Political Parties – Three Key
Terms
De-alignment
Abandonment of citizens from identifying with the two
political parties.
●
Critical election
An electoral “earthquake” in which the election results
produce surprising change.
●
Realignment
Change in the political party that occurs after a “critical
election”. Change includes platform, demographic support,
& change in majority. Change is national as well as local
and has permanence.
●
The issues
Democrats
Republicans
●
Liberal
●Pro spending on social programs
●Pro choice
●Gay rights
●Secular
●Relax immigration rules
●Gun control
●Affirmative Action
●Campaign regulations
●Anti death penalty
●Federal government power
●Proactive on environment
●
Conservative
●Pro spending on military
●Pro life
●Pro traditional marriage
●Allow religion in public life
●Border control
●Second Amendment rights
●Individualism
●Economic freedom on campaigns
●Pro Death Penalty
●State government power
●Environmental regs hurt businesses
Embrace change
●
EmbraceTradition
Voting Coalitions of the Two
Parties:
Democrats
Young (18-21)
●Women
●African American
●Jewish
●North Eastern &
Western Regions
●Urban
●Union
●
Republicans
Upper Income
●Protestant/church
going
●Military families
●South
●Midwest
●Rural
●
Dealignment
Party Realignments
●
Why are these a big deal?
1.1800 Federalists and Anti Federalists
2.1828 Jacksonian Democrats vs. Whigs
3.1860 Two Republican Eras
4.1932 The New Deal Coalition
Today – the era of “Divided Government”
Political Party Organizations
Decentralized why?
National Party Committee
- In charge of National Convention
State Party Committee
- In charge of holding primaries/
caucuses and sending delegates to the
National Convention
The two party system (Unit III)
Obstacles to Third Parties (Unit III)
●
What is a “third party”?
●
Cite examples of third parties
●
Identify and describe major challenges to
third party success in the United States
today
•
•
•
Ballot access
Debate access
Proportional access
Role of the Party in Presidential
Elections
●
Define: plurality election
●
Define: majority election
●
Define: winner take all election
●
Define primary, caucus, convention. What are
some of the different types of primaries?
What does it mean to have a
“big tent” party?
Obama attempts to build a big tent:
●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LweI9U6ePPU
Glenn Beck Criticizes the big tent:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/20/glennbeck-cpac-2010-spee_n_470356.html
Blue Dog Democrat (Democrats who are conservative on social issues)
●RINO (Republican In Name Only)
●Tea Party
●
Impact of Tea Party on
Recent Republican Primaries
Tea-party backed Republicans have beaten
“RINO” Republicans in Primaries, sometimes
to lose in the General Election.
●Example: Christine O’Donnell who ran for US
Senate in Delaware, won in Republican
primary against Mike Castle (RINO) but lost in
general election to Democrat Chris Coons.
●
Was the election of 1994 a
realignment?
(1) President Clinton began his presidency with a
Democratic controlled Congress. Democrats had
controlled Congress for 40 years.
Was the election of 1994 a
realignment?
(2) In 1994 the mid-term election Republicans took
control of Congress, with Newt Gingrich as the
Republican Speaker of the House, promising to
implement a “Contract with America” or a series of
conservative policies.
Nominating
Presidential
Candidates
-More democracy now or less?
CHANGES IN PROCESS
Then: PARTY LEADERS CHOSE
NOMINEES
Now:CITIZENS VOTE AT THE STATE
LEVEL TO CHOOSE NOMINEES
Presidential NominationsReview
Voters
Delegates
nominee
PARTIES HOLD NOMINATING
ELECTIONS IN EACH STATE
●
PRIMARY
●
●
closed
Open
●
CAUCUS
IOWA HAS FIRST CAUCUS
Howard Dean after losing Iowa:
●
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5FzCeV0ZFc
●
●
●
●
NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS FIRST PRIMARY
SUPER TUESDAY
Primaries/Caucuses an
overview of the vote count
●
●
●
●
THE NATIONAL PARTY GIVES A CERTAIN
NUMBER OF DELEGATE VOTES TO
EACH STATE (similar to electors being
allowed to represent each state)
THE STATE COUNTS THE VOTE AND
SENDS DELEGATES TO THE NATIONAL
CONVENTION BY ONE OF TWO
FORMULAS:
WINNER TAKE ALL (Republicans)
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
(Democrats)
Checking for understanding…
State of Oceana has 100 delegates to
both conventions
10% of vote goes to candidate A
40% of vote goes to candidate B
50% of votes goes to candidate C
How many delegates to the Democratic
national convention does A,B, and C receive?
●How many delegates to the Republican
national convention does A,B, and C receive?
●
And sometimes not !
●
During the 2008 Democratic Primaries,
Florida and Michigan were stripped of their
delegates by the national party!
THE NATIONAL
CONVENTIONS
http://www.demconvention.com/;
http://www.gopconvention2012.com/
●
●
●
●
●
ONCE A TIME OF SUSPENSE, NOW
JUST A BIG POLITICAL STAGE SHOW
DELEGATE VOTES COUNTED,
NOMINEE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED
RUNNING MATE ANNOUNCED
SPEECHES AND RATIFICATION OF
PARTY PLATFORM
A BIG POLITICAL PEP RALLY
1968 Democratic Convention –
Chicago – A Turning Point
●
●
●
George McGovern initiated changes to the rules to
prevent another convention disaster
Quota for female and minority delegates was
established
proportional representation was mandated and a
McGovern Reforms - Democrats
con’t
●
●
●
Due to the great debate within
Democratic party about changes
Compromise was made –
SUPERDELEGATES
How important are superdelegates
In 2008 the Superdelegate vote
made a difference for the
Democrats!
Observations:
1. What is the difference between
Democrats and Republicans in
how they nominate candidates?
2. Is there more democracy or
less now and what are your
arguments?
3. How has the movement to
primaries since the 60s altered
our presidental race?