POLITICAL PARTIES
• An organized group of people who share basic
beliefs about how the country should be run.
• They share common values and goals and
attempt to control government by getting
their candidates elected to office by winning
elections.
Important Terms
• Partisan - a strong supporter of a party,
cause, or person.
• Bipartisan - involving the agreement or
cooperation of two political parties
• THE WORK OF POLITICAL PARTIES
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NOMINATE CANDIDATES
INFORM AND ACTIVATE SUPPORTERS
ACT AS A BONDING AGENT
GOVERN
ACT AS WATCHDOGS
Nominating Candidates
The party selects candidates and then
presents them to the voters. Then they work
to help their candidates win elections.
Informing and activating supporters
Gain public support, and inspire voters
Basically, campaign for their candidates and
their views.
This is done by educating the public about
themselves – Mass Media and Interest Groups
Act as a Bonding Agent between the
party and the nation
Ensure good performance of its candidates and
officeholders.
Make sure candidates are qualified and of good
character
If they do not, they may suffer in future
elections!
Governing
Provide a basis for the conduct of government.
Conduct business on the basis of partisanship,
making sure their policy stands and support stays
high, yet cooperate in our democratic process
with other parties.
Acting as a watchdog
Because the political party in power controls the
executive branch of government, the party out
of power must criticize the policies and behavior
of the party in power.
Play the role of “the loyal opposition” (oppose
the party in power, but stay loyal to the people
of the nation.
Warm Up 5/18
1. What is a political party?
2. What is the difference between partisan and
bipartisan?
3. List the 5 functions of a political party.
4. When a political party attempts to connect
voters with candidates and brings people with
like views together it is performing which
function?
5. When a political party criticizes the party in
powers policies or behavior it is performing
which function?
Party Platforms
• A set of principles, goals, and strategies
designed to address pressing political and
social issues.
Example: The Constitution Party
We declare the platform of the Constitution Party to
be predicated on the principles of The Declaration of
Independence,
The Constitution of the United States and
The Bill of Rights
According to the original intent of the Founding
Fathers, these founding documents are the
foundation of our Liberty and the Supreme Law of
the Land.
The sole purpose of government, as stated in the
Declaration of Independence, is to secure our
unalienable rights given us by our Creator. When
Government grows beyond this scope, it is
usurpation, and liberty is compromised.
We believe the major issues we face today are best
solved by a renewed allegiance to the original intent
of these founding documents.
Example
• Democratic Party: The Democratic Party is
committed to keeping our nation safe and
expanding opportunity for every American.
That commitment is reflected in an agenda
that emphasizes the security of our nation,
strong economic growth, affordable health
care for all Americans, retirement security,
honest government, and civil rights.
Party “Planks”
• Each Party’s platform is broken down into
“planks”, or declarations that speak to each
specific issue.
Example: Democratic Party on Civil Rights
• Civil Rights are not just abstract principles.
They represent nothing less than our ability to
provide for ourselves and our families and to
live free from discrimination or persecution.
For decades, Democrats have fought for these
values, working to ensure that all Americans
have the opportunity to fully participate in our
society—to live in a place where there are no
second-class citizens, where each of us can go
about our lives without fear of discrimination.
Democrats are committed to…
• Strengthening the Justice Department’s Civil Rights
Division to better protect voting rights;
• Enacting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,
which includes measures prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity;
• Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in a sensible way that
strengthens our armed forces and our national
security;
• Ensuring civil unions and equal federal rights for LGBT
couples, as well as fully repealing the Defense of
Marriage Act;
• Ending racial, ethnic, and religious profiling; and
• Building a fair and more equitable criminal justice
system that provides non-violent offenders a second
chance at a rehabilitated life.
Importance
• Party platforms and their planks are very
important to the electoral process;
• They give the candidates a clear political
position with which they can campaign.
• They give voters a sense of what the
candidates believe in, the issues they think are
important, and how, if elected, they will
address them.
5/21 Warm Up
1. What is a political party’s “Platform”?
2. What are a political party’s Platform
“Planks”?
3. What types of voter “variables” might
influence party membership?
VARIABLES THAT INFLUENCE PARTY
MEMBERSHIP
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INCOME
OCCUPATION
EDUCATION
GENDER
AGE
RELIGION
ETHNIC BACKGROUND
GEOGRAPHY
FAMILY
SO GOES THE NATION
• RECAP SOME TACTICS THAT
WERE USED TO WIN THE
ELECTION.
• EXPLAIN HOW/WHY THE
REPUBLICANS WON OHIO AND
THE ELECTION 2004?
Minor Parties (“Third Parties”)
• American Political Parties web search activity
Conservative/Liberal Quiz
Create your own Political Party
First take conservative/liberal quiz from earlier
in the year again.
Get into groups of 3 or 4 based on similar
results.