American Political Parties (POLS 3035) - Exam 3

What role have third parties played in U.S. Elections?

"third party " refers to any party other than the major two players in American politics. Example being the Green Party Because American politics operates as a two-party system (Democratic and Republican) Third party candidates tend to not play a major role in US elections The role of third parties is important in that they: -Force major political parties to address issues they may have avoided touching on in the past. -Have a huge impact on elections by taking voters away from one of the two major political candidates. A third party has the ability to change a state's winner. When a major political party candidate loses votes to a third party candidate it puts the opposing major political party candidate ahead even though the votes weren't directly given to that party. Because the US political system has been dominated by two main parties for so long, many voters feel it will always be that way and a vote to a third party candidate is a vote wasted. American voters have accepted the dominance of the two party system and will continue to follow one or the other.

What are party activists?

- A party member who helps to organize and oversee party functions and planning during and between campaigns and may even become a candidate for office. - People who become party activists are better educated and wealthier than average individuals, individuals from "political families", different agendas, and more extreme views

What are good ways to mount a campaign for presidency?

-Raise money, fundraising -Allocate where resources need to be spent responsibility -Strong campaign message -Media, make the media your friend not you enemy because they play a big part in influencing the publics perception of a candidate -Engage young people, encourage voting and participation -Speak directly to voters by forming your own press through social media platforms such as Facebook and twitter

Why is voter turnout often lower in the U.S. than other countries?

-The two-step process, register, then vote, is more complicated than the process in many other countries and discourages some Americans from voting -"Inconvenience" factor combated with electronic voting and enhanced absentee voting including voting by mail

What techniques are used by members of congress to remain in good favor?

-Visiting their home districts and states to keep in touch with their constituents and facilitating their views. -Reading their email -Keeping in touch with local and state political leaders -Refraining from letting their personal views influence their decisions because it will affect their incumbency -Voting in line with the party

Discuss Voter I.D. controversy

-Voter ID laws disproportionately affect older, poorer, and minority populations, and are therefore discriminatory -it should be the responsibility of the government to prove fraud rather than a citizen to prove innocence

How has the right to vote been expanded in recent years?

1993 - National Voter Registration Act: (made voter registration easier) made registration available at by making registration available at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and public assistance and disabilities agencies 2002 - Help America Vote Act (HAVA): Massive voting reform that included requirement that states comply with federal mandate for provisional ballots, disability access, centralized, computerized voting lists, electronic voting and requirement that first-time voters present identification before voting.

Old time Political Machines -How do they hold power?

A political machine is a political group where an authoritative boss or small group that provided social services and jobs in exchange for votes. Their power is held in their ability to get out the vote for their candidate during election to win incumbency. Tammany Hall, NY- financially supported a candidate's election in exchange for them to do what Tammany wants. Essentially they belong to Tammany Hall. -preyed on societies most vulnerable; immigrants. -Persuades the vote by saying they will take care of them, when it came time to vote they voted for Tammany's candidate -The money Tammany hall supports their candidate with is from the city tax dollars, people are paying into the system but it is sheer corruption -Aimed for more control and more power, they eventually controlled the entire state of New York

What are issue advocacy ads?

Also known as "interest advocacy ads" or "issue only ads" -Communications intended to bring awareness to a certain problem. - Sponsored are Special interest groups -Form of political advertising focused on "broad political issues rather than specific candidates." It does not attempt to persuade the public of particular electoral outcomes, but rather seeks to highlight broader political or social issues -While Express advocacy advertisements include "for" or "against" statements.

How have state and local political party organizations been transformed in recent years?

