Understanding Political Parties: Roles and Strategies

2. Video: The Big Picture 8 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Edwards_Ch08_Political_Parties_Seg1_v2.html

3. Video: The Basics 8 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg2_PoliticalParties_v2.html

4. Meaning of Party 8.1 • The purpose of political parties is to win elections. Parties seek to control the government. Period. That is their entire function: win elections, control the government. • Political scientists think about parties in three ways: • The party in the electorate is the party’s membership. It’s easy to be a member of a party. • The party as an organization comprises the party’s national, state, and local offices, and their staffs, budgets, and rules. • Finally, the party in government consists of elected officials who call themselves party members. Officials are not obliged to vote with their party, and may sometimes vote with the opposition.

5. Tasks of the Parties Linkage institutions Parties, elections, interest groups, media Tasks that parties perform Pick candidates Run campaigns Give cues to voters Articulate policies Coordinate policies between branches of govt. 8.1

6. Parties, Voters, and Policy: Downs Model Parties Compete like Businesses for votes The products for sale are the candidates and their politics Rational choice theory Political scientist Anthony Downs’ model Most voters are moderate Centre of political spectrum Parties seek voter loyalty Position themselves to left and right of centre 8.1

7. 8.1 FIGURE 8.1: Downs model: How rational parties position themselves near (but not at) the center of public opinion This figure shows four graphs that distinguish the political leanings of various groups of Americans according to a 7-point scale ranging from extremely liberal to extremely conservative. Do Americans lean more toward liberalism or conservatism?

8. 8.1 Tea Party In spite of the name, the Tea Party is not a political party, but a conservative organization whose members tend to belong to the Republican Party. Because these enthusiasts belong to the Party, Republicans must pay attention to Tea Party concerns.

9. 8.1 8.1 How do parties maximize their appeal to 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. 8.1 8.1 How do parties maximize their appeal to 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

11. Section 2

12. Party in the Electorate 8.2 • Party membership in America is a psychological • Citizens think they know what parties stand for and identify themselves with that party • Known as party identification • Choose parties based on like-mindedness with personal preferences

13. Party in the Electorate Polls have traced party identification over time. Two patterns have emerged in recent decades from these polls. First, more Americans now identify as Republicans than Democrats, and more Americans (42% in 2012) call themselves Independents, especially younger citizens. Independents claim to vote for the person, not the party, and are more likely than partisans to engage in ticket-splitting.

14. 8.2 FIGURE 8.2: Party identification in the United States, 1952–2012

15. 8.2 8.2 More Americans are identifying as Independents, especially: • People over 65 • Minorities • Young people • Less-educated citizens

16. 8.2 8.2 More Americans are identifying as Independents, especially: • People over 65 • Minorities • Young people • Less-educated citizens

17. Video: Thinking Like a Political Scientist 8.2 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg4_PoliticalParties_v2.html

18. Section 3

19. Chapter 8 sections 3-4 • What is a party machine? • What is patronage? • Who was Mayor Richard Daley, what did he do? • What is an open primary? • What is a closed primary? • What is a national convention? • What is a coalition? • Name a campaign promise kept by Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama?

20. Party Organization: From the Grass Roots to Washington 8.3 • Local, state, and national party organizations would appear to have a hierarchical structure, but that appearance is deceiving, as the parties are highly decentralized and fragmented.

21. Local Parties Once main party organization The urban political party was the main party organization from the late nineteenth century until at least the New Deal. Party machines Getting out the vote by Rewarding voters New York and Chicago Patronage Jobs for voters and contributors not based on Merit At its height, the Democratic political machine in Chicago dispensed 40,000 patronage jobs, the recipients of which were expected to deliver at least 10 votes each on Election Day and to kick back 5% of their salary in the form of a donation to the local Democratic Party. Progressive reforms ended this system Made jobs merit-based and government contracts subject to bidding 8.3

22. 8.3 Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley Mayor Daley and his Cook County Democratic Party machine were highly skilled at patronage. Richard J. Daley ruled the city of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976.

