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