Political Parties

Political Parties

A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them

with a label by which they are known by the electorate.PRIMARY GOAL

“elect candidates to public office.”

Purposes They Serve

LabelPolitical parties exist as a label (or brand) in the eyes of the voters. That label allows voters who might not be familiar with individual candidates to have a general idea of their valuesOrganizationParties seek to recruit potential candidates and to help campaign on their behalf for political officeSet of LeadersOnce elected party members work together to organize and control the branches of government they are in so they can achieve their policy goals.

U.S. Party System

Although the United States has multiple parties...There are really only two parties that have realistic chances at winning national elections

Two Party System

Despite the presence of multiple parties we are a two party system

because on a national level we really only have two political parties that

have a legitimate chance at capturing offices and control of government.

Why a Two Party System? (Legislative)

Proportional Representation• Used in Europe• Ballots list party, not

candidate.• Parties votes are tallied• Party gets to name the

representatives based on the percentage they get.

• Example: 100 Seats in Parliament, party wins 45% of the vote, therefore they name 45 people to Parliament

Plurality System• Used in the United States• Ballots list individual

candidates• Each seat is run for

separately• The person who gets the

most votes gets the seat• Encourages candidates to

try to appeal to the “most” people possible

Why a Two Party System? (Presidential)

•In the electoral college (more on that later) each state is worth a certain amount of votes•In all but 2 states (Maine and Nebraska) the winner of the state gets ALL of the electoral votes•Encourages candidates to appeal to broadest group possible

The Role of Minor Parties

Despite the fact that their chances at winning elections are minimal they exist because some people believe that voting their conscious is more important than winning. However they do impact our system in other ways.Minor Parties…

- Serve as a protest vote- Develop ideas often “borrowed” by major parties- Bring up issues that are ignored by the major parties- Can serve as a “spoiler” in close elections.

Modern Political Parties

Modern Political Parties have become much weaker than they were in the past.

• The proportion of people identifying with a political party has declined from 1960 to1972• 1972- 81% identified as either Republican or Democrat.• Today- 60.8%

• More people today vote a split-ticket (vote for members of different parties in elections ex. A Republican for Congress but a Democrat for President) than in the past.

The Modern Democratic Party

Evolution….- 1800: The Democratic-Republican Party (Jefferson) organizes to opposed The Federalist Party.- 1828: The Democratic Party is formed when factions within the party emerge with elites supporting John Quincy Adams and the rank and file supporting Andrew Jackson. Jackson ends up winning the Presidency.-1932: Although the name stays the same The Democratic Party “realigns” its priorities. FDR runs for President during the Great Depression and turns the Democrats from the party of White Southerners into a broad based coalition of various groups.

The “Typical” Democrat

The Typical Democrat is a Black woman living in the city who is an immigrant and both Catholic and Jewish….

There really is no such thing as a “Typical” Democrat.The Typical Democrat is a Black woman living in the city who is an immigrant and both Catholic and Jewish….

Factions Within the Party

Radical Liberal Moderate

The Democratic Party

RadicalPurists

New Deal Democrats

Neo-Liberals

The Factions

• Radical PuristsThe Far Left of the Party. Believe in massive

intervention of the government to secure equality (Both Political and Economic)

• New Deal DemocratsTraditional Democrats dating back to FDR.

Government needs to provide a safety net for the people at the bottom of society.

• Neo-LiberalsBelieve in the safety net aspect but require people to meet the government half way on many aspects.

The Modern Republican Party

Evolution…- 1828: The Democratic-Republicans who backed Adams join with members of the Federalist Party to create the Whig Party- 1854: The tensions of Slavery cause a minor party (The Republicans) to form. The Republicans popularity replaces the Whigs as the second major party in the country.- 1896: The Republican Party switches its focus to economics, supporting the growth of big business.- 1968: After the South rejects the Democratic Party, The Republican Party employs the Southern Strategy, focusing on returning certain powers to the state and opposing the growth of the federal government

The “Typical” Republican

White Anglo Saxon Protestant Males with higher incomes.

Factions Within the Party

Moderate Conservative Reactionary

The Republican Party

Wall Street Republicans

Easy Street Republicans

Not-On-My Street

Republcians

The Factions

• Wall Street RepublicansEconomic Conservatives who range from Liberal to Moderate Social Conservatives. Tend to live in the Northeast.

• Easy Street RepublicansRepublicans who generally want a reduced role of government in all aspects of their lives.

• Not-On-My Street RepublicansSocial Conservatives who put the most emphasis on

a candidates stance on what they believe are “moral issues.”