Chapter Nine

Political Parties

Political Parties

• A party is a group that seeks to _________ ________________ by supplying them with a label (party identification), by which they are known to the electorate

• United States parties have become __________ as labels, sets of leaders, and organizations

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Parties in the US and Europe

• European parties are disciplined gatekeepers, to which voters are very loyal, though this has been declining recently

• The _______ system ___________ power in U.S.

• Parties are closely regulated by state and federal ______, which _________ them

• Candidates are now chosen through___________, not by party leaders

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The Rise and Decline of Parties

• The founders disliked parties, viewing them as factions

• During the Jacksonian era political participation became a _____ __________

• From the Civil War until the 1930s most states were dominated by ______ party

• ______________ pushed measures to curtail parties’ power and influence

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The Results of Reform

• The worst forms of political corruption were reduced

• All political parties were ___________; parties became less able to hold officeholders accountable or to coordinate across the branches of government

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Figure 9.1: Decline in Party Identification, 1952-2004

-make two statements about the trends in this graph

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Party Realignment• ____________or_____________: periods

when a sharp, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

• A __________ _________ is considered to be evident when a party looses the Presidency and Congress in an election

• Two kinds of realignments– A major party is defeated so badly that it

_________ and a new party emerges– Two existing parties continue but voters _____

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Realignments

• 1860: __________ issue fixed new loyalties in the popular mind (many shifted to Republican party headed by Lincoln)

• 1896: ___________ issues shifted loyalties to East/West, city/farm split (shift to Republican as $ raised from business interests)

• 1932: economic _____________ triggered new coalition for Democrats (shift to Democrat for government assistance)

• 1980: _____________ appeal- could not have been a traditional realignment, because Congress was left in the hands of the Democrats (many Dems voted for Reagan)

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• _________________- is a trend or process whereby a large portion of the electorate __________ its previous partisan affiliation, without developing a new one to replace it.– An erosion of partisan attachments– More ____________ Voters– Many scholars argue that the trends in

elections in the U.S. over the last several decades are best characterized as ________________

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American Parties: Four Major ErasThe Three Historical Eras

The Era of the ________________ (Era of Good Feeling), 1800—1860– Democrats dominate all but two presidential elections.– The Whig Party emerges in 1834, but declines by the 1850s, electing only

two Presidents.– The Republican Party is founded in 1854.

The Era of the _________________, 1860—1932– Republicans dominate all but four presidential elections.– The Civil War disables the Democratic Party for the remainder of the

1800s.

The Return of the ________________, 1932—1968– Democrats dominate all but two presidential elections.– Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President four times.

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American Parties: Parties TodayThe Start of a New Era: The Era of __________ ________Since 1968, neither Republicans nor Democrats have dominated

the presidency and Congress has often been controlled by the opposing party.

1968–1976Republicans hold the presidency Congress is controlled by Democrats

1976–1980Democrats hold the presidencyCongress is controlled by Democrats

1980–1992Republicans hold the presidency Senate controlled by Republicans 1980-1986, controlled by Democrats from 1986 to 1994

1992 – 2000Democrats hold the presidency Congress controlled by Republicans

2000-2008Republicans hold the presidencyCongress is controlled by Republicans

2008-Democrats hold the presidencyCongress controlled by Democrats

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Party Decline

• Evidence that parties are __________, not realigning

• Proportion of people identifying with a party declined between 1960 and 1980

• Proportion of those voting a ____________ increased

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The Three Components of Political Parties

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Party Structure

• Parties are similar on paper • RNC effectively created a national firm of

political consultants (like a business or “well oiled machine)

• Democrats moved to factionalized structure and redistributed power

• By the 1990s, DNC had learned from the RNC: adopted the same techniques, with some success

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Nominating a President

• __________: an election in which voters select the candidate who will run on each party’s ticket

• __________: a meeting of party followers at which delegates are picked

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National Conventions

• National ___________ sets time and place; issues a “call” setting the number of delegates for each state and the rules for their selection

• In 1970s, Democrats’ rules were changed to weaken local party leaders and increase the proportions of women and minorities

• In 1988, the number of _____________ (unpledged) was increased

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Why a Two-Party System?

• The ___________ Basis. The nation started out with two-parties: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.

• The Force of ____________. America has a two-party systembecause it always has had one. Minor parties, lacking wide political support, have never made a successful showing, so people are reluctant to support them.

• The ____________ System. Certain features of government, such as winner-take-all single-member districts, are designed to favor two major parties.

• Ideological _____________. Most Americans have a general agreement on fundamental matters. Conditions that would spark several strong rival parties do not exist in the United States.

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Table 9.4: The Public Rates the Two Parties

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Minor Parties

• ____________ parties: comprehensive, radical view; most enduring

• __________-issue parties: address one concern, avoid others

• ___________ protest parties: regional, protest economic conditions

• _____________ parties: from split in a major party, usually over the party’s presidential nominee

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Minor Parties in the United States

Splinter Par ty

Example: “Bull Moose” Progressive Party

Economic Protest Par ties

Example: The Greenback Party

Ideological Par ties

Example: Libtertarian Party

Types of Minor Par ties

Single-issue Par ties

Example: Free Soil Party

Why Minor Parties Are Important

Minor parties play several important roles:

“__________ Role”• Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the

major parties’ candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party.

____________• Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often take stands on and

draw attention to controversial issues that the major parties would prefer to ignore.

______________• Often, minor parties will draw attention to important issues and propose

innovative solutions to problems. If these proposals gain popular support, they are often integrated into the platforms of the two major parties.

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Policies of Selected American

Third Parties Since 1864

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The Future of Major Parties

For voters :

• More people are unwilling to label themselves as “Democrats” or “Republicans”

• Split-ticket voting—voting for candidates of ________ parties for different offices at the same election

For candidates:• Structural changes have increased

conflict and ______________ within parties

• Changes in the ____________ of campaigning, especially the use of television and the Internet, have made candidates more independent of the party organization

• The growth of _______________ organizations provides candidates with another source of financial support

_____________ connections to political par ties:

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