O’Connor and Sabato: Chapter 11: Political Parties and

Interest Groups

Presentation 11.2: The Structure and Role of Political Parties

Key Topics

The basic structure of American political parties

The two-party system and third parties

The roles of political parties

1. The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

• The decentralized, pyramid nature of both major political parties

• The independent and autonomous nature of each component of the parties

• The problem of refining all the interests of a continent-sized, industrial nation-state into two political partiesDo you know what the ‘big tent’ metaphor means in the context of American party politics? Ask me!

1a. The Pyramid Structure of American Parties

NationalConvention &Committees

State central committees& congressional districtcommittees

City & county committees & precinct/ward committees w/ party activists,volunteers, & party identifiers & voters

1ai. The National Party

• Quadrennial conventions to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates

• Democrats established a governing body in 1848; GOP in 1856

• The key national party official is the chair of the DNC/RNC

The chair is selected by the sitting president or newly nominated presidentialcandidate, who is give the right to name the chair for at least the duration ofthe campaign.

1aii. The National Party Chair

• The chairperson is often the primary spokesperson for the party during the four years in between elections

• Part of the chair’s job is to minimize factional conflict & negotiate candidate disputes

• Today, party chairs must spend a great deal of time on fundraising$

Strict neutrality is generally expected of the chair during the nomination process.

1aiii. The Chair of the DNC:Tim Kaine

• Governor of Virginia• Wants to continue

Howard Dean’s “50 State Policy”

• Very business friendly as governor

Picture courtesy www.democrats.org.

1aiv. RNC ChairMichael Steele

• First African American GOP chairman

• Will serve until 2011• Former Lt. Gov of

Maryland

Picture courtesy www.rnc.org.

1av. Congressional Committees

• Each party has House and Senate committees

• The purpose of those committees is to devise strategies to help their party win/maintain control of that institution

• Loosely allied with the DNC/RNC

1b. State and Local Parties

‘All politics is local’ (Rep. Tip O’Neil) Party strength in the states is often a decisive

determinant of their success in elctions Regulation of political parties is left to the

states Most party leadership positions are filled at the

state/local level

1bi. County/Precinct Politics

The smallest unit is the fundamental building block of both parties

The leadership provided by county/precinct chairperson is vital to a party’s prospects in a given state

Local party members are key foot soldiers

1c. Party Identifiers & Voters

Very few Americans are ‘card carrying’ members of one or the other party

A person’s support for one or the other political party is often a function of that particular person & their value system

1ci. Party & Issues

Democrats Advocate: GOP Advocates:

Generally liberal policies Economic intervention Protection of civil rights Social safety net Environmental protection Multilateral foreign policy Protection of the working

class

Generally conservative policies

Free market principles Lower taxes State’s rights ‘Family values’ Unilateral foreign policy

1cii. The Problem of ‘Cross-Cutting’ Issues

Voters are frequently attracted/repelled by aspects of both parties

Catholics often oppose both abortion and the death penalty

Many OK voters are conservative socially but progressive on economic issues

Many Americans are moderate ideologically and are not driven by a single issue. Consequently, these voters register as independents & regularly ‘split their tickets’ in federal elections.

1ciii. Party Identification

A citizen’s personal attraction to and support for a political party

Generally indicated in the tendency to vote for candidates of that party on a consistent basis

‘Leaners’: people who register independent but generally favor one party in their voting preferences

Many Americans are ambivalent about the role of parties in politics, and view party identification as a convenience rather than a necessity.

1civ. The Institutionalization of the Two Major Parties

Most states have restrictive ballot laws (e.g. require 50,000 signatures to place a third party on the ballot)

Campaign finance laws favor the established parties

America’s dualistic tradition (favors pro/con dialogical discourse)

Leaves American voters with a choice between Democrats/Republicans most of the time

1cv. Sources of Party Identification

The importance of parental partisanship Political active parents w/ the same partisan

affiliation are likely to produce strong identifiers

The role of leaders (e.g. FDR or Reagan) Intense social issues (e.g. abortion) Class is not an especially strong

indicator of partisan choice in the U.S.

