ORGANIZING POLITICAL ACTION
Political Parties
What is a Liberal?
Word has different meanings in the US versus Europe
Europe uses historical meaning
Limited government, laissez faire economics
Which is closer to conservative in the US
US Liberals also sometimes refer to themselves as progressives
Liberals:
Willing to use the power of government to:
promote social welfare:
Support, but regulate, capitalism and markets
Prefer restricting government power:
favor individual liberty over security / police power
Favor negotiation over use of force
Conservatives
Keep government as small as possible
Prefer state over federal power
Market decisions nearly always better than government decisions
Current distribution of power and wealth good
Willing to use government power to regulate moral behavior and stability
E.g., restrict abortion, easier police searches
Support strong defense establishment
Party Issues
On Average
Republicans support moderate to conservative policies
Democrats support moderate to liberal policies
Variations: Liberal
Mostly extreme vs. moderate liberalism
Moderate, more willing to compromise
Socialism – different from liberalism
Emphasizes government ownership of major means of production and services
Greater emphasis on lowering income disparities
Like capitalism, socialism is an economic system
Not a government system
Dictatorships Cuba and North Korea are socialist
So are democracies Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, etc.
Socialism-capitalism are matters of degree
Variations: Conservative
Fiscal / Traditional Conservative
Small government, low taxes, little regulation
Not as concerned about social issues
Foreign affairs-national interest only
NeoCon
Use power of government to restore values to US Society
Believe in nation-building
Military and economic power to eliminate dictatorships and build
democracy
Social Conservative
Religious, mostly Christian
Pro-life, anti-gay,
Pro school prayer, anti-evolution teaching
Very patriotic, and willing to limit criticisms of US (broad definition of
unpatriotic)
May also be Populist
Social conservatism PLUS social welfare
Tea Party
Libertarian
Limited Government in all areas, individual and economic
Low taxes, no government regulation of any kind
Environment, energy, wages, monopolies, eliminated social security and
Medicare
Maximum individual freedom
No regulation of speech, media, etc.
No government involvement in sexual orientation, abortion, etc.
Green Party
Strong social welfare agenda
On most issues, more liberal than Democrats
Homeless protection, universal health care, civil liberties, regulation of
business
Dominant emphasis on environment
Ecological Sustainability
Greenhouse gases, waste management, land use, water, agriculture,
biodiversity (endangered species)
POLITICAL PARTIES: What are they?
Competing Views
A Vehicle to win elections
Versus
Winning is only important if winners are ideologically pure
A Vehicle to Win Elections
Broad based, multi-group, “Big Tent”
Seek to influence policy by electing individuals to office
To win elections, adopt policies that appeal to middle of the road voter.
Versus valuing ideological purity,
Small versus Big Tent
(RINO, Republican In Name Only)
Party Functions / Roles
What do they do?
Recruit candidates
“Electioneering”
Mobilize support
Communication link with voters
Present voters with clearer choices
Provide a base of party “talent”
Provide a “Loyal Opposition”
Policy formulation and promotion
VERSUS: Interest Groups
single group focusing on one category of policies only and
Seek to persuade officeholders of either party to support their interests
Operate both during and between elections
THREE Meanings / Parts of Parties
Party as an organization
Party in the electorate / electorate party
Party in government / government party
Party Organization
Precinct / Ward
City or County Committees
Congressional District Committees (sometimes)
State Committees (& sometimes conventions)
National Committee
National Presidential Nominating Conventions
Between elections: publicity, fundraising, organizational development, candidate
training
National Committee and Chairperson
The national chairperson
Often selected by president or newly nominated presidential candidate
Chief fundraiser and spokesperson
The national committee
Coordinates national convention and presidential campaign
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
Republican National Committee (RNC)
Both Parties are a collection of 50 state parties
Each State has a different average ideology
Party in Government
Those elected to office as members of a party
Party members work together
share ideas in common
voters see members as sharing the strengths & weaknesses of their party.
Organize legislature
Party legislative caucus
Select leaders & committee appointments
Identify “party issues”
Organize legislature
Legislative voting
Party positions taken on about 35-50% of bills
When there is a party position, members vote with party about 90% of time
On 50%+ of bills with no party position members divide geographically, urbanrural, or on some other basis
Three Parts to Each Party
Party Organization
Party in Electorate
Everyday folks who cast their votes fairly regularly for one of the parties.
People who think of themselves as members of a party
Respond when asked with a party name
The core voters candidates can rely up for voting support
Party in Electorate
Party membership is psychological
No dues, membership forms, or any other requirements
Stems from socialization
Creates a receptiveness to party leaders and policies, BUT
Is NOT necessarily policy based
Party preferences DO NOT bind individual in any way
Party Functions / Roles
What do they do?
