
Dominates for almost 75 years
Union/Republicans
Confederacy/Democrats
Divided government (Rep Exec/Senate, Dem House)

16. Effect on organization of parties
Most states become one party states
Republican split
Stalwarts (party machine, party loyalty, patronage). Election focused & organized.
Mugwumps (progressive/reformers) opposed to patronage, leery of immigrants, pro “free trade”. Strong in advocacy & principles.
Trivia: The jocular word mugwump, noted as early as 1832, is from Algonquian (Natick) mugquomp, "important person, kingpin" (from mugumquomp, "war leader")[1] implying that they were "sanctimonious" or "holier-than-thou,"[2] in holding themselves aloof from party politics.

17. Natural History of Political Parties
Time Period
Party of the
“left”
“right”
1789—1823
Republicans- Democrats
(Jeffersonians)
Federalists
1823—1837
Multifactionalism-
Parties based on old
party labels & new individual
Alliances
Democrats
Whigs
1857- Present
Republicans

18. Democrats and Republicans: The Golden Age
From the presidential elections of 1860 to the present, the same two major parties have contested elections in the United States: Democrats and Republicans.
Reconstruction -- Republican dominance
closely competitive
Republican dominance
1930s and 1940s -- Democratic dominance
1950s and 1960s -- closely competitive
1970-present -- neither party completely dominant (* Republican ??)

19. What makes up a Party? Parties are composed of committees that
raise campaign funds,
coordinate election activities,
formulate policies,
and recruit members

20. What is a Party Platform?
A formal statement of beliefs, opinions, and policy stands tied together by a set of underlying principles based on the party’s ideological orientation.

21. Where do I belong??
Party identification is often a voter's central political reference symbol.
Party identification generally come from one's parents.
However party ID can be affected by a number of factors such as education, peers, charismatic personalities, cataclysmic events, and intense social issues.

22. Creation of Party Symbols- Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast came up with the
The jack-a*$ (donkey) represented Democrats (around 1870)
An elephant represented Republicans (1874).
These were NOT meant to be complimentary!

23. Different Roles of the Party
The Party in the Electorate
The Parties at the State Level
The Parties at the National Level

24. The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

25. The Party-In-The-Electorate
The party-in-the-electorate is the mass of potential voters who identify with a specific party.
American voters often identify with a specific party, but rarely formally belong to it.

26. State and Local Parties
At the state level, voters are much more ideological, resulting in larger number of factional splits than at the national level.
Interparty competition remains relatively high at the state level.

27. National Parties
Each national party has a committee of elites who decide national agenda and platforms (RNC, DNC…)
Most national party members are polarized…left or right
But for parties to survive, they must focus on the ability to capture the swing voter.
How can they do it???

28. Competitive Parties = Close Elections
A significant trend of recent times is the demise of one-party voting
One party voting means the dominance of elections in a given region
One-party dominance among states is declining due to population shifts and increased voter mobility.
The formerly Democratic "Solid South" is no more - instead solidly Republican with Democrats fighting for seats and power

29. Loyalty Trends (today)- Democratic
The Northeast and West tend to vote for Democrats
Liberals tend to be Democrats
Catholics and Jews are mostly Democrats
Labor union members tend to vote Democratic
Democrats have a lead in garnering the women's votes
Over 80% of African Americans and Hispanics vote 3 to 1 Democratic
Young people are more Democratic
The more highly educated vote for Democrats (be careful here!)
Most blue collar workers and unemployed are Democrats
The widowed are mostly Democrats

30. Loyalty Trends (today) - Republican
Conservatives tend to be Republican
Professionals, executives, and white collar workers tend to be Republican
Chamber of Commerce members tend to vote Republican!!
The South and Midwest tends to be more Republican today
Men tend to split fairly evenly between the two parties, but are more conservative
Cuban Americans are generally Republicans (anti-Castro)
High status Protestants tend to be Republican
Married couples tend to be Republican

35. Political Coalitions
Major political groupings that shaped American policy
Last Important Coalition
The New Deal Coalition…Democrats
Labor, minorities, and socially conscious individuals voted for FDR in 1932
Became the root of today’s Democratic party
New Coalitions today??

36. Why Democrats seem like Republicans and vice versa
Given declining voter identification, parties attempt to appeal to as much of the electorate as possible.
Parties attempt to “blur” their positions to discourage opponents.
Declining party identification has increased the role of interest groups.

37. A Decline At All Levels
Voter identification with the two major parties has declined, resulting in an increase in the number of individuals identifying themselves as independents.
Some voters individuals split their vote between the parties, and occasionally vote for third parties and independent parties

38. Independent Voters
The number of independents in the U.S. rose from 19% in 1958 to 37% in 1978
“Leaners” do feel party affiliations, but choose not to self-identify with a party.

39. So why do we still have a two-party system?
The two parties control the primaries and election rules
Set ballot requirements
Set voter registration requirements
The structure of the Constitution
Election rules -single-member districts and winner-take-all elections.
Compare with proportional representation in Parliaments…
There are more inducements to compromise if you have many parties

40. Results of a two-party system?
Fewer and less powerful factions based on ideology, nationalism or religion
Instead, moderate platforms that appeal to everyone
Is this a good thing?
Or do parties just become watered down pabulum that we feed to each other?

41. Minor (or Third) Parties
The US political system locks out potential minor parties.
Why???
Only eight third parties have won any electoral votes in a presidential contest.
Only one third party has ever won a presidential election
Do you know what it was???

42. Third Party Successes Libertarian Party Reform Party Green Party
Minor, or third, parties more successful at the state and local levels than at the national level.
Despite increasing support, minor parties face a number of institutional barriers to political success.
Reform
Party
Green
Party

43. Important Third-Parties
2000 Ralph Nader and Green Party
1996 and 1992: Ross Perot’s Reform Party
1968: George Wallace’s American Independent Party
1924: Robert LaFollette’s Progressive Party
1912: Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party
1860: The Republican Party** Not considered a third party today!
1856: Millard Fillmore's American Party

44. Who is in the drivers seat today?
Republicans
Conservative Coalition
Neo Cons
Democrats
New Deal Coalition
Third Parties
Independents
Moderates
Ticket Splitters
Single People
The Political Elite

45. Websites of Major Parties
Democratic National Committee
Republican National Committee
Third Parties
Green Party
Libertarian Party
Reform Party.

46. Is this true?? 
The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, richer and remove the crab grass on your lawn. .
Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it!
-PJ O’Rourke

47. Wasn’t that fun?!!!