Understanding Political Parties and Their Role in Government

1. Chapter 5: Political Parties

2. S1: What is a Party? Checkpoint: What are the three elements that make up a political party? The party organizationis the party professionals who run the party at all levels by contributing time, money, and skill. The party in ________________includes the candidates and officeholders who serve at all levels of government. The party in the electorateare the _____________ of voters who identify strongly with a particular party and support its policies.

3. What Parties Do Parties express the will of the people in government. They can also encourage unity by modifying _____________ views and encouraging compromise. Parties nominate—find, recruit, prepare, and gather public support for—qualified political candidates. Parties inform the public and try to shape public opinion, using all forms of _______________ to campaign for or against opposing candidates and policy issues.

4. Roles of Parties • Parties act as a “bonding agent” to encourage ___________________ among their candidates and office holders. • Parties play a key roles in governing at all levels. • Legislatures are organized along party lines and parties shape the electoral process. • Partisanship guides many legislative votes and appointments to public office. • Parties provide _______________ of communication between the branches of government.

5. Parties as “Watchdogs” • Checkpoint: How do parties perform the watchdog function? • In particular, the minority ______________ keeps a close eye on the actions of the party that controls the executive branch to make sure that it does not _____________ its power or violate the public trust.

6. The Two-Party System The Republican and Democratic parties dominate American politics. Only the candidates from the ________ major parties have a chance to win most elections. Why is this the case? The Framers opposed political parties. They saw parties as “______________” that caused disunity and conflict. George Washington warned against the dangers of parties.

7. Once established, parties became part of _________________. The nature of the election process supports the two-party system. Nearly all American elections take place in single-member districts--only the one candidate who wins the largest __________ of votes gets elected to office. This works against third-party candidates, who have little chance of finishing in the top two. Tradition

8. Tradition, cont. • The two major parties write ____________ rules that discourage non-major parties. • For example, it is very difficult for a third party candidate to get on the ballot in all ___ states.

9. Ideological Consensus • Americans tend to share a broad ________________ consensus. • The United States is made up of many different cultural groups. • While Americans don’t agree on every issue, they do support the same basic freedoms. • Strongly ___________ issues have tended not to last for generations.

10. Building Consensus • Both major parties try to be _____________ and build consensus. • Both parties tend to have a few major areas of policy differences while being rather similar in other areas. • The similarities between parties arises because both parties are after a majority of voters in any given election. Both parties must ______________ for the many voters in the middle of the political spectrum.

11. Political Spectrum

12. Multiparty Systems • ____________________ systems are used by many democracies. • They have several major and many smaller parties. • Each party is based on a particular interest. • These interests can include _______________ class, religion, or political ideology.

13. Multiparty systems tend to represent a more diverse group of citizens. Supporters admire this feature, arguing that it gives voters many more _____________ among candidates and policies. However, this diversity often makes multiparty systems __________ stable. The power to govern must usually be shared by several parties who join in a coalition. Multiparty Systems, cont.

14. One-Party Systems • Only one political party exists, offering ______ real choice. • Some U.S. states and districts are “modified one-party systems.” • In these places, one party _______________ wins most of the elections and dominates government.

15. S2: The Nation’s First Parties The battle over ratification of the Constitution led to the rise of the first major parties. The _________________ Party was formed by supporters of the Constitution. They wanted a stronger national government and policies that helped financial, commercial, and manufacturing interests. Alexander Hamilton and John ____________ were key representatives.

16. Democratic-Republican Party • Opposing the Federalists was the _________________-Republican Party. • They wanted a more limited national government, with policies aimed at helping farmers, planters, labor, and small business. • Key leaders such as Thomas ________________ and James Madison favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

17. The Democratic Party • The election of ___________ was the first time two parties fought for the presidency. • The Federalists won, but faded from power after losing the 1800 election. • The Democratic-Republicans later split apart and gave rise to the __________________ Party.

18. The Era of the Democrats The Democratic Party won ________ of 15 presidential elections from 1800 to 1860. In the 1830s, President Andrew Jackson began a period of so-called Jacksonian democracy, marked by three major political changes: Voting rights were expanded to include all white males, not just those with ________________. A huge increase in the number of elected offices around the country. The spread of the spoils system.

