Political Parties and Ideology

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Political Parties and Ideology
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What is a Party?

• Political Party a group of people who seek to
  control government through the winning of
  elections and the holding of public office
• Major Party a party that has a chance to win
  representation in government
• Minor Party any political party that doesnt

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What Do Parties Do?

• Nominate Candidates Recruit, choose, and present
  candidates for public office.
• Inform and Activate SupportersCampaign, define
  issues, and criticize other candidates.
• Act as a Bonding AgentGuarantee that their
  candidate is worthy of the office.
• GovernMembers of government act according to
  their partisanship, or firm allegiance to a
  party.
• Act as a WatchdogParties that are out of power
  keep a close eye on the actions of the party in
  power for a blunder to use against them in the
  next election.

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Partisanship

• Strong support of their party and policy stands
• Most appointments to executive offices have party
  considerations

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Major Parties

• There are two major parties in the U.S. Can you
  name them?

Democrats and Republicans
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Why a Two-Party System?

• The Historical Basis. The nation started out with
  two-parties the Federalists and the
  Anti-Federalists.
• The Force of Tradition. America has a two-party
  system because it always has had one. Minor
  parties, lacking wide political support, have
  never made a successful showing, so people are
  reluctant to support them.
• The Electoral System. Certain features of
  government, such as single-member districts, are
  designed to favor two major parties.
• Ideological Consensus. Most Americans have a
  general agreement on fundamental matters.
  Conditions that would spark several strong rival
  parties do not exist in the United States.

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Multiparty Systems

• Advantages
• Provides broader representation of the people.
• More responsive to the will of the people.
• Give voters more choices at the polls.

• Disadvantages
• Cause parties to form coalitions, which can
  dissolve easily.
• Failure of coalitions can cause instability in
  government.

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One-Party Systems
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Party Membership Patterns

• Factors that can influence party membership

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What is Ideology?

• Ideology is basically the way you look at how the
  world works
• There are two major ideologies in the United
  States
• Liberal
• Conservative

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The Political Spectrum
People who have similar opinions on political
issues are generally grouped according to whether
they are left, right, or center on the
political spectrum.
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Family and Education
Many factors influence our political opinions and
political socialization over the course of a
lifetime.

• The Family
• Children first see the political world from
  within the family and through the familys eyes.
• The strong influence the family has on the
  development of political opinions is due to the
  large amount of time children spend with the
  family.

• The Schools
• Children acquire political knowledge throughout
  their time in the classroom.
• Students are taught about political systems,
  patriotism, and great Americans. Some are even
  required to take a course on government in high
  school.

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Other Factors Influencing Public Opinion

• Mass Media
• The mass media include those means of
  communication that reach large, widely dispersed
  audiences (masses of people) simultaneously. The
  mass media has a huge effect on the formation of
  public opinion.
• Peer Groups
• Peer groups are made up of the people with whom
  one regularly associates, including friends,
  classmates, neighbors, and co-workers.
• Opinion Leaders
• An opinion leader is any person who, for any
  reason, has an unusually strong influence on the
  views of others.
• Historic Events
• Historic events can have a major impact on public
  opinion. The Great Depression is one event that
  shaped the political views and opinions of a
  generation.

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Liberal and Conservative

• People do not have to be strictly liberal on all
  issues, or conservative on all issues
• You can mix the two to form your own individual
  ideology
• We group them because certain viewpoints tend to
  naturally go together

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Liberal and Conservative

• Common Liberal Characteristics
• Desire progressive change in society
• Main values Idealism, Equality, Fairness,
  Personal Freedom

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Liberal and Conservative

• Common Liberal Issues
• Pro-choice
• Affirmative Action
• Gun control
• Aid to the poor
• Protecting the environment
• Gay rights

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Liberal and Conservative

• Common Conservative Characteristics
• Desire to keep things as they are, maintain the
  status-quo, change should be cautious and slow
• Main values Realism, Law and Order, Justice,
  Morality, Economic Freedom

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Liberal and Conservative

• Common Conservative Issues
• Anti-abortion
• Allowing prayer in schools
• Cutting taxes
• Cutting regulations on businesses
• Immigration control
• Increased military spending

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Liberal and Conservative

• Often times, people hear what they want to hear
  from facts to support their ideology

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One-Party Systems

• Found in dictatorships where only one party is
  allowed
• Also found in places where one of the major
  parties has no chance of winning

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Party Membership Patterns

• Party membership is voluntary
• Each party must try to attract as much support as
  possible

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Party Membership Patterns

• Some demographic groups are more reliable to each
  party
• Tend to be Democrat Female, African American,
  Hispanic, Catholic, Jewish, Union Member, Lower
  Income, Lower Education, Under 30, Over 60

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Party Membership Patterns

• Some demographic groups are more reliable to each
  party
• Tend to be Republican Male, White, Protestant,
  Work in the Business Community, Higher Income,
  Higher Education, Middle-Aged

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History of the Two-Party System

• Federalists
• Led by Alexander Hamilton
• Represented wealthy and upper-class interests
• Favored strong executive leadership and liberal
  interpretation of the Constitution

• Anti-Federalists
• Led by Thomas Jefferson
• Represented the common man
• Favored Congress as the strongest arm of
  government and a strict interpretation of the
  Constitution

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History of the Two-Party System

• Era of the Democrats (1800-1860)
• Democratic-Republicans had come to dominate
  politics, but then broke into two factions, the
  Democrats and Whigs
• Democrats, led by Andrew Jackson, won all but 2
  of elections against the Whigs

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History of the Two-Party System

• Era of the Republicans (1860-1932)
• Began with election of Abraham Lincoln and the
  Civil War
• Republicans dominated all but 4 elections due to
  support from businesses and African Americans

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History of the Two-Party System

• The Return of the Democrats (1932-1968)
• The Great Depression turned people against the
  Republican Party, especially as FDR led the U.S.
  out of the Depression
• Dwight Eisenhower was the only Republican from
  this period

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• The Start of a New Era The Era of Divided
  Government
• Since 1968, neither Republicans nor Democrats
  have dominated the presidency and Congress has
  often been controlled by the opposing party.

19681976 Republicans hold the presidency
Congress is controlled by Democrats
19761980 Democrats hold the presidency Congress
is controlled by Democrats
19801992 Republicans hold the presidency
Senate controlled by Republicans 1980-1986,
controlled by Democrats from 1986 to 1994
1992 2000 Democrats hold the presidency
Congress controlled by Republicans, 1994 to
present
2000 Republicans hold the presidency Congress is
controlled by Republicans
2009
Democrats hold the presidency Congress is
controlled by Democrats
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Why Minor Parties Are Important

• Minor parties play several important roles
• Spoiler Role
• Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes
  away from major parties candidates.
• Critic
• Minor parties, especially single-issue parties,
  often take stands and draw attention to
  controversial issues that the major parties would
  prefer to ignore.
• Innovator
• Minor parties will draw attention to important
  issues and propose solutions to problems. If
  proposals gain popular support, they are added to
  platforms of the two major parties.

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Minor Parties in the United States
Splinter Party break away from one of the major
parties Example Bull Moose Progressive Party
Economic Protest Parties arise
during periods of poor economy Example The
Greenback Party
Ideological Parties based on a set of
beliefs Example Libertarian Party
Single-issue Parties concentrate on one public
policy matter Example Free Soil Party,
Marijuana, Right to Life, Prohibition
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Minor Parties in the United States