What Is A Political Party?What Is A Political Party?

A group seeking to control government by winning elections and holding public office

Can be principle, issue, or election oriented

The Two Main Parties in the The Two Main Parties in the U.S. Are . . .U.S. Are . . .

DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS

What Do Parties Do?What Do Parties Do?

Provide options to the people

Link between government and the people

Bring conflicting groups together

The Nominating FunctionThe Nominating Function

Selecting Candidates for public office

It’s an exclusive job for the parties, which helps set them apart from all of the other groups in politics

The Informer-Stimulator The Informer-Stimulator FunctionFunction

Inform people and activate their interest in pubic affairs

They campaign, define issues, and criticize other candidates with the end goal of winning votes

The The ““Seal of ApprovalSeal of Approval”” FunctionFunction

They choose candidates who are qualified and of good character

The Governmental The Governmental FunctionFunction

Helps legislative and executive branches work together

Appoints made to executive branch are according to party allegiance

The Watchdog FunctionThe Watchdog Function

The party out of power criticizes the policies and behavior of the party in power

Done so to convince the voters that they should vote for them in the next election

Why A Two-Party System?Why A Two-Party System? Historical Basis Historical Basis

Debate over the Constitution’s ratification created the first political parties

Federalists & Anti-Federalists

The Force of TraditionThe Force of Tradition

Most Americans support the two-party system because it has always existed.

People are reluctant to support minor parties therefore they made little headway.

The Electoral SystemThe Electoral SystemSingle-member districts (winner take all) discourage voters from “wasting” votes on minor parties

Election laws are deliberately written to discourage minority parties

American Ideological ConsensusAmerican Ideological Consensus

Americans tend to agree on fundamental issues

Our major political parties take moderate stands and are built on compromise

Why DonWhy Don’’t Other Systems t Other Systems Work?Work? Multiparty SystemsMultiparty Systems

Each party represents a very different interest(s)

Creates an unstable governmentAmerican institutional and

ideological ideas make a multiparty system unlikely

One-Party SystemsOne-Party Systems

“No-Party” System

Nearly all dictatorships have one-party systems

How Do We Choose A Party?How Do We Choose A Party?

Membership is voluntary and generally composed of a mixture of the population

Segments of the population tend to support one party or the other (for a period of time)–Example: Unions favored Democrats– Big Business: Republicans

Reasons For Choosing a PartyReasons For Choosing a Party

FamilyMajor Events – war, depressionEconomic StatusPlace of ResidenceLevel of EducationWork Environment

The Two-Party System in The Two-Party System in American HistoryAmerican History

Ratification of the ConstitutionRatification of the Constitution

1787 - Two sides developedFederalists: did not want the Bill

of Rights written down

Anti-Federalists: wanted the Bill of Rights written down

The NationThe Nation’’s First Partiess First PartiesFederalists (pre 1800)

–Led by Alexander Hamilton–Supporters were rich, upper class

Democratic-Republicans (1800 – 1820)–Led by Thomas Jefferson–Supporters were the common people

The Era of One-Party DominationThe Era of One-Party Domination

The Era of the Democrats, 1800–1860 The Era of the Republicans, 1860–1932 The Return of the Democrats, 1932–1968 The Start of a New Era

– Since 1968 the Republicans dominated the White House, while Democrats controlled Congress

Minority Parties in the US Minority Parties in the US Ideological PartiesIdeological Parties

Based on a specific set of beliefs, including a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters

Example: Libertarian Party

Green Party

Receive little votes, but are long-lived

Single-Issue PartiesSingle-Issue Parties

Concentrate on a single public policy matter

Examples: Know Nothings, Right-to-Life

Faded into history as issues disappear

Economic Protest PartiesEconomic Protest Parties

Focus on economic discontentExample: Greenback and Populist

Parties,

TEA Party

Splinter PartiesSplinter Parties

Groups that break off from one of the two major parties

Examples: “Bull Moose” Party and “Dixiecrats”, “TEA Party”

The Key Role of Minority PartiesThe Key Role of Minority Parties

Introduced useful ideas in American Politics

Can play a “spoiler role” in an election when the two major candidates are evenly matched.

Most important is their roles as critics and reformers

The Organization The Organization of Political Partiesof Political Parties

Reality of Political PartiesReality of Political Parties

Two major parties are highly decentralized (internal fighting)

No real chain of command–States parties loosely tied to national–Local parties independent of states

The Role of the PresidentThe Role of the President

The President’s party is usually more solidly united than the opposing

The President is the party leaderThe other party has no comparable

leader

National Party MachineryNational Party MachineryFour ElementsFour Elements

1. National Convention– Meet to nominate the presidential and

vice presidential candidate every 4 years

2. National Committee– Handles the party’s affairs between

conventions

National Party MachineryNational Party MachineryFour ElementsFour Elements

3. National Chairperson–Heads up the national committee

4. Congressional Campaign Committees–Job to increase party’s

congressional seats

State and Local Party MachineryState and Local Party Machinery

State – job is to further the party’s interests in that state

Local –follow the State’s electoral map, most active a few months before an election

Small unit of state party

Three Elements of the PartyThree Elements of the Party

Party Organization – leaders, activists, and hangers-on who

control party machineryParty in the electorate

– loyalists who vote their candidatesParty in government

– officeholders at all levels of government

The Future of the Majority PartiesThe Future of the Majority Parties

Political Parties have been in a state of decline since the late 1960s

Parties are unlikely to disappear as long as they continue to perform necessary functions

Reasons for DeclineReasons for Decline

• Larger number of voters registering as independent

• SPLIT-TICKET VOTING – voting for candidates of both parties for offices at the same election.

Reasons (cont)Reasons (cont)

• Greater internal conflict

• Changes in technology of campaigning.

• Growth of single-issue organizations who side with a candidate on a specific issue.