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Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Political Parties. Section 1 Parties and What They Do. Objectives: Define a Political Party List and describe the functions of a political party. How would you define a political party?. What is a Political Party?. Definition 1

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Chapter 5

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  1. Chapter 5 Political Parties

  2. Section 1 Parties and What They Do Objectives: • Define a Political Party • List and describe the functions of a political party

  3. How would you define a political party?

  4. What is a Political Party? Definition 1 • A group of people who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office. Definition 2 • A group of persons, joined together on the basis of common principles, who seek to control government in order to affect certain public policies and programs.

  5. 1) Nominate Candidates Must be a procedure for finding a candidate Must be a mechanism for gathering support for candidate *The nominating function is almost exclusively a party function in the United States.

  6. 2) Informing, Influencing, and Activating Supporters • Inform and inspire their interests • Primarily, they campaign for their candidates - - - How? • Inform people to serve their own advantage - - - Examples? • Presents candidate in the best possible light - - - Illustrations?

  7. 3) Bonding Agent • Seal of approval • Qualified and Good Character • Filtering agent • Ensure candidates are qualified

  8. 4) Governing By and large congress and state legislatures are organized on party lines Actions on the basis of partisanship: strongly supporting party policy Political parties must get along to keep things running - - - Examples?

  9. 5) Act as Watchdog Party not in power criticizes the policies and behavior of party in power - - - examples? Typically scrutiny and criticism make office holders more careful about their public image and responsive to the concerns of the people

  10. 6) Conceptualize Voting • No need for long hours contemplating the issues • Allows for a person to concentrate on a foundation of fundamental or core beliefs • Underlying notion in trusting an expert, with similar core beliefs, to decide like you would on complex issues

  11. However combinations or associations of [factions] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government - destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion. -George Washington

  12. Section 2Parties and What They Do Objectives: • Explain why the U.S. has a two-party system • Strengths and Weaknesses of two-party system • Describe the membership patterns in the United States

  13. Why a Two-Party System?

  14. 1) Historical Basis Federalists (Hamilton) Anti-Federalists (Jefferson) American party system began as a two-party system

  15. 2) Force of Tradition Habit Self-perpetuating “America has a two-party system because America has a two-party system”

  16. 3) The Electoral System Single member districts : winner take all via plurality Vote for incumbent or party with best chance: “Wasted vote” Bipartisanship: major parties work together on common ground, in this case to preserve, protect, and defend the two party system

  17. 4) American Ideological Consensus While America is a pluralistic society (diverse culture and groups), on the whole Americans are ideologically homogeneous people (share the same basic principles and patterns of belief) No real unbridgeable political division Must win over the same “population” so fundamentally have similar stances

  18. Advantages Disadvantages Multiparty Systems • Provides broader representation of the people. • More responsive to the will of the people. • Give voters more choices at the polls. • Cause parties to form coalitions, which can dissolve easily. • Failure of coalitions can cause instability in government.

  19. Multiparty systems One-Party system • Most European democracies • Offers more diversity • representation at the expense of stability. • Form coalitions (alliance of several groups) • No party system • Dictatorship • Although some states in American history could be considered one-party systems, as the same party wins year in and year out.

  20. Multiparty similar to the 13 states under the articles of confederation • Hard to find common ground • Multiple disagreements • No strong central pull: so cater to specific interests • More opinions expressed • Two-Party system similar to federalism • While state/federal may have disagreements they both work together to serve the will of the people atop a basic foundation

  21. Party Membership Patterns Membership is voluntary 2/3 Americans follow the party allegiance of their parents What membership patterns do you see in party membership?

  22. Factors that can influence party membership: Family Economic Status Occupation Major Events Religion Age

  23. Section 3The Two-Party System in American history Objectives: • Understand the origins of political parties in the United States • Describe the development and shift in philosophy of modern day Democrats and Republicans in America

  24. PHILOSOPHICAL SHIFT • While the Federalist began supporting giving more power to the federal government, Republicans currently prefer government less federal powers and a narrow interpretation of the constitution  Why the shift? • While the Anti-Federalist began opposing giving more power to the federal government, Democrats currently prefer more federal powers and a broad interpretation of the constitution  Why the shift?

  25. Section 4The Minor Parties Objectives: • Identify types of minor parties that have been active in American Politics • Understand the importance/implications of minor parties in America

  26. Minor Parties

  27. Ideological Parties Marxist thought Emphasize individualism

  28. Single-Issue Parties Focus on one public policy matter

  29. Economic Protest Parties Grow out of periods of economic discontent No clear-cut ideological base

  30. Splinter Parties Split away from major parties Often formed around strong person who failed to win major parties presidential nomination Some of the more important minor parties

  31. Why Are Minor Parties Important? Innovate new ideas Spoiler role Critics willing to take clear-cut stands Draw attention to issues major parties seek to ignore

  32. Section 5Party Organization Objectives: • Understand why the major parties have a decentralized structure • Describe the national party machinery and how parties are organized at the state and local level • Identify three components of the parties • Examine the future of the major parties

  33. Decentralized Nature of the Parties While often described as close-knit, the two major parties are high fragmented and full of internal squabbling. Local parties are often independent from state parties which are only loosely tied to national parties While they usually cooperate, this is not always the case Examples?

  34. Presidency • President’s party is usually a more cohesive unit then the opposing party • President is automatically the party leader • Uses his leadership and position to influence decision making • Party not-in-power does not have “party leader” • There are a number of personalities that are in competition with each other, and form loose leadership

  35. Impact of Federalism • Goal of major parties is to win elective offices • Because the Federal system is highly decentralized, so too are the major parties that serve it

  36. Role of the Nomination Process • Nominations are made within the party • Internal squabbles and fights over nomination that pits party members against each other • The winner take all nomination process creates competition among party members

  37. National Party Machinery Congressional campaign committees

  38. National Conventions • “Party’s national voice” • Meet summer before presidential election to nominate presidential and vice-presidential candidates • Little authority and no control over selection of other offices, or policy stands those nominees take

  39. National Committee • Committee persons are chosen by the State’s party organization • Expands outside of states • Loaded with many of the party’s leading figures • Most of its work centers of staging the party’s national convention every four years

  40. National Chairperson • Leader of the national committee • Chosen to four-year term by national committee • Choose made by nominated president candidate and ratified by national committee • Directs the work of the party’s headquarters and small staff in D.C. • Strengthens the party during non presidential election years (raise money, promote, recruit, etc.) • Only two women and one African American have ever held the top party post

  41. Congressional Campaign Committees • Each party has a committee in each house of Congress • Work to reelect incumbents and make sure their seats remain in the party • Tries to unseat incumbents from other party’s, when it is worth the $ • 2 year terms (term of congress)

  42. Importance of Conventions • Time.com Do Political Conventions still matter?

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