Political Parties (POLI 4031)

Dependent variable

" the phenomenon that is explained." Its value is dependent on the value of some other variable. Other things it is called: explained variable, endogenous variable, response variable, target variable.

"Admit it, Political Scientist: Politics Really is More Broken Than Ever" Thomas Mann

"For perhaps the first time in American history, the two dominant ideologies have captured the two dominant political parties." What points does he make about today's polarization? · It reflects differences in sincere ideologies (issue differences), but also differences due to mere tribalism. · He points out the fears of some that ideological parties do not work in a US system where power is so dispersed (federalism; separation of powers; separate elections) because the US system REQUIRES coalition building and compromise. · The "mismatch between parties and governing institutions is exacerbated by the fact that the polarization is ASYMMETRIC. Republicans have become a radical insurgency..." · He notes research that shows that: "parties are less collectives of election-minded politicians responding to the median voter than networks including interest groups, activists, and donors with clear policy demand. The imprint of these networks on the public has weakened the argument that voters are mostly moderate, pragmatic and independent."

Theory

"a logical statement of relationships among characteristics and events that explain a particular range of phenomena."

What is a political party?

"a party is a group organized to nominate candidates to try to win political power through election, and to promote ideas about public policies" But there are others aspects of parties as well... --an organization with activists. --citizens who identify with one party or another.

Hypothesis

"a test by experimentation and the collection and analysis of data"

Independent spending:

"advertising that is run independently (not coordinated with) of candidate's campaign

What important functions do parties perform in a democracy?

"intermediaries". Parties link "citizens and the people in government who make the decisions that affect our lives.""By bringing together people with shared interests, they amplify these people's voices in speaking to government. They raise issues that they want government to solve. They tell people what government is doing. They keep an eye on one another's behaviors as well as on the actions of public officials" (Hershey)

Citizenship

"prior to 1894 at least 12 states permitted noncitizens to vote." By the 1920s, all states required that voters be US citizens • Back in the day, there were a lot of immigrants in some states

Ranney Index:

(measure of Democratic Party strength): Average of a specific time of the following: ♣ Proportion of states seats won in the state House and Senate elections by Democrats ♣ Democratic percentage in the gubernational election ♣ Percentage of time the governorship and state legislature were controlled by the Democrats o The measure ranges from 0 (complete Republican domination) to 1 (complete Democratic domination) with .5 indicating perfect competition

#3 Noel "Ten Things Political Scientists Know that You Don't"

1) It's The Fundamentals, Stupid - Campaigns and slogans and debates make a lot of noise but all that really matters in an election are (especially presidential) are how long the incumbent party has been in power and how the economy is doing. 2) The Will of the People is Incredibly Hard to Put Your Finger on - Most people are not very political. They do not have strong ideologies or opinions. Generally they just take cues from party leaders. Polls are often not accurate b/c of this. 3) The Will of The People May Not Even Exist - It is impossible to do the will of everyone or a lot of times even most people. Also the limited candidate pool ensures that most people will not get their first choice. 4) There Is No Such Thing As A Mandate: Most candidates do not win b/c they promised to do something and they are also not held to fulfill any promises if they do win. Generally elections come down to economic motivations. 5) Duverger: It's The Law - To wit: "The simple-majority single-ballot system favours the two-party system." That is, with an electoral system like ours, we are likely to get a two-party system. Everyone agrees, RIP 3rd parties. 6) Party On - Politicians are not going to "play nice" and just do what is "best for the country". Policy differences exist and polarization will cause disputes and gridlock at times. However politicians standing for their party platform and being more consistent allows the public to better see how they are doing and hold them accountable. 7) Most Independents Are Closet Partisans: There are very few "pure independents" most people lean one way. And the pure independents are often not the intelliectual, unbiased free thinker that most assume. Instead most pure independents have little political knowledge and just do not care very much and that is why they do not lean. 8) Special Interests Are A Political Fiction - Special Interests do not exist. Factions are a natural effect of a democracy and all special interest appeal to some group in the public. Special interests are our interests. 9) The Grass Does Not Grow By Itself - Movements or parties do not start on their own. They take a lot of planning and organizing from a certain group or special interest. 10) We Do Not Know What You Think You Know - Most tropes are just myths like money buying off politicians or something like that.

Scientific Theory

A logical statement of relationships among characteristics and events that explain a particular range of phenomena.

Validity

A term describing a measure that accurately reflects the concept it is intended to measure.

Independent Variable

A variable that is selected as an antecedent condition to an observed behavior. In a cause and effect relationship, the independent variable is the cause and the dependent variable is the outcome or effect. Other things to call it: explanatory variable, exogenous variable, predictor variable.

