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California Groups

California Groups. Political Parties in California Interest Groups in California General trends compared Parties in California versus the nation Interest groups in California versus the nation Assessment. California Political Parties.

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California Groups

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  1. California Groups • Political Parties in California • Interest Groups in California • General trends compared • Parties in California versus the nation • Interest groups in California versus the nation • Assessment

  2. California Political Parties • Progressive reforms (circa 1910) guaranteed weak parties through the Constitution • Party nominees identified through primary elections, not party conventions • Direct democracy made possible through • Initiative (legislation or const amendment) • Referendum (leg. must get voter approval) • Recall (remove official)

  3. More Progressive Reforms • Single party balloting replaced with separate ballot for each office (increased split-ticket voting) • Allowed candidates to seek nomination of more than one party (cross-filing) • Made local government officials, judges, school board non-partisan positions.

  4. California Party Organization

  5. California Political Parties • Only voters registered as members of a party are eligible to vote in primaries (closed primaries) • 1996: Initiative passed making all California primaries blanket or open to all voters • 2000: U.S. Supreme Court found initiative unconstitutional (violated 1st Amendment rights of political parties)

  6. California Third Parties • Must register number of members equal to 1% of state vote in most recent gubernatorial election (1998: 8 million votes or 80,000) OR submit signed petition with 10% of that vote (800,000 signatures) • If at least one party candidate receives 2% of popular vote, then party will be on ballot next election • Recent 3rd parties: Green, Reform, Natural Law, American Independent, Libertarian

  7. Traditional Roles of Parties • Serve as intermediary between citizens & government • Screen or recruit candidates, including president, for public office • Contest elections, mobilize voters, and increasingly fund candidates • Organize government (e.g. Congress) • Serve as agents of accountability (to public) • Manage societal conflict (organize interests)

  8. Decline of the Political Party? • 1960s End of consensus; Vietnam protests • 1968 Democratic National Convention and Chicago riots with police brutality • Democrats reject leadership • introduce more primaries (direct vote) • Republicans introduce organizational change • RNC adopts business practices

  9. Decline of the Political Party? • Party identification waning; voters are increasingly independent (14% in CA) • Fewer citizens involved in party politics; decreased issue role of parties • Media and interest groups assume some intermediary roles left vacant by parties • Media personalizes politics; politicians respond with cult of individual • Interest groups encourage greater diversity of interests; society more fragmented

  10. California & Decline of the Party? • Interest groups have more influence with term limited legislators • Parties become “big tents” for groups with varied interests or means to run for office • Party conventions no longer determine party nominee; try to become “media event” • Parties harness soft money unavailable to candidates

  11. Political Action Committees (PACs) • Funding arm of interest groups • Donate funds ($5,000 limit per candidate per national election); incumbents benefit most • California requires full disclosure of contributions • 1997-98 CA lobbyists spent almost $293 million or over 1/4 billion dollars • Purpose of donations is political access • Critics: representation shouldn’t be tied to money • Proponents (Supreme Court): money is form of speech • California: http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov/

  12. Lobbying Tactics • Direct lobbying • personal contacts • Congressional (legislative) testimony • court litigation; executive hearings • Indirect lobbying • Influential donors and the media • Grass roots lobbying • letter writing campaigns • political protests

  13. More Lobbying Tactics • Information campaigns • public relations (advertising, public speaking, newsletters, pamphlets) • sponsored research (more recent; more partisan) • publicizing Congressional (legislative) votes • rating elected officials • Coalition building, logrolling

  14. Pros and Cons • Participation is not “democratic” • Iron law of oligarchy says that groups serve leadership interests • Still, members can vote with their feet (or pocketbook); support is voluntary • Well established interest groups can become part of iron triangle or policy issue network (elected officials, lobbyists, administrators)

  15. More Pros and Cons • Interest groups favor those with high SES and better chance of access • Public interest groups may represent the poor, but they don’t encourage the poor to develop their own skills of political efficacy • Still, standard of conduct observed when lobbying Congress or legislature (e.g., tobacco) • Airlines lobbied FAA against security oversight?

  16. Still More Pros and Cons • Research does not prove relationship between donations and legislation (causality is complex) • Little evidence of quid pro quo although it is clear that money has influence • Importance of public relations is increasing • Tension between equality and freedom

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