Lecture – Political Parties
Political Parties Introduction
• What are Political Parties? Political parties are organized groups
that attempt to influence the government by electing their
members to important government offices, thereby controlling
government.
• The Two Party System in the United States. The two party system (a
political system in which only two political parties have a realistic
opportunity to compete effectively for control) has dominated
American politics, although which particular parties were in
competition has changed over time, culminating with today’s
Democrats and Republican parties form in one of two ways:
• 1. Party formation by internal mobilization, which occurs when
conflict breaks out and public officials seek to mobilize popular
support.
• 2. Party formation by external mobilization, occurring when
politicians outside government seek popular support to win
governmental power.
The Electoral System
• In the United States, a candidate wins the election by
gaining a plurality, or more votes than any other
candidate. This is a winner-take-all system because
there is no reward for the party or candidate that
finishes second. Parties aim to be as large as possible,
smoothing over differences among candidates and
voters.
• There is no incentive to form a party that consistently
gets votes but cannot win an election. As a result, two
political parties usually dominate plurality electoral
systems to the disadvantage of smaller third parties,
just as the Democrats and the Republicans dominate
the American political system. No one person or
organization prevents third parties from forming, but
the plurality system itself usually hinders their efforts
to win votes.
Party Systems
• The United States’ political parties compete with one
another over offices, policies, and power, and the history of
each party is linked to that of its major rival. The term
party system to a number of parties competing for power,
the organization of the parties, the balance of power,
between and within coalitions, the parties’ social and
institutional bases, and the issues and policies around
which party competition is organized.
• In 1790, the first party system emerged and pitted the
Federalists against the Jeffersonian Republicans. The
Federalists supported mercantilism tariffs, assumption of
the states’ revolutionary war debts, creation of a national
bank, and resumption of commercial ties with Britain. The
Jeffersonians promoted agrarian interests, free trade, and
friendship with France.
Current Party System:
Democrats vs. Republicans
• The Democrats were a majority party until the 1980s, when it faced
serious problems. The solid southern vote has been lost to the
Republicans, but the party gained African American and women’s
votes. After the 1990s, Congress was mostly under Republican
control. Clinton’s strategy of pursuing a moderate course between
Republicans and Democrats took back both houses of Congress in
2006, they have been more vocal in their opposition to Republican
national domestic policies and have been more united as a party
than in the past.
• In 1994, the Republican Party took control of both congressional
houses for the first time in four decades. However, tension
between the religious right, concerned with opposition to abortion
and support for school prayer, and the traditional “country club
Republicans,” concerned with economic matters, led to conflict.
President George W. Bush sought to end conflict by uniting his party
around such core Republican values as tax cuts, education reform,
military strength, and family values. Public disapproval of the Bush
administration and the war in Iraq led to the Republicans’ to control
of both houses of Congress in 2006.
American Third Parties
• Although the United States is defined as a two party
system, it has always had some third parties (parties
that organize to compete against the two major
American political parties, giving voice to issues
unattended by the major parties).
• Important third parties and independents include the
Populists, the Progressives, and independents such as
Ross Perot (Reform Party), Ralph Nader (Green Party).
• Some third parties have enjoyed an influence far
beyond their electoral size, as did the Progressives,
who were later absorbed by the Democrats. This is
because large parts of these third parties’ programs
were adopted by one or both of the major parties,
which sought to appeal to voters mobilized by the new
party.
Interesting Political Parties
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Prohibition Party
U.S. Marijuana Party
American Beer Drinker’s Party
Being Human Party
Christian Liberty Party
National Socialist Movement
U.S. Pacifist Party
Parties and the Electorate
• Parties are made up of millions of rank and file members.
Individuals develop party identification (an individual voter’s
psychological ties to one party or another) with the party that
reflects their interests. Recently, American partisan ties have
declined; but Americans continue to identify with either the
Democratic Party or the Republican Party.
• Group Affiliations:
• Race and Ethnicity
• Gender
• Religion
• Economic Class
• Political Ideology
• Geographical Region
• Age
Parties and the Electorate
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Race and Ethnicity. Since the 1930s, African Americans have mostly identified with
Democrats. In contrast, Latinos have not formed a monolithic bloc, although in recent
elections the Latino vote has gone more heavily to Democrats. Asian Americans tend to
be divided along class lines.
Gender. Women are somewhat more likely to support Democrats, and men are more
likely to support Republicans. This difference is known as the gender gap, a distinctive
pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men.
Religion. Jews are loyal Democrats. Catholics, once a strong pro Democratic group,
have been shifting to the Republican Party because of moral issue positions on
abortion, among other issues. Protestant fundamentalists are more likely to identify
themselves as Republicans because of the party’s conservative standards on social and
moral issues.
Class. Upper income Americans identify more with the Republican Party; lower income
Americans are more likely to identify with Democrats. The divide reflects the parties’
differences on economic issues. In the 1970s, many white working class voters started
voting Republican.
Ideology. Conservatives tend to identify with Republicans, whereas liberals support
Democrats. This division has increased in recent years as the two parties have taken
very different positions on social and economic issues.
Region. Support for Democrats is clustered on the east and west coasts and the upper
Midwest. Republicans enjoy support in the Mountain West, the Southwest, and the
South.
Age. The Democratic Party has drawn more support in recent years as compared to the
Republican Party. However, the gap between Democratic and Republican affiliation is
the biggest among younger voters (i.e., those born after 1977).
Party Organization
• Party Organization is the formal structure of a
political party, including its leadership,
election committees, active members, and
paid staff.
• National Conventions
• National Committee
• Congressional Campaign Committee
• State and Local Party Organizations
Parties and Elections
• Parties’ important electoral roles include
providing candidates for office, getting out the
vote, and facilitating mass electoral choice.
• Recruiting Candidates
• Nominations
• Getting Out the Vote
• Facilitating Voter Choice