Factors that weakaned the role of political party organizations?

Adoption of the "secret ballot" (also called the Australian ballot) ♣ Party leader couldn't tell how you were voting anymore - he had no way of knowing ♣ Helped to diminish strong party organizations

What remains one of the biggest challenges faced by the American parties?

Attracting volunteers remains one of the biggest challenges faced by the American parties

Soft money

Changes in 1979 enabled parties to raise large amounts of "soft money" or "nonfederal" money. These sums could be used for "party building activities" but were ultimately used to fund a wide variety of party activities. These can be raised in unlimited amounts. Party soft money was eliminated by BCRA in 2003, although some small amounts can still be raised by state and local parties o Issue Advocacy: parties used soft money for issue ads that do not include the magic words such as "vote for" or "vote against"

What activities do political parties perform?

Elect candidates Educate or "propagandize" citizens Govern

#16 Lyons "Where You Live and Who You Know: Political Environments, Social Pressures, and Partisan Stability"

Finds that those residing in a partisan minority county are more likely to change their party identification and that as the degree of incongruence rises, individuals become increasingly likely to change their identification across panel waves. These findings demonstrate the powerful effect of contextual social forces on an otherwise stable and enduring attachment such as partisanship and suggest that partisan socialization is a process that extends beyond an individual's childhood. Also polarization may be partly because people will move to areas of like minded individuals or change their party to fit the dominate one in the area.

#20 Bateman "Race, Party, and American Voting Rights"

How voting laws have changed over time. Political motivation to expand or limit the ability of people to vote. • Reform and Reaction ○ Expansion of Voting Rights § Motor Voter § Felony disenfranchisement § Help America Vote Act ○ Since 2008 there has been a coordinated push to reduce voting rights though. § Voter ID requirement § Proof of Citizenship § Eliminating early voting and absentee voting § Reducing # of polling stations § Restrictions on organizations that coordinate groups to register to vote. § If you are inactive for a certain time then registration is purged. • Electoral Competition ○ Republicans fighting to limit voter access while Democrats fighting to expand voter access. ○ Rivalry in elections has carried over to the electorate. ○ Higher the black population usually the higher the voting restrictions.

Purpose incentives

I want to be a strong Democrat and go out and see my ideals put into action, elect candidates that support those ideals

#21 Bergman "Voting only by mail can decrease or increase it."

If ballots are mailed out then many times participation actually decreases. The voters are likely to forget or just still not care regardless of convenience. Actually the convenience decreases the stimulus because there is no longer a exact date and time to go vote. However if the polling stations also followup with reminders and connect with the community to encourage mail-in voting then it can increase participation by 4% or more like has happened in Cali's test run.

#5 Berry and Sanders "The Concept of Causation"

Most poli sci research is about causation or one variable effecting another variable. This will be done by an experiments. These experiments have some randomness built in. In the selection of test subjects it is best to take a random selection b/c it will be more representative of the group as a whole. We can then make predictions and analysis from the stats that we find.

What is the difference between experimental and non-experimental methods?

Note the experimentation example that is provided in Berry and Saunders-randomly assigning individuals to control and treatment groups-this is the gold standard for making assertions about causality. But in social sciences, it is not always possible to manipulate the independent variable experimentally. Regression analysis is a non-experimental technique for extracting information from a sample of data. Regression analysis provide feasible non-experimental tests (bivariate and multivariate regression) that enable us to statistical control for other potential explanations.

mobilization

Parties are spending a lot of money in getting people out to vote • Three ways parties do this: o 1. "Each party has worked hard over time to get its likely supporters the right to vote." o 2. "Promote policies that make voting easier and more accessible to them (and less accessible to its opponents)." o 3. Bring their voters to the polls. • Remind them that there is an election

Service-oriented

Parties have adapted and become more "service oriented" other words they now play a supportive role to candidate campaigns by providing money and other resources (e.g., assistance with campaign technologies

#13 Irwin "How is the economy doing? It may depend on your party and $1"

People are much more likely to see things through partisan lens than objectively. Participants in the study changed their idea of the economy based on their political affiliation (ex. Dems said that the econ was better under Dem presidents, Rep. said that the econ was better under Rep. presidents). However when offered money for the correct answer the participants were much more unbiased and gave the correct answer for how the economy was. People in general see things through partisan lens unless they have some incentive to be objective.

#14 Ezra Klein, and Alvin Chang "Political identity is fair game for hatred": How Republicans and Democrats Discriminate

Political ID has become almost as divisive as race or religion. Americans are getting more and more angry and fearful of the other political party. Tested this by representing resumes for students applying to college. Study showed that people are very biased based off of political ID and would choose the student with the lower GPA if that student was the same party as them and the other was not. Then did a implicit association test. Test showed that both parties have an immediate bias toward the other and that this even exceeded the bias toward race in the same test.

