POSC 2306 Texas State & Local Government Exam #2 Chapters 7,8,9 Thursday March 3,2020
Voter Turnout:
The proportion of eligible Americans who actually vote
Political party:
An organization that seeks political power
Interest group:
An organization that strives to influence public policy; sometimes known as a pressure group
Where the In-State U.S. Senate 2018 Race's Money Comes From
An unknown amount of O'Rourke's money was from out-of-state sources, quite possibly a majority of it. Cruz likely got some out-of-state money also.
Liberalism
Seeks to change the political, economic, or social institutions of society to "better foster" the development of the individual, as they decide what is "better"
Conservatism
Seeks to preserve the political, economic, and social institutions of society against too-abrupt changes
Straight-ticket voting
Selecting all of the candidates of one particular party
Governors Bush and Perry
1995-2010 1994 - Bush elected and earned a reputation by 1997 as a bipartisan leader 1998 - Governor Bush won re-election with 67% of the vote ◦ Only 18% of the voting eligible population voted in this election Republicans won all but one of the statewide offices in 1998 2002 - all state offices, the Governorship, the Texas House and Senate - all won by Republicans - remains true today
Political Party Systems
In the U.S., we do not have strong national parties - instead we have 50 state party systems that collectively control their national parties. ◦ However, Democrats have "Super Delegates" Only 2 national offices are elected - President and Vice-President Most election laws are state laws ◦ But federal money, and "strings" (i.e., rules and regulations), support state elections
Emerging Party Leaders
Joaquin Castro - Democrat - U.S. Congressman representing District 20 - San Antonio since 2013 George P. Bush - Republican - Texas Land Commissioner, a state-wide elected race 2016 - Don't trust the polls, they can be wrong ◦ Trump lead in Texas polls by 4 points (with a 4 point margin of error), but carried Texas by 9 points
The Election of Phil Gramm
John Tower announced his retirement in 1983 Phil Gramm, an economics professor at Texas A&M Univ., served in the House as a Democratic representative from Texas' 6th District Gramm had worked with President Reagan and was alleged to have "leaked" Democratic strategy to the White House Budget Office, which led to Gramm's loss of his Committee assignment Gramm resigned his Congressional seat, switched to the Republican Party, and ran for Tower's Senate Seat, winning the seat in 1984
Current Legislate & State Makeup
Texas House after 2018 election: ◦ Republicans - 82 (57%) ◦ Democrats - 64 (43%) ◦ 3 vacant seats Texas Senate: ◦ Republicans - 19 (61% ) ◦ Democrats - 12 (39%) Governor - Republican All State-wide offices - held by Republicans since 2002
Party Outlook
The GOP remains the majority party in Texas politics, but... • Democrats picked up seats in the legislature in 2016, especially in the House. • 2018 - "Beto" spent over $80 million dollars in his top-of-the-ticket Senate race, but lost by 3% and - more importantly - had little down-ballot "coattails" (although Democrats did pick up a few seats in the Texas House and Senate)
Umbrella organizations:
: Associations formed by smaller interests joining together to promote common policy goals by making campaign contributions and hiring lobbyists to represent their interests.
Mixed Groups
"pursue social goals that may have positive or negative economic effects on members of their group.
Power Base
- Large landowners and industrialists favoring a conservative political philosophy
1840 to 1970s
- Democratic dominance in Texas with conflicts & competition only occurring within the Democratic party
History of Texas Party System
- Democratic dominance throughout the South as a reaction to Radical Republican policies • Democratic sweep of southern state Electoral College votes in presidential election years
Solid South
- Democratic dominance throughout the South as a reaction to Radical Republican policies • Democratic sweep of southern state Electoral College votes in presidential election years
Shivercrats -
- Democrats who followed Governor Shivers' example and voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 & 1956 - "I Like Ike!"
