American parties do not require membership cards to disguise members from nonmembers.
Parties pick candidates, run campaigns, give cues to voters, articulate policies, and coordinate policymaking.
According to the Downs Model, parties must select policies that are widely favored to win office.
Ticket splitting is when voting with one party for office and with another party for another office. It is important because many people are Independents.
The challenge that political parties face with young voters are that they have the weakest party ties.
The President of GM is at the top of GM in fact as well as on paper while the chairperson of the Democratic/Republican national committee is on the top on paper but not in fact.
Old fashion machines usually have patronage jobs and given to the highest bidder.
The day to day activities of the national party are the responsibilities of the party’s national chairman.
Plat form differences
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Republican |
Democrats |
|
Abortion Unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed The Enviroment Condemn the current administration’s policy of resorting to confrontation first. Health Care Promote a health care that supports, not supplants Taxes Change the tax system and make it fair for everyone Defense Spending Party of peace through strength Education Raise academic standards through increase local control and accountability to parents Social Security Workers should be free to direst a portion of their payroll taxies to personal investment for their retirement future. Affirmative Action Rights inhere in individuals not in groups. |
Abortion Every women’s right to choose The Environment Worked hard to produce cleanest enviroment Health Care Redouble our efforts to bring the uninsured into coverage step-by-step, guarantee access to affordable health Taxes Give tax cuts to the middle class they can use. Defense Spending Reversed a decline in defense spending, boosted pay allowances and provided the funding for a new generation of weapons Education Want to invest more and aim high Social Security To build on the success of social security, Affirmative Action Opposed efforts tp roll back affirmative action programs |
Punctuating each party ear is a critical election.
A party realignment is the displacement of the majority party by the minority party usually during a critical election period.
1796-1824: The first Party System
1828-1856: Jackson and Democrats vs. Whigs
2860-1928: The two republican Eras
1932-1964: The New Deal Coalition
1986-Present: Era of Divided Party Government
Third Parties: their impact on American politics is merely an extension of a popular individual with presidential aspiration
Candidates are usually self-selecting, gaining nomination by their own efforts rather than the party’s
The legislative and executive levels have managed to navigate without becoming minions.
There is no mechanism for a party to discipline officeholders.
Definitions:
Linkage Institutions: The channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda. In the US, it includes elections, political parties, and the media
Rational-Choice Theory:
A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians, It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
Party Image: The voter’s perception of what the Republican or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.
Ticker-Splitting: Voting with one party for office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.
Patronage: One of the key inducements used by party machines. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
Closed primaries: Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.
Open primaries: Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election
Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contest.
Blanket primaries: elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republican contest.
National Convention: the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform.
National Committee: One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.
National Chairperson: The national chairperson is responsible for the day to day activities of the party and is usually nominated by the presidential nominee.
Coalition: A group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends.
Critical Elections: An electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Critical election periods are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era.
Party Realignment: The displacement of the majority party by the minority party.
New Deal Coalition: A coalition forged by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 19602. Its b the elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholic and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals
Third parties: electoral contenders other than the two major parties
Winner-take-all system: An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies. In American presidential election the system in which the winners of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state.
Proportional representation: An electoral system used throughout most Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes in an election.
Coalition government: When two or more parties join together to form a majority party in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.
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