C HAPTER 13 P OLITICAL P ARTIES Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning.

CCHAPTERHAPTER 13 13PPOLITICALOLITICAL P PARTIESARTIES

CCHAPTERHAPTER 13 13PPOLITICALOLITICAL P PARTIESARTIESCopyright © 2012 Cengage Learning

CHAPTER 13: LEARNING CHAPTER 13: LEARNING OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES

Explain how a party system developed in the United States despite the Founders’ attempt to create a political system without parties

Trace the historical development of the modern Democrat and Republican Parties

Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning


Define “critical elections” and party realignment and dealignment in the United States and cite examples of their occurrence

Identify and explain the three broad functions of political parties



Understand the historical and legal factors that contributed to the development of the two-party system in the United States

Explain the role that third parties have played in U.S. elections



Learn how party organizations operate at the national, state, and local levels, including how they define party platforms and help their candidates win elections

Learn the factors that have contributed to a decline in political parties over the past few decades and assess the future prospects for the partiesCopyright © 2012 Cengage Learning

……. NOW & THEN. NOW & THEN


NOW Tea Party activists wearing themed costumes march in a tax-revolt rally in 2009.

THEN A rally of the Populist’s movement in

Willowdale Township, Kansas, during the early

1890s.

PHIL MCCARTEN/REUTERS/LANDOV

FOTOSEARCH/GETTY IMAGES

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

At the national, state, and local levels, the two major political parties control the agenda and run the government

Responsible party government model:

Depicts the proper role of parties as organizations that offer clear programs and policy positions to voters


INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

The Founders designed a federal system without political parties

Madison and others viewed parties as tools of the politically ambitious

Tending to promote corruption and bias in the political system

Despite this, parties have become central to the American political system


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Senators Who Leave Their Party Loyalties Behind

2009: Arlen Specter switched from Republican to Democrat to avoid impending defeat in the 2012 primary

Laid the groundwork for a filibuster-proof Democratic majority


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

2001: Jim Jeffords left the Republicans to become an independent caucusing with the Democrats

Gave the Democrats a 50–49 advantage

1953: Senator Wayne Morse formally abandoned the Republican Party

Created a 48–47 Democratic advantage



David Cameron and Benjamin Netanyahu

RAINER JENSEN/NEWSCOM JIM HOLLANDER POOL/EPA/PHOTOSHOT

POLITICAL PARTIESPOLITICAL PARTIES

Organizations seeking to win elections for the purpose of influencing government

Typically guided by a political philosophy, rooted in particular values and

An ideological approach to governing


HISTORY OF POLITICAL PARTIES HISTORY OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE UNITED STATESIN THE UNITED STATES

The First Parties in AmericaSupporters of the English crown aligned

with the British Tory PartyAdvocates of independence aligned

with the British Whig PartyLater, the ratification debate pitted the

Federalists against the Anti-Federalists



George Washington despised parties and refused to endorse their presence

Yet many of his supporters organized the Federalist Party

The Democratic-Republican Party opposed an overly strong national government—challenged the Federalists


Thomas Jefferson (left) of the Democratic-Republican Party and Alexander Hamilton (center) of the Federalist Party, speaking to President George Washington (right).PHOTO: MPI/GETTY IMAGES



1796: Federalists endorsed Adams who won the presidency, but

Democratic-Republicans endorsed Jefferson—who won the vice presidency

1800: the parties endorsed a slate for president and vice president, however

Resulted in a tied Electoral College vote Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning


Twelfth Amendment (1804): deferred to the reality of political parties

Formally separated the Electoral College vote for president and vice president

Helped avoid the earlier problems of a bipartisan presidency and/or a tied vote



The 1800 election marked the beginning of the end Federalist party

It struggled, and became extinct after the election of 1820

However, the lack of competition fragmented the Democratic-Republicans



1824: none of the candidates received a majority of electoral votes

Andrew Jackson won 99 votes, John Quincy Adams won 84, and another 74 were scattered among other candidates

