Political Parties
CHAPTER 7
Parties- Here & Abroad
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Definition- a party is a group that seeks
to elect candidates to public office by
supplying them with a label by which
they are known to the electorate.
(AKA- party identification)
Parties are not mentioned in the
Constitution.
Arenas of politics in which
political parties exist:
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1) Label, in the minds of the voters
2) Organization, recruiting and
campaigning for candidates.
3) Set of leaders, organize and try to
control the legislative and executive
branches.
***US parties have become weaker in
all three arenas.
Decentralization of party
power in the United States
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Federalism decentralizes power.
National parties used to be a coalition of local
parties.
Now parties organize at all levels and do not
communicate well.
***ALL politics are LOCAL*****
Candidates are chosen through primaries not
by party leaders.
The Unimportance of Parties
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Americans do not join or pay dues to
parties.
Parties rarely affect one’s daily thoughts
They remain separate from all other
aspects of life.
The Rise and Fall of Parties
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Founding fathers disliked parties,
viewing them as factions (especially
George Washington).
For parties to gain acceptance, people
had to be able to distinguish between
policy disputes and challenges to the
legitimacy of government.
1st Battle
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Jefferson - Jeffersonian Republicans
Hamilton- Federalists
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They were loose associations
(caucuses) of political notables.
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Republicans dominated - Jefferson,
Madison, and Monroe
Problems of Early Parties
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The largest issue was that they did not
represent homogeneous economic
interests.
They were always heterogeneous
coalitions designed to win elections.
From Jackson to War
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Late 1820s- political participation became a
mass phenomenon.
1832- presidential electors chosen by popular
vote in most states
Abandonment of presidential caucuses made
up of congressman soon thereafter.
Beginning of national convention leading to
more local control.
Civil War to 1930s
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A lot of sectionalism due to slavery.
Most states were dominated by one
party
1) factions emerge in each party.
2) Republicans had a factional party
split from the base (also called a splinter
party)- the Progressives.
The Era of Reform
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1930s until today
Progressives pushed to curb the power of the
political parties.
1) Favored primaries, replacing nominating
conventions.
2) Non-partisan elections @ the local level.
3) Strict voter registration requirements to
prevent fraud.
4) Civil service reform to eliminate patronage.
5) Introduction of referendums /initiatives
Effects of the progressive
movement
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1) Eliminated the worst forms of political
corruption.
2) Weakened all political parties- parties
became less able to hold officeholders
accountable or to coordinate across the
branches of government.
Today’s Party Structure
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Parties are very similar on paper.
National convention has ultimate power.
Meets every 4 years to nominate the
presidential candidate.
National committee is composed of delegates
from states; they manage the affairs between
conventions.
Congressional campaign committees support
the party’s congressional candidates.
National Chair manages daily work.
Party Structure
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The structure of the two parties
diverged in the late 1960s/early 70s.
The RNC moved to a bureaucratic
structure; a well-financed party devoted
to electing its candidates especially to
Congress.
Democrats moved to a factionalized
structure and redistributed power.
Party Structure
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RNC used computerized mailing lists to raise
money. Money was used to provide services
for candidates, effectively becoming a
national firm of political consultants.
DNC learned from RNC, but not as
successful.
Both sent $$ to state parties, to sidestep
federal spending limits (soft money).
National Conventions
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National committee sets the time and place
and tells each state its # of delegates and the
rules for their selection.
Dems and Repubs have very different ways
of awarding delegates.
In the 1970s, rule changes increased the
number of women, blacks, youths, and Native
Americans attending the Dem convention.
Delegate Distribution
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Formulas are used by both parties to allocate
their delegates to the national convention.
The Republicans reward those states that
consistently favor their candidates in
presidential and congressional elections.
Democrats reward larger states that
consistently support their candidates.
The result is that republicans give more
delegates to states from the South and
Southwest, whereas the democrats give to
the North and West.
Today’s convention
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Today’s national convention is similar to
a large pep rally for the nominee. It is
used to ratify the choices made by the
voters during the primary season.
The party in power (executive branch)
has their convention after the party
seeking office holds their convention.
Usually a week or two after.
State and Local Parties
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There is no hierarchal structure of
political parties. Each level deals with
its own issues. Ideas are not passed
from national to state to local.
The only thing that floes from one level
to another is money.
The Political Machine
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Definition- a party organization that
recruits members via tangible
incentives.
Prevalent in the US until early 1900s.
It has been curbed by civil service
reform, voter registration, and social
services being taken over by the federal
and state government.
Types of Political Parties
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Ideological- based on an agenda covering
many topics. Very factionalized.
Solidary groups- based on friendships. Not
very hard working.
Sponsored parties- craeted by an
organization. Not very common in US.
Personal following- name recognition, $$,
favorite son (ex. Kennedys (MA), Longs
(LA), Perot (1992, 1996)
The Two-Party System
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Rarity among nations today.
Why does it exist in America?
1) Electoral system- winner-take-all system
and plurality system limit the number of
parties.
2) Opinions of voters- if one is failing we try
the other for a little while
3) State laws make it very difficult for third
parties to get on the ballot.
Minor Parties (3rd parties)
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Ideological parties- comprehensive, radical
views, most enduring
Examples include Communist, Socialist,
Libertarians
One-issue parties- address one concern
Examples: Free Soil, Phohibition
Economic Protest parties- regional
Examples: Greenback, Populist
Factional parties- split from major party
Examples: Bull Moose, Christian Coalition
3rd Parties
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Factional parties probably have the
greatest influence on public policy.
The BIG TWO may pay a heavy price if
it fails to recognize the faction that has
split from its party.
Nominating a President
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Two forces acting together:
1) Party’s desire to win office motivates
it to seek an appealing candidate
2) Party’s desire to acquiesce dissidents
within the party forces a compromise
with more extreme views.
Are the Delegates
Representative of the voter?
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NO!!!!! Democratic delegates are
much more liberal and Republican
delegates are much more conservative
than your rank and file voter.
Yet, people that participate in caucuses
and primaries are similar ideologically to
those who participate in the general
election.
Caucus v. Primary
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A caucus is a much more involved
process than a primary.
Due to this, only the most dedicated
partisans attend.
This leads to some of the most
ideological candidates (more extreme)
winning or doing very well in the
caucus.
Democrats v. Republicans
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Since 1968 Democrats have won more
congressional elections than presidential
elections.
Candidates are out of step with the average
voter on social and tax issues.
Rank and file dems and repubs differ very
little on political issues.
The difficult thing for candidates is appealing
to the average voter, while not losing the
support of the more extreme delegates.