Changes in the national Party organizations: -Formation of the national committees -roles have expanded beyond presidential elections -Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) - "Hill Committees" (4 party committees, one for each party in each house) ----National Republican congressional committee (NRCC) - aids, raises money in campaign in House ----Democratic Congressional campaign committee (DCCC) - aids, raises money in campaign in the House ----National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) - aids, raises money in campaign in Senate ----Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) - aids, raises money in campaign in Senate

Describe how money is raised and spent in national presidential campaigns

Fundraising: -Major party donors, interest groups -Super PACs, "Priorities USA Action" Spending: - Media advertisements, - Expenses such as consulting, events and surveys -Candidates draw funding from donors large and small and rely on Super PACs to join the effort through advertising and other political activities. -Majority of campaign funds collected are spent on media - print, broadcast and Internet advertising.

Discuss the panels on great leaders and great failures and whether we need a new party system

Great Leader examples from presentation: Franklin Delano Roosevelt -New Deal: -Adoption of Keynesian Economics -Dual Federalism to Co-operative Federalism -Emergency Ban Act - Bank Holiday Public Works : CCC, NIRA (PWA), NERA (CWA) -Fireside Chats -The United Nations Arnold Schwarzenegger Successes: -Poster child for "American Dream" -Workers compensation bill -Repeal vehicle fees Failures: -Budget spending -Illegal aliens -sexual harassment allegations/ sex scandals

Why has the country gravitated towards a two-party system?

In the Two-party system or "winner-take-all system" there is no reward for the party or candidate that finishes second. For this reason there are dominantly two parties competing within American politics and third parties are left disadvantaged and out of the equation. Due to the rivalry between Federalists, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, opposing views between the two caused the formation of two parties centered on the different views of how the federal government should operate.

What interest groups are important in national and state politics?

Interest groups are an association of individuals or organization that share similar concerns and aim to influence public policy to address those concerns. Interest groups all strive to influence government policy to benefit their specific cause. They achieve this through pressuring policy makers (lobbying) -American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations or AFL- CIO (whose goal is to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to the nation). -US Military (protects the security of the nation)

What techniques do interest groups use to achieve influence?

Lobbying the government by hiring representatives to advocate on behalf of the group's interests Grass-roots campaigns - paid experts seek out members of the general public who can help their client to win and influence policy to reflect their views Political action committees - An organization formed to collect money and provide financial support for political candidates. Litigation- or the process of bringing a lawsuit, to pursue their causes

What are the kinds of party primaries found in the US? (opened,closed, etc.)

Open- allows participation by any qualified voter, regardless of party registration, but the voter is limited to only one party's ballot Closed- only registered party members can vote Semi-open, semi-closed- allow independent and non-party affiliated voters to participate in a party primary if the party's own rules allow it. Voters who are registered party members are restricted to voting in their own party's primary.

Describe the parties' current national organization

Party leaders and activists are involved in choosing people to run for office, managing and financing campaigns, and developing positions and policies that appeal to party constituents. At the national level, political parties run candidates for Congress and the presidency. Each party has its own national committee made up of party leaders, elected officials, and the chairs of the state party organizations. The chair of the national committee is chosen by the party's candidate for president. The Democratic and Republican national committees do not run the campaigns of their respective presidential candidates; they play a supporting role to the campaign organizations of the candidates themselves. In both the Senate and the House, each party has its own congressional campaign committee, which raises money for congressional elections

How may primaries split parties?

Primaries can be very important in preventing "clone" candidates that split their constituency's vote because of their similarities

Describe the structure of state and local political parties

State: -More bureaucratically structured -professional staff, more experienced officers and a full time party chair or executive director Local: -less bureaucratic and more interpersonal -parties use their more personal nature to conduct more direct campaign activities such as voter registration efforts and direct involvement in the campaigns of candidates where their involvement -Grassroots type level of political engagement -More responsive to the local wants and needs -More credibility

How do states try to regulate political parties?

regulating the political party itself (1) a. Establishing requirements necessary to create a new political party b. Dictating party processes Establishes ballot access requirements (2) a. Enact laws that set voter eligibility requirements, including eligibility to participate in a primary election b. Require that candidates be citizens, a c. Specify whether the party must use a primary election or nominating convention to select its general election candidates Conducts primary elections (3) a.States may structure and monitor the methods political parties use to select their candidates, and may require primary elections.