The House decided in favor of Adams leaving the Party in disarray


A SECOND PARTY SYSTEM A SECOND PARTY SYSTEM EMERGESEMERGES

Disillusioned—Jackson formed the Democratic Party, which remains today

Those loyal to John Quincy Adams began calling themselves the National Republicans

1828: Jackson’s populist campaign proposed that the people should have a greater say in selecting the president



The 1828 election permanently changed the nature of campaigns, and the nature of parties

The precedent for a presidential election influenced by the masses was now set, and

The era of congressional delegations selecting presidential electors ended



This era also established the tradition of national party conventions

Delegates choose their presidential and vice presidential candidates,

Draft the party platform—outlines the party’s position on important issues—and

Coordinate party activities across the states



1832: The Democratic Party held its first national party convention

1836–1856: the Whigs and Democrats were national parties, with organizations in each state

The Civil War transformed U.S. politics, and led to the demise of the Whig Party



Strong differences of opinion over slavery led to the Whig’s decline

Smaller parties emerged, i.e., the Free Soil and Know-Nothing parties, but didn’t gain a significant foothold

A new Republican Party emerged to absorb the smaller parties and replace the Whig party


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVEGLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The Importance of Having Honest Two-Party Elections:

A 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Survey asked about various democratic ideals characterizing American political culture

Included—the value of “honest two-party elections”



Source: http://pewglobal.org/2009/02/12/the-global-middle-class.

Honest Elections with at least Two Parties Very Important

THE MODERN PARTY SYSTEM IN AMERICA: THE MODERN PARTY SYSTEM IN AMERICA: DEMOCRATS VERSUS REPUBLICANSDEMOCRATS VERSUS REPUBLICANS

Every presidential election since 1856 (except 1912) has featured Democrats and Republicans as the only two major political parties in serious contention

1912: former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, nominee of the new Progressive or “Bull Moose” Party, ran second to Democrat Wilson


CHECK THE LIST: FIVE CRITICAL CHECK THE LIST: FIVE CRITICAL ELECTIONS IN U.S. HISTORYELECTIONS IN U.S. HISTORY

1. 1828: Jackson’s populist campaign

2. 1860: Slavery was the defining issue

3. 1896: Agrarian interests vs. industrialists

4. 1932: The Great Depression

5. 1968: “Dealignment”—neither party has a lock on the electorate


THE FUNCTIONS OF PARTIESTHE FUNCTIONS OF PARTIES

Contesting Elections:Fund-raising, organizing events and

meetings, providing funding to candidates

Recruiting and organizing volunteersPurchasing services such as political

advertisements



Recruiting and Nominating Candidates:

Parties want candidates who will represent the party well

Most recruiting begins at the local levelProvide a “weeding out” process

resulting in higher-quality candidates



Providing a Framework for Voters to Make Vote Choices

Party affiliation may cue voters as to a candidate’s political, ideological, and policy perspectives

Most voters associate political parties with at least broad approaches to governing


YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON AMERICAN GOVERNMENTAMERICAN GOVERNMENT

The Republicans vs. the Democrats … at a College Campus Near You

Does your college have chapters for the College Democrats and College Republicans?

If so, which one is more popular on your campus?


YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON AMERICAN GOVERNMENTAMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Does their relative popularity reflect the relative popularity of the two parties in the local region or the state?

If you are already a member, what kind of activities does your chapter engage in that help promote the national party’s cause?


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT… IN POPULAR PERSPECTIVEPOPULAR PERSPECTIVE

Democrats tend to have different perspectives on social issues than Republicans

The following data from a May 2012 Gallup Poll indicates how partisan groups differ on what is considered to be morally acceptable



PARTY IDENTIFICATIONPARTY IDENTIFICATION

Attachment to a particular political partyA political attitude that begins to form

early in life Usually remains relatively stable Important in forming attitudes on issues

and voting decisions


PARTY IDENTIFICATIONPARTY IDENTIFICATION

Research shows:1. There are many more party identifiers than

independents

2. The number of Democrats and Republicans is nearly equal today

3. It is very resistant to change

4. It plays a very important role in helping voters make decisions


PROVIDING ORGANIZATION FOR THE PROVIDING ORGANIZATION FOR THE OPERATIONS OF GOVERNMENTOPERATIONS OF GOVERNMENT

Leadership in Congress is based primarily on majority-party leadership

Leaders try to implement their party’s campaign pledges and platforms

Partisanship and loyalty may influence presidential appointments to executive branch leadership positions


