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Chapter 11Interest Groups and Basics on Political Parties1

Introduction2Group activity is particularly logical in a democracy, where majorities and pluralities rule.Politics is an arena for group conflict.Political parties in America perform many vital functions.

Interest Groups in American Politics3Interest groups are associations of people who hold common views and work to influence what government does.These groups share the objective of looking out for their members political interests, but differ in what those interests are.Interest groups are so dominant in America that many see the American system as a pluralist democracy designed to manage the interplay of group interests.Interest groups are both praised for contributing to democracy and condemned as a threat to the public good.

Characteristics of Interest Groups4SizeInterest groups vary dramatically in size.Generally, the bigger the group, the more effective and powerful it is.MembershipGroups may have formal or informal membership procedures.Generally, the stronger the bond between member and group, the more effective the group will be.OrganizationGenerally, the stronger a groups internal organization is, the more success it will have in promoting its interests.Groups differ in whether they are democratic or autocratic.

Characteristics of Interest Groups5Ties to Politics:Interest groups may be essentially nonpolitical (a bowling league), solely political (a political action committee), or have a mixture of political and nonpolitical activities (Roman Catholic church, National Rifle Association).Agreement with Societal Consensus: Reactionary groups are far to the right. Radical groups are far to the left.Groups that stay within the American mainstream tend to be more effective.

What Interest Groups Do6Influencing Opinion:The major channel used by interest groups to create public support is the mass media.Recently, interest groups have begun using direct mail to get support.Involvement in the Electoral Process: PACsPolitical action committees (PACs) channel money from interest group members to sympathetic political candidates.Most PACs are multi-candidate committees and formally independent of the candidates they support.The Federal Election Act of 1974 put limits on the amount of money individuals and groups can contribute to campaigns, making group contributions the more attractive option. This led to the proliferation of PACs. PACs have become a controversial issue in American politics.

The Proliferation of PACS, 1974-2010The number of political action committees has soared since the post-Watergate campaign reforms made them the preferred vehicle for channeling money from interest group members to political candidates.7

Major Interest Groups8Economic GroupsBusiness advances its interests through groups that represent commerce, corporations, and various professions.Labor is primarily represented through unions.The AFL-CIO is an umbrella organization of unions.Labor union influence on the Democratic party is diminishing.Non-union workers lack organization and influence.The farm lobby is no longer as influential as it once was, but it still cant be ignored.

Major Interest Groups9Social GroupsGender based women comprise one of the largest potential interest groups in the United States.NOW is a group that presses for economic and political equality for womenThe womens movement is closely tied to politics.Race based the most prominent biologically based interest group in the United States is the African American population.African Americans have pursued their interests politically, working predominantly through the Democratic Party.The NAACP is the most visible official African American interest group.African Americans have increased their number of registered voters and elective office holders.

Types of Major Interest GroupsThe table includes only a few of the thousands of groups that exist. In addition, note that a group may be of more than one type. This occurs when economic groups, for example, make statements about social and ideological questions. 10

Female, African American, and Latino National and State Legislators and Executives, 1975-2009The increasing numbers of women, African Americans, and Latinos elected to public offices such as the U.S. Senate and House and state legislatures and to state executive offices in the last thirty years demonstrates how the political process has opened up to members of these groups. 11

Major Interest Groups12Religious GroupsReligious groups, especially the Christian Right, have become active in political issues, especially in regard to the recent abortion controversy.Most religious groups do not employ registered lobbyists.Ideological GroupsGroups that pursue a broad, explicitly political, agenda almost exclusively.Single-Issue GroupsSingle-issue groups, such as those comprising the right-to-life movement, have narrow agendas and limited political goals.Single-issue groups are often controversial, and some see them as a threat to democracy because they usually refuse to compromise.Public Interest GroupsThese groups represent broad notions of the public interest.Examples include Ralph Nader (consumerism) and Common Cause.

