Parties and Groups

1
Parties and Groups

• Congress and Parties
• Political Science 420
• Mark Stephan

2
Last class, this one

• Voters and Parties
• Finishing up on voters and parties
• Congress and Parties organization, influence,
  voting behavior of members of Congress

3
Voters and Participation

• The broad argument
• Who tends to participate?
• What are the most critical factors?
• Role of partisanship
• Why the declining rates in the early 20th
  century?
• Why the declining rates in recent decades?

4
Broad comments

• Control over Congress in the last fifty years
• Watershed year for Republicans?
• Can party leaders in the Congress control their
  members?
• Does party affiliation influence the voting
  behavior of members?
• Fragmentation and Unity

5
Party Organization

• Party Caucus
• Speaker of the House
• Floor Leaders
• Whips
• Informal groups and caucuses

6
NewsFlash!!!!!!

• Who runs the House of Representatives?
• Who got the poison ricin sent to them and why?

7
Party Affiliation

• Affects voting by members?
• Biparty Coalitions
• Figures 5-3 and 5-4
• period effects

8
The President and Congress

• Power over the Congress
• Party connection between President and Congress
• Institutions and affiliations

9
Critical Quote

• Page 158
• In substantial measure, party provides a frame
  of reference, an ideological underpinning, a
  rallying symbol, a structure for voting, and a
  language for testing and discussing ideas and
  policies.

10
Party in Congress

• Fragmentation and Unity
• Do parties influence policy decisions?
• Party mavericks versus opposition party loyalists
  which would you prefer?
• Fragmentation of power?
• Parties do work..amazingly..
• Keefes phrase..

11
Preview of Next Class

• Responsible Party Government
• Reforming the Party System?