23. The state party organizations vary in their levels of organization and funding No two exactly alike Some well-funded, some weak Permanent headquarters Provide technical services States determine Open or closed primaries Straight-ticket voting Single column or random list of candidates 8.3 50 State Party Systems

24. National Party Organizations National convention Meets every four years Writes/ rewrites party platform Formal nomination of candidates National committee The national committee operates between conventions, led by the national chairperson, who hires staff, raises money, pays bills, and attends to the daily duties of the party. The party chair sometimes uses this position as a means of political advancement. 8.3

25. 8.3 8.3 What are the functions of the party’s national convention? • Write party platform • Nominate candidate for president • Meet every four years to revise rules • All of the above

26. 8.3 8.3 What are the functions of the party’s national convention? • Write party platform • Nominate candidate for president • Meet every four years to revise rules • All of the above

27. Section 4

28. Party in Government: Promises and Policy 8.4 • Party in power determines public policy • In other words, they get to determine who gets what, where, when, and how • Individuals and Groups form Coalitions to support parties • Most presidents fail to implement campaign promises • But they do live up to some of them • Party platforms serve as a blueprint for legislative plans and reflect the attitudes of the party’s base.

29. Explore the Simulation: You Are a Voter 8.4 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/long_longman_media_1/2013_mpsl_sim/simulation.html?simulaURL=17

30. 8.4 8.4 Which of the following is a campaign promise kept by President Reagan? • Increase social welfare spending • Increase defense spending • Increase the federal deficit • Increase funding for education

31. 8.4 8.4 Which of the following is a campaign promise kept by President Reagan? • Increase social welfare spending • Increase defense spending • Increase the federal deficit • Increase funding for education

32. Explore Political Parties: Which Party Governs Better? 8.4 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/long_edwards_mpslgia_16/pex/pex8.html

33. Party Eras in American History 8.5 • 1796-1824: First Party System • 1828-1856: Jackson and Democrats Versus the Whigs • 1860-1928: Two Republican Eras • 1932-1964: New Deal Coalition • 1968-Present: Southern Realignment and the Era of Divided Party Government

34. 8.5 Party platforms, 2012

35. 1796-1824: First Party System Madison warned against factions Hamilton and the Federalist Party Capitalist support, Northeast Short-lived Ideas of loyal opposition and rotation of power new Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans Agrarian support, South Torn by factions 8.5

36. 1828-1856: Jackson and Democrats Versus the Whigs General Andrew Jackson as leader Democratic-Republicans -> Democratic Party New coalition in election of 1828 Westerners, Southerners, poor whites Broaden suffrage Martin Van Buren Theory of loyal opposition Whig Party 8.5

37. 1860-1928: Two Republican Eras 1850s: Slavery dominated politics Split both parties Republicans rose as anti-slavery party Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Second party realignment Lasted 60 years Democrats controlled the South 1896: Second Republican era Democrats and “free silver” 8.5

38. 1932-1964: New Deal Coalition Hoover loses to FDR FDR promises New Deal New coalition formed Elements of New Deal coalition Urban dwellers Labor unions Catholics and Jews The poor Southerners African Americans 8.5

39. The Roosevelt realignment 8.5

40. 8.5 FIGURE 8.3: Party coalitions today

41. 1968-Present: Southern Realignment and the Era of Divided Party Government 8.5 • Nixon’s Southern strategy • Support for states’ rights, law and order, strong military posture • Win Southern Democrats

42. 8.5 FIGURE 8.4: Realignment in the South

43. 1968-Present: Southern Realignment and the Era of Divided Party Government 8.5 • Republicans did not have Congress • New pattern • Divided government now normal • Dealignment

44. 8.5 8.5 Which events sparked party realignments? • Civil War • Great Depression • Nixon’s Southern strategy • A and B only

45. 8.5 8.5 Which events sparked party realignments? • Civil War • Great Depression • Nixon’s Southern strategy • A and B only

46. Video: In Context 8.5 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg3_PoliticalParties_v2.html

47. Section 6

48. Questions • What is a “Blue Dog Democrat” • What are the three main classifications of Third Parties? • Why are there only two major parties in the U.S.? • What is proportional representation? • What is a responsible party model? • What is a Winner Take all System?

49. Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics 8.6 • Three types of third parties • Cause parties • Offshoots of major parties • Vehicles for individual candidacies • Rarely win office but can affect elections

50. Cause Parties • One type promotes a cause, such as the Prohibition Party that formed over the single issue of outlawing alcoholic beverages. Some “cause parties” take extreme ideological positions.