Political Parties Essential to Democracy

6 Political Parties Essential to Democracy

Video: The Big Picture 6 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Magleby_Ch06_Political_Parties_Seg1_v2.html

Video: The Basics 6 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg2_PoliticalParties_v2.html

I. What Parties Do for DemocracyLearning Objective: Identify the primary functions of parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system from those in European democracies1. organizing elections2.simplifying choices for votes3. helping elect people w/the party’s philosophy 6.1

A. Party Functions 1. Organize the competition amongst people with similar ideologies. Recruit, nominate, train, and raise money for candidates 2. Unify the electorate by making a broad appeal across party lines 3. Organize the government along party lines which influences control. Speakers and committees 4. Make policy based on party campaign promises when possible. Although sometimes difficult because American system is candidate centered(nomination based on personal appeal not party loyalty) 5. Provide organized opposition against the controlling party 6.1

6.1

B. The Nomination of Candidates 6.1 1. Caucus: historically was a meeting in which elected party officials chose candidates decided upon the party’s platform. Now it is a term that refers to a particular state’s procedures for selecting nominees 2. In direct primaries voters vote directly for nominee. States choose the terms • In open primaries any voters regardless of voter can vote for a nominee • compared to a closed primary where a voter must be registered with a particular party 3. Local caucuses a. Choose delegates who choose delegates to state and local conventions (12 states used this system in 2012)

6.1 Iowa Caucus

C. Party Systems 6.1 1. Presidential vs. Parliamentary government Parliamentary governments are often multiparty systems. Winners are determined through proportional representation. The parties receive a proportion of the legislators corresponding to their share of the vote. That is, seats are apportioned in the legislature based on the percentage of the vote won by each party. In such a system, even small parties can gain seats and perhaps a place in the governing coalition. The largest party selects a prime minister.

6.1 Chancellor Merkel

C. Cont. Party Systems 6.1 2. “Winner-take-all” system: candidate with the plurality of the votes gets the seat. 1.Lack of incentive for small parties, because the voters usually desert the weak parties, because they don’t want their vote to be wasted, because they have no chance of winning. (Duverger’s Law)

D. Minor Parties: Persistence and Frustration (aka third parties) 6.1 1.Candidate-based parties evolve because of a charismatic leader. Usually fade with the leader 2. Ideology-based parties usually last longer. For example, Green Party, Libertarian, Reform 3. Limited success and influence on national politics

6.1 TABE 6.1: Minor parties in the United States

Video: In the Real World 6.1 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg5_PoliticalParties_v2.html

6.1 6.1What is a meeting of local party members to choose candidates for public office and to decide the platform called? • Open primary • Direct primary • Convention • Caucus

II. A Brief History of AmericanPolitical PartiesLearning Objective: Describe changes in American political parties and identify four realigning elections 6.2

A. The Nation’s First Parties-in order to form coalitions to pass legislation 1. Ratification debate: Federalist v Anti-Federalist 2. Hamilton and the Federalists v. Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans 6.2

B. Realigning Elections: phenomena that occurs every 32 years propelling change which redefine the political agenda and change voter alignment. 1. 1824: Andrew Jackson and the Democrats. He lost the majority of electoral votes even though he won popular vote but won in 1828 2. 1860: The Civil War and the rise of the Republicans. Won every pres. Election except two for the next 50 years 3. 1896: Republicans advanced their industrial-progressive view and reinforced its majority status 4. 1932: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal alignment saw the emergence of the Democrats 6.2

6.2 The 1932 election

C. The Last Half Century Party demographic shift has occurred in the “Solid Democratic South”/Republican South Since 1953 there has been divided government 2008 election witnessed a large voter turn-out and the emergence of the Tea Party When, of has, the next realignment already occurred? 6.2

6.2 6.2Which of these is not a characteristic of realigning elections? • Weak voter involvement • Disruptions of traditional voting patterns • Changes in relationships of power within the broader political community • The formation of new and durable electoral groupings

