Political Parties and Campaigns

Background Party—ongoing coalition of interests

joined together in an effort to get its candidates for office elected under a common label

Party-centered politics v. candidate-centered

History Washington farewell address: baneful

effects of parties Madison: Federalist 10—factions Originate in battle between Jefferson and

Hamilton Jefferson: Republicans Hamilton: Federalists

Late 1820s, Republicans battle each other Andrew Jackson believes in ordinary people

Democratic Republicans…become Democrats

More History Jackson believed in grassroots

At peak de Tocqueville said “People reign in the American political world as the Deity does in the universe”

Whigs emerge as a threat Catchall party Falls apart in 1850s

Slavery splits Democrats and Whigs Republicans rise Abraham Lincoln

Stephen Douglas v. John Breckinridge

Realignments Disruption of existing political order

because of the emergence of one or more unusually powerful and divisive issues

Election contest in which the voters shift their support strongly in favor of one party

A major change in policy brought about through the action of the stronger party

An enduring change in the party coalitions, which works to the lasting advantage of the dominant party

Realignments We’ve had three since the 1850s 1) Civil War

Republicans replace Democrats as majority 2) 1896

Depression—people blame Cleveland (D) Republicans gain in MW and NE

3) Great Depression Blame Hoover

Parties and the Vote Split ticket voting Prospective Retrospective

Systems SMDP

Candidate with plurality in district wins Proportional representation

Multi-party systems

Politics and Coalitions in the Two-Party System Seeking the center

Power rests with moderates Party coalitions

Two parties means BIG coalitions

Third Parties Promote policies Reform party

Progressive Single-issue parties

Prohibition Party Ideological parties

Socialist Workers Party Factional parties

Bull Moose

Party Organizations Nomination to office Primary elections

Closed, open, blanket Primaries hinder strong parties

No patronage Party to individuals

U.S. parties are loose associations of national, state, and local organizations

Local Party Registration drives Send mailings GOTV Concentrate on local races

State Party Central committee Chairperson Fundraising and voter registration

National Party RNC and DNC National chairperson Raising and spending money DCCC, NRCC, DSCC, NRSC Hard money—What party gives and what you

get from individual contributors and interest groups (hard cap)

Loophole—allows parties to raise and spend if not channeled directly to candidate (Soft money)

BCRA—bans soft money 527 groups Hydraulic Theory

Candidate-Centered Campaign Service relationship The money chase

$20,000 per week to make what you need for Senate race

Hired guns Consultants, pollsters, media producers,

fundraising, GOTV specialists, opposition research

Packaging

The Battles Air War

TV Communicate directly Rapid response Debates

Ground War Get swing voters More difficult to switch sides

Web War Email is cheaper YouTube is cheaper Targeted medium

Advantages and Disadvantages Can infuse new blood More open for newcomers Flexibility Encourage national officeholders to

remember the locals Degenerate into mud-slinging Weaken accountability

Thursday Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas? asserts that the

Republican Party has forged a new "dominant political coalition" by attracting working-class white voters on the basis of "class animus" and "cultural wedge issues like guns and abortion." Larry Bartels's analysis confirms that white voters without college degrees have become significantly less Democratic for different reasons. Why?

If nonvoters actually came out to vote in an election, would this change in the voting electorate be enough to make substantive changes in elections?

Before the widespread use of the survey in American political science, scholars considered American voters to be well informed on elections, policies, and other areas of politics. Once they began asking Americans questions about politics in the 1950s, they were shocked to discover that levels of political knowledge were low, and that Americans used cognitive shortcuts—such as party identification—to help determine the groups and policies that they would support. Is that good or bad?