#18 Bullock and Rozell "African Americans and Contemporary Southern Politics"

Since the 1964 presidential election, southern Blacks like their northern cousins have been overwhelmingly and unshakably loyal to the Democratic Party. Two-thirds of a century after Key published his work, southern African Americans vote at about the same rate as Whites and perhaps even higher in presidential elections. Beginning in 1962, southern Blacks have won hundreds of state legislative seats. In 1973 a southern Black reentered the US House for the first time since 1901. Until 1995, Democrats had majorities in every southern legislative chamber which meant that almost all Black legislators belonged to the majority party. Black legislators had substantial influence over policy decisions in Democratically-controlled legislative bodies especially on committees which they chaired. However most Southern Whites have now shifted to the GOP. Making the state legis. power of black voters less than it use to be, but increasing the black voters percentage of the Dem. party especially in the south. The decennial redrawing of legislative districts has been a mixed blessing for African Americans. The initial election of southern African Americans to Congress and state legislatures came on the heels of redistricting. However after 1992 the DOJ stopped regulating the redistricting and many miniority-majority districts have been created since then to benefit the GOP by clumping all of the black Dem. voters into the same district.

What is more likely in an homogeneous region?

Single Party Dominance - The less diverse the population of a city, the more likely the district is to foster one-party politics

Normative Statements

Statements about the way things should be.

Empirical Statements

Statements based on the way things are.

Operational definition

Stating a hypothesis in terms that can be tested experimentally. By operationalizing a concept, one is measuring it in some concrete way, often by ascribing a numerical value to it.

#7 Thomsen "Ideological Moderates Won't Run: How Party Fit Matters for Partisan Polarization in Congress"

The central claim is that ideological conformity with the party's ideological reputation—what I call party fit—influences the decision to run for office. A party's reputation conveys information about the type of candidate that belongs in the party, and potential candidates draw on this reputation to determine if they can achieve their electoral and policy goals and to decide whether to run for office. The party fit hypothesis suggests that in the contemporary political context, partisan polarization in Congress has discouraged ideological moderates in the political pipeline from pursuing a congressional career b/c the parties have become more homogeneous and polarized.

Qualitative research

The non-numerical representation and manipulation of observations for the purpose of describing and explaining the phenomena that those observations reflect.

Quantitative research

The numerical representation and manipulation of observations for the purpose of describing and explaining the phenomena that those observations reflect.

#15 Doherty Pew Research

The political polarization is growing in the US. And those most involved and active in the system are the most polarized. Both parties openly hate the other party and many participants said they would be disappointed or angry if someone in their family was a different party than them or if they married someone of the opposite party. Military personnel one of the few things both parties like. Most people are not extremely satisfied with their party they just identify with them because they are so fearful of the other party. Negative motivators such as fear are much more impact than positive motivators such as the party's policies.

Reliability

The quality of measurement method that suggests that the same data would have been collected each time in repeated observations of the same phenomena

party's coalition

The social, economic, or other groups most inclined to a favor a party's candidates at a particular time -

Behavioral independents

These are people who just switch

501(c) organizations

These can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money and there is little disclosure

What does it mean to control for variables?

This means that "the impact of other variables is removed or taken into account when observing.

What problems do the authors of today's articles raise about the Ranney Index and the Folded Ranney Index?

Timing - time was too long • Reading #10: Holbrook and Van Dunk - say it's not the best method of calculating, it could've been better o Issues of validity - is it really measuring the concept that it is intended to measure? It's not getting at a measure of actual competition between party candidates o It's heaping it all together - looking at party control rather than party competition

Volunteers...

Volunteers keep American party organizations running - they register people to vote, go door-to-door, get voters to the polls, etc. o Tend to be more extreme than voters

#19 Miller and Conover "Red and Blue States of Mind: Partisan Hostility and Voting in the United States"

What are the major questions addressed here? ○ Focus in on partisanship as a "social identity" and the rivalry b/w parties. • Hypotheses Tested ○ Partisan social identity positively predicts rivalry and anger. ○ Electoral competition should increase the effects of social ID on rivalry and anger. ○ "Sports Team" like rivalries are the biggest motivator. • Rivalry and anger are great in those with a stronger party ID. ○ The effect that incivility, anger, and rivalry have on voter turnout is similar to that of education and knowledge. Close elections increase anger, incivility, and anger toward the political opponents.