FIGURE 13.2 PARTISAN VOTING IN FIGURE 13.2 PARTISAN VOTING IN CONGRESSCONGRESS


•Source: Congressional Quarterly

PROVIDING ORGANIZATION FOR THE PROVIDING ORGANIZATION FOR THE OPERATIONS OF GOVERNMENTOPERATIONS OF GOVERNMENT

The greater a party’s control over Congress, the more power that party has in influencing public policy

Divided government: split party control of Congress and the presidency

Often makes it difficult for either party to advance its policy goals and objectives


WHY A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM?WHY A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM?

Party systems in democracies vary, but may generally be classified as: Two-party systems, or Multiparty systems

Multiparty systems are organized by:Political ideologies, particular economic

interests, positions on an issue or set of issues, religion, or geography


REASONS FOR THE TWO-PARTY REASONS FOR THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATESSYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES

1. The Electoral College system A candidate must obtain a majority of votes

in the Electoral College (not just a plurality)

Encourages groups of voters to align with one of the major parties, so their votes won’t be wasted



2. Winner-take-all process in selecting members of Congress Differs from other democratic systems using

proportional representation

The percentage of the vote a party receives determines the number of government seats the party occupies



3. The ideological nature of public opinion in American Most Americans are ideologically centrist, or

moderate

Therefore, neither the Democratic nor Republican Party can be too strongly ideological



4. Laws and regulations that govern campaigns favor the major parties Federal and state funding is more difficult

for third parties to obtain, also

To appear on election ballots, third-party candidates must meet various additional requirements


MINOR AND THIRD PARTIESMINOR AND THIRD PARTIES

Most third-party candidates fail to obtain even 1% of the popular vote in presidential elections, and

Few are found in Congress, in state legislatures or governorships, or in local government

All U.S. presidents the past 150 years have run as a Democrat or Republican


OBSTACLES FACED BY THIRD OBSTACLES FACED BY THIRD PARTIESPARTIES

Negligible chance of winning fosters a sense that the vote would be wasted

Historical and cultural institutionalization of the two-party system

Large number of voters who identify with one of the two major parties

Limited media attention or coverage for third-party candidates


TYPES OF THIRD PARTIESTYPES OF THIRD PARTIES

Political scientist James Q. Wilson has identified four types of third parties:

1. Economic protest parties

2. Ideological parties

3. Issue parties

4. Factional parties



Green Party Candidate Ralph Nader in 200

AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

THE PARTY ORGANIZATIONSTHE PARTY ORGANIZATIONS

National party organizations are run by a national committee—and a national committee chair

Oversee presidential campaigns and congressional elections

Today, more involved in raising money

Strategy, planning, and advising are handled by a candidate’s campaign staff


ARE PARTIES IN DECLINE?ARE PARTIES IN DECLINE?

Many political scientists contend that U.S. political parties are in a state of decline

Others argue that although certain aspects of parties are declining

In other ways parties are showing a resurgence in relevance

Parties remain alive and quite active Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning

NOW & THEN, MAKING THE NOW & THEN, MAKING THE CONNECTIONCONNECTION

Needs to be added when the new opening vignette is added


POLITICS INTERACTIVE!POLITICS INTERACTIVE!

A Democrat Even a Republican Nominee Could Love

Since his election in 1988, Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman has been a political enigma

A classic liberal on social issues, but an extreme conservative on military and war issues


POLITICS INTERACTIVE!POLITICS INTERACTIVE! Go to

www.cengage.com/dautrich/americangovernment/2e

Find the Politics Interactive link for a discussion of the narrow working margin in the Senate, and a list of the moderate members who are most influential

Consult the links that relate to other famous mavericks as well


Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), right, with 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain at the Republican National Convention.JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES


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