19. Democrats v. Whigs • The Democrats drew much of their support from small ____________, pioneers, and slaveholders in the South and West. • Their greatest rivals were the Whigs, who were supported by wealthier _____________and industrial interestsin the East. Thomas Jefferson became President in 1803, ushering in an era of Democratic domination that lasted until the Civil War.

20. Democrats v. Whigs, cont. • The debate over _____________ split the Whigs and the Democrats apart in the 1850s. • The Democrats were split between northern and southern factions. • Many Whigs and antislavery Democrats joined the new __________________ Party in 1854.

21. Era of the Republicans • The Republican Party won ____ of 18 presidential elections from 1860 to 1932. • The Civil War crippled the Democrats. • All their powers was concentrated in the South, which they controlled for roughly 100 years after Reconstruction ended. • The Republican dominated nationally. • They had the support of farmers, laborers, business and financial interests, and ______ African Americans. • The Republicans benefited from years of economic prosperity.

22. Economic Turmoil • An economic downturn made the election of _____________ critical. • Labor ____________ joined small farmers and small business owners to back the Democrats. • The Republicans won by appealing to a wider range of voters, but the Democrats gained new support outside the ____________.

23. End of the Republican Era • Checkpoint: What third-party candidate had an influence on the election of 1912? Explain. • The Republicans lost the presidency in ________ largely due to a third party candidate. • Former Republican Theodore Roosevelt ran as a member of the new _______________ Party and split the Republican vote, helping Democrat Woodrow Wilson win.

24. Party Identity: Past and Present • Cartoonist Thomas _____ has been credited with creating the party symbols in is 1874 cartoon for the magazine Harper’s Weekly. • Originally, neither party adopted his ideas. Over time, each party assumed and revised the symbols, which havebecome ___________ with party identity.

25. Return of the Democrats The Democrats won_____ out of 9 presidential elections from 1932 to 1968. The Great Depression sparked the comeback of the Democrats. With the economy in ruins, the Democrats gained the support of southerners, small farmers, big-city political organizations, labor unions, and ___________ groups.

26. Era of Divided Government • The Republicans won 7 out of 10 presidential elections from ____________ to 2004. • The Democrats controlled _____________ for most of this period. • Republicans controlled Congress from 1995 to 2000 while Democrat Bill Clinton was President. • This division of power meant that neither party could easily control the agenda of the government without making compromises.

27. Republicans in the 1980s • The Republicans made major changes to U.S. foreign trade and domestic ______________ during the 1980s. • Republican candidates Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush won three ____________ victories during this period.

28. Political Parties Today • In recent years, control of Congress, particularly the ____________, has shifted back and forth between the major parties. • Typically newly elected Presidents has a “coattail” effect that brings ____________ candidates from their party to Congress. In recent years, this has not been the case.

29. Ideological parties are based on a particular set of _______________ that usually involve society, politics, and the economy. Most of these parties have involved Marxist ideas, such as Socialist, Socialist ___________, Socialist Worker, and Communist parties. S3: Ideological Parties

30. Ideological Parties, cont. • The Libertarian Party promotes the opposite view, calling for the _____________ of most government functions and programs. • Ideological parties ___________ win many votes, but can last for many years.

31. Single Issue Parties • Single issue parties emphasize _______ public policy issue. • For example, the Free Soil Party opposed the spread of slavery to the West. • Most single issue parties fade away when their issue is _______________ or no longer attracts public interest.

32. Checkpoint: How are economic protest parties different from single-issue parties? Economic protest parties arise in periods of _______________ trouble. They call for economic reforms. The Populist Party of the 1890s arose from the Greenbacks. They demanded public ownership of railroads, _______________, and telegraph companies along with political reforms. These parties disappear when the hard economic times end. Economic Protest Parties

33. Splinter parties ____________ away from one of the major parties. They are often centered on a particular _________________ who fails to win his or her major party nomination, or arise from a strong disagreement within a major party. Splinter Parties

34. Splinter Parties, cont. • The _______________ and American Independent parties split from the Democratic Party over states’ rights and civil rights issues. • George C. Wallace, governor of Alabama campaigned for President in __________ as a member of the American Independent Party.