What are primaries?

allow voters to choose the parties' nominees

Attitudinal independents -

an independent is someone who tells a poll taker that they don't identify with a political party

Campaign finance laws

apply for federal candidates, completely different for state candidates

Preferment

contracts or other decisions favoring a business in exchange for political contributions o Demise of Party Machines decline in patronage due to Civil Service reforms; in later years the increasing social safety net provided by government.

Problem of representation

democracy is served when the major parties take clear and distinctive stands on major policy questions o Strong party organizations are considered as a threat to American politics

Proportional representation

each party prepares a slate of candidates for these positions

Why has the presidential nominating system changed dramatically in recent years?

especially beginning in 1972 • Interest groups of a party get attention to their causes in the primary • Avenue within a party for their discontent to be manifested and to be heard

17th Amendment

gave voters, rather than state legislatures, the right to elect US senators

Party polarization

greater agreement on policy stands within each party and sharper policy differences between the Democrats and Republicans

Party ID

is a psychological commitment that is often strong enough to guide other political beliefs and behaviors

The "Folded Ranney Index

is merely a version of the index whereby higher competition has higher values ranging from .5 (one party dominance) to 1 (perfect competition). This is calculated by 1-ABS (Ranney - .5).

Patronage

jobs awarded on the basis of party loyalty rather than qualifications

Solidary incentives

join parties to be around people with similar ideologies, make connections

Coordinated expenditures

money that the party and the candidate spend together

Direct contributions

note the limits on direct contributions by parties to candidates (but remember why party contributions may be more important than other types) - quite limited • Direct cash contribution is limited to 5,000$ per election

Keep in mind an alternative viewpoint about the potential positive nature of party competition...

o Competitive campaigns tend to be expensive and sometimes negative - this may dissuade some people from running (the costs are too high and the campaigns too nasty). The nastiness of campaigns may turn some voters off. o Lack of one-party control for an extended time (or divided government) makes it difficult to make needed policy changes. ♣ Situation in a state where one party takes over for two years, then the other party takes over for two years - create inconsistent policies or it's difficult to get any policy change o Parties may put too much emphasis on winning elections, not enough on governing.

What are other reasons there are a two party system?

o Dualist theory: there is a natural dualism within democratic institutions - e.g., government versus the opposition o Party self-protection: SMDS and plurality elections are kept in place by the major parties to protect their monopoly. Other institutional features as well such as ballot access and campaign finance laws ¬ Ballot access - in states such as NY, it is hard to get on the ballot there, very big reason • Ross Perot ¬ Campaign financing - some states subsidized their major parties o People are afraid to "waste their votes" and the media often won't cover them - psychological reason ¬ Media won't cover these minor parties

==> Reading #3: Watts • What are your thoughts by the chapters by Duncan Watts? (Everything is Obvious, Once you Know The Answer: How Common Sense Fails Us)

o Everything isn't common sense to everyone - it is almost subjective, made me rethink what I thought was common sense (answer from a girl) o He explains why if you see someone doing something strange, you think that they have no common sense, but maybe they come from somewhere else where they think that it is common sense • What is motivating them? o It's not enough to say that common sense is always wrong - we need to understand these rules even if it is a mythology - need to know the norms of society o It also means questioning your own individual movement through the world through trying to explain the world o So much common sense that we learn naturally so you can't always teach it - makes you think it might be hard for social scientists to find what is motivating people if you can't even program a robot to take a subway ride ¬ As social scientists, it makes us question how do we make a policy that is going to work without understanding all of these subtle behaviors o We think we understand the fundamentals, but we don't always ¬ Give a copy of this to the uncle at Thanksgiving that thinks he has the answer to everything o "Determining which features are relevant about a situation are required to associate it with comparable situations..." ¬ He says its inherent circulatory - a concept means using common sense is really hard because you have to know everything about a situation to deal with a situation ¬ Common sense doesn't do that - it's a quick decision o Incentive of paying people more - that should motivate people (financial rewards) ¬ Should motivate them to work harder ¬ But, Watts finds that when you look at financial rewards are not as strong of a predictor as a lot of people think that they are ¬ Is that what capitalism about? You pay people to perform, they don't perform so you end their job and they won't get paid • Undercuts fundamentals such as our ability to mold policy makers o Our ability to understand these things such as what motivates behavior is quite limited

How people develop party identifications

o Families are the most common source of our first part ID - absorb family's judgment o Childhood influences - can be powerful enough to last into adulthood • Sustained because we gravitate towards people like ourselves • Some do leave the party of their parents, however o Influences in adulthood - partisanship gained in childhood is more likely to be challenged as a young adult when we move into new environments: college, marriage, work, paying taxes • The longer a person holds a party ID, the more stable it normally becomes • Young adults are more likely than older adult to embrace change

