Chapter 9

What is earned media?

A more economical and efficient way of getting one's name and message across is by securing earned media, that is, free social media, television, radio, and newspaper coverage devoted to a candidate because of some action or position he or she has taken.

political machine

A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity

What is a party machine?

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

critical election

An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty. the opposition sweeps dramatically into a national power.

What is political party realignment? book def

As we have seen, parties undergo periodic changes in strength, composition, and direction. Such changes, known as realignments, scramble party composition and political fortunes. Supporters of each party re-assort themselves, forming new coalitions and sometimes reversing the relative positions of strength previously held by each party in the electorate.

Which was the first major political party in the American political system? Who was responsible for its creation?

Democratic-Republicans and Federalists by Andrew Jackson.

closed primaries

Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.

open primaries

Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.

Why did the framers disapprove of political parties?

Feared that they would split the nation into factions more focused on narrow interests than on the interests of the country as a whole.

How has the "Southern strategy" changed American politics and government?

From the 1960s onward, Republican gains in the once "solid Democratic South" have been dramatic. By 2016, the Republican Party controlled the governors' offices and both houses of the state legislatures in almost all of the old South.

What other reasons do you think explain the entrenchment of the two-party system in the USA?

However, our electoral system also simplifies leadership once the election is over. In the Finnish example presented earlier, what if no one party wins majority control of the chamber? That would mean that several parties would need to form coalitions to get anything done. Such coalitions are fragile and may lead either to inaction or frequent calls for new elections. By contrast, two-party systems like ours provide more stability once the election is over. it should be noted that the winner-take-all approach used to conduct our elections is by far the most important reason why only two parties dominate American politics.

How does Duverger's Law explain the development of a two-party system?

In political science, Duverger's law holds that single-ballot plurality-rule elections structured within single-member districts tend to favor a two-party system.

What roles do political parties have in the American government?

In the American government, political parties are established organizations created for the purpose of winning elections and governing once in office. They perform a variety of functions for candidates, for voters, and for the government the parties serve.

Where and why did party machines form?

Many machines formed in cities to serve immigrants to the U.S. in the late 19th century who viewed machines as a vehicle for political enfranchisement. Machine workers helped win elections by turning out large numbers of voters on election day.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's plan to persuade conservative southern white voters away from the Democratic party

The framers of the U.S, Constitution disapprove of political parties. Why did political parties form, despite this?

Of course, even as the Framers warned against factions, they were themselves dividing into factional groups that quickly assumed the function of parties. It is easy to see how disagreements over how to run the nation would generate party competition.

What is meant by the term divided government?

One party controls the White House while the other controls one or both houses of Congress.

Equilibration

Periodic rotation in party control of the White House and Congress.

What is dealignment?

Rather than shifting loyalties from one party to another, voters today seem less inclined to affiliate with any of the major parties. Instead they are registering as independents, which results in dealignment of political parties. "both parties began to lose their relevance for the American voter."

What causes realignment?

Realignments happen for a variety of reasons, including generational changes, major transforming events, demographic changes, and ideological shifts.

What was Richard Nixon's southern strategy?

Richard was a republican. Their "southern strategy" appealed to social conservatives who believed the federal government had overstepped its bounds in promoting racial equality in the states and overextended its reach into the economy.

What is soft money?

Soft money, large sums, mostly from corporations, unions, and wealthy contributors, intended for "party-building" activities such as voter registration and running ads promoting the issues the party supports. These funds were not subject to the federal regulations or limits that govern other types of campaign contributions. a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.

party realignment

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Which reform ended the era of party machines and their reliance on patronage?

The fourth party system.

Why do some states choose to hold closed primaries?

The idea behind the closed primary is that only party members should be able to determine who will lead them in the general election. Most states that utilize this type of primary also exclude voters registered as independent from voting.

What is Duverger's Law?

The principle that single-member district elections generally lead to stable two-party systems is sometimes referred to as Duverger's law, named for the French sociologist who first proposed it.

If there were no political parties in U.S. government and politics, how would that affect you as a voter and as a citizen?

There would be no established organization representing citizen interests with the power to take collective action on the citizens' behalf once elected and to take responsibility for success or failure.

How does the structure of U.S. political parties reflect American federalism?

They are both 2 separate parties that reflect different viewpoints but have the same ultimate goal.

How are political parties like coalitions?

They both are formed to gain more power.

How have third, or minor, parties contributed to American politics and democracy?

Third parties or independent candidacies usually arise in periods of great change or crisis

ideological party

a party that values principled stands on issues above all else. Minor parties organized around distinct ideological principles.

single issue party

a political party that campaigns on only one issue.

Splinter party

a political party that has split off from a major party because of major disagreement. third parties.

What was the New Deal Coalition?

an alignment of diverse groups dedicated to supporting the Democratic Party. The constellation of social groups that became the core base of support for the Democratic Party after the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

What is political patronage? How did patronage support the party machines?

the giving of government jobs to people based on their party affiliation and loyalty. Political machines started as grassroots organizations to gain the patronage needed to win the modern election. Having strong patronage, these "clubs" were the main driving force in gaining and getting out the "straight party vote" in the election districts.

What are the purposes of the parties' national nominating conventions?

the quadrennial gathering of party members who formally nominate their party's presidential candidate." The formal purpose of such a convention is to select the party's nominee for popular election as President, as well as to adopt a statement of party principles and goals known as the party platform and adopt the rules for the party's activities, including the presidential nominating process for the next election cycle.

Issue Evolution

the theory that partisan change occurs incrementally as the electorate reacts to salient issues advanced by party elites.

What factors do the authors believe have caused the polarization of American politics?

"Demographic factors." and "party leaders and interest group elites sometimes advance issues that drive the parties further apart."

What signals that a realignment has occurred?

-Critical election -Equilibration -Issue evolution

Why 2 parties?

-Election Rules -ideological Centrism -State Laws -Financing

what functions do political parties serve?

-Parties carry candidates' messages to voters and summon voters to the polls on Election Day. -They help broker differences among groups they represent, developing policies that satisfy diverse viewpoints. -They attempt to construct voting majorities in legislative bodies to enact laws. -They organize governing bodies in order to create and administer public policy.