Political PartiesUnit III Module 2

AP Gov Miller

Objectives

• By the end of this module, SWBAT• Describe the connection between the narrow

constituencies of interest groups and the wider constituencies of parties

• Explain the structure of parties and the function of each major division of party members

• Explain the party’s role in the distribution of campaign contributions

• List instances of major dealignment, realignment of political parties in America

Balloons & Planks

• Parties are the bunches of balloons, whereas the interest groups are the individual balloons• Each interest group is a subunit of the party’s

membership• The more active the membership, the more

control of the party’s platform (official ideology) that interest group can command = more planks (individual policy concepts in the platform)

Organize This

• Parties are arranged in a top-down hierarchy, similar to military or corporations

• Elites • National Committee (includes chairperson) in

charge of strategy, large scale fundraising• State committees – strategy, fundraising

• Activists• Ward/Precinct Captains – mobilize voters,

coordinate with volunteers, a little bit of fundraising

Party History

• American parties are unique – only two major parties that are relevant in national politics• “big tent system” partly created by British

influence (Tories and Whigs before the Revolution) • Throughout history, the two big parties were

always able to consume ideologies, members of other smaller parties• Democrats and Populism in the 1890s• Republicans and the Whigs in the 1850s

• Likewise, parties that have unified cannot stay that way for long• Era of Good Feelings ending with Jackson • Taft and T. Roosevelt splitting Republicans, gifting

Election of 1912 to Wilson

Different Name, Similar Ideology

• History of party ideology looks similar to DNA helix when drawn – can be a little confusing• Democrats are called ‘Party of Jackson’ even

though now Andrew Jackson would be a staunch Republican

• 1st Republican president was Lincoln even though he’d almost certainly be a Democrat today

Party Realignments

• Two types of critical elections – realignments and dealignments

• Party realignments – elections that caused both President and Congress to be controlled by one party for a long period of time• Election of 1800 – Jefferson• Election of 1860 – Lincoln• Election of 1932 – FDR

Party Dealignments

• Elections that caused party dominance to end and created political chaos in presidency and Congress• Corrupt Bargain of 1824 • Election of 1877• Election of 1968

Historical Patterns

• When Americans were more oriented toward party politics, realignments tended to happen every 20 or 30 years

• One interpretation of this would be that electorate’s ideology changed every new generation of voters

• Thus, party dominance switched back and forth regularly like a pendulum

Brave New World

• In the end of the 20th Century and beginning of 21st America is in longest stretch of dealignment in history

• All due to rise of moderates and a process called “ticket splitting” • Voting for different parties on the same ballot or in

subsequent elections divided government party dealignment

• In the past when party identification was stronger, voters cast “straight tickets” with a single party for all offices on the ballot unified government party realignment

A Blue Future?

• Due to nearly halfway split between social and fiscal conservatives, some political scientists feel that a Democratic “quasi-realignment” has already begun with Obama in 2008

• Not a perfect example, however, since• Democrats can no longer consistently control

both chambers of Congress• It seems clear that the American people would

prefer both parties to work together rather than one party dominate the national agenda

Third Parties

• Impact on national discourse minimal – due to the relatively small number of people who belong to them

• At times they have been popular enough to affect national elections – major parties have either absorbed 3rd party ideas or candidates

• Can still win local or state elections since these are more partisan in nature