1. Political Parties

2. Learning Objectives
Identify the functions that political parties perform in American democracy / Describe how political parties are organized in the U.S.
Differentiate the party eras in American history.
Compare America’s two party system to the alternatives.
Assess the impact and limitations of third parties on American politics
Determine the significance of party identification in the U.S. today.

4. Q1. What is the purpose of political parties?
Controlling the government

5. Parties: “three-headed giants”

6. Q2. What are the “three-heads” of parties? (3 roles)
As a label, in voters’ minds
Party in the electorate
As an organization, recruiting and campaigning for candidates
Party as an organization
As a set of leaders, organizing and trying to control legislative and executive branches
Party in government
The influence of #1 and #2 has declined
The influence of #3 has strengthened
Especially in Congress

7. Q3. What do parties do? (functions)
Pick candidates
Run campaigns
Give cues to voters
Articulate policies
Coordinate policymaking

8. Parties, Voters, and Policy
8.1
Parties, Voters, and Policy
Rational choice theory
Political scientist Anthony Downs’ model
Most voters are moderate
Center of political spectrum
Parties seek voter loyalty
Position themselves to left and right of center
In theory, parties compete like businesses for voters’ support. The products for sale are candidates and policies. Some political scientists use a rational-choice model to explain the relationship among citizens, parties, and policy. They assume that actors are rational and make decisions to sensibly pursue goals.
Political scientist Anthony Downs argues that voters want their favored policies to be enacted by government and parties want to get elected. So parties will adopt popular policies to maximize their chances of winning votes. Since most voters are moderate, parties will cluster around the center of the political spectrum.
Yet parties must also distinguish themselves to win over loyal adherents. To do this, they position themselves just to the left and right of center.

9. How do parties maximize their appeal to voters?
8.1
How do parties maximize their appeal to voters?
Let’s answer a review question about what political parties do to stay popular among voters.
Position themselves near political center
Lie about their opponents
Stake out clear positions to the left or right
Make party members sign loyalty oaths

10. How do parties maximize their appeal to voters?
8.1
How do parties maximize their appeal to voters?
Parties position themselves near the political center to maximize their appeal to voters. They may lie about their opponents, but this is not the main way that they earn voter loyalty. In fact, negative campaigning turns off some potential supporters.
Parties avoid staking out clear positions too far to the left or right because most voters are near the political center. There are no loyalty oaths required of party members. Registered Republicans can vote for Democratic candidates in any election if they so choose.
Position themselves near political center
Lie about their opponents
Stake out clear positions to the left or right
Make party members sign loyalty oaths

11. Party as an Organization
Local Parties
50 State Party Systems
National Party Organizations

13. Local Parties Used to be the main party organization Party machines
Rewarded voters
New York / Chicago
Patronage
Jobs for voters and contributors
Progressive reforms ended this system

15. 50 State Party Systems No two exactly alike Get to decide voting rules
Some well-funded, some weak
Get to decide voting rules
Open or closed primaries
Straight-ticket voting
Single column or random list of candidates

17. National Party Organizations
National convention
Every four years
Writes party platform
Formal nomination of candidates
National committee
Operates between conventions
Led by national chairperson

18. Party Platforms: Individual Task
Everyone gets one of six different party platforms:
Identify the parts of the platform (“planks”) that you agree with and highlight or underline them
Be prepared to explain your rationale for selecting these particular planks

19. Party Platforms: Group Task
Adopt a new party platform for your group.
What will be challenging about this task?
Creating the platform:
Combine your selected planks into a platform
Include planks + identify their origin
Avoid contradictory planks
Planks do not need to be balanced
You must reach a consensus
Name your party!

20. Party Platforms: Reflection
Were you able to identify your platform?
Overall, what did you think of your platform?
Was it a major party or minor party platform?
How accurate were your predictions about the challenges of forming a platform?
How does this exercise help us understand the role of parties?

21. Historical Party Eras

22. 1796-1824: First Party System Madison warned against factions
Hamilton – Federalist Party
Capitalist support, Northeast
Short-lived
Jefferson – Democratic-Republicans
Agrarian support, South
Torn by factions

24. 1828-1856: Jacksonian Democrats vs. Whigs
Andrew Jackson
Democratic-Republicans  Democratic Party
New coalition
Westerners, Southerners, poorer whites
Broaden suffrage
Whig Party
United by opposition to Jackson

26. 1860-1928: Two Republican Eras 1850s: Slavery Second party realignment
Split both parties
Republicans rose as anti-slavery party
Second party realignment
Lasted 60 years
Democrats controlled the South
1896: Second Republican era

28. 1932-1964: New Deal Coalition FDR defeats Hoover New Deal coalition
Promises “New Deal”
New coalition formed
New Deal coalition
Urban
Labor
Catholics and Jews
Poor
Southerners
African Americans

29. Party coalitions today

30. Realignment in the South

32. 1968-Present: The Era of Divided Party Government
Began with Nixon’s “Southern strategy”
States’ rights, law and order, strong military posture
Different parties control executive & legislative branches
Party dealignment – people gradually moving away from both parties
Party neutrality – many Americans indifferent towards two major parties

33. Which events sparked party realignments?
Let’s review what we’ve learned about party realignments by answering a brief question.
Civil War
Great Depression
Nixon’s Southern strategy
A and B only

