Political parties

patronage

(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

Advantages/Disadvantages of Two-Party System

-Advantages: Greater stability and focus on center of political spectrum -Disadvantages: Voters have limited choice of candidates and party ideologies

types of third parties

1. Economic Protest 2. Ideological 3. Single Issue 4. Splinter

Tea Party

A grassroots, very conservative political movement that favors small government

national party convention

A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.

party platform

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years

open primary

A primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party)

closed primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

multiparty system

A system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition.

party machines

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

proportional representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote. (Europe)

winner-take-all

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in the constituencies. In American presidential elections, the system in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state.

plurality

Candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half.

superdelegates

Elected officials and party leaders present at the national convention of the Democratic party.

Blue Dog Democrats

Fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the United States.

Divided Government

Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.

Democratic Party (pre-Civil War)

Jefferson challenged the Federalists, forming his own party. Andrew Jackson reinvigorated this party when he ran for president and is considered a founder. Dominant from 1800 to 1860.

Republican Party

One of the two major American political parties. It emerged in the 1850s as an antislavery party and consisted of former northern Whigs and antislavery Democrats.

Congressional campaign committees

Organization maintained by political party to raise funds to support its own candidates in congressional elections

ideological parties

Parties based on a particular set of beliefs. A comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters. Example: Communist Party

single-issue parties

Parties that concentrate on only one public policy matter, ex: Free Soil Party (opposed extension of slavery to U.S. territories) Prohibition Party (for prohibition of consumption of alcohol)

party membership

Party membership is voluntary

straight-ticket voting

Practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

critical election

Sharp changes in the existing patterns of party loyalty due to changing social and economic conditions; always precedes major-party realignment

U.S. Two-Party system

The U.S. is an example of a two-party system; two parties have dominated politics throughout virtually all U.S. history

electoral realignment

The point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force. In the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every thirty years.

role of political parties in governing

The political party's role is to organize Congressional Leadership. Party membership key factor in president's selection of officials of executive branch.

candidate-centered campaign

This is a campaign that focuses on a candidate and their issues instead of party views

coalition government

When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.

political party

a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy

party polarization

a growing distance between policy views of the average members of each party

seniority system

a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

direct primary

an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election

Single-Member Districts

an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official (not voting for more than one person for any position)

protest parties

arise from SOCIAL MOVEMENT - most likely to arise in periods of economic hardship or as part of a social movement - Populist party

spoiler role

candidate's presence in the election draws votes from a major candidate

structure of U.S. political parties

characterized by decentralization, with national party organization having little power over state parties and individual officeholders

New Deal Coalition

coalition forged by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930's to the 1960's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.

political action committee (PAC)

committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates

Federalist Party

created in 1790s; wanted to strengthen the federal government and promote industry and trade

family

dominant factor in determining a person's political beliefs

third parties

electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.

single member districts

electoral district from which ONE person is chosen by the voters for each elected office; helps keep two-party system in place

Whig Party

formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements

reasons two party system exists

history, single-member district electoral system, difficulties in getting on ballot

national party chairperson

individual elected by the national committee who manages the daily operations of the national party

political parties and the constitution

no mention of political parties in constitution/ right to assemble

Activities of political parties in the U.S.

nominate candidates via party primaries or conventions, support candidates in election efforts by raising money, registering voters, get-out-the-vote efforts, political advertising

independent

not controlled by a party or interest group

political parties in Constitution

not mentioned

national committee

one of the institutions that keep the party operating between conventions;The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.

one-party system

one political party controls the government and clearly dominates political activity

dealigning election

party loyalty becomes less important to voters, as may be seen with the increase in independents and split-ticket voting.

national chairperson

person responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually hand-picked by the presidential nominee

American Independent Party

political party whose most famous presidential candidate was Alabama governor George Wallace; mainly known for opposing racial desegregation.

third party contributions to American politics

produce new ideas and reforms, if successful in attracting voters - major parties usually absorb ideas

Dixiecrats

southern Democrats who opposed Truman's position on civil rights. They caused a split in the Democratic party.

state and local party organization

state laws determine state and local party structure, state parties get funding from national structure and are increasingly subject to its influence

party organization

the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

gridlock

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

spoiler role of third parties

third parties may siphon off enough votes from one candidate that he/she can lose an election that would otherwise have been won

splinter parties

third party formed by a dissatisfied faction of a major party (ex. Storm Thurmond split from the Democratic party and Bull Moose Party from Republican Party)

two-party system

two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

plurality

when a candidate receives most votes not necessarily a majority of the votes; primary reason two-party system exists

party polarization

when political parties move farther away from each other ideologically and also move away from the center