Will the two-party system continue?

o First, the two-party system is secure in the US o Independent and minor parties face issues when trying to raise money - financial disadvantages o Second, the Democratic and Republican parties are highly competitive at the national level

party realignment

o Great and enduring changes in the parties' coalitions a very controversial concept • Changes in patterns of group support for the Dems and the Reps have made a major difference in American politics and policies over time

issue evolutions

o Many prefer to use the concept of "issue evolutions" to discuss the ways in which issues have affected partisanship over time

What draws people into party activity?

o Material incentives - tangible rewards for activity - cash payments, etc. • Patronage - appointment of an individual to a government job as a reward for party work • Supreme Court has dismantled patronage at the state and local levels, but some jobs still exist - mayors, governors, and presidents continue to reserve top policy-making positions for their trusted supporters • No longer an important force in motivating activists • Preferment - other favors a governing party can grant to party supporters, such as contracts or preferred treatment in enforcing laws • Construction company giving a lot of money in order to build a new school or highway • Reformers have limited government's discretion in giving out benefits and buying goods and services from private firms o Solidary incentives - intangible, social benefits that people can gain from associating with others • Networking, being part of a group • Meet like-minded people • Party activism is a form of networking - a standard of means of looking for a job o Purposive incentives - intangible, referring to satisfaction people feel when promoting an issue or cause that matters to them • Issue based - people are led to party activism by their commitment to particular issues • Ex: abortion rights - pro-choice Democratic candidate • Want to achieve policy goals o Elected office - people partake because they see it as a stepping stone into politics/first step towards running for office o Mixed incentives - most party organizations rely on a variety of incentives

Where do activists come from?

o Party organizations have difficulty in attracting volunteers o Finding volunteers - fewer people are involving themselves in face-to-face activities of politics • Depending on the nature of the community that these parties are trying to persuade, these local parties may have different level of electoral success as well

What kinds of people become party activists?

o People become involved if they have the resources to take part, the attitudes that support involvement, and if someone has encouraged them to do so • Resources - time, money, civic skills (organize/communicate effectively) o They take part if they are interested in what happens in campaigns and concerned about the workings of government o Simply asking people - being urged to participate is a powerful motivation o Better educated and wealthier than average - tend to have higher incomes, more formal education, and higher-status occupations • Big gap in contributions from the rich and the poor o People from "political families" - families with a history of party activity o Different agendas - activists differ from other Americans in the types of issues that they regard as important • Motivated by issues of education, abortion, economy, human needs • These issues divide Republicans and Democrats o More extreme views - activists tend to have more extreme views on issues • Especially for Conservative Republicans - their principles have become more intense

Procedural

o Procedural reforms (begun in the Democratic Party)

Progressives

o Progressives saw party power as corrupted and inefficient - tried to weaken the control that the parties and party organizations had achieved by the late 1800s • Wanted primary elections - party voters, rather than party leaders, had the power to choose the parties' candidates • Presidential nominations were made more public by having presidential primaries in the states • Reforms weakened party organizations - state legislatures wrote laws to limit what they could/couldn't do o 1970s - D and R's expanded their fundraising capacity of their national party organizations - used money to provide services for candidates

Service

o Service (the "service party" reforms begun in the Republican Party) ♣ "Service party": party organizations that support campaigns with money and other resources as opposed to running the campaigns itself

How many electoral eras or party systems has the US experienced?

o The US has experienced at least 6 different electoral eras or party systems

What are two factors that limit party competition in many areas?

o There are many factors that limit party competition in many areas: ¬ Incumbency advantages ¬ District composition (due to residential mobility and partisan sorting and to redistricting)

Why is Partisan Competition important?

o There is often an assumption made that high party competition is a positive thing in representative democracy - why? ♣ Parties propose competing views and voters get a choice at the ballot box to hold the parties in control accountable. This is part of the "responsible" party model - the party is held accountable, if they don't do a good job they get thrown out of office ♣ It creates a marketplace of ideas and competition within this marketplace is a good thing. Competition leads to a more informed electorate who, after competitive campaigns, may have a deeper understanding of their choices. • Competition is good ♣ Ultimately, competition keeps parties and candidates accountable to those who elect them.

dealignment

or a decline in party loyalties

Issue advocacy:

parties used the soft money for issue ads that do not include the magic words such as "vote for" or "vote against"

What is the flip side of Duverger's law?

proportional (if you win 80% of a state's votes, you get 80% of the seats in that legislative chamber) representation in multimember constituencies results in multi-party systems ¬ Plurality - whoever gets the most votes wins vs. majority winning - whoever has the majority of votes casts wins ¬ Single-member districts: choose one representative ¬ These types of elections where you have plurality winners in single-member districts and no runoffs tend to produce two-party systems - minor party can't say to the plurality winner that they will throw their support to them if you appoint me to some board, etc.

