Lecture 7: Politica l Parties

1. Lecture 7:Political Parties POLI 10: Introduction to American Politics Summer Session I 22July 2013 Prof. Justin Levitt

2. Today’s myth: We need third parties because the two-party duopoly is dividing us into opposing tribes of extremists.

3. Lecture Overview • Overview of American Political Culture • Development of the party system • The logic of party politics • Functions of modern parties • Polarization and Independents

4. Part I: Political Culture

5. Where We Are • Last week we finished the formal structures and procedures of government • This week we begin focusing on the people, processes, and organizations developed to help us work within the constraints of those formal structures • Today we look at the historical and sociological background • Wednesday we will consider economic and psychological motivations • Next Monday we will turn to communications and philosophy • Finally, next Wednesday we return to politics proper and put all of these ideas together!

6. Who We Are • Liberal (Individualist) • Republican (Moralist) • Hierarchical (Traditional).

7. What do Liberal and Conservative mean? • http://www.bennylingbling.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/leftright_EU_1416.gif

8. Part II: Eras in Party Development

9. Studying changes in the party system • A party system refers to a stable, medium-term alignment of interests into parties defined by

10. Overview of Party System Eras • First: 1789-1830 • Second: 1830-1860 • Third: 1860/1865-1896 • Fourth: 1896-1930 • Fifth: 1930-1958(ish) • Sixth: 1960-1994(ish) • Seventh: 1994-Present

11. First Party System (1789-1830) • Silbey Party Status: Pre-party • Loose coalitions of Federalists and Democratic-Republicans under Adams and Jefferson, respectively • Professionalized administration

12. Second Party System (1830-1860) • Nickname: Jacksonian Era • Major Party Battle: Democratic v. Whig • Minor Parties: American Know-Nothing, Anti-Masonic, Republican • Silbey Party Status: Partisan • Major Issues: Slavery, Nullification • Events: Mexican-American War, Oregon trail, Manifest Destiny • Media: localized, town meetings, fairs

13. Third Party System (1860-1896) • Nickname: Reconstruction/Gilded Era • Major Party Battle: Republican vs. Democratic • Minor Parties: Populist, Prohibition, Socialist • Silbey Party Status: Partisan • Major Issues: Industrialization, Reconstruction • Events: Civil War and Reconstruction, Industrial development, • Media: growth of the newspaper

14. Fourth Party System (1896-1930) • Nickname: Progressive Era • Major Party Battle: Republican vs. Democratic • Minor Parties: Prohibition, Progressive, Communist • Silbey Party Status: Post-Partisan • Major Issues: Social Reform, Professionalization • Events: World War I, Spanish-American War, Roaring Twenties • Media: Newspapers, newsreels

15. Fifth Party System (1930-1960) • Nickname: New Deal Coalition • Major Party Battle: Democratic vs. Republican • Minor Parties: States’ Rights Democratic, Dixiecrat, Socialist Worker • Silbey Party Status: Post-Partisan • Major Issues: Financial and labor reform • Events: World War II, Great Depression • Media: Newspapers, radio

16. Sixth Party System (1960-1994) • Nickname: Cold War Era • Major Party Battle: Democratic vs. Republican • Minor Parties: American Independent, Libertarian • Silbey Party Status: Non-Partisan • Major Issues: Welfare state, Communism • Events: Cold War, Civil Rights Movement • Media: Television

17. Seventh Party System (1994-Present) • Major Party Battle: Democratic vs. Republican (competitive) • Minor Parties: Green, Libertarian, Reform • Silbey Party Status: n/a (Polarized) • Major Issues: Social issues, globalization, terrorism • Events: September 11th, financial crisis • Media: Internet

18. Part III: Why parties? Why two parties?

19. Why parties? • The Founders never imagined parties—see Federalist 10 • Liberals saw a proliferation of factions organized around various causes • Republicans saw groups organizing for the public good • Traditionalists saw society as a single organic body • Parties solve coordination and organizational challenges under majority rule

20. Say you want vote for mayor… • Markus wants to vote for someone, but he’s not sure who to vote for. What does he need to know? • Who the candidates are • Support of community leaders • Positions on issues • Consequences of voting for someone • But how can he get it? It’s very difficult to do all of this yourself!

21. Say you want to run for office… • Madeline is running for Mayor! What does she need? • Ideas • Support/Allies • Name recognition • Money • But how can she get it? It’s very difficult to do all of this yourself!

22. Say you just won election… • Tony was just elected to the state legislature! What does she need? • Legislative Staff • Constituency staff • Committee assignment, information on votes • Help getting reelected • But how can she get it? It’s very difficult to do all of this yourself!

23. Solution: Parties • We have three collective action problems parties help solve: • Problems of candidates getting money and support from prospective donors • Problems of voters getting information and other shortcuts about candidates • Problems organizing in the legislature once elected

24. Parties as Golden Handcuffs • Parties help prevent future collective action problems politicians face • Prisoner’s Dilemma: party membership helps strengthen deference and allows individuals to specialize in the legislature • Free riding: parties can punish members who refuse to fall in line • Tragedy of the Commons: parties can help control the flow of money so that money flows to those who need it, not just to those who can raise it • Similarly, for voters too • Free riding: parties give benefits to those who help the party • Tragedy of the Anti-Commons: parties can help individuals cut through the competing pressures by simplifying who they should vote for

25. Why only two parties? • Most countries have more than two parties • The UK has three major parties plus six more with seats • Countries like the Netherlands and Israel have up to 20 parties in the legislature! • The US has two parties, plus the odd independent (Bernie Sanders, Socialist-Vermont)—the last serious third party was the Progressive Party in the 1920s! • What would your third party stand for?