34. Which events sparked party realignments?
The Civil War brought with Northern victory a realignment to the newly formed Republican Party. The Republican president’s mishandling of the Great Depression resulted in a realignment to the Democratic Party. Nixon’s Southern strategy has brought about a gradual party realignment that doesn’t match the same sharp shifts as previous realignments.
Civil War
Great Depression
Nixon’s Southern strategy
A and B only 34

35. Party identification in the U.S. 1925-2012

36. More Americans are identifying as Independents, especially:
Try to answer this review question about the growing number of self-identified Independents in the United States.
People over 65
Minorities
Young people
Less-educated citizens

37. More Americans are identifying as Independents, especially:
Young people are increasingly scorning identification with either party and classifying themselves as Independent voters.
People over 65
Minorities
Young people
Less-educated citizens

39. Two-Party System Very few other countries have two-party system
Evenly balanced nationally, not locally
Why has two-party system endured?
Winner-take-all and plurality systems
Compare to proportional representation / coalition government
State laws make it difficult for minor parties to get on ballot

40. Multiparty Systems
Proportional representation – legislative seats awarded in proportion to votes in election
Used in most European countries
Coalition government – when 2+ parties join to form majority in national legislature

41. Third Parties: What role do they play in American politics?
Ross Perot: 1992, 1996
Ralph Nader: 2000, 2004

42. What do Shooting Stars and Third Parties have in Common?

43. Third Party Any political party organized in at least a few states,
other than the two
current leading
parties
Jesse Ventura, Independent Governor of Minnesota,

44. History of American Third Parties
Third Parties in the U.S. receive great attention, but in fact “have not assumed the importance that all the academic attention on them suggests.”

45. History of American Third Parties
No minor third party as ever come close to winning the presidency
Only eight third party candidates have won any electoral votes
Only five, including Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 and Ross Perot in 1992 have won more than 10% of the popular vote

46. Types of Third Parties

47. Sectional Parties Example: Strom Thurmond
and the Dixiecrat Party ran on a segregationist platform in 1948

48. Economic Protest Parties
Example: James Weaver and the Populist Party won over 1 million popular votes and 22 electoral votes in 1892

49. Ideology Parties
Examples: Socialist, Communist, and Libertarian Parties
Libertarian Party 2000 campaign ad

50. Charismatic Personality Parties
Example: Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Bull Moose Party in 1912

51. Specific Issue Parties
Example: Prohibition Party in 1892

52. Combination Parties
Example: George Wallace in 1968 (American Independent Party)
Dynamic leader with a Southern base
Anti-civil rights
Won 13% popular vote & 46 electoral votes

53. Purpose of Third Parties
Ralph Nader and the Green Party in 2000
“The electoral progress of third parties is in
direct proportion to the failure of the two
major parties to incorporate new ideas.”

54. Purpose of Third Parties
Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858
Though very rare, a third party may replace one of the major parties
1856, the Republican Party replaces the Whig Party

55. Purpose of Third Parties
Third Parties have influence
Major parties often take on the ideas of third parties
In 1992, both the Republican and Democratic Parties took on Perot’s reform government ideas about reducing the deficit
George Bush (Republican), Ross Perot (Reform), & Bill Clinton (Democrat) during 1992 Presidential debate

56. Purpose of Third Parties:
Once the major parties incorporate their ideas, third parties burn out
Populist Party platform was assimilated into the Democratic Party in 1896
William Jennings Bryan, Democratic candidate for President, 1896

57. Ralph Nader Math Problem 2004 Presidential Election

58. Do Now:
Describe a scenario in which you would vote for a third party candidate for president.

59. Obstacles to Third Parties
Homework: look over the four documents in the packet and highlight any important information
Meet with your group to answer the questions on the handout.
Caitlin, Cristina, Dan, PJ
Cariani, Haley, Max, Noelle
Jack, Kyle, Lauren, Pinar
Marybeth, Matt, Sam, Sarah
Chelsi, James, Luke, Phoebe
Celfo, Eliza, Ellen, Paul

60. Reflecting on Obstacles to Third Parties
Brainstorm a list of obstacles faced by third party and independent candidates (write on side board)
Should these barriers exist? Are these barriers fair to third parties?
How would reducing the barriers to third parties affect voters in the next presidential election?
What reforms, if any, would you suggest to the current presidential election process?

61. True Third Party or Political Movement?
The Tea Party
True Third Party or Political Movement?

65. The Tea Set http://politicalhumor.about.com
Sometimes third party issues can be difficult to stomach.

66. Don’t Compromise on Me! http://politicalhumor.about.com
Getting the message across is more important than cutting a deal with the other parties.

68. Marriage Proposal http://politicalhumor.about.com
The two major parties are not necessarily looking to absorb the third parties. Sometimes they can hurt more than help.

69. Tea Party Throws GOP Overboard http://politicalhumor.about.com
The reverse is true: not every third party is looking to be picked up by one of the majors.

70. Tea Totaled http://politicalhumor.about.com
The two major parties need to be careful they do not try to please everyone. It is impossible and can cause the party to lose control of the message.

71. Hat in the Ring http://politicalhumor.about.com
It can take time for a third party to be taken seriously. It may never happen.

72. Closure Questions
Is the Tea Party a third party or a political movement?
Would a Tea Party candidate be an appealing alternative to the two major party candidates in the next presidential election? Why or why not?
How do third parties enhance the role of political parties as linkage institutions?