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Linkage Institutions

• Interest Groups• Political Parties• Mass Media

• There are the three “institutions” that link the people and the government.

Political Parties: The Purpose

• An organizing mechanism that win elections and control government.

• Organize the competition (within the party).

Political Parties Continued..

• Unify the electorate to moderate conflicts: control of factions.

• Organizes government by having party members in House and Senate, and through patronage.

• Translate preferences into policy.

Other Party systems.

• Why is America’s party system different?

• Not as strong.• Candidate centered, not party centered. • Do not always vote among parties, are not as

loyal as other party systems.

Caucus

• Meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide a platform.

• Iowa is a very popular caucus due to timing. Oftentimes helps determine who are likely presidential nominees.

Party Convention

• Party conventions made the nomination process more democratic and open to the public.

• Party delegates voted on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.

Direct Primaries

• The most democratic. Gave people the decisions of who would be the party nominee.

Open Primaries

• Election where ANY voter may vote to choose a candidate.

Closed Primary

• Primary election in which only persons registered in that particular party may vote for a candidate.

Examples

My website

Two party system

• Most other democracies have multi-party systems

• “head of the nation “(president) and “head of the government” (PM)

Proportional Representation

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Winner-take-all

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Minor Parties

• Green Party• Libertarian Party• Socialist Party• Communist Party• Prohibition Party• Right to Life party

Ralph Nader: Green Party

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Ross Perot: Reform Party

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Political Parties

• Washington was “above” them and warned against them.

• Hamilton: Federalists

• Jefferson: Democratic-Republicans; eventually Democrats

• Lincoln: Whigs to Republicans

Realigning Elections

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Realigning Elections

• Turning points in politics that redefines agendas and alignments of voters within parties

Realignments

• Andrew Jackson: His movements eventually formed the strong two-party system known today. DEMOCRATS.

Abe Lincoln

• Whigs to Republicans: Merchants, financiers, industrialists, workers and farmers.

• Formed the “Grand Old Party “(GOP)

• REPUBLICANS

1896-PRGRESSIVES

• Worked on corruption and expended the electorate. Immigrants and Women

FDR: New Deal

• Depression

• Laissez-faire questioned

• Keynesian economics

2000 elections: Divided nation, divided government

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Continued

• 50-50 tie in the Senate

• Bush wins without majority of popular vote

• Slim GOP lead in the House

National Party Leadership

• National Committee

• National Chairs

• Change with Presidents