Political Parties Unit III Module 2

1. Political PartiesUnit III Module 2 AP Gov Miller

2. Objectives • By the end of this module, SWBAT • Describe the connection between the narrow constituencies of interest groups and the wider constituencies of parties • Explain the structure of parties and the function of each major division of party members • Explain the party’s role in the distribution of campaign contributions • List instances of major dealignment, realignment of political parties in America

3. Balloons & Planks • Parties are the bunches of balloons, whereas the interest groups are the individual balloons • Each interest group is a subunit of the party’s membership • The more active the membership, the more control of the party’s platform (official ideology) that interest group can command = more planks (individual policy concepts in the platform)

4. Organize This • Parties are arranged in a top-down hierarchy, similar to military or corporations • Elites • National Committee (includes chairperson) in charge of strategy, large scale fundraising • State committees – strategy, fundraising • Activists • Ward/Precinct Captains – mobilize voters, coordinate with volunteers, a little bit of fundraising

5. Party History • American parties are unique – only two major parties that are relevant in national politics • “big tent system” partly created by British influence (Tories and Whigs before the Revolution) • Throughout history, the two big parties were always able to consume ideologies, members of other smaller parties • Democrats and Populism in the 1890s • Republicans and the Whigs in the 1850s • Likewise, parties that have unified cannot stay that way for long • Era of Good Feelings ending with Jackson • Taft and T. Roosevelt splitting Republicans, gifting Election of 1912 to Wilson

6. Different Name, Similar Ideology • History of party ideology looks similar to DNA helix when drawn – can be a little confusing • Democrats are called ‘Party of Jackson’ even though now Andrew Jackson would be a staunch Republican • 1st Republican president was Lincoln even though he’d almost certainly be a Democrat today

7. Party Realignments • Two types of critical elections – realignments and dealignments • Party realignments – elections that caused both President and Congress to be controlled by one party for a long period of time • Election of 1800 – Jefferson • Election of 1860 – Lincoln • Election of 1932 – FDR

8. Party Dealignments • Elections that caused party dominance to end and created political chaos in presidency and Congress • Corrupt Bargain of 1824 • Election of 1877 • Election of 1968

9. Historical Patterns • When Americans were more oriented toward party politics, realignments tended to happen every 20 or 30 years • One interpretation of this would be that electorate’s ideology changed every new generation of voters • Thus, party dominance switched back and forth regularly like a pendulum

10. Brave New World • In the end of the 20th Century and beginning of 21st America is in longest stretch of dealignment in history • All due to rise of moderates and a process called “ticket splitting” • Voting for different parties on the same ballot or in subsequent elections  divided government  party dealignment • In the past when party identification was stronger, voters cast “straight tickets” with a single party for all offices on the ballot  unified government  party realignment

11. A Blue Future? • Due to nearly halfway split between social and fiscal conservatives, some political scientists feel that a Democratic “quasi-realignment” has already begun with Obama in 2008 • Not a perfect example, however, since • Democrats can no longer consistently control both chambers of Congress • It seems clear that the American people would prefer both parties to work together rather than one party dominate the national agenda

12. Third Parties • Impact on national discourse minimal – due to the relatively small number of people who belong to them • At times they have been popular enough to affect national elections – major parties have either absorbed 3rd party ideas or candidates • Can still win local or state elections since these are more partisan in nature