Correlation coefficient-

shows how close the relationship between two variables is and ranges from -1 to +1. Positive values indicate that the factors are positively related, negative values indicates the factors are negatively related, and 0 indicate there is no relationship.

Multiple regression:

test two or more independent variables on a dependent variable to assess their influence. This enables one to "control" for other possible explanations.

Party identification

the sense of psychological attachment that most Americans develop toward a political party o Link between citizens and the party organization as well as the party in government

Party ID remains a powerful force in American politics

voters see candidates, issues, and elections in partisan terms and vote accordingly

How parties differ from other political groups (especially interest groups):

· Parties structure and contest elections · Parties are fully committed to political activity · Parties must mobilize very large number to win elections · Parties endure for long periods and time and provide a source of reference for citizens · Serve as political "symbols or emotion-lade objects of loyalty." For many people, party is a social identity.

Three parts of political parties

· Party organization · Party in government · Party in the electorate

Positive Roles of Parties:

· Simplify issues and elections for citizens · Aggregate and organize · Parties dominate the recruitment of political leaders · Parties help to unify a fragmented political system

Party organizations

• "In sum, we have good evidence that country party organizations are stronger and more active now than they were a generation ago." • Note, however, the sources of influence that party organizations use have changed over time. • Note also that while the parties are more active than they were 40 years ago and have adapted - there are other forces they have to compete with: campaign professionals and outside interest groups.

The third party system - 1861 - 1896

• Antislavery Republicans quickly gained support - replaced the Whigs in 1854 • The Civil War amplified the differences between the two parties • South - more Democratic • North - reliable base for Republicans o Regional division • Resulted in intense elections, especially for president • Republicans dominated areas where new businesses were expanding • Democrats - deeply suspicious of capitalism, farmers and the working class and the white South

Voting Rights Act of 1965

• But note Shelby County v. Holder (2013) struck down key elements of the VRA - it said that the preclearance provision only applies to certain parts of the country (parts that had a history of voting right irregularities/exclusionary mechanisms in place) • If you're state won't do it, the federal government would come in and make you enact this act o Women (1920) o 18 year olds (1971) - up to that point, you had to be 21 years old • Why did they wait so long? Vietnam

The fourth party system - 1897-1932

• Civil War continued to shape southern politics for the next century, while economic conflict dominated politics elsewhere • Democrats were divided within the party between the more conservative party leaders and the poor whites - led to a fight over the party's leadership • Less wealthy won - nominated populist William Jennings Bryan as the Dem candidate in 1896 and reformed the party's issue stances - he lost • Republicans dominated national politics until 1932 • This period reflected both regional and economic conflict - eastern business community (Republican) against the southern rural "periphery" (Democrat) • In the south, Dems kept blacks from voting

The second party system - 1829-1860

• Developed when the one-party rule of the Democratic-Republicans could not contain all the conflicts arising from a rapidly changing nation • Party split into two factions - one that continued the Jeffersonian tradition of opposition to a strong national government under Andrew Jackson's leadership(farmers of the South) - the other led by John Q. Adams that would later identify as the National Republicans/Whigs o Whigs - wealthier voters in the South o Democrats - less privileged • Democrats dominated • Whigs started to fracture, especially over the issue of slavery

Duverger's Law/Single-member district/Plurality election

• Duverger's Law - plurality elections in single-member districts tend to produce two-party systems • Single-member district - one candidate is elected to each office • Plurality election - the candidate with the largest number of votes wins, even if not a majority

#9 Nagourney "Midterms Give Parties Chance for Sweeping Control"

• Extending party competition that we see at the national level to the state level. State level politics are usually not very competitive. One party usually control a region or state. o Same sort of issues are occurring at the state level o Not just issues of redistricting, but also over politics • "Republicans or Democrats have single-party control of both the legislatures and the governor's office in 36 states, the most in six decades." • Parties matter - 22 states, all but 6 controlled by Republicans, enacted abortion restrictions in 2013 • Party certainly matters in terms of policy making National Parties are starting to pour money into state races. So they can control the policies of that region or state. Much easier to pass legislation at the state level.

The fifth party system - 1932-1968

• Great Depression of 1929 and the Democrat election of Franklin Roosevelt produced the fifth, or New Deal, party system • 1930s - FDR needed to pull the nation from economic ruin and pushed Congress to enact several large-scale welfare state programs • Social Security, wages and hours laws, protection for labor unions - all strengthened the Democrats image as the party of the disadvantaged o Blacks started to leave the Rep party and join the Dems • 1936 - the new Democratic majority party had become a grand New Deal coalition of the less privileged and minorities - lower income people, industrial workers, poor farmers, Catholics, Jews, Blacks

#8 Tau "Last Call for State Parties?"

