CE 5a & 5B
Functions of political parties & comparing
similarities and differences between
political parties
Essential Question?
•What roles do political parties
play in the American political
process?
Functions of Political Parties
• Recruiting and nominating candidates
–Example: Finding qualified people to
run for office.
• Educating the electorate about campaign issues
–Example: Issue based advertising in the media.
–http://www.livingroomcandidate.
org/commercials/issue/welfare
• Helping candidates win elections
–Example: Canvassing (going door to
door).
• Monitoring actions of officeholders
(acting as a watch dog).
–Example: Keeping a voting record
of how a candidate voted in
Congress.
Essential Understanding
• Political parties play a key role in
government and provide opportunities for
citizens to participate in the political
process.
Comparing the similarities and
differences between parties
Essential Questions?
• How are the two major political parties
similar, and how do they differ?
• How do third parties differ from the two
major parties?
•
Watch the Brainpop video and CNN Explain it! Fill in your
Venn Diagram with as much information as you can!
•
Democrats
•
•
•
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2012/09/04/cnn-explains-democrats.cnn
Republicans
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2012/08/26/cnnexplains-gop.cnn
…but what goes in the middle???
• It often seems that the two major parties have nothing in
common with all the bickering they do, but they are actually
trying to accomplish the same things!
• 1. Organize to win elections
• 2. Influence public policies
• 3. Reflect both liberal and conservative views
• 4. Define themselves in a way that wins majority support by
appealing to the political center
And then there were three…
What is a third party?
-Any party that is not the Republicans or Democrats
What do they do?
-Introduce new ideas and/or press for a particular issue
-Example: The Green Party’s main concern is the environment
Third Parties often revolve around a political personality
-Example: Theodore Roosevelt created the “Bull Moose” party
Sometimes third parties will swing the election
-Example: Teddy Roosevelt left the Republican party and took
votes away from President Taft, allowing Woodrow Wilson to win.
Essential Understandings
• A two-party system characterizes the American
political process.
• Although third parties rarely win elections,
they can play an important role in public
politics.
Where do you stand???
• Watch Brainpop – Political Beliefs
• Take the ideological survey and complete the
handout for homework.
–Make sure to answer all parts of the
homework for full credit!