POLS 2305 - American Gov - Chapter 12 Political Parties

In 1896, the Democrats adopted much of the Populist Party platform and nominated which man to run for president?

William Jennings Bryan

What is one benefit of having rather permanent partisan coalitions within government?

Without them, the business of government would slow to a crawl then halt altogether.

Party identification refers to

an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another.

Compared to parties, interest groups are comprised mostly of

benefit seekers

Which is not a primary function of political parties?

financing campaigns

third parties

have always existed in the United States.

In 2006 and 2008, Republicans

lost support among Latino voters.

Groups like America Votes and MoveOn that use the Internet to mobilize large numbers of people to vote are known as

netroots organizations.

What is the process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office?

nomination

What is not a component of the term "party system"?

number of parties competing for power organization of the parties ANSWER: types of offices parties seek to control issues around which the parties are organized

Primaries that allow voters to choose, on the day of the primary, which party to enroll in are called what?

open primary

The late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century party organizations that controlled local politics through patronage and control of the nominations process were known as

party machines

In addition to choosing their presidential nominee, a national quadrennial convention also approves

party platform

Which of the following is not an anti-party reform of the Progressive era?

patronage

Which is not a reason why parties form?

provide a loyal opposition to the governing party

Political parties facilitate mass electoral choice by

providing voters with a kind of party "brand-name" that simplifies their choice of candidates.

Who was generally not part of the New Deal coalition supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt?

unionized workers southern farmers ANSWER: business owners Catholics

Which of the following is not a reason why third parties tend to be short-lived?

-Electoral support for third parties is limited. ANSWER: The use of multiple-member districts dampens their influence. -The tradition of two parties is strong. -Major parties often co-opt popular third-party platform planks.

All of the following are true of the gender gap except that it

-describes the pattern in which women are more likely than men to support Republicans. -emerged in the 1980 election. -was again evident in the 2008 election. ANSWER: describes the pattern in which women are more likely than men to support Democrats.

Legislative parties play important roles in determining all of the following except

-who is Speaker of the House. ANSWER: who serves as president of the Senate. -who will be seated on which committees. -the organization and day-to-day operation of Congress.

Changes in political forces and alignments have produced six party systems in American political history.

1) The first party system pitted the Federalists against the Democratic-Republicans, two groups of competing political elites, each of which had only loose ties to the electorate; party organization tended to focus on political clubs and party newspapers. After the War of 1812, the Federalist Party gave way to the dominance of Democratic-Republicans. 2) The second party system represented competition between the Democrats and the Whigs; the Democrats, led by Andrew Jackson, were the popular and dominant political party of the era, although the Whigs became competitive by organizing popular support as well. 3) The third party system emerged out of the Civil War, wherein Lincoln's newly founded Republican Party dominated the Democratic Party, which had its primary base in the states of the former Confederacy. -During this era, party machines used the spoils system and control over political nominations to rise to prominence. -In response to the abuses of party machines, late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Progressives pushed for reforms of the political system, including the Australian ballot, merit systems of civil service, and direct primaries that weakened party organizations. 4) The fourth party system lasted from 1896 to 1932 and was largely dominated by Republicans, although repeated internal party differences hampered Republican governance during the era. 5) The fifth party system emerged out of the Great Depression, when Franklin Roosevelt built a broad-based Democratic coalition that dominated American national politics until the election of Richard Nixon in 1968. 6) Though some scholars disagree as to when (and if) there has been a sixth party system, a good case can be made that the current party system emerged with Richard Nixon's 1968 election, as the Democrats' "Solid South" succumbed to Nixon's "southern strategy" to convert disaffected former Democrats to Republicanism.

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

Who was the "organizational genius" behind the Jacksonian movement of the second party system?

Martin Van Buren

What political scientist explained why America has a two-party system that keeps third parties at bay?

Maurice Duverger

Which president employed a "southern strategy" to gain the votes of disaffected southern white voters?

Richard Nixon

Which of the following is not one of the ways parties help solve the ambition problem?

They regulate career advancement. Parties provide for the orderly resolution of ambitious competition. They attend to the post-career care of elected officials. ANSWER: Parties offer a vehicle for "foot soldiers" to walk in lockstep.

Who was seen as the leader of the Democratic-Republicans, leading competition against the Federalists in the first party system?

Thomas Jefferson