• He's saying that they aren't making enough money due to laws and the fact that people don't want to contribute as much anymore • Outside groups making raising funds more difficult and many organizations are taking over their traditional functions of outreach and voter contact; an organization to train and develop future political talent • Wealthy individuals would rather give to the outside groups than to parties which require greater disclosure - fearful of retribution o Interest groups, companies, etc. • Campaign finance laws at the national level restrict state party use of funds in federal elections (NOTE that prior to the McCain-Feingold, state parties had lots of soft money given to them by the national parties) • The 2010 Citizens United ruling by the SC made it MUCH easier for outside groups to raise money, it had no effect on state parties.

The first party system - 1801 to 1828

• It emerged out of a serious conflict between opposing groups in George Washington's administration - how much power should the national government exercise relative to that of the states?

Reading #2: Mann "Admit it, political scientists: politics really is more broken than ever"

• Mann believes that while we were able to fix things in the past, things are extremely different today from the past • Congress is far too polarized, ceasing to operate effectively as a legislative body o No more deliberation or compromise • There is intense competition for control of the White House and Congress - large ideological differences • Asymmetry among members of Congress - ideological distance • Mann examines asymmetric polarization - the Republican Party voters are more skewed to their ideological pole than Democratic Party voters are to theirs • To fix this, we would have to change constitutional systems, encourage third party candidates - nothing works • More promising are approaches that focus directly on the parties as they exist within our constitutional system o Republicans need to stop being so radical • Conclusion: he doesn't know what the answer is, but political scientists must keep researching

Most election...

• Most elections have become less party centered and more candidate centered

The sixth party system

• New Deal policies had a profound impact on the parties' supporting coalitions • WWII brought an end to the Depression in the US - some groups benefitted from government assistance and moved up into the growing middle class • Now paid higher taxes to support those still needing assistance - started to reevaluate the costs/benefits of the welfare state in their own lives • The issue of race was pushed to the top of both parties' agendas • Black Americans migrated north and Democrats in the north pushed their party to deliver the promise of civil rights for blacks • Pushed to end segregation of schools and public accommodations - white conservative southerners felt betrayed by the Dem party • 1964 - these betrayed southern Dems found an alternative in Rep Barry Goldwater, who opposed the Civil Rights Act • Stance: party's commitment to smaller government and states' rights required it to oppose federal government efforts to force integration on state governments • Both national parties had markedly changed their positions o Democrats - secure black rights o Republicans - reacted against big government programs of the New Deal • Blacks moved towards the Dems, southern whites moved towards Reps • When Voting Rights Act was passed, Democratic voting patterns led the national party to become even more liberal on race and related issues

What other effects do party competitions have?

• Note as well the ideas that party competition has other effects: o Studies also show that turnout is higher in places where competition is higher. How so? ♣ Close elections give a strong incentive for candidates to mobilize the electorate ♣ People participate more

Issues of raising money

• Note that there are "hard money" limits on the amounts that individuals and PACs can contribute to political parties. • The use of "soft money" was particularly important for the parties (especially Democrats). • But then came McCain-Feingold (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act) BCRA beginning in 2003 - now parties can only raise and spend "hard money" • What are the current limits on contributions to political parties? o $32,400 per calendar year to a national party committee (2013-14) • But, parties again have adapted...

#7 Golway "The Forgotten Virtues of Tammany" Hall

• Parties performed vital functions that the government at the time wasn't performing. Found jobs for the unemployed when the alternative was hunger and illness. We don't think as parties providing essentials such as jobs, etc. - there was much more of a people aspect in parties back then. Also these services made voters more connected to the party and the system thus they were more likely to be informed and to vote.

What are non-partisan elections?

• Removing party labels from the ballot • Minority parties benefit from nonpartisan ballots • They also reduce voter turnout

Reading #17: Knuckey "Explaining recent changes in the partisan identifications of Southern Whites"

• Scholars of southern partisan change have been reluctant to proclaim a realignment among southern whites o In 2000, majority of southern whites held Republican IDs, with 1 in 3 southern whites identifying as Dems • This article examines the causes of the changing party IDs of southern whites in the 1990s and focuses on four explanations: o 1) Role of racial attitudes o 2) Social class polarization o 3) Social and cultural attitudes o 4) General ideological realignment • The study finds that national forces, specifically an ideological realignment and class-status polarization played some role in producing changes in partisanship of southern whites o However, regional differences between the South and the rest of the US remained evident with racial attitudes and views on abortion exerting significant effects on party IDs in the 1990s • The findings suggest that the Rep advantage in party IDs that emerged in the 90s is durable and likely to increase in future years • DV: Party identification as a Republican

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (aka McCain- Feingold)

• The "527s" have gained prominence. These are groups that raise huge amounts of money and spend it without coordinating with campaigns. They use issue ads that do not explicitly advocate the election or defeat of candidates

What is the most visible single-member district the U.S.? What does this do?