• Electoral Success
- Democrats won nearly every statewide race, most seats in Congress and the state legislature, and the overwhelming local and judicial contests. • Gov. E.J. Davis and the Radical Republicans changed Texas history forever, cemented by the new Texas Constitution that fixed those changes, probably forever, and gave most Texas voters their multi-generational and current mindsets
Yellow Dog Democrats
- citizens who voted straight-ticket Democrats (saying was that these die-hard Democrats would vote for a yellow dog if it ran for office as a Democrat)
One-party Democratic state
- control of most state offices from governor to local offices were held by the Democratic party. Civil Rights Act of 1964 - signed into law by Democratic President L.B. Johnson, a Texan, passing through Congress only because of Republican support, broke the "Solid South" and turned it
Permanent party organization
- elected officials of a political party that keep the party organization alive between elections
Precinct chair
- party official elected in each voting precinct to organize & support the party
Temporary party organization
- series of meetings or conventions that occur every 2 years at the precinct, county & state levels
The last day to apply for ballot by mail was Oct. 26, 2018. How do I know if I'm eligible to vote by mail? You are only allowed to vote by mail for one of the following four reasons:
1) You will not be in your county on Nov. 6 (Election Day) and not in your county during the entire span of early voting; 2) You are sick or disabled; 3) You will be 65 years old or older by Election Day; 4) You are confined in jail but otherwise eligible (i.e., not convicted of a felony). Eligible Texans who want to vote by mail have two options: They can mail in their ballot — postmarked by Election Day and received by 5 p.m. the day after the election — or they can give their ballot directly to an authorized early-voting clerk.
Political movement:
: A mass alliance of like-minded groups and individuals seeking broad changes in the direction of government policies. They may not all agree on all the specifics, but they all want public policy to go in the same general directions.
Open primary:
: A type of primary where voters can choose on Election Day in which primary they will participate.
Astroturf lobbying:
: Special interest groups orchestrating large or small demonstrations to give the misleading impression of widespread and/or "spontaneous" public support. Politicians are so used to AstroTurf groups they loose sight of what's real vs. what's AstroTurf. TEA Parties, for example, and Nancy Pelosi.
Clientele Groups:
: The groups most affected by a government agency's regulations and programs; frequently these interest groups form close alliances with the agency based on mutual support and accommodation.
Pluralist theory:
: The view that in a free society public policy should be made by a multitude of competing interest groups, assuring that policies will not benefit a single elite, or even a group of elites, at the expense of the many. However, a tree will only grow up straight if the wind blows from the left and the right. To fly straight any government, like an airplane, needs both a left wing and a right wing, but most of its weight must be in the middle.
Discretion:
: Wide latitude to make decisions within the broad requirements set out in the law.
Australian ballot:
A ballot printed by the government (as opposed to the political parties) that allows people to vote in secret. Optional at first, the Australian ballot was made mandatory in 1903.
Iron triangle:
A long-standing alliance among interest groups, legislators, and bureaucrats held together by mutual self interest, so that they act as a sub-system in the legislative and administrative decision-making process.
Appointed Positions:
A method of selecting party nominees in which a subset of party members, usually party leaders only, select a candidate to represent them in the general election.
Direct primary
A method of selecting party nominees in which all party members have the opportunity to participate directly in the selection of a candidate to represent them in the general election.
Runoff Primary
A second primary election that pits the two top vote-getters from the first March primary, where the winner in that primary did not receive a majority. The May runoff primary is used in states -- such as Texas -- that have a majority election rule in party primaries.
Conflict of interest:
A situation in which public officers stand to benefit personally from their official decisions.
Negative campaigning:
A strategy used in election campaigns in which candidates attack opponents' issue positions or character.
Party-column ballot:
A type of ballot used in a general election where all of the candidates from each party are listed in parallel columns under the party label.
Office-block ballot:
A type of ballot used in a general election where the names of the parties' candidates are randomly listed in under each office. Does "ballot position" make a difference in outcome?
Closed primary:
A type of primary where a voter is required to specify a party preference when registering to vote, and can only vote in that party's primary.
Split-ticket voting:
A voter selecting candidates from one party for some offices and candidates from the other party for other offices
Plurality vote:
An election rule in which the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether it is a majority.
Implementation:
Administrative agencies carrying out broad public policies, enforcing state laws, providing public services, and managing day-to-day government activities.
The first Republican governor of Texas since E.J Davis was Bill Clements, first elected in 1979. The first Texas Governor to break with the national party was Democratic Gov. Allan Shivers, Texas' 37th Governor, who supported Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower for president in 1952. The last Democratic governor of Texas was Ann Richards, who left office in January, 1995. By November of 1994 the takeover by the Republican party of all of Texas government, at least all of the state-wide offices, was complete.
