Political Parties
Why are we relegated to a twoparty system?
Parties- Here & Abroad
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Definition- a party is a group that seeks
to elect candidates to public office by
supplying them with a label by which
they are known to the electorate.
(AKA- party identification)
Parties are not mentioned in the
Constitution.
Arenas of politics in which
political parties exist:
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1) Label
2) Organization, recruiting and
campaigning for candidates.
3) Set of leaders, organize and try to
control the legislative and executive
branches. (linkage institution)
What Parties Do for Democracy
•Party Functions
•Organize the Competition
•Unify the Electorate
•Inspire and Inform Voters
•Translate Preferences into Policy
•Provide Loyal Opposition
•Organize Government
•Help Govern
•Act as Watchdogs
•Nominate Candidates
•Ensure Candidate Quality
The Two-Party System
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Rarity among nations today.
Why does it exist in America?
1) Electoral system- winner-take-all system
and plurality system limit the number of
parties.
2) Opinions of voters- if one is failing we try
the other for a little while
3) State laws make it very difficult for third
parties to get on the ballot.
Party Systems
Multiparty
 Coalition government
is necessary
Two party
• Winner-takes-all
system
 Minor parties have an • “Wasted vote”
incentive to persevere
syndrome
discourages minor
 Proportional
parties
representation
• Government tends
 Governments tend
toward stability
toward instability
• Policy change is
incremental
The U.S. is a two-party system; most other
democracies have a multiparty system
Party Systems
Although the United States has many minor parties, only the
two major parties have much of a chance to win elections.
Multiparty systems are almost always found in countries that
have a parliamentary government, in contrast to our
presidential system.
Barriers to Minor-Party Success
• History
• Tradition
• Consensus
The Rise and Fall of Parties
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Founding fathers disliked parties,
viewing them as factions (especially
George Washington).
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Earliest parties were a mix of
heterogeneous coalitions put together to
try to win elections
1st Battle
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Jefferson - Jeffersonian Republicans
Hamilton- Federalists
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They were loose associations
(caucuses) of political notables.
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Republicans dominated - Jefferson,
Madison, and Monroe
The Political Machine
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Definition- a party organization that
recruits members via tangible
incentives.
Prevalent in the US until early 1900s.
It has been curbed by civil service
reform, voter registration, and social
services being taken over by the federal
and state government.
Weakening of Political Parties
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Federalism decentralizes power.
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Parties organized at all levels and do not
communicate well.
***ALL politics are LOCAL*****
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Candidates are chosen through primaries not
by party leaders.
Caucus v. Primary
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A caucus is a much more involved
process than a primary.
Due to this, only the most dedicated
partisans attend.
This leads to some of the most
ideological candidates (more extreme)
winning or doing very well in the
caucus.
Political Platform
• A political
platform is a
document stating
the aims and
principles of a
political party or
candidate.
• According to this
political cartoon
what was Rudy
Guiliani•
s
platform?
Today’s Party Structure
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Parties are very similar on paper.
National convention has ultimate power.
Meets every 4 years to nominate the
presidential candidate.
National committee is composed of delegates
from states; they manage the affairs between
conventions.
National Chair manages daily work.
National Conventions
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National committee sets the time and place
and tells each state its # of delegates and the
rules for their selection.
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Democrats and Republicans have very
different ways of awarding delegates.
Delegate Distribution
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Formulas are used by both parties to allocate
their delegates to the national convention.
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Republicans favor the winner-take-all system
in most states.
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This allows the process to come to a quicker
conclusion.
SUPERDELEGATES!!!!
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The Democratic party prefers to allocate
their delegates via proportional
representation. (15% threshold)
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Democrats also allow elected officials,
party leaders and former officeholders
to pledge their support as
superdelegates.
Are the Delegates
Representative of the voter?
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NO!!!!! Democratic delegates are
much more liberal and Republican
delegates are much more conservative
than your rank and file voter.
Yet, people that participate in caucuses
and primaries are similar ideologically to
those who participate in the general
election.
Today’s convention
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Today’s national convention is similar
to a large pep rally for the nominee. It
is used to ratify the choices made by the
voters during the primary season.
The party in power (executive branch)
has their convention after the party
seeking office holds their convention.
Usually a week or two after.
State and Local Parties
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There is no hierarchal structure of
political parties. Each level deals with
its own issues. Ideas are not passed
from national to state to local.
The only thing that flows from one level
to another is money.
Types of Political Parties
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Ideological- based on an agenda covering
many topics. Very factionalized.
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Sponsored parties- created by an
organization. Not very common in US.
Single Issue Parties
Concentrate on one single issue
Example: Prohibition Party in 1892
. Splinter Parties
One that splits from
one of the major
political parties
Examples: Tea Party
or Bull Moose Party
3rd Parties
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Never gain enough support to win an
election.
Factional (splinter) parties probably
have the greatest influence on public
policy.
The BIG TWO may pay a heavy price if
it fails to recognize the faction that has
split from its party.
Marriage Proposal
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• The two
major parties
are not
necessarily
looking to
absorb the
third parties.
Sometimes
they can hurt
more than
help.
Independent Voters?
http://3rdpartyblogger.com/political-cartoons/political-cartoons-2/
Why might
third parties
be attractive
to voters?
Two major political parties
are:
• Democratic Party
(draw symbol)
• The now-famous
Democratic donkey was first
associated with Democrat
Andrew Jackson's 1828
presidential campaign. His
opponents called him a
jackass (a donkey), and
Jackson decided to use the
image of the strong-willed
animal on his campaign
posters.
• Republican Party
(draw symbol)
• A political cartoonist drew a
donkey clothed in lion's
skin, scaring away all the
animals at the zoo. One of
those animals, the elephant,
was labeled •The
Republican Vote.•That's all
it took for the elephant to
become associated with the
Republican Party.