POLI-D-537 Parties and Government in the U.S. 5 ects

1. POLI-D-537 Parties and Government in the U.S. 5 ects Emilie van Haute Week 4

2. Part IParties and Politics in the U.S. • Outline • I.1. Party Eras • I.2. Party System • I.3. Party Organization • Variety of Organizations • National Party Organization • State Organizations • Local & County Organizations • Party Activists • I.4. Party Ideology, Issues and Polarization

3. 1. Variety of Organizations (1) • Variety of forms: What is party organization in the US? • Hierarchical machines dispensing jobs • Issue-oriented individuals • Group of individuals filling formal positions • Candidate’s personal followers • Campaign committee • Large bureaucracy composed of paid professionals • Factors affecting the type of organization • Level of government (local, state, national) • Type of regulations (national, state & local party rules, legal regulations) • Extent of intra-party competition • Bases of party support (nature of the electorate) • Regional / local traditions • General characteristics • Cadre parties > Mass parties • Main activity & task = elections & campaigning • Organization // geographic election districts => precinct, city/town, county, state, national

4. 1. Variety of Organizations (2)

5. 1. Variety of Organizations (3) • Organizational structure = Stratarchy • Independent layers & own goals > Hierarchy • Collaboration between layers: reciprocal deference & tolerance (Eldersveld) • No control of the higher layers (no sanctions) • Interdependency: need each other for fund-raising & mobilization • Fragmentation (national level: House & Senate committees autonomous) • Satellite structures: Candidates’ organizations; Party allied groups assisting in fund-raising & mobilization (organized labor, Christian Coalition); professional consultants

6. 2. National Party Organization (1) • The National Committees • Institutionalization • Mid-1800s: created to manage presidential campaign => active a few months/4y • Interwar period: year-round & ad hoc paid staff but still weak: • Republicans: Hayes (1918-1921): Republican National Committee (RNC) • Democrats: 1928: Democratic National Committee (DNC) • After WWII: Institutionalization • = Full-time staff, professionalization, budget, technology, on Capitol Hill • = Fund-raising, PR, mobilization, national convention management, campaign & training, research & policy development, stimulating party organization • = Inclusive body: represents party organizations of the 50 states • Relation with the other layers (state & local): transformation: • Until 1970s: power & influence at the State level (decentralization) • After: reverse (centralization); cfr flow of money (FECA) • DNC: party rules to designate state delegates • RNC: development of assistance programs

8. 2. National Party Organization (3)

9. 2. National Party Organization (4)

10. 2. National Party Organization (5) • The National Committees • Composition • State delegates: state party organizations select 1 national committeeman & 1 national committeewoman • State party chair (RNC 1960s; DNC 1970s) • = Confederate nature: each state equal representation • DNC 1974: major expansion of the size: • = Representation for elected officials, party auxiliaries, gender balance • = Abandon of the state equality => population & record of support for Democratic candidates • = 212 committee delegates + 112 chairs & higher opposite sex + 75 other = 441 • = ad hoc, informal; lots of subunits (geographical, ideological, candidate, ethnical, gender-based) • RNC: • = still state equality => 55 committeeman + 55 woman + 55 chairs = 165 • = organized, structured, professionalized => formality & order (subunits = geographical + ideological or candidate factions) • => Ratification of the executive committee recommendations

11. 2. National Party Organization (6) • The National Committees • National Chair • Key role, full-time, especially for the out-party (more effective & influential) • Designation • Until 1980s: presidential nominee designate a national chair at national convention • After: serve until January after elections but presidential nominees install their campaign personnel in key positions • Two styles • Speaking Chair • = Spokesperson, publicity for the party, criticizing opposition • Organizational leaders • = // institutionalization: create headquarters providing services to win elections • - Role • = maintaining sense of party unity (accommodate factions) • = mediator, negotiator • = variable depending on out-party or in-party • - Interaction with White House • NC: Not in charge of presidential campaigns or patronage anymore • Presidents supportive but sometimes want to weaken the NC & concentrate leadership in the White House (Nixon, Carter or Clinton)

12. 2. National Party Organization (7) • The National Committees • Activities • Fund-Raising: allowed by the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) • = 300 to 400 million in 2004: individual donors (mail or online) + large donors (fund-raising dinners & receptions) • = ‘soft money’ outside FECA: not direct support for candidates but banned in 2002 (Bipartisan campaign Reform Act (BCRA) • Assistance to State & Local Party Organizations • = assistance in developing fund-raising operations, grants to hire professionals, computer assistance, campaign schools, campaign management training, financial & technical assistance to gubernatorial & state legislative candidates, issues research, assistance with redistricting, on the field counseling • Campaign Activities • = support presidential nominees’ campaigns: media ad, get-out-the-vote drives, etc • Communications • = Publications for state & county leaders & activists, media ad & networking • Conventions • = planning & managing national conventions • Research • = issue background; research to weaken the opposition, polls on public opinion • Liaison with White House & administration (in-party)

