Chapter 12 -- Political Parties

List and explain six tasks the text says a party is responsible for.

A party is responsible for mobilizing support and gathering power through means of advertisements and spreading any word out to gain as many political followers. They mainly depend on their party affiliators. A party is responsible to be a force for stability and moderation by anchoring the electorate and representing a moderate view in order to get as many voters as possible. Parties represent unity linkage and accountability because parties compensate and link all the institutions of power to one another. Parties are responsible for the electioneering function because they must run campaigns and find candidates. They are also responsible for voting and issue cue by advertising to reach out to voters. Lastly, they are responsible for policy formulation and promotion which is when parties need to present a national party platform.

National party platform

Def: candidates address certain issues and goals that are relevant to the general public in order to enact their policies if they win election. These are presented during the convention. Sig: serves to inform the public of what will be enacted before the public votes on a candidate.

party platform

Def: is a list of actions that the political party and candidate state to appeal to the general public Sig: this informs the public of their stance on a variety of issues.

Straight ticket voting

Def: it is when an individual votes for every candidate who shares the same political party. Sig: many political parties enjoy this method because this ensures that they receive all the votes of an individual that prefers their party.

individualistic campaigning

Def: one who advertises and spreads his or her own platform independently. Sig: these do not often occur and individuals who exercise this method do not often become president.

Grass roots

Def: people in society who operate at a local level to raise any political influences for favored parties. Sig: this can significantly increase the voter turnout without the campaign having to regulate any funding.

plurality

Def: the number of votes a candidate receives that is more than any other, but is not the absolute majority Sig: this can be controversial because the nation could potentially have a minority favored president.

party identification

Def: the political party with which an individual affiliates his or herself with. Sig: this informs the individual which party he or she shares the same beliefs with.

Third party

Def: these are parties other than the Democratic and Republican party that have a different ideology. Sig: often times these parties do not win elections because they cater to a specific ideology that only a small portion of the U.S. population believes in.

patronage

Def: these is a term for individuals who are rich and receive benefits politically because of their wealth. Sig: there are jobs in politics that were offered to wealthy individuals and this led to a declining government sometimes. This runs the possibility of uneducated individuals being admitted into office.

national chairperson

Def: this individual oversees the committee and presides during conventions Sig: this individual is the most known person in the committee and is often seen giving the keynote address.

civil service laws

Def: this is a merit system created by Chester Arthur to eliminate patronage jobs and party machines. Sig: individuals would have to prove their worth for political offices through solely work. The amount of income or wealth of an individual did not matter anymore.

direct primary

Def: this is a preliminary election in which the candidate is voted directly by the people. Sig: these are preferred over caucuses because they are shorter and to the point. Larger populated states prefer these.

Party decline

Def: this is a situation in which a party lacks any political support by the public Sig: this can lead to unsuccessful political candidates for that party and cause an uninterest by the general public for that party.

Rank and File

Def: this is a term that refers to the majority of individuals in a political party excluding the leaders. Sig: these people count the most on election day and are the ones influenced by political propaganda.

issue-oriented politics

Def: this is politics that is based on problems that are relevant to the public. Sig: this leads to problems for political parties because people will be inclined to exercise ticket splitting

National Committee

Def: this is the main agency for a political party and is comprised of members to represent the party come convention time and election day. Sig: members from party committees symbolize the specific party to the general public.

National Convention

Def: this is the place in which party members come together and present the platform as well as the running candidate. Sig: this ensures an official candidate is declared and also informs the public.

Candidate centered politics

Def: this is when a candidate appearance, issues, and character is more focused rather than their party affiliation. Sig: this means that the candidate has a greater power over the party and can be personally attacked more often.

ticket splitting

Def: this occurs when an individual votes for officials with different political affiliations on the ballot. Sig: political parties do not favor this method because this can decrease the number of their party officials in office.

Divided government

Def: this occurs when the majority of Congress is a different party than the President. Sig: this can lead to no legislation being passed and create a government that is in a political gridlock.

Reform party

Def: this was founded in 1995 by Ross Perot and was a third party that advocated for the public to change their favoring views of Democrats and Republicans. Sig: this party supported Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan as well. Their greatest victory was when Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota in 1988.

party machine

Def:a party organization that uses tangible incentives in order to get votes. Sig: this ,eams bribery often occurs and one method is through provided housing and traded services for poor people.

Explain the persistence of the two-party system.

For over 100 years, the U.S. has only had a two-party system because of the winner-take-all system of the Electoral College. Also, people like moderation and affiliate themselves only with either the Democrats or Republicans.

List what you think the Republican House needs to do to succeed. Use your resources. What should the Democrats do to gain back the majority in to the House and retain the White House in 2016? What do the Republicans need to do to get a member of their party into the White House in 2016?

I believe the Republicans need to win the Hispanic vote because they are the largest growing minority that currently has a Democratic stance. If Republicans improved their position on immigration illegally and legally, there could be positive benefits. The Democrats can gain back the majority in the House and retain the White house in 2016 if they reform their Affordable Care act to satisfy the Republicans as well. Maybe this could alleviate any major disagreement between the houses.

Contrast the structure of U.S. parties with that of European ones.

In the United States, there is a winner-take all system in which the candidate with the most votes will win the election. But, in Europe, there is a proportional system in which each party is awarded the proportional number of votes based on the percentage of the vote.

What struggles did the Republicans face concerning their ideology from 1994 to the present? Have they solved them today? If so how?

Republicans are being viewed as more socially conservative because they are against abortion and gay rights to name a few. Republicans advocated for a strong national defense and military advancement as seen during the Bush administration.

Describe the effects of the political machine on past parties. Trace the reasons for its decline

Some effects of the political machine on past parties was that the public did not have any voice over who was the candidate and big leaders who were wealthy could be highly influential. There has been a decline because there is a merit system that prevented patronage jobs and party reformers undermined political machines.

Describe the structure of a major party today. Which organizational levels have power and which do not?

There are national committees such as the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee to make arrangements for the conventions and to coordinate campaigns. There are leadership positions such as the key national party official that is the chairperson of the national committee. They are the prime spokesperson and have the greatest impact because they act during times of crisis. There is also the national convention which is a meeting held in the presidential election. There are also state and localities which have national committees structured in states. Informal groups are also present because their are academics who are origins of policy ideas. Informal groups and state and localities have a large direct impact on individuals whereas national committees do not.

Why do third parties form? Why are they so rarely successful? Use the Reform Party and Ross Perot to support your answer.

Third parties form because there are individuals who do not share a similar ideology of either the Democrats or Republicans as seen in the Reform party. Ross Perot was not successful because he did not receive enough votes because 20% of the popular vote was not the majority. Third parties are rarely successful because there are not enough people who would support a third party.