CHAPTER 12

Political Parties

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF POLITICAL PARTIES?

Political Party an organization that seeks political power by

electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy

win elections operate the government determine policy

FUNCTIONS OF POLITCAL PARTIES

Label Party Identification

psychological attachment information shortcut

Organize campaigns nominate and elect candidates fund Raising and voter education mobilize voters

“Running” the government organize government agenda provide loyal opposition

COMPARISON WITH EUROPEAN PARTIES

European parties: Multiparty systems

proportional representation multi-member districts coalitions

Party centralism

Example: French National Assembly

WHY ARE AMERICAN PARTIES DIFFERENT?

state and federal regulation caucus and primary systems separate presidential election two party system winner-take-all and plurality system party decentralization

party fragmentation federal system

WHY THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM?

Duverger’s Law single-member districts + plurality voting

plurality system discourages third parties forces broadly-based parties

winner-take all system congressional districts electoral college “wasted” third party votes

opinions of voters Republican vs. Democratic political ideology

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES

1st Party system (1796-1824) Founding Fathers’ generation emergence of Republicans and Federalists

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES

2nd Party System (1824-1860) Republicans, Democrats, Whigs transition toward mass democracy

grassroots organization national conventions

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES

3rd Party System (1860-present) 2nd party system destroyed by slavery New Republican domination (1860-1932) factionalized

Stalwarts (“traditional” Republicans) Mugwumps (progressives)

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES

3rd Party System (1860-present) era of reform

primary elections nonpartisan elections patronage civil service reform strict voter registration requirements initiatives referendum elections

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES

Democratic domination (1932-1964) New Deal coalition unified government

Divided government (1968-present) divided government Nixon, Reagan, Clinton split ticket voting 2000-present

unified and divided government New GOP dominance? New Democratic dominance?

THE MAJOR PARTIES

Republican National Committee (RNC) Democratic National Committee (DNC)

Similarities national conventions to nominate presidential

candidates national committees composed of state

delegates congressional campaign committees national chair manages daily work

THE MAJOR PARTIES: FUNDARAISING

Party strategies: Party strategies diverged in the late 1960’s:

RNC use computerized direct mail campaigns to raise

money hired political consulting firms

DNC adopted RNC techniques in the late 1980’s Obama campaign (2008, 2012)

THE MAJOR PARTIES: FUNDRAISING

hard money soft money 527 groups (SuperPACs) BCRA (McCain-Feingold, 2002)

tried to limit soft money micro-targeting

NATIONAL CONVENTIONS

purposes: create party platform choose a presidential candidate

delegate formulas Democratic shift to North and West Republican shift to South and Southwest Democrats reward large states Republicans reward loyal states

NATIONAL CONVENTIONS

Democratic Reforms 1972 Democratic Party reforms (McGovern)

weaken local party leaders increase influence of special interests

1984 Hunt Commission increased influence of elected and former

officials super delegates

STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES

RNC and DNC state organizations central state committee

Political machines old version

recruits members/support for patronage modern version

money special interests

STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES

Solidary groups most common form of party members motivated by solidary incentives

social interaction love of the game being “in the know”

Sponsored parties Personal following groups

MINOR PARTIES

Ideological parties Socialist Party

One-issue parties Free Soil Party

Economic protest parties Populist Party

Factional parties Dixiecrat

BIG PARTY TRENDS

decline of national parties influence on state and local issues American voters in general

grassroots activists growing in power Tea Party

polarization of party influences into regions Red states v. Blue states

AMERICAN PARTIES IN DECLINE

Parties realigning or decaying? Why? changes in state voting procedures

party ballot vs. Australian ballot split ticket vs. straight ticket voting

CHAPTER 13

ELECTIONS AND CAMPAIGNS

CHANGES IN MODERN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

decline of party influence political technology firms direct mail/internet firms polling firms media consultants

the impact of money the impact of polling

PRESIDENTIAL VS. CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS impact of presidential coattails has declined congressional candidates can duck responsibility differing constituencies fewer people vote in congressional elections presidential campaigns are more competitive

RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

creating “buzz” create time to run background may matter organization money

individuals PACs federal matching funds

RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

strategy and themes incumbent vs. challenger inside or outside Washington establishment vs. insurgent positive or negative tone

Reagan example

judging the timing of the campaign win early and often

choosing voters to target

NOMINATING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Contradictory party forces: selecting a candidate who can win a general

election selecting a candidate who can satisfy factions

and ideology of the party

RUNNING FOR CONGRESS

malapportionment and gerrymandering Wesberry v Sanders (1964) 4th Congressional District, Illinois Georgia

winning the primary ballot procedures develop personal following incumbent advantage

RUNNING FOR CONGRESS

sophomore surge franking privileges trips home television and radio adds casework and pork barrel run for Congress by running against it

influence of localism decline of party leadership control over

members

TYPES OF PRIMARIES

Caucus Open primary Closed primary Blanket primary Run-off primary Current Map Date of Primary Front Loading Issues growing importance of primaries party delegates vs. party rank-and-file/average voter

