AP Government Chapter 8
Political Parties
Different types of political systems:
One Party- most
common
Two-Party: America
Multi Party: Many
European countries
The Two-Party System….
?
Libertarian Party
Opposes international dealings
Opposes government taxes
Opposes government intrusion into private lives
Green Party
Not just an environmental singleissue group anymore…
The Constitution Party
The mission of the Constitution Party is to
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity through the election, at all
levels of government, of Constitution Party
candidates who will uphold the principles of
the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution of the United States. It is our
goal to limit the federal government to its
delegated, enumerated, Constitutional
functions and to restore American
jurisprudence to its original Biblical
common-law foundations.
Third Parties: Their Impact on
American Politics
• Multiparty Systems in Other Countries
– Winner-take-all system: legislative seats
awarded only to first place finishers
– Proportional Representation: legislative seats
awarded based on votes received by the party more votes, more seats
– Coalition Government: two or more parties join
to form a majority in a national legislature
Who votes? http://www.people-press.org/files/legacydetailed_tables/Detailed%20tables%20for%20Party%20ID.pdf
Party Differences, 2008
Political Party Vocabulary
Linkage institutions: Translate input from the public into
outputs from policymakers; sift through all issues, identify
pressing concerns and put these onto the government
agenda (Parties, elections, interest groups, media)
Rational-Choice Theory: Explain actions of voters as well
as politicians; assumes that individuals act on their own
best interest; carefully weighing the costs and benefits of
possible alternatives
Party Identification: Self-proclaimed preference for one
party over another
Ticket splitting: Voting with one party for one office and the
other for other offices
PRIMARIES
nominating a president through the party process
Open primaries (or pick-a-party) are those in which voters of any
affiliation may vote for the slate of any party.
Closed primaries are those in which only the voters affiliated with a
party may vote in its primary.
Blanket primaries (or "jungle primaries")
The blanket primary was struck down in 2001
by the Supreme Court in CA Democratic Party v. Jones.
2008 Electoral Map
2012 results: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/special/politics/election-map-2012/president/
National Party Organization
• National Convention:
Write party’s platform and
then nominate its
candidates for president
and vice president
• National Committee:
Keeping the party
operating between
conventions; reps. from
states and territories
organize and raise money
FIVE Party Eras
1. 1796-1824:
2. 1828-1856:
3. 1860-1928:
4. 1932-1964:
5. 1968-Present:
Critical elections!!
Party Eras (shift in demographics)
1. 1796-1824: Federalists V. Democratic-Republicans
Jefferson, Madison, etc.
2. 1828-1856: Democrats V. Whigs
Jackson, rural farmers, etc.
3. 1860-1928: Republican Era
Lincoln, abolition, etc.
4. 1932-1964: Democrat Era
FDR, New Deal Coalition, etc.
Today’s Party Era (1968-present)
5. 1968-Present: The Era of Divided Party
A. Divided government: one party controls
Congress and the other controls White House
B. Flip flops back and forth between party in
power
CAUSES: Divided government due in party to:
• Party de-alignment: disengagement of people from
parties as evidenced by shrinking party
identification
• Party neutrality: people are indifferent towards the
two parties
• Split ticket voting
Responsible Party Model
• Some political scientists believe this view
on how political parties should work
• Parties should offer clear choices to the
voters, who can use those choices as cues to
their own preferences of candidates.
• Once in office, parties would carry out their
campaign promises!