1 / 19

POLITICAL PARTIES

POLITICAL PARTIES. PARTY COMPONENTS. Party in the Electorate Citizens who psychologically identify with a political party Vote for party candidates Activists-work for the party Fundraising, campaigns, getting people to vote Party in the Government Appointed or elected officeholders

gabriel-barry
Download Presentation

POLITICAL PARTIES

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. POLITICAL PARTIES

  2. PARTY COMPONENTS • Party in the Electorate • Citizens who psychologically identify with a political party • Vote for party candidates • Activists-work for the party • Fundraising, campaigns, getting people to vote • Party in the Government • Appointed or elected officeholders • Representatives of certain party

  3. PARTY COMPONENTS • Formal Party Organization • Active party professionals • Precinct captains, county chairpersons, convention delegates • Control and direct the party • Attract people to their party • Seek positions of power • More ideologically extreme • Major goals • Recruit candidates • Capable of winning • Maximize the values of the party

  4. FUNCTION OF POLITICAL PARTIES • Mobilizing voters • Urge & help voters go to the polls • Selecting candidates • Attractive candidates=political power • Providing campaign resources • fundraising • Simplifying elections • Straight-party ticket-voting only for the candidates of your personal political party • Supply each voter with a list of candidates and party’s opinion of state questions

  5. FUNCTION OF POLITICAL PARTIES • Educating the public • Identify social problems and political solutions • Use the media to communicate solutions with the voters • Aggregating interests • Coordinate the combined interests and demands of the people • Organizing the decision making process • Party leaders are influential in selecting committee members • Playing the “watchdog” • Minority party critical of majority party • Groundwork for a political change

  6. POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION • Local • Precinct • Party committee • County committee • State • State committee • State party chairperson

  7. POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION • National • Headed by national committee and chairperson • Composed of • Congresspersons, state representatives, state chairpersons • Limited authority • Decides the location of national convention • Meets every four years • Writes party platform • Selection presidential and vice-presidential nominees

  8. POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION • National • Ratifies selection of National Party Chairperson • Nominated by party’s presidential candidate • Hiring personnel • Handling administration duties • Spokesperson for party • Congressional Campaign Committee • Assists in fundraising and re-election efforts

  9. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Founders’ View • Dangerous & disruptive • Not mentioned in Constitution • Promoted societal divisions • James Madison • “Factions” • George Washington • Farewell Address-warned the nation could be destroyed by political parties

  10. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Divided Government (1980-present) • Republicans • Won 5 presidential elections • Democrats • Won 2 presidential elections • Bill Clinton (1992 & 1996) • Congress • Republican control 1980-1986 • Democratic control 1987-1994 • Republican control 1995-2006 • Democratic control 2007 • Party Dealignment • Voters moving away from both political parties • Voting for third party candidates • Split-ticket voting

  11. MINOR PARTIES • Attract new voters • Forums for different opinions • Brought new issues to political agenda • Election spoilers • Four types of minor parties

  12. MINOR PARTIES • Ideological • Espouse radical ideas or values • Libertarian Party • Created in 1917 • Unregulated free market, legalization of drugs, defender of civil liberties, avoid military interventions overseas • One Issue • Party interested in resolving one major social problem • Difficulty in attracting a broad spectrum of people • Free-Soil Party (1848) • Prohibition Party (1910)

  13. MINOR PARTIES • Economic Protest • Formation of party by group of people against current government’s economic policies • Greenback Party (1876-1884) • Free coinage of silver and income taxes • Populist Party (1890s) • Government ownership of means of production • Splinter • Faction from one of the major parties breaks away due to disagreement • Progressive “Bull Moose” Party (1912) • Dixiecrats (1948) • American Independent Party (1968)

  14. UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL PARTIES • Considered essential elements of democratic democracy • Candidates should say what they mean to do if elected and follow through • Responsible Party System • Each party present distinct programs • Implement the program if elected • Take responsibility for performance • Critics • Too decentralized and hard to enforce

  15. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Federalists & Democratic-Republicans • 1796-1828 • Division over economic policies • Federalists • Alexander Hamilton • Northerners • Strong central government • Rule by the elite • Disappeared by 1816 • Democratic-Republicans • Thomas Jefferson • Opposite of Federalists • Ruling power from 1801-1828 (one party system)

  16. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Democratic Era (1932-1980) • Great Depression • New Deal Coalition • Franklin Roosevelt • Alliance of urban dwellers, blue collar workers, southern conservatives, northern liberals • Won 8 presidential elections • Republicans • Won four elections • Eisenhower & Nixon (2 terms each) • Second realigning election (1968) • Broke “Solid South”

  17. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Republican Era • 1860-1928 • Won 13 presidential elections • Division over slavery • Republican Party created in 1854 • Grand Old Party (GOP) • First republican president • Abraham Lincoln (1860) • Supported by • Former Union soldiers • Former slaves • Northerners • Realigning election • 1896 • Change in the loyalty of many voters

  18. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Democrats & Whigs • 1828-1860 • Democratic-Republicans divide over election of 1824 • “Corrupt Bargain” • Democrats • Andrew Jackson • Common man’s participation • Small farmers, new immigrants, south and west • Dominant power • Whigs • Anti-Jackson • Northern manufacturers & Southern plantation owners • Only Presidential success • William H. Harrison (1840)

  19. HISTORY OF AMERICA’S PARTY SYSTEMS • Republican Era (1860-1928) • Democrats • Only presidential victories • Grover Cleveland (1884 & 1892) • Woodrow Wilson (1912 & 1916) • Supported by • Rural south • Immigrants • Progressives • Third Party • Emphasized political & social reform • Many beliefs became law • No presidential success

More Related