Quick Survey
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Do you agree or disagree with the
following:
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Parties do more to confuse the issues than to
provide a clear choice on issues.
The best way to vote is to pick a candidate
regardless of party label.
It would be better if we put no party labels on
the ballot at all.
The Definition of Party
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organizations that recruit and sponsor
candidates for public office under the
organization's name.
The aim of parties is to establish control of
government at a particular level.
Functions of Parties
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organized critique of the party in power
a choice of leaders and programs
recruit and nominate electoral candidates
Provide cues to voters
Mobilize voters
Characteristics of the
American Party System
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Federalism  highly fragmented and localism
– parties
most elections are at local level
50 state party organizations governed by state, not
national, laws
National party only during presidential elections
New Deal Coalition- farmers, labor, blacks, and
south?
The Democratic Parties
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Democratic National Committee
Senate Democratic caucus, House Democratic
Caucus
NY Democratic Party
NY Assembly Democratic Caucus
NY Senate Democratic Caucus
Saratoga County Democratic party
Saratoga Springs Democratic party
Nominating Candidates
Primary & General Elections
Primary Election  Intraparty, nomination
General Election  Interparty, election
Democratic
Primary
Republican
Primary
General
Election
Two Party Duopoly
Gore (Democratic)
Bush (Republican)
Nader (Green)
Buchanan (Reform)
Browne (Libertarian)
Phillips (Constitution)
Hagelin (Natural Law)
Harris (Socialist Workers)
Smith (Libertarian)
McReynolds (Socialist)
Moorehead (World Workers)
Brown (Independent)
Lane (Grassroots)
Venson (Independent)
Dodge (Prohibition)
Youngkeit (Independent)
0
10
20
30
40
Percent of Popular Vote
50
How Many Political Parties?
Albania
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Costa Rica
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Japan
Mexico
Netherlands
Panama
Poland
Russia
Spain
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
0
2
4
6
8
Effective Number of Parties, circa 2000
10
Why 2 Parties?
Duverger’s Law:
Plurality Rule  2 Parties
Proportional Representation  Multiple Parties
Why?
1) Psychological Effect
2) Mechanical Effect
2000 Election
Dem 48.3%
Rep 48.0%
Green 2.6%
Reform .4%
Note: FEC, ballot access laws, party funding rules, debate criteria etc. …
2 Party System-Why
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United States
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Electoral system
Winner take all
Ballot access laws/campaign finance system
France- 2 rounds
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First round, all parties participate
Runoff election between 2 top parties
Single Member Simple Plurality
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SMSP System
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Proportional System
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GOP 40% Winner
Dem 35%
Green 25%
40% seats GOP, 35% Dem, 25% Green
SM majority system, runoff elections
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2nd election between GOP and Dem candidate
Societal Consensus
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United States--Less ideological/religious
cleavages
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Separation of church and state
Desirability of capitalism, free markets
France
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Desirability of revolution
Desirability of capitalism
Desirability of religion
Desirability of centralization; Paris v. Regions
Communists v. Socialists
RPR v. Free Republic v. National Front
Third Parties
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Third parties rarely last
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Electoral system- wasted votes
Main parties absorb issues
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Perot and budget deficits
Nader and campaign finance reform?
Evolution of Parties
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Up until 1952, parties dominate American
politics
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Party workers mobilize voters
Dominate citizen’s conceptions of politics
But are weakening in face of progressive
reforms
Demise of Parties
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Civil service reform
Nonpartisan local elections, reliance on
“experts”
The new “intelligent” and “independent”
voter
Changes in technology
Rise of Consultants
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Polling – Al D’Amato
Direct Mail fundraising
TV advertising
Change from politics dominated by parties
to one dominated by technology and
consultants
Capital not labor intensive
Rise of Consultants
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Polling
Direct Mail
fundraising
TV advertising
Capital intensive
Party Identification
- Democratic dominance gives way to Independents
- More split-ticket voting and divided government
Declining Party Identification
Who are the Partisans?
Democrats
• Minorities esp. blacks
• Least and most educated
• Lowest income
• Northeast
• Single and female
• Unionized
• Jewish and nonreligious
• Liberal
Republicans
• White
• Higher incomes
• Married with children
• South
• Male
• Protestant and religious
• Conservative
Emerging Democratic Majority
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economic, demographic, and ideological
changes favor national Democratic
majority