Module 12 - US Parties & Interest Groups
Why a Two-Party System?
Why does the United States have a two-party system when most Western democracies have multiparty systems? Electoral rules.
Party-in-Government
All of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party. This includes all of the political members of federal, state, and local governments.
Ideology & Program
An ideology is an organized set of beliefs about the fundamental nature of the good society and the role government ought to play in achieving it.
Single-issue parties
Are barely distinguishable from interest groups (Perot's "balanced budget" Reform Party).
Ideological parties
Are organized around coherent sets of ideas (Libertarian Party).
Restrictions on Minor Parties
Aside from a minor party candidate being able to receive the most votes in a district or state, there are other restrictions that hamper their ability to even get candidates on the ballot
The Problem of Divided Government
Divided party government occurs when the executive and legislative branches are held by opposing political parties.
The Role of Minor Parties
Even though minor parties have difficulty getting on ballots and wining races, they do play an important role in US elections.
Splinter parties
Form when a faction in one of the two major parties bolts to run its own candidate (Bull Moose Progressive Party).
The Second Party System - Democrats versus Whigs
In the 1830s, a strong two-party system developed between the Democrats (formerly the Democratic Republicans) and the Whigs. Andrew Jackson's supporters organized into the Democratic Party; John Quincy Adam's supporters organized the Whig Party. The Civil War split the parties; the northern and southern wings of each party mirrored the split in the nation - with the southern factions supporting slavery and the northern factions not supporting slavery. Fragments of the Whig Party came together with Free-Soilers and antislavery Democrats to form the Republican Party. Democrats nominated two candidates to run against Lincoln, which split the Democrat vote and secured Lincoln's win.
How Are the Parties Different? - The differences between Democrats and Republicans are real, important, and enduring, and appear to be becoming more distinctive
In the perceptions of the electorate: Democrats are perceived to be more liberal and Republicans are perceived to be more conservative. In terms of who supports them: Minorities, women, labor, and the poor are more likely to support Democrats; whites, men, higher educated, and higher earners are more likely to support Republicans. In their political platforms: Republican and Democrat Party Platforms outline positions on polar opposite policies. In the policy decisions of their elected representatives: Elections matter! Electing more Democrats results in more liberal policies; electing more Republicans results in more conservative policies.
The Role of Minor Parties in the Two-Party System
Minor parties have played a less-important role in the United States than in virtually any other democratic nation. In history, only the Republican Party has managed to replace one of the major parties; only seven have been able to win ten percent of the popular vote in a presidential election; and only seven have managed to win a single state in a presidential election.
Declining party identification
More people are identifying as "Independent," especially in your age group.
History of the Two-Party System
Most Western democracies have multiparty systems. In the United States, two parties have dominated the political scene since 1836. At this time it was the Democrats and Whigs. Democrats and Republicans have controlled the Presidency and Congress since 1860. The Republican Party is the only third-party to replace a major party (Whigs). This started with the election of President Lincoln, who was the first Republican president.
Parity between the parties
No one party has a clear majority of support from the American people.
The sixth party system is characterized by
Parity between the parties, Declining party identification, & More sharply divided views between Republicans and Democrats
Parties in the Electorate
Parties in the electorate refers to individuals who are supporters of the party. Americans are less inclined to identify with either of the parties than they were in the past.
The First Party System: Federalists versus Democratic Republicans
Parties were created almost immediately after the country's founding, even though the Founders were hostile to them in theory. The Federalist Party formed in the 1790s, under the leadership of Alexander Hamilton. The Democratic Republicans soon formed as an opposition party, under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Federalists became tainted by actions such as the Alien and Sedition Acts, enacted to repress dissent and opposition to Federalist policies. By 1816, the two-party system evolved into a one-party or no-party system, known as the Era of Good Feelings.
The Three Faces of a Party
Party-in-the-Electorate, Party-in-Government, & Party Organization
The Role of Political Parties in a Democracy
Political parties can do a number of things to make popular sovereignty and political equality possible. First, they keep elected officials responsive through competitive elections. Second, they include a broad range of groups. Unlike interest groups that are issue specific, political parties are broader.
Functions of Political Parties in the United States
Political parties provide several functions in our democracy
Types of Minor Parties: There are several "types" of minor parties. These include - Are barely distinguishable from interest groups (Perot's "balanced budget" Reform Party).