Present voters with clearer choices
Presidential Elections:
The Presidential Nomination Phase
8 Democrats Run for President in 2008
Four drop out and four are left:
Then just two.
Finally the Democratic Nominee for President is:
January 2012: Republicans begin with many wanting to be the party nominee.
February: some drop out after doing poorly in state caucuses or primary elections.
March: Down to only four left.
Then just two.
Romney wins the Republican Party’s nomination for president
Result: One Republican versus One Democrat in the general election.
Candidate Selection
How do parties determine who their candidates will be for:
President
Senator
Governor
U.S. House
State Legislatures
Etc.
Party Selection History
Originally, King Caucus – party leaders
Original Conventions
Contemporary Conventions and Caucuses
Primary Elections
Types of Primaries
Closed
Only registered party members can vote
Declare party preference when registering to vote
Open
Any registered voter may vote in either party’s primary
Run-Off
If a majority is required to win and no candidate gets it (normally only in the
South)
A run-off between the top two candidates
Two Party System
Since George Washington, ours has been a system of two major political parties.
NOT by law, but by practice
Two parties are consistently the most likely to win office.
Minor (third) parties exist, but not very successful
Parties are NOT mentioned in the Constitution
Parties are a natural outcome of human differences.
People with similar views group together
Concerned individuals try to make good policy as they see “good.”
The Arrival of Parties in America (1790s to 1828)
Federalists
Alexander Hamilton
the future of the nation lay in the cities
strong manufacturing sector.
A strong central government is key to growth.
Jeffersonians, Democratic-Republicans
America’s hope lay in small, agriculturally-based communities.
Distrusted a strong national government
Parties can be thought of as a collection of groups
Not all groups are politically relevant
Coin collectors, mustang owners
But many affect our participation levels
Education, income, age
And many affect our political values / policy preferences
Income level, professions, religion
Group Affiliations
Geographic Region
South still has Democratic Party affinity at local election level.
Gender
Gender gap
Race and Ethnicity
African Americans
Hispanics
Age
Very young and very old more Democratic
Social and Economic Factors
Republicans have higher SES (occupation, income, and education) supporters.
Religion
Protestants favor Republicans; Catholics and Jews are predominantly Democratic.
Marital Status
Married people lean more towards Republicans
Traditional Party Realignment
A long term shift in party groups/coalitions
Critical Election, where some major issue or shock redistributes party groups
1860, Slavery
1932, Great Depression
1960s, Civil Rights Movement
Maintaining Elections in between
Groups stay with new party alignment
Secular Realignment
Gradual rearrangement of coalitions
Due to slow demographic trends
Immigration, aging, etc.
Not major shocks to the system
Versus Dealignment?
Voters moving away from ALL political parties – major and minor.
Participate in political process but as independents
OR
Do not participate at all
1960s – 1980s: Turmoil, Dealignment, Reagan Realignment
1960s Lyndon Johnson’s (Democrat) support for civil rights drove southerners to
Republican party
Vietnam War turned off voters and liberal activists
1970s Richard Nixon lures Southerners to vote Republican
1980s Reagan conservative coalition
Why Minor / Third Parties?
And Why NOT Minor / Third parties?
Parties are collections of groups with SOME interests in common
Some, not all
Sometimes to satisfy one group, another leaves the party
Sometimes new groups appear
Or existing groups change
Why a Two-Party System?
Why not long-standing third parties?
Mostly our electoral structure
To survive, parties need to win elections
If cannot win, supporters feel votes are “wasted”
Current structure favors the two major parties
Electoral Structure
Nearly all legislators in this country
National House of Representatives
State Upper and Lower Houses
Most City Councils and School Districts
Etc.
Are elected by SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS
Using a WINNER-TAKE-ALL System
Single-Member-District
A geographical area that elects one member of a legislative body
A city council
A state legislature
U.S. House
Versus multi-member District
Geographical area electing 2+ members of a legislative body
E.g. Entire city votes on all members of city council
Winner-Take-All
Only one winner in a single member district
Loser gets nothing
To win election, a minor party must have a majority in a district
10% support across entire country is about 15-20 million supporters
10% support in a district means you lose
Alternative?
Proportional Representation (PR)
Used in many European, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries with Parliamentary
systems
PR Goal
If a party is supported by 15% of voters
It should have 15% of seats in legislature
Two PR System Examples:
List System
Transferable Voting
PR Gives minor parties a chance to grow