How Do We Choose A Party?

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How Do We Choose A Party?

• Membership - voluntary and generally composed of
  a mixture of the population
• Segments of the population tend to support one
  party or the other (for a period of time)
• Example Unions favored Democrats
• Business favored by Republicans

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Reasons For Choosing a Party

• Family - 2 out of 3 Americans follow
  party allegiance of parents
• Major Events war, depression
• Economic Status
• Place of Residence
• Level of Education
• Work Environment

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The Two-Party System in American History
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The Era of One-Party Domination

• The Era of the Democrats, 18001860
• The Era of the Republicans, 18601932
• The Return of the Democrats, 19321968
• The Start of a New Era - why 1968?
• Since 1968 the Republicans dominated the White
  House, while Democrats controlled Congress

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Minority Parties in the US Ideological Parties

• Based on a specific set of beliefs, including a
  comprehensive view of social, economic, and
  political matters
• Example Libertarian Party
• Receive little votes, but are long-lived

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Single-Issue Parties

• Concentrate on a single public policy matter
• Examples Know Nothings,
• Right-to-Life
• Faded into history as issues disappear

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Economic Protest Parties

• Focus on economic discontent
• Example Greenback and Populist Parties
• TEA Taxed Enough
• Already

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Splinter Parties

• Groups that break off from one of the two major
  parties
• Examples Bull Moose Party and Dixiecrats
  Green Party

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The Key Role of Minority Parties

• Introduced useful ideas in American Politics
• Can play a spoiler role in an election when the
  two major candidates are evenly matched.
• Most important is their roles as critics and
  reformers

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Barriers to Minor Parties

• Constitution no mention of Political Parties
• Winner-takes-all elections
• Petition in all 50 states plus DC to get on
  ballots
• PA need 67,000 signatures
• Rules regarding campaign fund raising -
  advantages to incumbent

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The Organization of Political Parties
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Reality of Political Parties

• Two major parties are highly decentralized
  (internal fighting)
• No real chain of command
• States parties loosely tied to national
• Local parties independent of states

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The Role of the President

• The Presidents party is usually more solidly
  united than the opposing
• The President is the party leader
• The other party has no comparable leader - party
  out of power

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National Party MachineryFour Elements

• 1. National Convention
• Meet to nominate the presidential and vice
  presidential candidate every 4 years
• 2. National Committee
• Handles the partys affairs between conventions

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National Party MachineryFour Elements

• 3. National Chairperson
• Heads up the national committee
• 4. Congressional Campaign Committees
• Job to increase partys congressional seats

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State and Local Party Machinery

• State job is to further the partys interests
  in that state
• Local follow the States electoral map, most
  active a few months before an election

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Three Elements of the Party

• Party Organization
• leaders, activists, and hangers-on who control
  party machinery
• Party in the electorate
• loyalists who vote their candidates
• Party in government
• officeholders at all levels of government

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The Future of the Majority Parties

• Political Parties have been in a state of decline
  since the late 1960s
• Parties are unlikely to disappear as long as they
  continue to perform necessary functions

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Reasons for Decline

• Larger number of voters registering as
  independent
• SPLIT-TICKET VOTING voting for candidates of
  both parties for offices at the same election.

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Reasons (cont)

• Greater internal conflict
• Changes in technology of campaigning.
• Growth of single-issue organizations who side
  with a candidate on a specific issue.

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Questions

• 1. What type of political party formed as the
  result of separating from one of the major
  parties?
• 2. What type of party grows during periods of
  economic discontent?
• 3. Name a key role minor parties play.
• 4. The know nothings are an example of what
  type of minor party.
• 5. What type of minor party usually forms around
  a strong personality?

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• 6. In general, how are the the organization of
  the two major parties in the United States
  characterized?
• 7. When Mitt Romney lost the presidential
  election, why didnt he become the leader of the
  Republican Party?
• 8. What is meant by the party platform?
• 9. What is split-ticket voting?
• 10. Why do some political analysts believe that
  the party system may collapse?