Protest parties, Ideological parties, Single-issue parties, & Splinter parties
Party Realignment
Realignment is a transition period when a party system dominated by one of the two major parties is replaced by another system dominated by the other party. Historically, this happened about every 30 years. That said, there hasn't been a major party realignment since the 1930s. There have been "shifts" since then - Democrats in the 1960s, Republicans in the 1990s, etc.
The Party System of 1896
Republican dominance and the rise of the Populist Party - Rapid economic and social change in the late nineteenth century led to the rise of protest movements and third parties. The Populist Party garnered 8.5% of the total vote in 1982 and won four states. During the 1890s, it won eight governorships and around that many state legislatures. In the presidential election of 1896, the Populist Party joined Democrats to nominate radical pro-labor candidate William Jennings Bryan. Conservative Democrats joined Republicans to support the pro-business candidate William McKinley. In the South, efforts to intimidate potential black voters increased dramatically. The Republicans won soundly and continued to dominate politics through the election of 1932.
From the Civil War to 1896
Republicans and Democrats in Balance - Following Reconstruction, Republicans and Democrats were somewhat balanced in national politics. Between 1876 and 1896, Democrats controlled the presidency for eight of 20 years, the Senate for six years, and the House of Representatives for 14 years. Each party had a strong regional flavor - Democrats in the South and Republicans in the North. At this time, the Democratic Party was primarily a white southern party. The Republicans became a party of business, the middle-class, and newly enfranchised African Americans.
Protest parties
Sometimes arise as part of a protest movement (Green Party).
The New Deal Party System: Democratic Party Dominance
The New Deal party system grew out of the crisis of the Great Depression and favorable public reactions to government efforts to deal with the economic collapse. The party system underwent a realignment (1932-1936) from Republican to Democratic dominance. This was the last true realignment. The New Deal coalition supported an expansion of federal government powers and responsibilities, particularly in the areas of old age assistance, aid for the poor, encouragement of unionization, subsidies for agriculture, and regulation of business
Growing Ideological Differences Between the Parties
The Republican Party became more consistently conservative after the mid-1970s and the Democratic Party became more consistently liberal after the mid-1990s. This means that Democrats and Republicans agree on fewer issues now than they have in the past.
The Sixth Party System: Dealignment & Parity
The electoral coalition that formed the basis of the New Deal party system began to seriously deteriorate in 1968 and finally collapsed in 1994. Unlike earlier transitions, where one dominant party was replaced by another one, in this transition the previously dominant party lost preeminence, but no new party took its place. Many call the process of transition to the sixth party system dealignment.
Party Organization
The formal structure and leadership of a political party - including election committees, local, state, and national executives, and paid professional staff. These are the folks who find candidates to run, have fund raiser, and try to mobilize voters to turn out for their candidate.
Decentralized Organization
The national party committees conduct the business of the party between national conventions; provide services for local and state parties, and candidates; and provide financial contributions to party candidates.
More sharply divided views between Republicans and Democrats
The parties are becoming more polarized, meaning they take different positions on more issues.
The Parties in Government
The parties in government refers to government officials who have been elected under the party's label. To avoid tyrannical government, the Founders designed a system of government in which power is so fragmented and competitive that effectiveness is unlikely. One of the roles that political parties play is to persuade officials in the different branches to cooperate with one another on the basis of party loyalty.
Recruiting candidates for public office
The party organizations, in and out of government, activity search for candidates to run for office who they believe will be attractive to the voters.
Acting as the organized opposition to the party in power
The party that doesn't have the presidency is called the "out-party." Their job is to provide alternative policies to those being proposed by the party in power.
Presenting alternative policies to the electorate
This is done through the platforms the parties create every four years at the national conventions. In the platforms, parties specify the policies/programs they will peruse if they are giving control of the government by the voters.
Party-in-the-Electorate
Those members of the general public who identify with a political party or who express a preference for one party over the other. This is us, the people. If you identify as a Republican or Democrat, you are part of the party-in-the-electorate.
Accepting responsibility for operating the government
Unfortunately, we don't see much of this anymore. The Truman days of, "The buck stops here," meaning he should be held responsible, have been replaced with blaming the other party or previous presidents for everything.
The Primacy of Candidates
Unlike elections in most Western democracies, American politics is candidate-centered. This means we vote for the candidate who represents a party; in Europe, voters vote for the party that represents the candidate.
The Ambiguous Nature of American Political Parties
Unlike parties in most democratic countries, American parties are composed of many diverse and independent groups and individuals. Also, presidents cannot automatically count on the support of their own party.