Video: In Context 6.2 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg3_PoliticalParties_v2.html

III. American Parties Today Learning Objective: Evaluate the functions of parties as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the electorate 6.3

A. Parties as Institutions Organized by rules and procedures including: national committee, national chair (chosen by Presidential nominee) and national Party platform developed during convention 3. Either work at getting incumbents reelected or mobilizing voters 4. Parties at the state and local levels are decentralized but active (distributing campaign literature, organizing volunteer, posters, door-to-door, etc.) 6.3

6.3 House Speaker John Boehner

6.3 FIGURE 6.1: Difference in perception of what the parties stand for, 1984–2008

B. Parties in Government: bridge separation of powers and coordinate between levels of government in a federal system 1.In the legislative branch a. Committee chairs belong to majority party 2. In the executive branch a. Presidential appointments based on partisanship 3. In the judicial branch a. Partisan appointment process 4. At the state and local levels some partisanship (mixed-bag) 6.3

C. Parties in the Electorate 6.3 1. When a citizen registers to vote they are asked to state party preference. Depending on the state this limits the individual in primary voting. 2. Party activists a. Party regulars, party first b. Candidate activists, means to elect candidate c. Issue activists, push parties in a particular direction

6.3 Ted Cruz

D. Party Identification 1. Party identification is acquired during childhood 2. Party identification is relatively stable over time 3. Party identification is the single best predictor of how people will vote 6.3

6.3 TABLE 6.2: Combined party identification by decades, 1950s–2000s

6.3 FIGURE 6.2: Presidential vote by party

6.3 E. Partisan Dealignment? Are party preferences weakening? 1. Although there has been an increase of independents in the electorate, these independents still lean towards either Democrats or Republicans. Pure independent numbers are the same as 1956.

6.3 TABLE 6.3: Voting behaviour of partisans and independents, 1992–2008

6.3 6.3Which of the following is the best predictor of voting behavior? • Party identification • Interest in single issue • Ideology • Choice of candidate

Explore the Simulation: You Are a Voter 6.3 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/long_longman_media_1/2013_mpsl_sim/simulation.html?simulaURL=17

Explore Political Parties: Which Party Governs Better? 6.3 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/long_magleby_mpslgbp_25/pex/pex6.html

IV. How Parties Raise and Spend MoneyLearning Objective: Explain party fund-raising and expenditures, and assess their regulation 6.4

-Independent Expenditure: Disclosed money spent by individuals or groups, not associated with candidates, to elect or defeat candidates for office -Party-Independent Expenditure: Disclosed spending by political party committees that is independent of the candidate. The spending occurs in relatively few competitive contest and is often substantial -Super PACS: Independent expenditure committees -PAC: disclosed funds go directly to candidate -501C (4): Certain Nonprofit Corporations May Make Independent Expenditures. These nonprofit organizations are not required to disclose their donors. Known as “dark” money. -BPCA: Banned soft money, restored a long standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using profits for electoral purposes

IV. How Parties Raise and Spend Money Until the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Act unlimited amounts of “soft” money could be donated “officially” only for party-building purposes but was used for candidates Party expenditures are unlimited as long as money comes from “hard” money Unlike other wealthy countries the US does not restrict sources of money allowed, requires disclosure, allows free TV time, and limits paid TV advertising.

6.4 6.4What happened after the passage of Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act? • Political parties were weakened by limits on funding • Political parties were strengthened by a surge in contributions • There was no change in contributions • Contributions at first weakened but then had modest increases

V. Are the Political Parties Dying?Learning Objective: Assess the effects of recent party reforms and the long-term prospects for the current party system 6.5

Video: Thinking Like a Political Scientist 6.5 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg4_PoliticalParties_v2.html

A. Reform Among the Democrats 1. Use of direct primaries 2. Proportional voting a. Nominees won delegates based on votes they received 3. Super delegates b. Party leaders who do not have to run for election as delegates 6.5

6.5 Democratic National Convention, 1968

Political Parties Essential to Democracy