Political Parties
1. Party Political Election Manifesto/Poster Activity
(40 mins)
2. Party Organisation and the Two Party System
(Flash Card Activity)(30 mins)
3. Third Parties (Handout to read) 10 mins
4. Q and A Summary: Similarities and Differences
with the UK Party Political System (10 mins)
5. Timed Essay Planning and Writing (25-30 mins)
Party Political Election Poster
/Leaflet Activity -40 mins
 Firstly, highlight and read: The hand out on The
Republican and Democrat Party. (Make sure you
highlight key idea, values, policies)
 Use the Card, paper and pictures
 Create Party Political Election Posters or Leaflets,
explaining to voters: Your Policies, Ideas, How you
are different to the other party (attack). Why people
should vote for you!
Party Organisation and the Two Party
System (follow and complete the flash
cards) (30 mins)
 US is decentralised –based on federalism
 National Committees: Both Republican &
Democrat, based in DC. The committees
organise national conventions (where national
parties meet and nominate president).
 Have debated powers. In 2008 presidential
nomination process. The DNC decided that only Iowa,
New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina could hold
primaries before 4 Feb 2008. But Florida & Michigan
scheduled theirs for 15/29th January. The DNC finally
decided to only allow delegates to attend with half a vote!
 Congressional Committees:
 Each Party has a series of committees in
Congress –over see policy and campaigning. Can
be powerful: Senator Schumer (NY) was given
credit for Democrats 2008 campaign
 State Level: Confusing array of laws, customs
and power with governors and mayors
 State Party Committees and State Party
Conventions.
 State & local Parties: increasingly dominated
by two kinds of party activist: ’issue activists’
and ‘candidate activists’
The Two Party System
 Often described as parties who regularly win
80% of the popular vote in general elections and
90% of seats in legislature and control the
executive branch
 See table 3.9 (pg 136)
The reasons for a 2 party System?
 First past post electoral system makes life difficult
for third parties (often have widespread support but
only pick up a fraction of the votes in every state)
 Splits vote (3rd candidate) -just lowers percentage
needed for other incumbents
 Ideological Differences: No room for others to
attract support. Major parties are all embracing
 Primary Elections makes major parties more
responsive to the electorate, minimises need for
‘protest votes’.
 Not a two Party System?
 Ralph Nader argues that parties have become so
ideologically indistinct (similar)
 Mark Shields (Washington Post, 1997)
 ‘ As of today, the country has two Republican
parties, separated by the issue of abortion’
 Idea of 50 party System:
 Mark Mardell (BBC, 2009) ‘ Parties are not all
controlling, they are undisciplined, decntralised,
state based parties with no national leader or
national policy programme’ Perhaps only for
presidential campaigns are they united’
 Parties are partly organised at national level, but
organised differently at local level
Third Parties? -10 mins
 Read hand out and highlight on third parties in
US Politics
 (Homework: read up on third party difficulties)
Similarities or different to the
UK Party System?-10 mins
 With the help of your tutor, summarise the
similarities and differences with the UK Party
Political System.
Timed Essay Planning
 The ideological differences between the Democratic and
Republican parties are far greater than the differences
within them.’ Discuss.
 20 mins
 Create your own essay plan and write the essay withint eh
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time framework.
Ensure you allow time for:
Writing a Plan
Writing the essay
Reading back over and edits
Homework for 22/4/13
 Complete the Revision Flash Cards for: Third
Parties and The differences between the
Republicans and the Democrats, party political
funding and theories of party decline
 Read up, make notes on Pressure Groups and
then complete the essay:
In what ways, and to what extent, do pressure
groups exert influence through initiatives and
propositions? 40 min essay