Perspectives on Interest Groups13Interest groups as the Foundation of DemocracyInterest groups promote democracy through competition and representation.Cross-cutting cleavages stabilize group competition.Cross-cutting cleavage the overlapping of interest group memberships, protects against polarization.Interest Group ElitismThe structures of interest groups may be undemocratic.Big Powerful groups dominate small weak ones.Interest Groups Versus the Public InterestInterest groups are criticized most when seen as using politics to achieve selfish goals.Many people favor more regulation of interest group activities.Interest Group GridlockToo many interest groups, refusing to compromise, can result in interest group gridlock

The Idea of a Political Party14What is a Political Party?A political party attempts to influence public policy by placing its own members into government positions.Interest groups and parties are different in that interest groups do not run their own candidates for office.They are similar in that they both have members who share common political views or objectives, and may engage in collective political activities.

What Do Parties Do?15Parties perform important political socialization functions:Providing a means for psychological identification with the world of politics.Helping to structure peoples perceptions of politics.Educating and mobilizing people about politics.Parties perform important electoral functions:Bringing individuals with diverse political needs together around a commonly supported candidate.Simplifying the set of alternatives voters must choose between.They complement the legal process for choosing public officials.They recruit and train political leaders.

What Do Parties Do?16Parties perform important governmental functions:Giving coherence to public policy.Helping make government more responsiveThey are also a major source of political stability.

Party Identification by Income17

Basic Characteristics of the American Party System18Its a two-party systemPlurality/majority elections encourage a two-party system, as exemplified by the U.S. Alternatively, proportional representationthe awarding of legislative seats in proportion to the percentage of votes a party receivesencourages the growth of more than two parties. This system is more common in other countries, like France and Italy. Voter opinions tend to form clusters near the ideological center. This often fosters two similar parties, vying for the same voters.Third parties do have a role.They have forced major parties to address new issues and influenced election results.

American Political Parties Since 1789The chart indicates the years during which parties either ran presidential candidates or held national conventions. The life span for many political parties can only be approximated because parties existed at the state or local level before they ran candidates in the presidential elections and continued to exist at local levels after they ceased running presidential candidates. For example, in the year 2008, at least a dozen parties ran a candidate for president in one or more states; but only six candidates were on the ballot in over half of the states: John McCain (Republican), Barack Obama (Democrat), Bob Barr (Libertarian), Cynthia McKinny (Green), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution), and Ralph Nader, who ran as an Independent. 19

A Complex Party Structure20Parties and the Levels of Government: National, State, and LocalParty structures parallels the federal system.However, the relationship between party levels is not strictly hierarchical.

A Complex Party Structure21Parties and Their Components: Formal, Electoral, and GovernmentalFormal party organization: the people who work for the party.At the national level, the party convention chooses the presidential candidate, writes the platform, and designates the national committee.Formerly, state and local political machines used patronage and the spoils system to augment their power.State and local party structure is similar to that of the national partiesA party psychologically and socially includes the people in the electorate who support it.Party identification is a psychological attachment to a party by a citizenA partys coalition consists of the groups of people who support it.The party in government consists of the people from that party who hold public office.Parties in the legislature organize committees and leaders.The executive party and judicial party are informal and less visible.

Party Identification of the American Electorate 1960-2010The Democratic Party held a substantial edge in the party identification from the 1960s into the 1970s, but Republican resurgence beginning in the 1980s eroded that edge. 22

How the American Party System Developed23IntroductionAlthough not mentioned in the Constitution, parties do have explicit legal status.Four specific realignments throughout history have created five different party systems.

How the American Party System Developed24The First American Party System (1789-1824) Federalists and AntifederalistsMajor issues of this period:Should government be centralized and elite? (Federalist) Or decentralized and open? (Antifederalist) Government role in the economyIndustrialization vs. agriculture.Major parties:Federalists, dominant until about 1800 Antifederalists (Democratic Republicans), who ascended after 1800.

