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What Is A Political Party?. Group of people seeking to control government by winning elections and holding public office. What Do Political Parties Do?. Nominating FunctionRecruit candidatesChoose candidatesSupport candidatesInformer-Stimulator FunctionTake stands on issuesCriticize stands of other candidates.
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1. Political Parties
2. What Is A Political Party? Group of people seeking to control government by winning elections and holding public office
3. What Do Political Parties Do? Nominating Function
Recruit candidates
Choose candidates
Support candidates
Informer-Stimulator Function
Take stands on issues
Criticize stands of other candidates
4. What Do Political Parties Do? “Seal of Approval” Function
try to nominate qualified candidates
monitor public officials
5. What Do Political Parties Do? Governmental Function
Source of political appointees
Link between legislative and executive branches
6. What Do Political Parties Do? Watchdog Function
party out of power criticizes party in power
forces public officials to be more accountable
7. Why Do We Have Two Major Parties? History
Founding fathers were opposed to parties
In the debate over the Constitution, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists became the first two parties
Tradition
Most Americans support 2 party system
Minor parties have not made much progress
8. Why Do We Have Two Major Parties? The Electoral System
Single member districts
State election laws discourage minor parties
American Ideological Consensus
Americans tend to agree more than they disagree
Major parties tend to take moderate stands to attract the most voters
9. Minor Party Contributions Innovators
Can play “spoiler” role
Important critics and reformers
When minor party ideas get popular, they are usually adopted by major parties
10. Organization of Political Parties President is automatically leader of his party
Party not in power has no comparable leader
11. How National Parties Are Organized National Convention: meet in summer of each election year to nominate Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, write rules and platform
12. Party Organization National Committee: stages national convention and handles party business
13. Party Organization National Chairperson: promotes party unity, raises money, recruits voter support
chosen by party nominee
14. Party Organization Congressional Campaign Committees: work to increase party’s number of congressional seats
15. Party Organization State political parties
Local political parties