Political Parties
“Linkage Institution”
• Political Party
– A “team of men [and women] seeking to
control the governing apparatus by gaining
office in a duly constituted election.”
– In English,
What is the Main Goal or
Function of a Political Party?
• WIN ELECTIONS
Function of Parties
1. Connecting citizens to government
(linkage institution)
2. Run candidates for political office
3. Inform the public – help voters decide
who to vote for in elections and what
proposed policies or legislation will do or
not do.
4. Organizing government – coordinate
government policy-making
• 3 parts of a political party
–Party in the electorate
–Party as an organization
–Party in government
Party in the Electorate
• Party Image
– The voter’s perception of what the
Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as
conservatism or liberalism.
• Party Identification
– A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one
party or the other.
Party in the Electorate
– Party identification is the most important factor
in explaining the political behavior of voters.
– People who do not identify with a party are
political independents, are the crucial swing
voters who can go either way, are more likely
to split their tickets, and are more likely to be
young people.
Party Organizations
• Local Parties
– Party Machines – Political party organization
that relies heavily on material inducements to
win votes and to govern.
– Patronage – A job, promotion or contract
given for political reasons rather than merit;
used by party machines.
Party Organizations
• “Grass Roots” – parties can also reach the
voters personally and “get-out-the-vote” on
a local level
Party Organizations
– Political party organizations are decentralized
and fragmented.
– National party can rarely tell state parties
what to do.
– State party organizations have a good deal of
discretion as to how to choose their nominees
for state and local offices.
Party as an Organization
• The 50 State Party Systems
– Closed primaries – People who have
registered with the party can vote for party’s
candidates.
– Open primaries – Voters decide on Election
Day to vote in the Democrat or Republican
primary.
– Blanket primaries – A list of candidates from
all parties.
Party as an Organization
• National Party Organizations
– National Convention – Meeting of party
delegates every four years to choose a
presidential ticket and the party’s platform.
– National Committee – Keep party operating
between conventions.
– National Chairperson – Day-to-day activities
of the party.
– Congressional Campaign Committee –
supports party’s candidates
Party in Government
• Party in Government
– Elected officials who call themselves
members of the party.
• Coalition
– Individuals and groups that support the
political party.
• Promises and Policies
– Parties translate their platform promises into
public policy.
Party in Government
– Political parties affect policy through their
platforms.
– Despite much cynicism about party platforms,
they serve as important roadmaps for elected
officials once they come into office.
– More promises are generally kept than
broken.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• Party Eras
– Periods in which a majority of votes cling to
party in power.
• Critical Election
– Electoral “earthquake” where new issues and
new coalitions emerge
• Party Realignment
– Displacement of majority party by the minority
party, usually during a critical election.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1796–1824: The First Party System
– Federalist Party was the first political party
and capitalists supported the Federalists.
– Democratic-Republican Party derived its
coalition from agrarian interests and
dominated the era after the 1800 election.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1828–1856: Jackson and the Democrats
Versus the Whigs
– Democrats coalition included Westerners,
Southerners, new immigrants, and settled
America.
– Whigs coalition included Northern
industrialists and Southern planters.
– Democrats dominated this era.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1860–1928: The Two Republican Eras
– The main issue of the election of 1860 was
slavery.
– The main issue of the election of 1896 was
the economy.
– Republicans dominated both party eras by
forming new coalitions and winning both
elections.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1932–1964: New Deal Coalition
– A coalition forged by the Democrats, who
dominated American politics from the 1930s
to the 1960s.
– Its basic elements were the urban working
class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the
poor, Southerners, African Americans, and
intellectuals.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1968–Present: Southern Realignment
and the Era of Divided Party
Government
– 1987 Southern delegates – 77 of 116 House
seats, and 6 of 22 Senate seats were from
GOP.
– 2009 Southern delegates – 70 of 131 House
seats, and 15 of 22 Senate seats were from
GOP.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1968–Present: Southern Realignment
and the Era of Divided Party
Government
– Divided government – When one party
controls the White House and the other party
controls one or both houses of Congress.
– Both houses of Congress and the presidency
have been controlled by the same party for
just 14 of the 44 years from 1969 to 2012.
Party Eras in U.S. History
• 1968–Present: Southern Realignment
and the Era of Divided Party
Government
– Party dealignment – The gradual
disengagement of people from the parties, as
seen in part by shrinking party identification.
Why 2 parties?
• Winner-take-all system makes it almost
impossible for minor parties to win
• Single Member Districts - winner receives a
seat while loser receives nothing
• Democrats and Republicans are automatically
on ballots, minor parties must get signatures on
a petition in each state
Why 2 parties?
An alternative plan…
Proportional Representation – The percentage
of votes cast is directly applied to determine the
percentage of representatives each and every
party would have in the legislature.
“Third” Parties
• Third Parties
– Electoral contenders other than the two major
parties.
• Three Basic Varieties
– Promote certain causes, usually a single issue.
– Splinter parties based on ideology.
• Libertarian, Socialist
– Extension of popular, charismatic individual
with presidential aspirations.
• Teddy Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party 1912
• George Wallace’s American Independent Party 1968
“Third” Parties
• Third Parties Are Important
– Bring new groups into the electorate.
– Serve as “safety valves” for popular discontent.
– Put many social reforms on the political agenda.
– Bring new issues to the campaign ignored by the
major parties.
– Major parties often adopt these issues in an
attempt to gain votes.
– Minor parties often act as “spoilers” by drawing
off votes from the major parties.
Party Identification
• Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs
Model
– Rational-choice theory – People act in their
own best interest, weighing the costs and
benefits of possible alternatives.
– Downs Model – (1) Voters want policies they
favor adopted by government, and (2) parties
want to win elected office.
– Parties need to differentiate themselves to
provide choices and create party loyalty.
Party Identification
• De-alignment – weak membership, more
“independents” or moderates – popular
trend in the last 50 years
• Straight ticket voting – strong party
membership, support all candidates for
one party
• Ticket splitting – voting for candidates from
multiple parties
How Should We Govern?
• Responsible party model – A view about
how parties should work.
– Party should offer clear choices to the voters,
who can then use those choices as cues to
their own preferences of candidates.
– Party in government should carry out their
campaign promises.
How Should We Govern?
• Blue Dog Democrats – Fiscally conservative
Democrats who are mostly from the South and
rural parts of the United States, and are resistant
to any domestic policy proposals that would
enlarge the scope of government.