Beginning in the 1930s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" policies and continuing into the late 1960s the national Democratic party was trending farther and farther to the left, becoming more and more liberal. Most Texas Democrats did not go all the way along with that trend and, when the party's elected leaders - such as Texas Governor John Connolly in 1973 and Senator Phil Graham in 1983 - finally left the Democratic Party, which was by then a solidly liberal party, and joined the Republican Party, those leaders took the more conservative voters with them.
- Bill Clements' election as the first Republican governor
Bill Clements' election as the first Republican governor in more than a century signaled the final emergence of a competitive two-party system in Texas. Governor Clements made appointments to boards, judgeships and commissions - thus, the official party realignment in Texas began. Oil man, self-made millionaire, A&M grad. The Election of Bill Clements
State Conventions
Both parties hold these in June Certify party nominees for the fall general election Adopt a state party platform (statement of party principles and issue positions) Elect the state party chairperson and vice chairperson Choose members of the state executive committee Select individuals to serve on the national party executive committee
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Late-train contributions:
Campaign funds given to the winning candidate after the election up to 30 days before the legislature comes into session. Such contributions are designed to curry favor with winning candidates
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Lobbying:
Directly contacting public officials to advocate for or against a public policy. Newspaper
Issue networks:
Dynamic-action alliances among a wide range of individuals and groups activated by broad public policy questions, often supporting specific groups of like-minded candidates and politicians for whom they can swing into instant action when needed.
Learning Objectives Why is voter turnout low in Texas? Understand the types of Texas elections. How are elections administered in Texas? What factors advantage (or disadvantage) candidates in Texas elections?
FYI, more than 30 days before an election most voters just don't pay much, if any, attention to upcoming election news because they don't see any relevance for that news in their personal lives.
Targeting:
Getting your person in the pipeline for appointment to a decision-making position, so he or she can "do what needs done." Alternatively, getting an existing governmental agency to target your competitor or opponents, hopefully at the opportune time, while leaving your interests or you relatively alone and unscathed.
Newspaper Reporters are a dying industry
Given that circulation has been dropping for 17 straight years and Sunday circulation of the nation's newspapers are at their lowest levels since 1945 — when there were significantly fewer people —it's no wonder that the people who fill the paper with news are losing their jobs. Look for nearly one in 10 current reporters to lose their jobs in the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics. Will that make it easier, or harder, for lobbyists to plant favorable stories with friendly reporters?
1 How Many People Vote in the United States? Presidential Election
Here we see that turnout declined between 1962 into the early 1970s, but has not changed much during the last 30 years. A little more than 50 percent of the votingage population now vote in presidential elections. Changing the voting age from 21 to 18 was thought to be a way of boosting turnout, but that has not happened. Describe the groups that are most likely to vote. Does one party or the other benefit more when there is a high turnout of voters? Usually, yes. Republicans normally benefit more in low turnout elections, Democrats slightly more in high turnout elections. In Texas, the only hope Democrats have for getting elected to a state-wide position is in an unusually high turnout election.
Political Participation • Reasons for Low Voter Turnout in Texas Legal constraints? Demographic factors Political structure Party competition Political culture
Historically, Texas was among the "restrictive states" in its voting laws through the institution of such things as the poll tax, women's suffrage, the white primary, restrictions on the military vote, a long residence requirement, property ownership as a requirement for voting in bond elections, annual registration requirements, early registration requirements, and the linking of prospective jurors from the voting rolls. All of these restrictions have been changed or eliminated by amendments to the U.S. Constitution, new state and national laws, rulings by the U.S. Department of Justice, and/or state and federal judicial decisions.
Political Party Systems
In American national politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15% of all convention delegates, or about 716 delegates in 2016) include elected officials and party activists and officials. Democratic superdelegates are free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination. This contrasts with "pledged" delegates to the national convention, who are selected based on the outcomes of party primaries and caucuses.
