Political Parties and
Ideology
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
doesn’t
Major Parties
 There
are two major parties in
the U.S. Can you name them?
What is Ideology?
Ideology is basically the way you look at how
the world works
 Ideologies tend to be grouped in the U.S. into 3
main categories

Liberal
Moderate
Conservative
What is Ideology?

There are other “fringe” ideologies present as
well (not as common)
–
–
–
–
Socialist (far left)
Marxist (far far left)
Libertarian (far right)
Religious fundamentalist (far far right)
Liberal
Moderate
Conservative
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
Liberal and Conservative
 Common
Liberal Characteristics
–Desire progressive change in
society
–Main values: Idealism, Equality,
Fairness, Personal Freedom
–Examples: ACLU, Sierra Club,
NAACP, NOW, labor unions, Dems.
Liberal and Conservative
 Common
Liberal Issue Stances
– Pro-choice
– Affirmative Action
– Gun control
– Progressive taxes (higher on rich)
– Aid to the poor
– Equal access to health care
– Protecting the environment
– Equal gay rights
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
– Examples: Christian Coalition, NRA,
Americans for Tax Reform, Republicans
Liberal and Conservative

Common Conservative Issue Stances
– Anti-abortion
– Belief in private sector efficiency over the
government
– Free gun ownership rights
– Cutting taxes, less progressive taxation
– Cutting regulations on businesses
– Immigration control
– Increased military spending
– Support traditional marriage
What Do Parties Do?
 Nominate
Candidates
 Inform and Activate Supporters
 The “Bonding Agent” Function –
making sure that officeholders do
a good job once they are elected
 Govern
 Act as a Watchdog – criticizes the
opposing party
The Two-Party System
 Why
do we have a two party system?
–1. Historical Basis – division
between Federalists and AntiFederalists
–2. Tradition – it has always been
that way, so it naturally selfperpetuates
The Two-Party System
 3.
The American Ideological
Consensus – for the most part,
we pretty much agree on all of
the major stuff
–People should own property
–We should have equality
–People have the right to vote
The Two-Party System
4.
The Electoral System – the
U.S. uses single-member
districts… that means only one
person wins representation
from each district
Multiparty Systems
 Several
major parties, many
lesser parties all compete for and
win public office
 Mostly in Europe and Latin
American Democracies
 Many parties must form a
coalition, or a group of parties
that form a majority
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
Party Membership Patterns
 Party
membership is
voluntary
 Each party must
try to attract as
much support as
possible
Party Membership Patterns
 Some
demographic groups are
more reliable to each party, though
 Tend to be Democrat – Female,
African American, Hispanic,
Catholic, Jewish, Union Member,
Lower Income, Lower Education,
Under 30, Over 60
Party Membership Patterns
 Some
demographic groups are
more reliable to each party, though
 Tend to be Republican – Male,
White, Protestant, Work in the
Business Community, Higher
Income, Higher Education, MiddleAged
History of the Two-Party System
 The
First Two Parties
– Federalists
Founded by Alexander Hamilton
Believed in forming a strong
national government, supported
policies that favored business
History of the Two-Party System
 The
First Two Parties
– Democratic-Republicans
Founded by Thomas Jefferson
Believed in limiting the federal
government’s power, and
supported policies that
benefited the “common man”
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 most of the time
over the Whigs
History of the Two-Party System
 Era
of the Republicans (1860-1932)
– Began with election of Abraham
Lincoln and the Civil War
– Republicans dominated elections
due to support from businesses
and African Americans
– Democrats only won in the South
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
History of the Two-Party System
 Divided
Government (1968-Present)
– Nixon’s Watergate scandal has
led people to distrust government
– Characterized by different parties
controlling Congress and the
Presidency
– Country is evenly divided
(remember the 2000 election?)
Minor Parties
 Why
run for
election when you
know you will lose?
– Act as the
“spoiler” (Perot in
1992, Nader in
2000)
Minor Parties
 Why
run for
election when you
know you will lose?
– Make your issues
public, get the
major parties to
adopt them
Minor Parties
 Why
run for
election when you
know you will lose?
– Criticize the
major parties
(That’s basically
all Nader does)
Types of Minor Parties
 Ideological
Parties – based on a
set of beliefs
– Tend to be long lasting
– Have very little electoral success
– Examples: Communist, Socialist,
Libertarian
Types of Minor Parties
 Single-Issue
Parties – concentrate
on one public policy matter
– Name usually reflects their issue
– Party dies after the issue fades
or one of the major parties
adopts their issue
– Examples: Marijuana, Right to
Life, Prohibition
Types of Minor Parties
 Economic
Protest Parties – arise during
periods of poor economy, and express
disgust
– Usually sectional, drawing support
from one region of the country
– They invent an “enemy” of the
economy and blame them
– Examples: America First, Populist
Types of Minor Parties
 Splinter
Parties – break away from one of
the major parties
– Usually form around a strong
personality
– Typically have short-term electoral
success
– Fade away when the leader steps aside
– Examples: Bull Moose, American
Independent, Reform
Chapter 7:
Elections
Nominations – the First Step
 Before
the election can take place,
candidates must be nominated
– This applies in ALL elections, not just
presidential!
 Nomination
– the naming of
candidates who will seek office
 After candidates are nominated, the
general election is held
How Does a Candidate get
Nominated?
 4 Ways:
– Self Announcement
– Convention
– Caucus
– Primary
**To become a major party
nominee for president, all 4 will
be used**
Self-Announcement
 The
candidate
simply makes an
announcement of
his/her intention
to seek public
office (could have
a friend do it, too)
Ralph Nader,
Independent
candidate
Self-Announcement
 Usually
an
independent
candidate or
someone who
failed to win a
major party
nomination
Ralph Nader,
Independent
candidate
Self-Announcement
 To
get your name
on the ballot
generally requires
a number of
signatures on a
petition (specifics
are set by each
state)
Ralph Nader,
Independent
candidate
Convention
 Public
meeting of party activists
to energize voters and choose a
party candidate
Convention

Used to be the method for major parties
to choose, but the conventions became
corrupt
– Major parties still use them, but only to make
the presidential nomination “official”
Convention
 Now
only used by minor parties
(like the Libertarian Party shown
below)
Caucus
 1800s
- originally a private
meeting of party leaders – no
records kept or journalists allowed
 The appearance of corruption led
to reforms
Caucus
 Now
- a public meeting of any
party members who wish to
participate and debate
Primary
A
public election held within a
political party to choose the party’s
nominee for office
– Open Primary – any eligible voters may
vote
– Closed Primary – only registered party
members may vote in their party’s
primary
 Most
common method in states today