PRIMARY VS. GENERAL ELECTIONS

primaries/caucuses targeting political activists activists are more ideologically extreme balancing act for candidate who will return for

general election

IMPACT OF MEDIA

Television paid advertising (spots)

Johnson vs. Goldwater (1964) Bush vs. Dukakis (1988)

subtle (if any) impact on election outcome most voters rely on multiple sources of information news coverage of candidacy (a visual) vital to a campaign paradox of spots vs. visuals

IMPACT OF MEDIA

Televised Debates usually work to the advantage of the challenger the impact hard to determine debates can hurt more than help a candidate

sound-bites Reagan-Mondale debate Bush watch check Gore’s alpha male moment

slogans/sell candidate more than ideas 1996—networks agree to provide free time for major party

candidates FCC allowed the exclusion of “minor” parties

INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA

growing in importance as campaigns learn how to use the new medium sophisticated direct-mail campaigns micro-targeting acquisition and maintenance of “mailing” lists

impact consultant-driven, poll-driven campaigns

MONEY AND CAMPAIGNS

Sources of Campaign Money congressional candidates—private citizens and interest

groups political actions committees (PACs) political parties most from small donors

presidential candidates primaries—private citizens and interest groups general election—private and public funding

federal matching funds

CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

Federal Election Campaign Act (1973) (FECA) individual donor limits ($1000) per election ban on corporate and union donations directly

to campaigns limits on PACs ($5000 per candidate) Federal Election Commission (1975)

created to enforce FECA disclose campaign finance information oversee the public funding of Presidential elections

CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

Impact of law: increased expanse of elections creates new monetary incentives

independent expenditures “soft money” increase influence of PACs and SuperPACs

further weakened the political parties opened the door to self-financed campaigns increased advantage of incumbents

CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

Buckley v Valeo (1976) expenditures on behalf of candidates that are

independent of the campaign cannot be regulated

free speech issue BCRA (McCain-Feingold, 2002)

bans soft-money contributions to parties from labor unions and corporations

CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

SuperPACs (527 groups) can raise unlimited funds from any source

and spend it to advance “political causes” unlimited expenditures allowed as long as

there is not direct coordination with candidate or his/her campaign

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (2004)

CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

Citizens United v. FEC (2010) struck down restrictions on independent

corporate and labor spending on party and independent campaigns

McCutcheon v FEC (2014) struck down aggregate limits that an individual

can contribute to candidates and political committees

upheld individual contribution limit to a specific campaign ($2600)

MONEY AND WINNING

Presidential elections: party affiliation state of the economy (“it’s the economy,

stupid”) character of the candidates money is very important in presidential

primaries tends to be less determinant in general election

MONEY AND WINNING

Congressional elections money far more determinant

challenger name recognition big spending challengers do better high-spending incumbents do better

big advantage for incumbents: easier to raise money can provide benefits/services to constituents franking privileges free publicity through legislation

HOW VOTERS DECIDE

Party Loyalty party affiliation matters more than the candidate

how much do voters know about the issues? why don’t the Democrats win all elections then?

Democrats are less wedded to their party higher percentages of Republicans vote than

Democrats

HOW VOTERS DECIDE

Issues V.O. Key

most voters who switch parties from one election to the next do so on their own interests

voter incentives vital depends on issue intensity

HOW VOTERS DECIDE

prospective voting voting for a candidate because you favor

his/her ideas for handling issues

VS.

retrospective voting voting for a candidate because you approve of

his/her performance in previous office

HOW VOTERS DECIDE

position issue issue about which the public is divided and rival

candidates and/or parties adopt different policy positions

VS. valence issues

issue about which the public is united and rival candidates and/or parties adopt similar positions

“pocketbook” issues which party/candidate will handle these issues

best? clothespin vote

PARTY COALITIONS

what identifiable groups in the population supported what party and to what degree? how loyal is this group to a party?

Democratic coalition African Americans are most loyal Jewish support appears to be on the wane Hispanics-depends on ancestry and region of the

US Catholics, southerners, union members have

increasingly tended to swing largest proportion, but least dependable

PARTY COALITIONS

Republican coalition party of business and professionals elderly, retired voters rural, social conservatives

PARTY REALIGNMENTS

V.O. Key, A Theory of Critical Elections sharp, lasting shift in the popular coalition

supporting one or both parties

realignment a shift in the coalitions that make up the major

political parties moves the minority party to the majority and vice

versa on all levels of government 1800, 1828, 1860, 1896, 1932

PARTY REALIGNMENTS

dealignment shift from party affiliation to independent

status 1960-2013 divided government

critical election elections that begin a realignment or

dealignment hard to see them happening until years later

PARTY REALIGNMENTS

deviating election an election that diverges from recent trends but

does not represent a long-term shift 1948, 1994, 2006

maintaining election continuance of the prevailing voting patterns

WHY DO ELECTIONS MATTER?

what they imply about the attitude of voters? what do results say about the operation of the

electoral system? what do the results say about the fate of the

political parties? how do election results influence the direction of

public policy?

WHY DO ELECTIONS MATTER?

evidence indicates the many elections do make a big difference in policy 1932—New Deal coalition 1964—Great Society based on huge

Democratic majorities 1980—Reagan Revolution 2008—Obamacare