Voting Patterns in Texas
Income • Higher-income citizens generally support Republican candidates and lower-income voters back Democrats Race and Ethnicity • Minority voters, especially African Americans, tend to support Democrats; Hispanics are split. Age • Texas Democrats are stronger with younger voters; in contrast, Republicans do better with older voters. Gender • Texas has a gender gap - differences in party identification and political attitudes between men and women. Region • Republicans are strongest in West Texas and East Texas. • Democrats are strongest in far South Texas. Place of Residence • Democrats do well in big-city Texas; Republicans carry suburbs, small towns and rural areas.
Interest groups' tools of influence
Interest groups adapt their tactics and the tools of influence they use depending on the part of the political system they are trying to influence. Ultimately their source of power is their ability to: 1) persuade legislators with facts, logic and promises, 2) supply campaign workers for primary, special and general elections, 3) raise and spend campaign-related funding and/or to give direct campaign donations to their candidates either through their PACs or from their members, and 4) "get out their voters" on election days.
Marshalling Allies:
Is about getting your message out through sympathetic partners, such as the media or other special interest groups.
Development of the Texas Party System
Liberals believe that it is often necessary, if not always necessary, for government to widely regulate the economy and to legislate for and promote greater social equality and social welfare programs. "Hard Left" Liberals in American are basically socialists who go by other names, believing in national government control of key industrial sectors and industries - regulation is not enough, government ownership is required for equality and "social justice."
Party Organization Temporary Party Organizations
Meetings: Assemble for a few hours or days in a general-election year to allow rank-and-file party supporters a chance to participate in the party's decision-making process • The main business is to select delegates to the next highest level of the party, ultimately selecting delegates to the national party convention in the presidential election years, • And to vote on planks to the state platform.
Independent Expenditures:
Money individuals and organizations spend to promote a candidate without working or communicating directly with the candidate's campaign organization (supposedly).
Soft money:
Money spent by political parties on behalf of political candidates, especially for the purposes of increasing voter registration and turnout.
Types of Elections in Texas •Financing March Primaries Administering primaries The majority rule • Runoff primary in May
Most of the primaries' costs is paid for by the state's treasury.
Communications:
Newspapers, television stations and networks, radio stations and networks, and social media companies. Not so powerful as they once were, except social media -- which is more powerful, for various reasons.
Are polling locations the same on Election Day as they are during early voting?
No, they are not. That's why it's important to find your polling locations ahead of time. While a few counties might have exceptions, you may be allowed to vote only in your designated precinct.
Political Action Committees (PACs):
Organizations that raise and then contribute money to political candidates.
The Election Of John Tower
Originally heralded as "the beginning of a Republican era" in Texas, but another Republican would not win a state-wide seat until 1978
Photo ID Required for Texas Voters
Photo ID Required for Texas Voters • You must now present one of the following forms of photo ID when voting in person: Either a Texas driver license or photo ID issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS U.S. military identification card containing your photo U.S. citizenship certificate containing your photo U.S. passport
Political Participation
Political Participation • The Practice of Voting Legal qualifications for voting in Texas • Voter Turnout in the United States and in Texas Voter turnout as a percentage of VAP Voting-age Population (VAP) - this is the one key voting statistic that matters in lawsuits alleging dilution or suppressions of the vote
The Party System
Political party: An organization that seeks political power Similar to interest groups - both are interested in election outcomes Different - political parties attempt to win control of government by nominating candidates for elected office to run under the party label
History of the Texas Party System Dominance of Democrats
Post-Civil War - For over a century (1870s to 1980-1990s) following the Civil War and Reconstruction, Texas was dominated by the Democratic Party.
Rise of the Republican Party Reasons for the rise of the Republican Party in Texas:
Reasons for the rise of the Republican Party in Texas: The legacy of the Civil War finally began to diminish in importance, especially for younger Texans. • Many conservative white Democrats became disenchanted with what they saw as an increasingly liberal - too liberal - national Democratic Party. • The Texas Republican Party benefited from the migration of white-collar workers from outside the South for good jobs at good wages. History of Texas Party System
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Signing petitions and attending rallies are important forms of political participation. Although people are less likely to vote in the United States by comparison with people in some other countries, they are more likely to take part in other ways.