26. Electoral System and Number of Parties • We have two parties in large part because of our plurality electoral system • Duverger’s law states that plurality electoral systems will have a maximum of two effective candidates in a single district • Note that in non-partisan local and state elections, we often seen cases where five or six members of the same party duke it out

27. The Logic of Two Parties • Let’s consider an example: • In Congressional District 1, the Republicans have 40% of the vote, the Democrats have 35%, and the Greens 25% • Result: Republicans win • But wouldn’t most Greens prefer the Democrat to the Republican? • So if I were a Green Party voter, I should vote Democratic to keep the Republican from getting elected.

28. It all comes back to winning elections • http://youtu.be/dH4DervIbrQ?t=22m41s • Minor parties can raise a stink but can’t win elections—they’re better off joining a major party • This is called co-option: one or the other major party will co-opt, or take on, the position of the threatening minor party in order to neutralize the threat—see the Republicans and Prohibition or Democrats and environmentalism • We’ll see more on this next week.

29. Consequences of the Two Party System • Parties must be big-tent organizations—coalitions comprised of many different groups • Parties are the most formal of the extra-Constitutional institutions • Most states have special provisions for the two parties (sometimes “Largest party and second-largest party”) • Most states pay for partisan primaries • Even when elections are non-partisan, the major parties often back specific candidates and organize for them • Parties serve as accountability mechanisms—when one party fails, you can protest by voting for the other • Individuals strongly identify with partisan identity

30. Part IV: Functions of Modern Political Parties

31. Roles of the Parties • We start by distinguishing three roles parties play: • Party in Congress refers to those functions of parties as organizational mechanisms in governance to shape policy • Party in the Electorate refers to the functions of parties as social clubs that mobilize voters to elect candidates through registration, communication, and participation • The Party Organization refers to the internal structures of the party that help select and support candidates and organize donors and fundraising to further its ability to win

32. The Parties in Congress • We spoke last week about Speaker’s agenda control and the powers of the President • Parties help Congressional and Executive leaders maintain support • Unlike Prime Ministers running multiparty coalitions common in Europe, Speakers of the House have greater control over their majority because they are all in the same party • Defectors can be punished—in Sacramento, the Speaker regularly sends members who vote against him to the “Doghouse” (a broom closet-turned-office)

33. The Parties in the Electorate • Since the 1830s, parties have served as important social organizations for average citizens as well as would-be politicians • Most Americans belong to a party—if only because you have to belong to a party to vote in the primaries in most states • Parties mobilize voters by localizing support and building coalitions between local and national organizations

34. Parties and Political Culture • Parties rely heavily on their local organizations: • Donations • Registration drives • Turnout drives • Campaigns (phone banking, mailers, web presence) • Serve on local boards, attend party conferences • Local parties may be very different from each other, even advocating different platforms • Individuals often see their party as their “team” as in sports—less about policy goals and more about winning

35. When you’re a Dem, you’re a Dem all the way:

36. Big Tent Parties Parties have to include lots of different voters to win a majority—here’s how they break down today:

37. The Party Organization—Functions • Coordination mechanism; glue that holds the electorate and the elected officials together • Must mobilize voters • Serve elected and aspiring officials • Work closely with big donors and key interest groups • Run polls and focus groups to figure out what issues voters care about • How can leaders do all this without losing control over the agenda? Losing control of their brand?

38. The Party Organization—Examples Texas State Republican Party Washington State Democratic Party

39. Party Institutions • Parties have also developed specialized institutions for maintaining control over their brand name • Party caucuses or conventions serve as opportunities for select, highly involved and motivated individuals to come together and agree on what the brand stands for • The biggest is the Presidential Nominating Convention held every four years to pick the Presidential nominee • Counties, Districts, and States also hold these conventions more frequently • Partisan primaries allow members of the party to select who the Party’s official nominee will be (more on this Wednesday) • Special fundraising committees like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (“D-triple-C”) allow members of Congress to connect straight to big-ticket donors

40. Part V: Polarization and Independent Voters

41. Defining Polarization • As we saw earlier, polarization refers to greater alignment between voting behavior and party identification • Contemporary polarization among Americans suggests greater correlation between ideology and party identification • Republicans are more conservative, Democrats are more liberal • How does polarization fit into our party era thinking earlier? Is this polarization different than in previous eras? • What might explain this round of polarization? • What are the consequences of polarization?

42. Symptoms of Polarization • Sixth party system—not polarized. less ideological parties, split ticket voting, candidate-centered politics • First evident in Congress after Republican Revolution in 1994—greater party unity, more party control of legislation, decline in seniority system • By early 2000s, present in the electorate: less split-ticket voting, more ideological parties (Contract with America, Tea Party, “Sí, se puede”), greater perception of differences between parties, sorting of individuals by ideology into parties

43. Ideology by party—increasingly sorted

44. Differences between the parties

45. Split-Ticket Voting Fifth Party System Sixth Party System Seventh Party System

46. Is modern polarization overstated? • Party unity was higher before 1950 and after 1990 • The 60s and 70s saw turmoil within the Democratic Party over civil rights, leading to those features most associated with the “non-partisan” era such as the strong seniority system in Congress and split ticket voting between President and Congress • On the other hand, parties seem to be more ideologically driven than in earlier times with high party unity • Differences between parties are apparent in many policy areas

49. Less Overlap between Parties

50. What about Independent Voters? • People registered with one of the two major parties has declined sharply since the 1980s • Party membership no longer provides patronage and limits on gifts mean that they can’t provide services. • So as parties grow more ideological, it becomes more “expensive” to register and fewer people are willing to self-identify • However, most so-called “Independents” behave like partisans • Only about 10% of the population behave truly independently