Chapter 9
populist party
appealed mainly to small farmers but also attracted western mining interests and urban workers - merged with democrats in 1896 and nominated William Jennings bryan
party rules
can determine the influence of competing groups within the party, which may improve the party's chances for electoral success.
progressive reformers
changed the rules of politics to reduce the power of parties and to give voters more voice in deciding who was elected to public office
527 committees
committees that comprise each Super PAC
presidential and congressional fundraising committees
compete for dollars from the biggest donors, who are often corporations and billionaires.
president lincoln
depended heavily on Republican governors and state legislatures to raise troops, provide funding, and maintain popular support for a long and bloody military conflict.
interest groups
do not try to control the operation of gov and its personnel but rather try to influence government polices through lobbying elected officials are different from parties
primary elections
elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election - voters select just one candidate to go on to the general election to represent each political party
party system
includes the organization of the parties, the domi- nant form of campaigning, the main issue divisions between the parties, the balance of power between and within party coalitions, the parties' social and institutional bases, and the policies around which party competition is organized
political parties vs interest groups
interest groups focus on specific policy issues while political parties focus on many
democratic strength in the northeast and midwest
is a function of the continuing influence of organized labor in the large cities of these regions and of the regions' large populations of minority voters. The coastal West shifted toward the Democrats in the 1990s b/c of growing young populations, the importance of the Latino vote, concerns with the environment, and religiously unaffiliated.
self sorting
lawmakers elected from solidly safe districts have less incentive to compromise - individuals segregate themselves by choosing to live in liberal or conservative geographic areas or consume liberal or conservative news
soft money
money contributed directly to political partiesand other organizations for political activities, such as voter mobilization drives, that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws
2002 Bipartisan campaign reform act
outlawed the practice of soft money
"me too" republicanism
republicans wound up supporting new deal programs
external mobilization
takes place when a group of politicians outside of government organizes popular support to win governmental power.
first past the post
the candidate with the most votes wins the election even if she did not win a majority of the popular vote
divided government
the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress
national convention and nominations in todays
the convention serves as a media event to promote the party's candidates, not as a forum to decide which presidential candidate will represent the party.
precinct captains
the old machines of New york, Chicago and boston relied on this - usually leaders in neighborhood party clubhouses
patronage
the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters
alien and sedition acts
to outlaw criticism of the government. the federalists sought (unsuccessful) to use the force of law against the antifederalists
micro targeting
when political campaigns tailor messages to individuals in small homogenous groups based on their group interests to support a candidate or policy issue
partisanship
- .identification with or support of a particular party or cause - organize the political world and simplify complex policy debates for citizens and elected officials
religion in parties
- Nearly 90 percent of Jewish Americans describe themselves as Democrats since the new deal - Catholics were once a strongly pro-Democratic group but have been shifting toward the Republican Party since the 1970s, due to abortion and social issues - protestants are more likely to identify with the Republican Party. - atheists strongly favor the democratic party
platform
- a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues - media and people pay little attention to these documents - presidential candidates make little use of the platforms in their campaigns - should be seen more as internal party documents than as public pledges
why party polarization occurred?
- how congressional districts are drawn - self sorting
central committee
- in each state for the parties - there also country committees, state senate district committees, judicial district committees, assembly district ward committees
party machines
- strong party organizations in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American cities; these machines were led by often corrupt "bosses" who controlled party nominations and patronage - heavily relied on patronage b/c it was their power to control gov hobs
democratic party beliefs
- supports expanded funding for public education, social services and national health care, - public spending for infrastructure such as roads, - cuts in military spending - increased regulation of business to address cli- mate change - raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations to combat growing income inequality, - restrictions on gun ownership - favor more client immigration policies
problems in recruiting candidates
- their personal lives will be intensely scrutinized - extremely high cost of political campaigns - extensive time devoted to fundraising - numerous gerrymandering, giving challengers a slim chance of success
criticism of the parties
- they are controlled more by interest groups and wealthy campaign donors than by politicians and the public - Results: less likely to respond to voter preferences and parties may take advantage of the public
general election
- time of intense partisanship - all the paraphernalia of party commutes (signs, slogans, ads, buttons) are on display
what political parties do
1. Parties mobilize citizens in the electorate to vote 2. offer choices to voters in elections 3. provide officeholders with organization for running government.
when was the wides gender gap
2016 - There was a 24 percentage-point gap between women and men in the 2016 election - first female major party presidential candidate 2018 midterm election had a 23 point gap
The coming of the republican party
By 1856 the Whig Party had all but disintegrated under the strain b/c of slavery many joined the new Republican Party, which pledged to ban slavery from the western territories. - won 1860 election - abraham lincoln - strengthened southern calls for secession from the Union and for civil war.