35. The Bull Moose Party • The Progressive parties of Theodore Roosevelt and Robert La Follette split from the Republican Party. • Roosevelt’s party was nicknamed the Bull __________ Party. • Splinter parties tend to break up when their _____________ step aside.

36. Minor Party Influence • Minor parties can also play a ___________ role. • By winning electoral votes or even enough popular votes to affect the ____________ in a key state, a minor party can affect the outcome of an election.

37. It is ________ common for a minor party candidacy to shift the outcome of a presidential election. Theodore Roosevelt’s candidacy as a Progressive Party member most likely cost Republican William Taft the presidential election of ______________. Ralph Nader’s Green Party may have cost Democrat Al Gore the very close presidential election of 2000 by gaining votes in swing states such as Florida. Affecting Presidential Elections

38. Raising Public Awareness The most important role of minor parties is to raise public awareness of __________________ issues. Women’s suffrage, income tax, and regulation of banking and railroads were all first championed by minor parties. Minor parties challenge the major parties to take action on issues, often accusing them of being part of the problem. The more ______________ minor parties’ efforts are to raise awareness of an issue, the more likely it is that major parties will put the idea into their own campaign platforms.

39. In 2008 there were _______________ minor party presidential candidates appearing on the ballot of at least one state. More than ______________ minor party candidates also sought seats in Congress or offices in various state and local elections. Minor Party Candidates

40. S4: A Decentralized Structure Neither party has an ______________ chain of command running through all levels of government. The President is the nominal leader of his or her party. This means that the party of the President is typically better organized than its rival party. The President’s media _______________ and power to make appointments is valuable, but does not give him or her complete authority over all party activities.

41. Federalism • The federal system is decentralized. • There are more than half a ___________ elective offices in the United States spread across federal, state, and local governments. • The parties must ________ a very wide range of voters, which makes it hard to have a unified party message. How does this cartoon illustrate the decentralized nature of political parties?

42. Checkpoint: How does the nomination process contribute to intraparty conflict? The nominating process can lead to ____________ within the parties. Nominations are made within the party and can ______________ party members if there is a dispute over nominees. The Nominating Process

43. Checkpoint: What happens at each party’s national convention? The national convention is held every _____________ election year. The convention names the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates, adopts the party’s rules, and writes the official party platform. The convention does ________ name candidates for other offices and has no control over the actual policies supported by candidates. The National Convention

44. National Committee • The national committee handles __________ issues in between conventions. • Each party’s national committee includes a committee member from each state. • The Republican National Committee (RNC) now seats the _________ chairperson for each state as well as representatives from various Republican groups and the U.S. territories.

45. National Committee, cont. • The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is even larger. It includes the party _____________ and vice chairperson from each state, additional party members from the larger states, and up to __________ at large members chosen by the DNC.

46. National Chairperson • The national chairperson leads the national committee. • The chairperson is chosen after the ____________ convention by the presidential nominee. • Howard Dean (right) served as the Democratic Party’s national ______________ in the 2008 election.

47. National Chairperson, cont. • The national chairperson directs the work of the party headquarters and _______________ staff in Washington, D.C. • In presidential election years, the national chairperson’s work involves the presidential campaign. • In other years, the chairperson concentrates on building party ___________, raising money, and recruiting new voters for the next election.

48. Each party also has a campaign committee for each house of ________________. These committees work to get party members elected or _______________ to Congress. Campaign Committees

49. Raising Funds • Both parties spend a great deal of effort to make sure the party’s officeholders stay in ____________. • What does the chart show about spending over the last several years? • Why might well-known party members be invited to speak at dinners?

50. State Party Organization State law largely determines party ______________ at the state level. Most states have a central party committee headed by a chairperson. The committee members choose the chairperson, who often has a great deal of ___________________ in conducting party affairs. Committee members are chosen by a variety of methods: primaries, caucuses, or state conventions. These officials try to promote party unity, find candidates, and raise funds.