1961- The Election of John Tower
Special election held to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Lyndon Johnson's election as Vice-President ◦ John Tower won the election and become the first Republican statewide officeholder in Texas since the 1870s ◦ Tower received 41% of the vote, which led to a run-off election (won a slight majority in the run-off) ◦ Tower was re-elected to the Senate in 1966, 1972 and 1978
Co-optation:
Such a close alliance that develops between state regulatory agencies and their clientele group that the regulated have, in effect, become the regulators; the interest group has captured such complete control of their regulatory agency that they are essentially self-regulated.
Profiles of Texas Campaign Mega-Donors (2016)
Texas campaign finance regulations are designed to hold public officials and campaign contributors accountable by shining the light of publicity on them. Can you think of other ways to limit potential corrupting influences that do not interfere with First Amendment freedom of expression rights, or otherwise run afoul of the Citizens United case?
Voter Turnout among the world's most democratic nations
The United States is most similar to Chile, Japan, and Poland.
Access
The ability to "get in the door" to sit down and talk to public officials. Campaign contributions are often used to gain access.
Participation paradox
The fact that citizens vote even though a single vote rarely decides an election. However, people do vote in spite of this paradox because their one vote might decide the outcome of this election, plus their votes and their friends' votes might too.
2018 General Election
The general election was held in Texas on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, from 7 am to 7 pm. • All of Texas' executive officers were up for election, and • half the Texas Senate and State Board of Education seats, plus • a United States Senate seat (incumbent U.S. Sen. "Ted" Cruz (R-TX) vs. U.S. Rep. "Beto" O'Rourke (D-El Paso), and • all of Texas' 36 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Revolving door:
The interchange of employees between government agencies and the private businesses with which they have dealings.
Political Participation
The legal qualifications for voting in Texas are few and simple. Anyone who is: 1) a citizen of the United States, 2) at least 18 years of age, and 3) a resident of the state (who is otherwise legally eligible, i.e., is not a convicted felon) can register and vote in Texas. However, recent changes in the law are alleged to have begun to make it more difficult to vote in Texas. The legislature enacted a voter photo identification (ID) law in 2011, requiring voters to show one of seven forms of photo identification, as listed in the 2014 Texas Secretary of State voter education poster (displayed in Image 4.1 of your book), when they go to vote: a Texas driver's license, or a Texas ID card, or a Texas concealed handgun license, or a U.S. military ID, or a U.S. passport, or a U.S. citizenship certificate containing a photograph, or a Texas election identification certificate that the state will provide for free upon request.
Results of the 2012 Presidential Election
The map shows the 26 counties won by Barack Obama (out of 254). Note that Obama carried more populous counties like Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis, and Mitt Romney carried the smaller counties outside of South and Southwest Texas. Source: Office of the Texas Secretary of State.
Political Participation
The most important demographic variables in determining who votes are education, income and age. The higher each is, the more likely you are to vote. Political factors such as one's expressed interest in politics and the intensity of identification with a political party strongly influences the likelihood of voting. More interest means you follow what's happening, thus you're far more likely to vote. Likewise, more intensity of identification means you are more motivated to actually go vote for "your" candidate.
Texas Register:
The official publication of the state that gives the public notice of proposed actions and adopted policies of executive branch
Most Expensive Race in the Country
The only other Senate candidate, aside from O'Rourke, to raise more money than Cruz in the third quarter was Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who brought in $32.2 million. But Scott's figure includes an asterisk: He dumped $24.6 million of his own money into his campaign. About half, or $31 million, of the $62 million that O'Rourke has raised by October 15th came through ActBlue, according to his FCC filing. The tally suggests that the Democrat collected nearly $14 million by way of the platform in the third quarter alone. Republicans, on the other hand, didn't really have an ActBlue equivalent.
Early voting:
The practice of voting before election day at traditional voting locations, such as schools, and other locations, such as grocery and convenience stores. Such voting locations are not the locations to vote at the general election in November. Unlike on Election Day, you are allowed to vote early at any polling location in the county you are registered to vote in.
Chad:
The small pieces of paper produced when voting with punch-card ballots. Remember Florida in 2000, Bush vs. Gore, "pregnant" chads, etc.?
Voting-age Population:
The total number of persons in the United States who are 18 years of age or older and are legally qualified to vote. Excluded in some states are some felons.