13. 2. National Party Organization (8) • The Hill Committees • Congressional Campaign Committee • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) • National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) • Senatorial Campaign Committee++ • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) • National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) • Members • = Members of the House & Senate • Organization • = Autonomous from the National Committees • Role • = holding seats (via assistance) • => Focus on competitive races; Safe incumbents or losers: no assistance • = Restrictions on direct money contributions but coordinated expenditures used for technical expertise (polling, campaign ad, media etc.) • = Candidate recruitment & training • = Assistance to fund-raising • But weak influence (not everyone, not a high % of campaign money) • Although nationalization of the agenda

14. 2. National Party Organization (9) • Party-Allied Groups • Increase in involvement • 1930s-1940s: Democrats: New Deal & labor unions: funds & mobilization • Broadens definition of party organization • Republicans: Americans for Tax Reform, Christian Coalition, National Federation for Independent Business, NRA • Democrats: Congress of Industrialized Organizations, National Education Association, Pro-Choice America, etc. • ‘527’ organizations (tax code): influence campaign via get-out-the-vote efforts • Think Thanks and Consultants • - Think Thanks = Public Policy Research Organizations • Progressive Policy Institute (Ds); Heritage Foundation (Rs) • - Consultants = campaigns (party loyalty): technical/professional skills for polling, research, candidate consulting

15. 3. State Party Organizations (1) • Evolution of state party organizations • Cycles • End of the 19th – beginning 20th century: patronage-based organizations: • = control over nominations, campaigns, etc. • Progressist movement and party regulations • After 1980s: less control: Candidate-centered environment; no more large-scale patronage; ↑ interparty competition; centralization (national organizations); more organization but supplementary role to the candidate’s own organization • Service agency for candidates & local organizations: signs: • Permanent Headquarters in the state capital, well-equipped • Professional Staffing ,full-time (chair, executive director, field staff, PR director, research staff, fund-raiser, comptroller) => average of 9 but high turnover • Finances: direct-mail fund-raising + traditional methods (dinners, large-contributor programs, allied groups) + sums from national level • Party programs for support of candidates & party building: contributions to candidates, campaign services (polling, fund-raising assistance, seminars, etc.); large-scale voter mobilization programs; party-building activities, technical services => campaigns = candidate > party

16. 3. State Party Organizations (2) • State Party Law • Great variations in party regulation • 36 States regulate procedures used to select state committee members • 32 States stipulate the composition of state committee • 22 States specify when these committees must meet • 27 States regulate internal rules & procedures • Factors explaining regulation • - Spread of direct primary as principal nominating device for State & Congress • - States enacted laws that defined parties, eligibility to vote for primaries, regulated primaries => regulations made parties public agencies/utilities although ↓ • State Committees (R or D State Central Committee) • Composition determined by state regulation or party by-laws • Elected to represent counties, congressional districts, legislative districts, major municipalities, or party auxiliary groups (Young Rs, Federation of Republican Women, etc.); part-time volunteers • Size: from 20 (Iowa) to > 1.000 (California) • Role • Overseeing the work of the state chair & headquarters staff, Calling of state conventions, adopting party policies & platform, fund-raising, assisting local level • - Executive Committee to carry work between meetings

17. 3. State Party Organizations (3) • The State Chair • Designation • 73% elected by the state committee; 27% chosen by state party convention • ¾ elected for 2 years terms; average = 4 years; high turnover & lack of continuity • Role • Supervising headquarters staff, conducting fund-raising, recruiting candidates, party spokesperson, link with elected officials, strengthening local organizations, delegates in national committee • The Governor • Role & relation with state party organization • = advisory > controlling state central committee • = influence on selection of party’s state chair • Party organization play supportive role in gubernatorial campaigns (candidate-centered) • = often conflictual but try to coordinate responsibility

18. 3. State Party Organizations (4) • Differences between parties • Republicans • Stronger, more professionalized, better financed, more capital-intensive • Rely more on party organization for campaigning • Democrats • More labor-intensive • Rely more on allied groups for campaigning • State Legislative Campaign Committees • Composition • - Incumbent legislators • Role • Support legislative candidates (challenge state party committee): provide money, staff, technical services • More active in state with high interparty competition (focus on close races), high campaign costs and weak central committees • Ds // Rs (control legislative chambers)

19. 4. Local & County Organizations (1) • Evolution of local party organizations • 19th century: city/urban party machine run by the mayor – hierarchy – organization sustained by patronage (distribution of city jobs) => loyalty via material retributions • Today: 3 types • 1. Still party machine in some places (Chicago, Philadelphia, New York) but faded via progressive reforms (secret ballot, primaries, civil service reform) • 2. Well-funded professional local parties based on volunteer work > patronage • 3. No real organization: no bureaucracy, no hierarchy, no permanent headquarter or paid staff, no year-round activity (electoral cycles) • But no decline • Structure • County Committees (Townships; Parishes) • City Committee • Precinct Leader

20. 5. Party Activists (1) • Incentives to participate • - Material incentives: • Patronage : jobs (in decline) or preferential treatment • Elected office: prestige & power • - Solidarity incentives: friendship, camaraderie • - Outcome incentive: Ideology & issues • Characteristics • - Resources: family, SES => not representative • - Orientations: May’s law of curvilinear disparity • Parties as networks of issue-oriented activists?

21. 5. Party Activists (2)