Chapter 9: Political Parties (Short Answer Questions)

Who assigns individual members to committees in Congress?

Committees within each party designed for that purpose.

Issues such as the environment, health care, retirement benefits, and taxation are on the political agenda in the U.S. because?

Contemporary political parties mainly compete for the support of middle-class Americans and these issues are important to the middle class.

A party meeting to help nominate a candidate and formulate a platform is known as a _____.

Convention.

Jews are among the _____ Party's most loyal constituent groups.

Democratic. Parties in the Electorate -- Jews have been loyal to the Democratic Party since the New Deal. Nearly 90% of all Jewish Americans describe themselves as Democrats.

Which American leader warned his countrymen to shun partisan politics?

George Washington (Our first president foresaw the dangers of partisan agendas!)

_____ warned Americans against the dangers of political parties in his farewell address.

George Washington.

Ranked choice voting reform would be likely to result in _____.

Increased opportunities for third parties.

The process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for an elective office is a _____.

Nomination.

527 committees are _____.

Non-profit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence elections.

What statement about candidate recruitment and running for office is accurate?

One study found that over 20% of House races are completely uncontested because challenging incumbents in Congress and winning is particularly difficult.

The voting habits of African Americans show that they _____.

Overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

The party _____ is a party document, written at a national convention, which contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues.

Platform.

The Republican Party originally _____.

Pledged to ban slavery from western territories.

An election system that allocates to each political party representation in the legislative equal to its percentage of the total vote is called a _____ system.

Plurality election.

Third parties would be more successful under which election systems?

Proportional representation. Party Systems -- Forms of proportional representation, multiple-member districts, or instant run-off voting would increase the probability of third-party representation in American politics.

During the 1980s, the Republicans added _____ to their coalition.

Religious conservatives and working-class whites.

From the Civil War to the 1960s, the _____ was a Democratic stronghold.

South.

What group was part of the "New Deal coalition"?

Southern farmers.

In general, lower-income Americans support which party?

The Democratic Party.

Women are more likely to support which political party?

The Democratic Party.

After 36 years of dominating U.S. political life, the Republican Party lost power after _____ began.

The Great Depression. Party Systems -- In 1896, the Republicans began a 36-year domination of U.S. politics with the election of William McKinley to president. That reign came to an end with the Great Depression, and Americans in 1932 elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a solidly Democratic Congress.

From the end of the Civil War to the 1890s, the Republican Party was the party of _____.

The North, with strong business and middle-class support. Party Systems -- Whereas Democrats were the party of the South, with support also from working-class and immigrant groups.

What was a major change that occurred in the political landscape of the 1890s in the United States?

The Populist Party came into being and then merged with the Democratic Party. Party Systems -- In the 1892 presidential election, big social and economic changes helped the new Populist Party carry four states and elect governors in eight. In 1896, the Populist Party effectively joined with the Democrats, though the Republicans ultimately won the election.

During the early 19th century, the Jeffersonian Party's main base of strength was in what region of the country?

The South.

The party that holds the majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives selects who?

The Speaker of the House. Parties in Government -- The speakership of the House is essentially a party office because even though all the members of the House take part in the election of the Speaker, it is the majority party that makes the actual selection.

The Speaker of the House is selected by _____.

The party that holds the majority of seats in the House.

What is true of the current state of party identification in the United States?

The percentage of voters who declare no party loyalty remains at an all-time high.

Patronage refers to _____.

The power of political machines to make partisan appointments to government offices and to grant special favors to supporters.

What best explains the short lives of third parties?

Their causes are usually eliminated by the ability of the major parties to absorb their programs and to draw their supporters into the mainstream.

A political party is an organization that _____.

Tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.

The United States began its tradition of the _____ during the early 19th century.

Two-party system.

What did the McCain-Feingold bill attempt to outlaw?

Unregulated "soft money" raised by political parties that could be used to support candidates. Parties as Organizations -- "Soft money" is money contributed directly to political parties and other organizations for political activities that is not regulated by the federal campaign spending laws; the 2002 McCain-Feingold bill, officially named the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), prohibited these unregulated donations to national party committees.

_____ Americans are considerably more likely to affiliate with the Republican Party.

Upper income. Parties in the Electorate -- After the New Deal of the 1930s, a dominant pattern emerged in which upper-income Americans were considerably more likely to affiliate with Republicans, whereas lower-income Americans were far more likely to identify with the Democrats. That pattern remains in effect today.

The Alien and Sedition Acts

Were virtually impossible to enforce; were enacted by the Federalists in the late 1790s; made it illegal to criticize the government; and allowed the Jeffersonians to expand their political power.