Elitist theory:
The view that the state is ruled by a small number of participants who exercise power to further their own self-interest. An oligarchy.
Most Expensive Race in the Country
This chart shows the totals raised thru the last reporting point before the election was held. It shows a snapshot of money raised before the election at that point, not the total raised before the election on Tuesday, November, 2018. The point? This is how much each side had to spend up until the final three weeks of the election cycle. According to the Dallas Morning News, Democrat O'Rourke spent $7.3 million on digital ads in the third quarter of 2018. That sum isn't too far off the $9.9 million he devoted to TV, radio and cable ads during that time. Republican Cruz spent $4.4 million in the third quarter on "media," a category that likely includes advertisements. O'Rourke spent $2.9 million on "merchandise," which could cover signs, t-shirts and other items. Cruz spent $406,000 on similar swag. O'Rourke donated $815,000 this quarter to the Texas Democratic Party, the October filing shows. And he also operated a joint fundraising committee with the state party that sent $630,000 to Texas Democrats that quarter, said the Texas Tribune's Patrick Svitek.
Texans for Public Justice and the Texas Ethics Commission.
This figure shows which interests spent the most on lobbying by taking the mean of the minimum and maximum value of their lobby contracts during the 2013 legislative session. By late May 2013, 1,663 Texas lobbyists reported that 2,820 clients took out 8,172 paid lobby contracts worth a grand total of at least $155 million.
ELECTION CAMPAIGNS IN TEXAS: STRATEGIES, RESOURCES, AND RESULTS •Who Gets Elected Elected offices can be viewed as pyramid Successful candidates are typically white Protestant males, but it depends upon the location (where in Texas) and the race (local, state or federal) Women and minorities are making significant gains in Texas
Top of the pyramid is federal, then state-wide, then districts, then counties, then cities.
History of Texas Party System Reemergence of a Republican Party
Transition - period with the "coming to life" of the Texas Republican Party. • Texas voters begin to join the Republican Party in the 1950s and 1960s . • Texas Republicans built their party throughout the 1960s and 1970s and successfully elected candidates to the U.S. Congress, the Texas legislature, and to local governments.
Conservatives believe that individuals should be left alone to compete in a free market economy largely unfettered by government control; they prefer that government regulation of the economy be kept to a minimum and have a fairly strict cost-benefit analysis underlying nearly all, if not all, government regulations.
Under the Republic of Texas, there was little party activity. Everyone was a Democrat. Political divisions were usually oriented around support of, or opposition to, Sam Houston, a leading founder of the Republic. After Texas became a state in 1845, however, the Democratic Party dominated Texas politics until the mid-1990s (except for the Radical Republican period just after the Civil War, aka "The War Between the States").
Targeting the Courts
Voters who elect judges very often do not have a clear understanding of the law or how it should be applied; instead, they depend on party labels and political campaigns to give them voting cues. Major corporations, large insurance companies, and powerful professional groups (Texas Medical Assoc., Trial Lawyer's Assoc., Teachers' Unions, LULAC, MALDEF, Tort Reform groups) employ specialist attorneys on their staffs and/or have the best law firms on retainer to defend their interests when special interest groups, workers and/or consumers sue them.
Electronic voting:
Voting by using an electronic touch-screen vote recording equipment. It usually keeps no paper record of your votes.
What is the goal of organizing public demonstrations? TV Coverage to create a "buzz" or dominate a news cycle.
What precautions must interest groups take if they are to use public protests as an effective tactic? Alert the press first, give them time to get there and get set up, selection spokespersons to speak to the media who can stay "on message," then repeat it all again later and/or elsewhere. Don't have signs that look "too professional" if you're pretending to be a "grass-roots" group. Don't have too many signs in a foreign language, or wave foreign flags, if you want to influence Anglo voters. Act sincere, even if you have to fake it.
Crossover voting:
When members of one political party vote in the other party's primary in order to influence the nominee that is selected, in other words, to select a favored nominee they would best like to run against in the general election or to keep the other party's nomination contest open for a longer period of time for various reasons (to drain the opposing party of general-election funds, cost one candidate money to win his or her nomination, prolong a intra-party rivalry to encourage "hard feelings" that will hurt the winning nominee in the general election, etc.). "Operation Chaos" was plan by Rush Limbaugh to encourage voters to cross over from the Republican 2016 primary and vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, in order to increase her chances of winning against Bernie Sanders.