Americas first national parties
Federalists - strength was greater in new England states jeffersonian or antifederalists- primary base was in the south
George W. Bush and religion
George W. Bush awarded federal grants and contracts to religious groups. By using so-called faith-based groups as federal contractors, Bush sought to ensure that these groups and churches would have a continuing stake in Republican success.
three fundamental problems of democracy
John Aldrich 1. how to regulate the number of people seeking public office 2. how to mobilize voters 3. how to achieve and maintain the majorities needed to pass legislation once in office.
purple states
Republicans and Democrats battle to win elections. include Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Arizona
Tea Party
The Tea Party is an extremely conservative faction of the Republican Party, which has supported President Trump since the 2016 election - contributed to party polarization - succeed in electing 32 percent of its candidates
election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson defeated the incumbent Federalist president, John Adams, and led his party to power
spoiler effect or strategic voting
Under U.S. election rules, voters have an incentive not to vote for small- or third-party candidates for fear of "wasting" their vote when only one party can win the election.
gender in parties
Women are somewhat more likely to support Democrats than Republicans, and men are somewhat more likely to support Republicans. - women - health, education, and social services, issues favored by the Democratic Party - men- to prioritize fiscal and economic issues and national security, issues favored by the Republican Party.
ranked choice voting
a form of instant runoff voting in that it guarantees that the winner of an election has support from a majority of those voting in the election, rather than a plurality. - ather than casting a single vote for one's most preferred choice, a voter ranks candidates from the most preferred to the least preferred (usually the top three) on the ballot - eliminates the spiller effect
dealignment
a movement away from the major political parties; a decline in partisan attachment - product of growing social diversity nd educational attainment
caucus (political)
a normally closed political party business meeting of citizens or lawmakers to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters
party identification
an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another - create information bubbles and filters where citizens follow news media and candidates on social media that are of the same partisan leaning - gives citizens a stake in election outcomes that goes beyond the particular race at hand
ideology in parties
- 36 percent of Americans are "ideological" and identify strongly with one of the two major parties. - 54 percent of Americans are less partisan and less predictable as to which candidates they will support. - 10 percent of Americans are completely on the sidelines of politics—this group tends to be young and diverse.
region in politics
- Democrats, represented tend to be clustered on the coasts, the upper Midwest, across the northern states, and in most urban areas. - Republicans, represented as tend to be concentrated in the Mountain West and the South, and in suburbs and rural areas.
libertarians
- Kentucky senator Rand Paul - believe in small government and reduced government regulations, and emphasize individual freedom. - Libertarians are closer to traditional conservatives than to alt-right conservatives.
Whig party
- Opposed Andrew Jackson - stronger in the northeast and among merchants than small farmers and south - won first election in 1840 of william henry harrison - campaign fully avoided issues and emphasized the personal qualities of the candidate
Far-right or alt- right conservatives
- President Trump - tend to be social conservatives, often with lower levels of education - are opposed to immigration and U.S. involve- ment in the global economy and institutions like the United Nations. - They favor tariffs on imports to the United States to protect American-made products.
The Republican Party is divided in four ways
- Pro- business conservatives - Far right or alt right conservatives - social and religious conservatives Libertarians
Percentage identifying themselves as...
- Slightly less than one-third of Americans are Republicans - Democrats and Independents each make up slightly more than one-third of the population. - most independents lean toward one of the major parties. - The number of people identifying as Democrats has outnumbered Republican identifiers for a long time
Social and religious conservatives
- Ted Cruz - are primarily driven by their socially conservative values, such as opposition to abortion and gay marriage.
race and ethnicity in parties
- Today more than 90 percent of African Americans describe themselves as Democrats and support Democratic candidates in national, state, and local elections - Latinos increasingly support the Democratic Party. Cubans once leaned to republican while mexicans leaned to democratic - Latino party affiliation is particularly important because it has the potential to alter the electoral map and change traditionally "red" states to "blue" states - asian Americans now solid favor democratic - seek broad patterns to understand how Latinos, Asians, and African Americans are forming coalitions that may create the founda- tions for the Democratic Party.
two party system
- a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control - largest number of votes in that district wins the seat in congress (plurality)
E.E. Schattschneider
- advocated for a political system run by party politics instead of interest groups - Parties are able to mobilize more people than interest groups because they can expand the "scope of conflict" or the policy debate to include most or all of the electorate. - When political parties compete with one another to win elections, they have incentives to continually expand public debates to include nonvoting members of the electorate in order to gain a majority of voters and win the election.