How the American Party System Developed25The Second American Party System (1824-1860) Democrats and WhigsMajor issues of this period:National bank and states rightsMajor parties:Whigs had a vision of a nation modernized by government-backed commerceDemocrats had a vision of an agrarian democracyBy the late 1820s issues of national bank and states rights split the Democratic Republican party, forming the Whig party and the Democratic Party.Slavery (and soon the civil war as well) undid Whig-Democratic party alignments, instead dividing both parties into northern and southern branches.

How the American Party System Developed26The Third American Party System (1860-1896) Democrats and the new RepublicansMajor issues of this period:SlaveryGovernment as a promoter of commerceAfter the Civil War, the Republican Party established itself as the party of business.Competition between the parties characterized this party system and divided congressional and presidential control.

How the American Party System Developed27The Fourth American Party System (1896-1932) Republican Ascendancy Major issues of this period:Capitalist system allowed free reignThe 1893 depression sparked the free silver movement led by William Jennings Bryan pitting the Democratic rural, poor, and workers against the Republican urban, industrial, and elite.Except for the Wilson years, Republicans were dominant until 1929.

How the American Party System Developed28The Fifth American Party System (1932-1968) Democratic AscendancyMajor issues of this period: Social welfareGovernment involvement in the economyFDRs reaction to the Great Depression issued in an era of government responsibilityboth for restoring and maintaining economic prosperity, and ensuring the peoples basic well being. The Democratic Party remained dominant form 1932-1968.

The State of the American Party System: Decline or Resurgence?29Parties in DeclineIn the 1970s and 1980s, both national and state party organizations appeared to lose their viability.At the same time, fewer people identified with a specific party and the existing coalitions were coming apart.Through the 1970s and 1980s, party discipline and coordination in government seemed to deteriorate.

The Causes of Party Decline30More jobs fell under the heading of civil service and patronage became more difficult, making it harder for politicians to marshal support.The rise of the mass media eliminated the need for parties to act as intermediaries between candidates and the public.PACs and public financing of campaigns weakened the parties role as fundraisers.Personal campaign organizations have bypassed traditional party machinery.Single-issue interest groups upset the parties function of coalition-building.The rise of the public welfare system reduced citizens personal obligation to the party for help in the past (formerly, faithful party members might receive food, money, or shelter from neighborhood party organizations). Declining party socialization has reduced peoples tendency to identify with their parents political parties.

The Consequences of Party Decline31If parties decline too much:Citizens arent socialized into politics.Electoral alternatives become confusing, creating incoherent policy proposals.Interests are not integrated, resulting in fragmentation and paralysis.Campaigns and elections become fragmented and personalized.Power is not coordinated, resulting in few common bonds of philosophy or loyalty.Government is not responsible, so accountability breaks down.

Parties in Resurgence32A number of new studies found evidence of the parties in resurgence.Formal Party organizationNational party organizations use computerized systems for polling, conducting direct mail campaigns, and raising money, especially soft money.The rejuvenation of party organization started with the Republicans, while the Democrats are trying to catch up.The Party in the ElectorateParty identification is slowly rising again.A reformation of new party coalitions may be occurring.The Party in GovernmentCongressional campaign committees are growing stronger.However, party discipline has not improved.

Parties in Resurgence33Reasons for Party ResurgenceParties have adapted to the changing political environment.Parties can still supply candidates with needed resources.Consequences of Party ResurgenceRejuvenated national party organizations may strengthen state and local organizations.Strong party organizations may help revive the party in the electorate and the party in the government.In a resurgent party system, technology will replace party workers.

The Future of the American Party System34The Prospects for RealignmentSome argue that Republican dominance at the presidential level may be solidifying, and expanding their dominance to other levels.Others argue Republican dominance of the presidency may end as major conservative issues fade.The Future of ResurgenceRecent changes in the party system may mark a broad and permanent change based on centralization, the importance of the media, and the demand for campaign money.Parties have shown the ability to sufficiently adapt to changing circumstances.