1d. Political Parties in Comparative Perspective

Election rules in the U.S. dictate a strong two-party system

However, many nations have multi-party systems

Nations with proportional representation schemes favor smaller parties & multi-party politics

2. The Two-Party System and Third Parties

The existence of challenges to the two major parties

The history of one-party domination in certain states (e.g. Maine & Utah) and regions (the South)

The significance of genuine two-party competition throughout the country as a recent development

2a. Third-Party Challenges

Third parties frequently challenge the dominance of the two major parties

The intermittent nature of third-party challenges

Election rules and the flexible nature of the two major parties make it extremely difficult for a third party to survive between election cycles

2ai. The Roots of 3rd Party Challenges

Sectionalism (e.g. the ‘Dixiecrat’ revolt in 1948) Economic protest (e.g. Populists in the late 19th

century) Specific issues (e.g. Green Party) Ideology (e.g. Socialists & Libertarian Parties) Charismatic leadership (e.g. Teddy

Roosevelt’s ‘Bull Moose’ Party in 1912)

Ross Perot’s Reform Party was one of the more consequential recent third-party challenges. He used his personality and an important issue (the deficit)to win 19% of the popular vote, probably denying George H.W. Bush reelection.

2b. The ‘Nader Effect’

Nader’s Green Party candidacy collected just 2.86 million votes (just over 2 ½% of the popular vote)

However, some claim his candidacy cost Al Gore the election

In FL, 45,000 of the 97,000 Nader voter indicated that they would have voted for Gore in a two-way race, but Gore could have won if he won TN or WVA

2c. Minor Candidates for Congress:Three Conditions for Success

1. The existence of an open House seat

2. Instances where a minor party candidate has previously competed in the district

3. When partisan competition in the district is close

3. The Role of Political Parties in the United States

Parties channel conflict & perform numerous other essential roles in the political process

3a. Mobilizing Support and Gathering Power

Leaders count on support from their voters

Leaders regularly appeal to the public through the media for support

Parties create ‘communities of interest’ that facilitate the creation of coalitions

In American party politics, no single interest is large enough to win: partieshelp forge coalitions of different interests that otherwise might not cooperate.

3b. A Force for Stability

Parties are motivated by one primary factor: winning elections

In two-party systems, parties serve to moderate extreme elements

Parties are drawn to the center, where most voters are

In systems characterized by proportional voting rules, parties can derive support from making extreme appeals.

3c. Unity, Linkage, Accountability

Parties as the ‘glue’ that binds a fragmented system together

Party identification provides a common affiliation that insures cooperation from executive and legislative institutions that are otherwise natural rivals

Parties can also take credit – and receive blame – for wise or foolish policies.

3d. The Electioneering Function

The ceremonial function of election

Parties recruitment of candidates

The importance of parties as conduits of financial support

3di. Hard & Soft Money

Hard money is regulated by federal campaign laws

Soft money is raised & spent for ‘party-building’ activities, and is essentially unregulated

3dii. Party Funding Escalates

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Dem-Hard

Dem-Soft

GOP-Hard

GOP-Soft

Source: The Federal Election Commission

3diii. The Rise of ‘Issue Advocacy’

A great deal of soft money goes to hiring and training staff

However, some of it goes to advertising that is not regulated by campaign finance laws

As long as an ad does not say ‘support’, ‘vote for’, or ‘vote against,’ it isn’t regulated

3e. Policy Formulation & Promotion

Every four years, the major parties meet at the national convention to draft their national party platforms

Platforms help the party’s distinguish themselves from their opponents

Offer insight into what the party will do in office

Party platforms help voters hold the party as a whole to account for its successes & failures, and its ability to deliver what it promised.

3ei. Selected Contrasts in the 2000 Party Platforms

Issue Democrats GOP

Taxes Tax cuts for middle-class families

Capping the top marginal rate & ending the ‘death tax’

Abortion Support a woman’s right to choose

Support a human life amendment

Social Security Use prosperity to save Social Security

Favor personal savings accounts

Education Advocate strengthening public education

Support vouchers

3f. Legislative Organization

Political parties help to organize the legislature

The importance of the caucus & conference

The steady growth of party cohesion & party-line voting (where 80% of each party votes against the other party’s proposals)