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Political Parties Today

Political Parties Today. The party’s task:. Party: a group of people who try to control government policy by fielding candidates for elective office The party’s goal: winning elections Party organizations exist to solve collective action problems, specifically voters’ free rider problem

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Political Parties Today

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  1. Political Parties Today

  2. The party’s task: • Party: a group of people who try to control government policy by fielding candidates for elective office • The party’s goal: winning elections • Party organizations exist to solve collective action problems, specifically voters’ free rider problem • Party organizations themselves are subject to the free rider problem!!!

  3. Selective incentives that can be offered to party workers • Material • Solidary • Expressive/Purposive

  4. How have the selective incentives available to the parties changed over time?

  5. Spoils System party organizations • Decentralized • Effective, Manpower-based organizations • More pragmatic

  6. Questions about Parties today • Who works for the parties today? • Why do they do it? • What do they contribute? • How do parties mobilize voters and win elections?

  7. 19th century parties Decentralized Manpower org’s Pragmatic 21st century parties More centralized Expertise/service orgs More ideological Comparison of early and modern parties

  8. National party structure • National party committee (DNC, RNC) • Separate state organizations • Hill committees • National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) • National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)

  9. Finance Restrictions • Raising Money • Individual Contributions to state, district and local party committees - $10,000 • Individual Contributions to national party committees - $25,000 per year • PAC contributions to national committees - $15,000 per year

  10. Finance Restrictions • Spending Money: • Limit of $5000 to House candidates • Limit of $35,000 to Senate candidates • Coordinated expenditures: ~$30,000 House, ~$60,000 Senate (varies with population), ~$16 million Presidential • Unlimited independent expenditures • cannot coordinate any aspect of the timing, content, placement or use of these expenditures with their candidates

  11. What does that add up to??

  12. Ad-hoc organizations • No unified set of priorities • Party “stands” controlled by the candidates •  Platform not binding on elected officials • No top down control  • Local organizations controlled by part time volunteers with little training and varied skill

  13. Why so disorganized? • Election orientation • Federalism • Separation of Powers • Primaries • Election of party officials • Campaign finance laws

  14. Party features • Prominent in voters’ decisionmaking • Candidates seek their brand identification • Decentralized organizations • Loose coalitions

  15. So how might we expect political parties to behave in this year’s midterm elections? Where will we see their effects?

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