Party leaders for recruiting
- are usually not willing to provide financial backing to candidates who are unable to raise substantial funds on their own - have difficult finding strong candidates and persuading them to run or office
Larry Bartley's and unequal democracy
- both the Democratic and Republican parties are more responsive to the preferences of the upper and middle classes and ignore the policy wishes of the lower class. - stagnation wages for middle class and rising income inequality
voter mobilization
- developed an extensive database of over 240 million potential adult voters, combining state voter registration files, demographic data from the U.S. Census, and commercial behavior data, which allows the parties to more accurately seek out votes for their party candidates, contribu- tions, and campaign volunteer
More about Super PAcs
- directed by former party officials and run shadow campaigns - Because wealthy funders, corporations, and even foreign donors can mask their identity by forming Super PACs, they have become synonymous with political corruption in some circles.
probusiness conservatives
- epitomized by Nebraska senator Benjamin Sasse - are traditional Republican conservatives - generally a relatively affluent group that favors small gov and lower corporate taxes but also favors global free trade.
Federalists
- establishment party at the time - strong national gov - mainly new england merchants - support a program of protective tariggs -forgiving states revolutionary war debts - creation of nation bank - commercial ties with Britain - weakened after probritish sympathesis
Impact of President Roosevelt
- expanded the political base of democratic party - He rebuilt and revitalized the party around unionized workers, upper-middle-class intellectuals and professionals, southern farmers, Jews, Catholics, and African Americans - made democratic the nations majority
Andrew Jackson
- first populist president with a wide base of mass support- Jackson's opponents united to deny him the presidency in 1824, but Jackson won elections in 1828and 1832. - support was in the South and West - espoused a program of free trade and policies thatappealed to those regions.
characteristics of national convention
- held every four years - attended by delegates from each of the 50 states - nominate the party's presidential and vice presidential candidate - determining the party's rules and its platform - approves the party platform
The congressional campaign committee
- is made up of members of each chamber that are expected to raise a certain sum of money, and doing so allows them to move up in the power structure. - direct funds to the handful of very competitive House and Senate races each election.
republican party responding to populism
- northern and midwestern businesses made an all-out effort to defeat the Populist-Democratic alliance. - confined the democrats to their smaller bees of support int he south - 36 years, it was the nations majority party, carrying seven of the nine presidential elections - pro-business
political parties
- organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices - seek to control the gov by nominating candidates and electing its members to office - inform the public of government policy, encourage to vote and ensure that the public voice is heard
antifederalists
- outsiders - favored weaker national gov with states retaing power - led by southern agricultural interests - favored free trade - promotion of agricultural interests - friendship with france - later known as the democrats
problems with primaries
- political parties provide money which narrows the field of candidates who can win in the primaries - most candidates cannot get out of the primary - candidates reliance on party money results in partisan voting blocs within gov
democratic national committee and the republican national committee
- raise money for party candidates - try to minimize disputes within the party and work to enhance the party's media image
government shutdowns
- rare - Each year passing the federal budget requires cooperation between the Democratic and Republican parties, because the Senate must approve the spending bill for the nation with a supermajority vote (60 out of 100 votes)—and rarely does one party hold 60 seats. - If these spending bills are not passed, the government does not have the money to operate fully, and non-essential offices and programs are shut down.
Government Shutdown with Obama
- republican lawmakers tried to delay the affordable care act in passing the federal budget - Obama promised that he would veto any such attempt to end national health care - 17 day shutdown, 850,000 employees were not paid and another 1.3 worked without knowing they would get paid
influence of third parties
- republican party was once a third party - Their causes are usually eliminated when the major parties adopt their policies and draw their supporters into the mainstream. - With progressive party ideas going into democratic party - socialist for the new deal
The division of democrats
- resulted in republicans being in power again - some supported civil rights - some strongly opposed the decision to greatly expand the number of US troops - the struggle over the Vietnam war - split income lines
proportional representation system
- seats in government are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast in the election. - many countries use this except for the US
civil war and democratic party
- stopped of its supporters - almost won the 1864 election because of war weariness on the part of northern public - the party of the south (working class and immigrants )
party organization
- the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff - state laws and party rules dictates how committees are created - committee members are elected at local party business meetings
Super PACS
- to circumvent the law and raise the large amounts of money needed for political campaigns are used for outside money - promote and publicize political issues including airing negative campaign ads - claim tax exempt status under Section 527 of the internal revenue code - can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money as long as their activities are not coordinated with those of the formal party organization or the candidates and if their aim is to inform the public and increase voter turnout
class in parties
- upper-income Americans were considerably more likely to be Republican whereas lower-income Americans were far more likely to identify with the Democrats. - white workers without a college degree have favored Republicans in recent elections - minority working class tends to vote democratic - trump election was the widest gap in election by 9 points
election reform and third parties
If the party that wins the presidency in one out of three elections is not favored by a majority of voters, that calls into question the legitimacy of our election system. - contend that America's two-party system creates stability in governing and prevents the need for a coalition government - should make it easier for third parties to get on the ballot
obstacles for third parties
Under federal election law, only parties that receive more than 5 percent of the national presidential vote are entitled to federal funds. - hampered by single-member district system for allocating seats. - Some American states do have multiple-member districts for state legislature, but the vast majority do not.
