POL S 202: Intro to American Politics

1. POL S 202: Intro to American Politics “Political Parties & Interest Groups” Week 5: April 29, 2010

2. American Politics in the News… Interesting News Stories: 1. 2. 3.

3. Political Parties • Interest Group: An organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policy • Political Party: A group of like-minded political activists who organize to win elections, operate the government and determine public policy • Faction: A group or bloc in a legislature or party acting in pursuit of some special interest of position

4. Political Interest Groups • Interest Group: An organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policy • Lobbyist: An organization or individual who attempts to influence legislation and the administrative decisions of gov’t • Can be viewed as both positive and negative for American democracy • Positive: represent many important issues • Negative: too much influence for elites

5. Political Parties in the U.S. • Democratic • Republican • Green • Reform • Libertarian • Natural Law • Independent • “Other”

6. Political Parties in the U.S. • Two Party System: A political system in which 2 only parties have a reasonable chance of winning a given election • Why is this the case? • Single Member District (also called “Winner take all”) • vs. Proportional Representation

7. Political Parties in the U.S. • Single Member District vs. Proportional Representation D v. R Democrat 40% Republican 35% Green 10% Reform 5% Libertarian 5% Natural Law 5% D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R D v. R

8. Functions of Political Parties • Recruiting candidates for public office • Organizing and running elections • Presenting alternative policies to the people • Accepting responsibility for operating the government • Acting as the organized opposition to the party in power

9. Party Organization • Party Organization: The formal structure and leadership of a political party, including: • Election committee • City or County party leaders • State party leaders • National party leaders • Paid professional staff • Candidates and Elected Officials

10. Political Parties in Washington • Washington is a competitive state, divided closely between Democrats and Republicans • Currently, political parties are active and strong players in Washington State politics • Historically, political parties have been weak • Blanket or Open primary: Allows voters of any party to vote for any candidate in the Primary • Closed or Direct primary: Allows only voters registered with a party to choose the candidates in a Primary elections • In 2003, 9th Court of Appeals over turned the blanket primary in Washington

11. History of Interest Groups • Madison, Federalist #10, spoke of “mischief of factions” and saw special interest groups as self-centered and dangerous to a healthy republic • de Tocqueville observed the phenomenon of group association in America and thought it was the backbone of a successful democracy • 2/3 of Americans belong to a group or association • Most Americans are notactive members though • Interest Groups are dominated by people with high levels of education, resources, political interest • The “interests” of IGs are not always for the public good

12. Types of Interest Groups • Economic: Largest type of IG, more $$$ • Business • Agriculture • Labor • Public Employees • Professional Assoc. • Public Interest: Generally have less $$$ • Environmental • Consumer Protection • Civil Rights

13. Types of Interest Groups • Single Issue Advocacy: Narrow focus • Abortion (pro-life / pro-choice) • Gun Control / 2nd Amendment • Senior Citizen  More likely public interest • Other Governments • Foreign governments (concerning trade) • American State governments (federal money)

14. The Role of Interest Groups • Primary goal is access to policy decisions, via access to politicians and the media • Direct vs. Indirect influence • Lobbying (Direct) • Campaign contributions (Direct) • Rating scorecards (Direct) • Generating public pressure (Indirect)

15. Lobbying Techniques • Private meetings with public officials to persuade officials of IG viewpoint • Testifying before committees (cong or exec) • Assistance in writing legislation or regulations • Inviting public officials to extravagant social occasions (100 foot yacht) to discuss issues • Provide political information to government officials within the IG area of expertise • Make suggestions of political nominations

16. The Iron Triangle

17. Discussion Questions for Fri 1. What role do Political Parties play in off-year elections such as 2007? Should they endorse/oppose ballot issues or not? 2. Should the state of Washington pursue an open primary or closed primary system of elections? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?