Chapter 5
Political Parties
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ltf3QQ7-A
What Is a Party?
• A political party is a group of persons who
seek to control government by winning
elections and holding office.
• The two major parties in American politics are
the Republican and Democratic parties.
• Parties can be principle-oriented, issueoriented, or election-oriented.
•
Major parties are election-oriented.
•
Minor Parties are principle and issue oriented
Major Functions of Political Parties
1. Nominate Candidates—Recruit, choose, and present candidates for
public office.
2. Inform and Activate Supporters—Campaign, define issues, and
criticize other candidates.
3. Act as a Bonding Agent—Guarantee that their candidate is worthy of
the office.
4. Govern—Members of government act according to their
partisanship, or firm allegiance to a party.
5. Act as a Watchdog—Parties 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.
Why a Two-Party System?
► The
Historical Basis. The nation started out
with two-parties: the Federalists and the AntiFederalists. First election w/ pp was 1796.
► The
Force of Tradition. America has a
two-party system because it always has
had one.
► The
Electoral System. Certain features are
designed to favor two major parties.
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.
American Politicians on the
Spectrum
►
Here is how one website places important American
political figures on the spectrum.
You can take the quiz at
http://www.madrabbit.net/webrabbit/quizshow.html
Party Membership Patterns
Factors that can influence party membership:
Family
Religion
Economic Status
Occupation
Major Events
Age
Minor Parties in the United States
Minor Parties
Ideological
Parties
Single-Issue
Party
Ex: Libertarian
Party
Ex: Free Soil
Party
Economic
Protest Parties
Ex: Greenback
Party
Splinter Party
Ex:
Bull Moose
Party
Minor Parties in the United States
Minor Parties
► Minor
party- one of many political parties
without wide voter support
 Largest in US
 Libertarian Party - Libertarianism, laissez-faire, pro-civil rights, anti-war
 Green Party of the United States - Green politics, eco-socialism,
progressivism
 Constitution Party - Social conservatism, religious right, paleo conservatism
Ideological Parties
► Based
on a particular set of beliefs
surrounding a social, economic, or
political matter. Socialistic in nature
►Ex: Socialist Party, Communist Party
►Ex: Libertarian party
►do
away with present government
functions/programs
Single Issue Parties
► Focus
on one public policy matter
►Ex: Right to Life Party-against abortion
► Short
lived-fail to attract supporters or
major parties adopt their issue
Economic protest parties
► Disenfranchised
with the major parties:
►demand better times
►focus on economic powers such as
industrialists, foreign markets, Wall Street
►Ex: Populist Party
► Die
out when economy gets better
Splinter parties
► Break
away from a major party
► Form around a strong personality,
often the person who did not get a
major party nomination
► Die when the person rejoins major
party or gets out of politics
►Ex: Teddy Roosevelt “Bull Moose” Party
Why Minor Parties Are Important
►
►
“Spoiler Role”
Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes
away from one of the major parties’ candidates
(allows other candidate to get voted in)
Critic and Innovator
Minor parties often take stands on and draw
attention to controversial issues that the major
parties would prefer to ignore. (makes them
take a stand)
The Three Components of the
Party
Party
Components
The Party
Organization:
The Party in the
Electorate
The Party in
Government
Those who run and
control the party
machinery.
Those who always or
almost always vote
for party candidates.
Those who hold
office in the
government.
The Future of Major Parties
► Weakened
connections to political
parties:
For voters :
► More people are unwilling to label
themselves as “Democrats” or “Republicans”
► Split-ticket voting—voting for candidates of
different parties for different offices at the
same election
The Future of Major Parties
For candidates:
► increased
conflict and disorganization within
parties
► Changes in the technology of campaigning
have made candidates more independent of
the party organization