Rational competent in party identification
Voters generally form attachments to the party that reflects their views and interests. Once those attachments are formed, usually in youth, they are likely to persist and even be handed down to children
independents
With congres- sional approval ratings at an all-time low, the number of Americans identifying as independents has grown to roughly 40 percent. - have unique views and are more supportive of third parties and election reform efforts that create opportunities for groups outside of government to have a voice in government - independent voters outnumber the two major political parties, Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, and Iowa
policy entrepreneurs
an individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda - expands their party's base of support while eroding that of the opposition - seek to identify and develop programs and policies that will appeal to the public
national convention
convened by the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National Committee to nominate official candidates for president and vice president in the upcoming election, establish party rules, and adopt the party's platform
turning out the vote
convince voters to show up to cast a ballot is one of the hardest tasks - individuals going to polls, stand in like and date
plurality voting rules in the united states
create its two party-dominant system, and third parties have generally not won seats in Congress, state legislatures, or the presidency.
How did the Republican Party form?
during the 1850s, a group of state politicians who opposed slavery built the Republican Party by constructing party organizations and mobilizing popular support in the Northeast and West.
southern republicanism
has come about because conservative white southerners associate the Democratic Party with liberal positions and policies that benefit urban and minority voters. - related to the weakness of organized labor in this region
party identifiers
more likely to go to the polls, to be contacted by political campaigns, to support the party with in which they identify
internal mobilization
occurs when political conflicts prompt officials and competing factions within government to mobilize popular support.
voter registration
parties and candidate campaigns, mail notices, call and email voters, organize voter registration drives on college campuses
third parties
parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties - H. Ross Perot was a successful third party candidate in 1992 - sources of new ideas - taking votes from one of the major parties sand enabling the other to win
party activists
partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates - more extreme than party identifiers
Walter Dean Burnham wrote
political parties "generate... collective power on behalf of the many [who are] individually powerless against the relatively few who are individually or organizationally powerful.
What "responsible parties" do
recruit candidates who are loyal to the party's philosophy and policy agenda, with the goal of controlling government and adopting laws that are consistent with the party's platform
reconstruction and republicans
sought to use reconstruction to grant the right to vote to freed slaves thus creating a large pro-republican voting bloc - it failed due to violent resistance - remained the party of the north after the civil war (business and middle class support)
what is an ideal candidate
strong leadership record, the capacity to raise enough money to mount a serious campaign
the republican party beliefs
supports limiting immigration to the United States, maintaining high levels of military spending, cuts in social programs including health care, tax relief for corporations and upper-income voters, protecting rights for gun owners, and a social agenda backed by members of conservative religious denominations
Ways to weaken party machines
the direct election of U.S. senators; the secret ballot and long ballot, where the names of candidates running for both parties were listed; primary elections where voters, not parties, picked candidates; and voter registration
party polarization
the division between the two major parties on most policy issues, with members of each party unified around their party's positions with little crossover - measured by party unity in roll-call votes.
majority party
the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate - selects the speaker of the house - assigned a quota of members for each committee based on who has the majority - chairs congressional committees, setting policy agendas,
minority party
the party that holds the minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate
electoral realignment
the point in history when a new party supplants the governing party, becoming in turn the dominant political force
nomination
the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office - party elites play an outsized role in selecting candidates
age in parties
young people are much more likely to be Democrats, while the oldest voters affiliate with the Republican Party. - Individuals from the same age cohort are likely to have experienced a similar set of events during the period when their party loyalties were formed. - many young people are indecent