• The Presidency is the most visible single-member district in the US - only one person can do it • Limits the ability of minor parties to win the office of president

#14: Bailey et al. "Tea Party Influence: A Story of Activists and Elites"

• They investigate four channels for the movement to influence political outcomes: activists, constituent opinion, group endorsement activity, and elite-level self-identification • Find consistent evidence that activists mattered both electorally and for roll call voting on issues of importance to the movement o Constituent opinion - virtually no impact on either political outcome o Group endorsement - some possible effects on elections, but no effect on congressional voting o Self-identification among elites did not enhance or harm Republican electoral fortunes, but did affect congressional votes important to the movement • Results show how movement politics can influence outcomes through multiple channels and call into question the usefulness of the "Tea Party" moniker without important qualifiers • Found that Tea Party activism matters (important because they were around before and after Obama election" • Conclusion: "...activism is the most important way in which the movement might have influence" o Republicans with Tea Party activists performed better in 2010 general elections relative to other Republicans o Elite self-identification - these individuals didn't reap electoral gains, but rather voted in ways very different than otherwise situated Republicans • Sincerely committed to the agenda of the movement and want to advance the goals o Interest group influence is less clear - endorsements didn't affect congressional voting

Pragmatists (Professionals) and Purists (Amateurs)

• Two types of party activists • Pragmatists - first loyalty is to the party itself, party "regulars" who support in good times and bad • Purist - issue-oriented activist, motivated by purposive incentives, sees party activity as only one means of achieving important political goals • Their goal is the issue and the party is the means of achieving it

SC case of Citizens United in 2010

• What is a superpac? "an independent expenditure-only PAC" -it can accept unlimited donations from corporations and unions and then spend advocating the election or defeat of candidates. BUT it cannot coordinate with candidate campaigns. Disclosure of donors is required

#15: Edsall "How much do our genes influence our political beliefs?"

• Why do so many poor, working-class and lower-middle-class whites - many dependent on government programs - vote for Republicans? • Psychologists suggested in a study that "authoritarianism, religiousness, and conservatism" are "substantially influenced by genetic factors" • If they are genetic, then it may not lead to rational debate and compromise o This is all highly controversial • Psychologists argued that these traits are greater amongst identical twins than non-identical twins • Gene influence is higher amongst social ideology and much weaker amongst economic attitudes • Example: West Virginia is a very poor state o A lot of the population is on welfare and food stamps o However, Mitt Romney won all of WV's counties and beat Obama • Important to look into genes and see if it truly has an impact on political attitude

Independent expenditures

♣ "Independent expenditures" (note that this is where much of the growth in funding is allocated) - a lot of the money that national parties put into the system goes • Independent spending - done independently of a candidate, they don't and can't know about it, not coordinated in any way - buy advertising (Vote for Mary Landrieu, don't vote for her, etc.) o It is money spent, not money given

Political Party structure

♣ Democratic National Committee (DNC) - this is the big one that focuses on things beyond Congress, party system at large, national committee that makes decisions about party rules ♣ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) - concerned with the House, legislative campaign committee, trying to increase the number of legislatures in the House of Reps, want more Democrats ♣ Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) - concerned with the Senate, legislative campaign committee, focused on getting more Democratic senators ♣ Republican National Committee (RNC) ♣ National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) ♣ National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) o Don't forget other organizations: ♣ Democratic and Republican's Governor's Association ♣ Women and Youth Groups ♣ Other groups within the party network

Key (1949) says that competition results in more liberal government policies. How so?

♣ Less conservative policies ♣ Elected officials are more responsive to constituent interests in competitive environments. Also, there is a higher turnout in competitive environments, which results in the lower classes comprising a larger part of the electorate. The result is that elected officials in competitive settings will provide benefits to the lower socio-economic interest to a greater degree than observed in less competitive settings. • Policies more in favor towards those in the lower income spectrum ♣ EVIDENCE: Yes, research indicates that this effect does exist, but the strength of the relationship is greatest in states where Democrats tend to win elections. Also, the effects of state-level conditions often are greater than the political conditions. • Have to control for other factors