What is most accurate about contemporary American politics?

While political elites are highly polarized, most Americans are moderate in terms of public opinion.

The Democratic Party receives the strongest support from which group?

Young people.

One important cause of the United States' two-party system is _____.

single-member electoral districts.

A _____ is a nonprofit independent group that receives and disburses funds to influence elections.

527 committees. Parties as Organizations -- 527 committees are nonprofit groups organized to promote and publicize political issues by receiving and disbursing funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates.

What is a party caucus?

A closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters. Parties as Organizations -- Caucuses are normally closed meetings of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters. Party committee members are often elected at caucuses.

What group has the highest proportion of Democratic voters?

African-Americans. Parties in the Electorate -- Since the 1930s and FDR's New Deal, African Americans have been overwhelmingly Democratic in their party identification. More than 90% of African-Americans describe themselves as Democrats and support Democratic candidates in national, state, and local elections.

What differentiates an interest group from a political party?

An interest group seeks to influence government on a narrow range of issues, whereas a political party mobilizes almost the entire electorate to win control of government.

The contemporary American political parties mainly compete for the support of _____.

Different groups of middle- and upper-class Americans. Party Systems -- The result is that issues that concern the middle and upper classes are very much on the political agenda.

In the early years of the Republic, political parties were seen as what?

Factions that represented a threat to the social order of the country. What are Political Parties? -- Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington, among others, all condemned political parties.

The first "party system" in the United States consisted of _____.

Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans.

Micro-targeting by political parties involves what?

Focusing on individuals in small, homogenous groups for very tailored messaging.

What period of American party politics has been primarily characterized by divided government?

From the 1960s to the present-day.

How did the entrance of a powerful third-party candidate affect the 2000 presidential election?

It took away enough votes from the Democratic candidate to swing victory to the Republican candidate.

_____ are among the Democratic Party's most loyal constituent groups.

Jews.

What were the most common favors political bosses distributed to loyal party members during the era of political machines?

Jobs.

Most individuals who describe themselves as _____ identify with the _____ Party.

Liberal; Democratic. Parties in the Electorate -- Ideology and party identification are very closely linked. Most individuals who describe themselves as conservatives identify with the Republican Party, whereas most who call themselves liberals support the Democrats.

The original party system in the United States pitted the Federalists, supported by _____ against the Jeffersonian Republicans, supported by _____.

Merchants; agricultural interests. Party Systems -- The first party system emerged in the 1790s. The Federalists spoke mainly for New England merchants and their related interests, and the Jeffersonians, led by southern agricultural interests, opposed Federalist policies.

A proportional-representation electoral system is a _____.

Multiple-member district system that gives each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote.

Third parties are least likely to achieve electoral success in which types of elections?

National. Party Systems -- Third parties almost always lose at the national level. For that reason, third parties usually exist as a protest movement against the two parties or to promote specific issues and can sometimes bring about a realignment.

What factor has brought about a decentralization of party power in the United States?

New media forms, like the Internet.

What was not accomplished at a party's national convention?

Nomination of Senate and House candidates.

How did Republican presidents differ from Democratic presidents with relation to political parties in the 50 years prior to 2004?

Republican presidents paid much more attention to party building.

Nixon's southern strategy was aimed at attracting what southern group?

Republicans. Party Systems -- Richard Nixon's southern strategy gave the GOP the votes it needed to end Democratic dominance of national politics. He appealed to white Southern who were unhappy with desegregation and the civil rights movement, sparking the shift of voters that gave the Republican Party a strong position in all the states of the former Confederacy.

Who created the "southern strategy" to push white southerners to start voting Republican?

Richard Nixon.

In the nomination process, a party _____.

Selects a single candidate to run for an elective office. Parties, Voter Mobilization, and Elections -- Nomination is the process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office. Parties want only one candidate on the ballot so that members of the same party don't take votes from on another.

One important reason the United States has a two-party system is?

Single-member electoral districts. What Are Political Parties? -- Single-member districts, the norm in the U.S., encourage the dominance of the two-party system. Because a plurality of the vote wins a single candidate the office in single-member districts, voters have an incentive not to vote for small or third parties for fear of wasting their vote.

What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?

Slavery.

In general, Democrats support?

Social programs and regulation of businesses. Parties in Government -- In general, the Democratic Party supports expanded social welfare programs, national health care, cuts in military spending, increased regulation of business, and a variety of consumer and environmental programs.

Men in the United States are _____ the _____ Party.

Somewhat more likely to support; Republican.