Party Machines A type of political party organization

Political Parties Chapter 8 The Meaning of Party  Political Party: – A “team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.”  Parties can be thought of in three parts: – Party in the electorate – Party as an organization – Party in government The Meaning of Party  Tasks of the Parties – Linkage Institution: The channels through which – – – – – people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda. Parties Pick Candidates Parties Run Campaigns Parties Give Cues to Voters Parties Articulate Policies Parties Coordinate Policymaking The Meaning of Party  Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs Model – Rational-choice theory: Assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the pros & cons. Figure 8.1 The Party in the Electorate  These are the voters in an election.  Ticket-splitting: – Voting for candidates of different parties. Year 1964 1976 1988 2000 Dem 52.2 40.2 35.7 34.8 Ind 23 36.8 36.3 41.0 Rep 24.8 23.0 28.0 24.2 The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington  These are the people that work for the party.  Local Parties – Party Machines: A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements to win votes and to govern. – Patronage: A job, promotion or contract given for political reasons rather than merit. Used by party machines. – Now local organizations are generally weak. The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington  The 50 State Party Systems – Closed: voters must be registered with their party in advance and can only vote for that party – Open: voters decide on election day which party to participate in, and then only that party – Blanket: voters get a list of all candidates and can vote for one name for each office, regardless of party label +, - of a Blanket Primary  Positives:  Negatives Do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to ban blanket primaries? The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington  The National Party Organizations – National Convention: The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform. – National Committee: One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. Party Eras in American History  Party Eras – Historical periods in which a majority of votes cling to the party in power.  Critical Election – An electoral “earthquake” where new issues and new coalitions emerge.  Party Realignment – The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election. Party Eras in American History  1796-1824: The First Party System – Federalists and Democrat/Republicans  1828-1856: Second Party System – Whigs and Democrats Party Eras in American History  1860-1928: The Two Republican Eras – Republicans rose as the antislavery party – 1896 election revolved around the gold standard  1932-1964: The New Deal Coalition – Urban dwellers, labor unions, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, Intellectuals Party Eras in American History  1968-Present: The Era of Divided Party Government – Party dealignment- disengagement of people from parties – Party neutrality- people are indifferent towards the two parties – Presidents and Congress rarely both hold unilateral control Figure 8.3 Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics  Political parties other than Democrat or Republican  Rarely win elections  But, they bring new groups and people into politics  Two-party system discourages extreme views What if…  Positives and Negatives of our current 2party system?  Positives and Negatives of a multi-party system? Positives and Negatives of a one-party system? 