Political Parties

1. Political Parties

2. Overriding Questions • How has the decline of political parties influenced elections and campaigning? • How do political parties positively influence campaigns and elections and how do they negatively influence campaigns and elections? • How have campaigns and elections changed over time? How have they stayed the same? • How has money influenced elections and campaigns in a positive and negative manner?

3. What is a Party? Apolitical partyis a group of people who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office. The two major partiesin American politics are the Republican and Democratic parties. Parties can be principle-oriented, issue-oriented, or election-oriented. The American parties are election-oriented.

9. Questions to consider… Who is the barber? Why do the perceptions of the mom and dad differ? Do these perceptions match today’s reality?

15. Why is there a two Party System? • The Historical Basis. The nation started out with two-parties: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. • The Force of Tradition. America has a two-party systembecause it always has had one. Minor parties, lacking wide political support, have never made a successful showing, so people are reluctant to support them.

16. Additional reasons for two Party System… • Ideological Consensus. Most Americans have a general agreement on fundamental matters. Conditions that would spark several strong rival parties do not exist in the United States.

18. Factors that influence Party Membership

19. Party Systems • One-Party; totalitarian, undemocratic • Bi-party; less choice, lots of stability • Multi-party; more choice, less stability • Problem of coalition government • US and England = Bi-party • Italy and Israel = Multi-party

20. Economic Realignment1896 • Realignment-lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties • Depression hit farmers in the Midwest and the South • Prices paid to farmers was declining • Led to the development of the Greenbackers and the Populists • (Economic Protest Parties)

21. Party Realignment or Critical Elections • Alternation of one party dominance to the other party • Critical Elections-sharp, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one of both parties • The issues that separate the parties change and so do the party supporters

22. 5 critical realignments in history • 1800-Jefferson elected, Democratic Republicans take over • 1828-Jackson elected from Democratic party-DR splits into Dems and Whigs • 1860-Lincoln elected-emergence of modern day Republicans • 1896-McKinley wins-but gains support from labor unions and minorities as a Republican • 1932-FDR wins and the Democratic party remerges • Critical realignment for the Republicans in ’94- won both House and Senate for first time since 1954

23. What is the current party situation? • Factionalize within selves-distribute power and lose elections • Initiative and Referendum take away power of party and bring more power to the people • Dems have become more liberal • Repubs have become more conservative • Primaries especially to secure the “regulars” • Aim toward the middle during the general elections

24. Minor Parties in the United States Types of Minor Parties Splinter Party Example: “Bull Moose” Progressive Party-against patronage system Economic Protest Parties Example: The Greenback Party-against gov’t regulation of $ Ideological Parties Example: Libertarian Party-rights of the individual Single-issue Parties Example: Free Soil Party-eliminate slavery

25. Why are Minor Parties important? Minor parties play several important roles: “Spoiler Role” Critic Innovator

26. The Decentralized Nature of the Parties Both of the major parties are highly decentralized and fragmented. Why?

27. Minor Parties in the United States

28. Reasons for Party Decline • Mistrust of Government • Independents (Divided Government) • Split Ticket Voting • “Open” Primaries • Technology • End of Patronage • All of the above leads to… • Electoral Independence!!

29. Gerrymander • Done EVERY ten years • and controlled by State • Legislatures…that are controlled • by…You guessed it, a • POLITICAL PARTY! • Check OUT Redistricting Game • Most Gerrymandered Districts

31. Reasons for Nonvoting: • Institutional Reasons (political): Barriers due to some aspect of the law. • Psychological Reasons (emotional): The feeling that voting does not matter.

32. Institutional Reasons • The date and day • The hours the polls are open • The number of voting booths • The length/style of ballot/voting methods • Registration (a “two-step process”) • Declaring a party choice (for primaries only) • Others???

34. 1. During the early 1800s, religious, property, and tax payment qualifications were gradually eliminated. 2. The 15th Amendment (1870) was intended to end race-based voting requirements. 3. In 1920, the 19th Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote because of sex. 4. The 1960s: Extending Suffrage

35. The 1960’s and 70’s • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 guaranteed the right to vote for minorities. • The 23rd Amendment (1961) granted citizens of the District of Columbia the right to vote for presidential electors. • The 24th Amendment (1964) eliminated the poll tax. The 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18.

36. Motor-Voter Law of 1993 • National Voter Registration Act • Signed by President Bill Clinton • Required uniform registration process • Accessible at DMV’s, schools, libraries, disability centers • Mail-in registration

37. Nominating and Electing a Candidate

38. Types of Direct Primaries The Direct Primary Nonpartisan Primary Candidates are not identified by party labels Closed Primary Only declared party members can vote for a specific party Open Primary Any Qualified voter can take part-still can only vote for one party Runoff Primary If a required majority is not met, the two people with the most votes run again

39. The Process • Primaries-Starts January (Iowa Caucus Jan. 3rd ) of Election year • National Party Convention-Summer of election year • Campaign Season-August to November • General Election-first Tuesday after first Monday in November • Electoral College-meets in December to officially and constitutionally elect • Jan. 6th- President of Senate officially counts electoral votes • Jan. 20th- President is inaugurated

40. The Electoral College • While state laws determine how electors are chosen, they are generally selected by the political party committees within the states. • Voters actually vote for electors who then select the president. • There are currently 538 electors and the votes of a majority of them -- 270 votes -- are required to be elected. • States with larger populations get more Electoral College votes.

41. Regulating Campaign Financing • Early campaign regulations were created in 1907, but feebly enforced. • The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 was passed to replaced the former, ineffective legislation. • The FECA Amendments of 1974 were passed in response to the Watergate scandal. • The 1974 amendment also set up the Federal Election Commission and established public funding of presidential elections. Two additional amendments (1976, 1979) were aimed at regulating PACs and boosting the level of party participation. • http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.do • http://opensecrets.org/overview/topcontribs.asp?cycle=2008

42. Coining the term Swiftboating • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Zk9YmED48 • 527 Groups • Show 527 clip

43. Current Campaign Finance Limits 2012 • http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/contriblimits.shtml

44. More on the Future… For candidates: • Structural changes have increased conflict and disorganization within parties • Changes in the technology of campaigning, especially the use of television and the Internet, have made candidates more independent of the party organization • The growth of single-issue organizations provides candidates with another source of financial support

45. To summarize the info we learned today… • Create a one sentence summary using the following prompt…. • A___________is a kind of______________ that__________________. • ___________happens because________________.