Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

I.  Development of American Political Parties

A.  George Washington warned that political parties would be a source of conflict that could tear the nation apart.

B.  Political party is an association of voters with broad, common interests who want to influence or control decision making in government by electing the party’s candidates to public office.

C.  Although other parties have sometimes run in elections, they have seldom won—therefore, the United States is said to have a two-party system.

D.  Since 1860 one or the other have always held the presidency

E.  Constitution does not mention political parties

F.  Thomas Jefferson & Alexander Hamilton disagreed strongly about how the gov’t should be run

G.  Hamilton believed individual rights were at risk if the government was too weak—so he favored a strong national gov’t

H.  Jefferson wanted to limit the power of the nat’l gov’t –he argued for more power for state governments—which were closer to the people

I.  Jefferson’s group became the Democratic-Republican Party—until Andrew Jackson then the party split and Jackson aligned w/ the Democratic Party—grew stronger

J.  Hamilton’s party the Federalist Party –faded away after the War of 1812

K.  1830 Whigs or National Republicans rose to compete w/ the new Democrats

L.  1854 a new group broke away from the Democrats & Whigs and formed the Republican Party –many were those who opposed slavery

II.  Third Parties

A.  No third party has ever won a presidential election—but they can affect the outcome of elections and may influence government and social policy.

B.  They believe that neither of the major parties are meeting certain needs

C.  Populists & Progressives are two third parties that influenced gov’t

D.  Populists –farmers & laborers—called for direct election of senators & an eight-hour work day

E.  Progressive Party or Bull Moose Party split from Republicans in 1912—this took votes away from the Republican candidate allowing the Democrat to win

F.  Single Issue Parties—try to promote a social, economic, or moral issue—Ex. The Prohibitionist Party formed to ban the sale of alcohol—this party usually doesn’t last long—it fades away when the issue is no longer important or if a major party adopts their issue

G.  Ideological Parties—focus on changing society in major ways—Ex. Socialist Labor Party & the Communist Party USA support gov’t ownership of factories, and other businesses. The Libertarian Party wants to cut the size of gov’t in order to increase individual freedoms. The Green Party opposes the power of corporations and favors decision making at the grassroots level.

H.  Independent Candidates—Well-known individuals who can’t get support from the two-major parties

I.  Third party candidates must obtain a large number of voter signatures in order to get on the ballot and they often have trouble raising enough money to compete in campaigns against the majority party candidates

III.  Other Party Systems

A.  Most democracies have multiparty systems, three or more parties compete for control of the gov’t

B.  Canada has 3 major parties, Germany has 5, and Israel has more than 20

C.  One party rarely wins enough support to control the government so several parties must work together

D.  In a one-party gov’t the party & the gov’t are nearly the same thing –Ex. People’s Republic of China –Communist Party

E.  One-party systems also exist in some non-Communist nations—Ex. Iran is dominated by religious leaders & muslim leaders control the Islamic Republican Party

IV.  Today’s Major Parties

A.  The Democrats tend to believe that the federal government should be more directly involved in regulating the economy and in providing housing, income, education, and jobs for the poor.

B.  The Republicans tend to believe that if they help the nation’s economy grow, poor people will have a better chance of finding jobs and meeting their needs on their own. They favor less government regulation of the economy as the best way to promote the growth of production.

C.  Both try to appeal to large numbers of voters and may sound very similar on issues—By adopting moderate and mainstream positions and avoiding extreme or radical positions—also b/c people generally agree about many political & social issues

D.  To find out where each party stands on different issues—read their platform which is a series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues—Each individual part of the platform is called a plank.

Organization of American Political Parties

I.  National Party Organization

A.  Democratic & Republican Parties are organized at the local, state, and national levels –they have roughly the same political beliefs, & are united in their goal to help their party win as many offices as possible

B.  Each has a national committee made up of representatives from every state help raise funds & organize the party’s national convention

C.  A national party chairperson runs the committee—main job is to manage the office, direct the committee staff & lead fund-raising efforts

D.  Increasingly active—creating websites, recruiting candidates, teaching effective campaign strategies, & giving campaign funds--& T.V. & radio advertisements

E.  Nat’l Committee holds the Nat’l Convention every 4 years—where party delegates from all the states nominate candidates for pres. or vice pres. Each chooses its delegates thru a combination of presidential primary elections and caucuses, or meetings, of state and local party organizations

F.  The delegates’ first job is to write the platform

G.  Early primary elections where voters narrow down the list of candidates, has caused the nomination for president to be almost entirely decided by the time of the convention

II. State & Local Organization

A.  Each party has 50 state committees or organizations. Focus on electing party candidates to state offices—governor, attorney general, state legislators, and others. Also work to get national candidates elected.

B.  Precinct Captains—A precinct is a geographic area that contains a specific number of voters. Each has a volunteer precinct captain whose job is to organize other party volunteers during campaigns & encourage voters on Election Day. Volunteers distribute leaflets, register voters, and try to convince voters to support the party’s candidates. Several adjoining precincts make up a ward.

C.  County Committees—Counties are the largest political unit—more than 3,000 across the country—Both parties have them—a county chairperson runs the committee and has a great deal of political power in the county.

D.  Political machines—were local party organizations that became so powerful that year after year their candidates swept almost every election. The notorious Tammany Hall in New York City is the most famous. Ran by William Marcy “Boss” Tweed and his friends grew rich from bribes & kickbacks given by building contractors seeking to do business with the city.

E.  Political machines did offer services to help needy citizens with jobs, food, fuel, and help with medical care in return for votes.

F.  Joining a Political Party—you don’t need to join a political party in the U.S. to vote.

G.  Parties depend on volunteers and citizen involvement to accomplish their goals.

ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES TODAY

H.  Nominating Candidates—political parties are the only organizations that select and offer candidates for public office

I.  Primary Elections—The direct primary is an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election. The winner of the most primaries is often nominated by his or her party.

J.  Two main forms of the direct primary: closed & open.

K.  Most states hold a closed primary which is an election in where only the declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party’s nominees. Thus, only Republicans can vote in the Republican Party primary.

L.  A few states hold an open primary, in which voters do not need to declare their party preference in order to vote for the party’s nominees. In most open-primary states, you choose a party in the privacy of the voting booth.

M.  Afraid opponents may choose weak candidate who can be easily beaten .

N.  Prevents unaffiliated voters from taking part in primary elections

O.  Most states award the nomination to the candidate who receives a plurality—the most votes among all those running

P.  A few states –the winner must have a majority—(a number greater than half the total)

Q.  If no candidate receives a majority—the party holds a runoff primary between the two top vote getters.

R.  Candidates who are unaffiliated can get on the ballot for the general election in most states by petition.

II. Other Party Roles

A.  Campaigning for Candidates—raise money, help get across ideas & views on public issues to voters, make sure party supporters are registered to vote, & make sure people get to the polls

B.  Informing Citizens—parties inform citizens about public issues and the way government works through informational pamphlets; speeches; and TV, radio, and newspaper advertisements

C.  Helping Manage Government – Party members in Congress or in state legislatures make every effort to support their party’s positions when passing laws.