Identify forms of participation other than voting. Signing petitions, attending protests and rallies, joining flash "mob" listservs, donating money, volunteering for election work, etc.
Which of these forms of participation give you the greatest influence in Texas politics? Volunteering for election work, and voting in precinct caucuses, county conventions, state conventions, county and state party committees, etc. In each of those one vote has more weight than in a general election because there are fewer total votes cast in these elections.
1 Interest Group Classifications and Selected Examples
You can visit these groups' websites, find out which public policies they advocate, and then use their policy agendas to show the difference between economic and noneconomic interest groups.
General elections
are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
Liberal faction within the Democratic Party
encouraged more welfare spending, more governmental regulation of business, equal rights for minorities (also supported by Republicans); in addition, expansion of trade union power, higher taxes on business, and getting out of the Vietnam War (which were not supported by Republicans)
Oligarchy
is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may be distinguished by nobility, wealth, family ties, education or corporate, religious or political, military control. Such states are often controlled by families who typically pass their influence from one generation to the next, but inheritance is not a necessary condition for the application of this term. Neither is, necessarily, money, although having money to donate certainly helps.
County chair
party officials elected in each county to organize & support the party
economic groups
seek financial advantages for their members
Republican Party Dominance 1994: Republican Party became the clear majority party
• Republican George W. Bush defeated incumbent Democratic Governor Ann Richards 2002: Election was the zenith of Republican Party success, so far.
Competitive Politics
• 1978 - 1994: Texas party politics was more competitive than ever before • Texas becomes over a decade and a half a two party state, with electoral struggles between Democrats and Republicans for control of statewide offices, the state legislature, and Congressional offices • Bill Clements - re-elected in 1987 as Governor • 3 Republicans elected to the Texas Supreme Court; one Republican elected to the Texas RR Commission
Liberal Faction Emerges
• By the 1930s, an identifiable liberal faction emerged within the Democratic Party to challenge the conservative dominance.
Two-party system
• Division of voter loyalties between two major political parties, resulting in the near exclusion of minor parties from seriously competing for a share of political power • Since the Civil War era, Democrats and Republicans have been the two dominant parties in American national politics
Republican Shift -
• Dwight Eisenhower's candidacy (34th president, 1953-1961) brought a flood of new faces to the Republican camp • "Yellow Dog" Democrats in Texas - even many of them broke with their traditional Democratic roots and voted for Eisenhower - led by then Texas Governor Allan Shivers
In presidential election years, the state party convention selects delegates to the national party convention.
• Each state party convention also names a slate of potential presidential electors to cast the Electoral College votes for Texas. • The Electoral College is where the winning candidates are actually elected into office.
Can you identify an interest group in each category?
• Economic interest groups seek financial advantages for their members. • Non-economic groups seek the betterment of society as a whole or the reform of the political, social, or economic systems in ways that do not directly affect their members' pocketbooks. • Groups pursuing both social equality and economic goals are classified as mixed or hybrid organizations.
The One-Party Tradition in Texas
• Ideological Factions in America and Texas • Conservatives - the largest plurality of Texans • Liberals - 25 to 27% of the national population, about half of which are self-described as "hard left" • Almost completely control the national Democratic party and their caucus members in Congress; "Blue Dog" Democrats are virtually extinct • Independents - about 10 to 11% of Texas VAP, are moderates who control the outcome of most statewide elections
Permanent Party Organizations
• Precinct chairpersons • County chairpersons • County executive committees • State executive committee and state party chair Primary Duties - • Conduct elections • Raise money for the all candidates • Plan for party convention • Promote the party
Political scientist V.O. Key, Jr. wrote in 1949
◦ "The Lone Star State is concerned about money and how to make it, about oil and sulphur and gas, about cattle and dust storms and irrigation, about cotton and banking and Mexicans."
Party Realignment In Texas
◦ Politics revolved around economic issues and personalities ◦ Race issues not as important in Texas as in other Southern States ◦ Conservative business community dominated ◦ Business people, oilmen, wealthy farmers and landowners were the backbone of the conservative political elements in Texas
