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CHAPTER 12
Political Parties
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF POLITICAL PARTIES?
Political Party an organization that seeks political power by
electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy
win elections operate the government determine policy
FUNCTIONS OF POLITCAL PARTIES
Label Party Identification
psychological attachment information shortcut
Organize campaigns nominate and elect candidates fund Raising and voter education mobilize voters
“Running” the government organize government agenda provide loyal opposition
COMPARISON WITH EUROPEAN PARTIES
European parties: Multiparty systems
proportional representation multi-member districts coalitions
Party centralism
Example: French National Assembly
WHY ARE AMERICAN PARTIES DIFFERENT?
state and federal regulation caucus and primary systems separate presidential election two party system winner-take-all and plurality system party decentralization
party fragmentation federal system
WHY THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM?
Duverger’s Law single-member districts + plurality voting
plurality system discourages third parties forces broadly-based parties
winner-take all system congressional districts electoral college “wasted” third party votes
opinions of voters Republican vs. Democratic political ideology
HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
1st Party system (1796-1824) Founding Fathers’ generation emergence of Republicans and Federalists
HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
2nd Party System (1824-1860) Republicans, Democrats, Whigs transition toward mass democracy
grassroots organization national conventions
HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
3rd Party System (1860-present) 2nd party system destroyed by slavery New Republican domination (1860-1932) factionalized
Stalwarts (“traditional” Republicans) Mugwumps (progressives)
HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
3rd Party System (1860-present) era of reform
primary elections nonpartisan elections patronage civil service reform strict voter registration requirements initiatives referendum elections
HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
Democratic domination (1932-1964) New Deal coalition unified government
Divided government (1968-present) divided government Nixon, Reagan, Clinton split ticket voting 2000-present
unified and divided government New GOP dominance? New Democratic dominance?
THE MAJOR PARTIES
Republican National Committee (RNC) Democratic National Committee (DNC)
Similarities national conventions to nominate presidential
candidates national committees composed of state
delegates congressional campaign committees national chair manages daily work
THE MAJOR PARTIES: FUNDARAISING
Party strategies: Party strategies diverged in the late 1960’s:
RNC use computerized direct mail campaigns to raise
money hired political consulting firms
DNC adopted RNC techniques in the late 1980’s Obama campaign (2008, 2012)
THE MAJOR PARTIES: FUNDRAISING
hard money soft money 527 groups (SuperPACs) BCRA (McCain-Feingold, 2002)
tried to limit soft money micro-targeting
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
purposes: create party platform choose a presidential candidate
delegate formulas Democratic shift to North and West Republican shift to South and Southwest Democrats reward large states Republicans reward loyal states
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
Democratic Reforms 1972 Democratic Party reforms (McGovern)
weaken local party leaders increase influence of special interests
1984 Hunt Commission increased influence of elected and former
officials super delegates
STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES
RNC and DNC state organizations central state committee
Political machines old version
recruits members/support for patronage modern version
money special interests
STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES
Solidary groups most common form of party members motivated by solidary incentives
social interaction love of the game being “in the know”
Sponsored parties Personal following groups
MINOR PARTIES
Ideological parties Socialist Party
One-issue parties Free Soil Party
Economic protest parties Populist Party
Factional parties Dixiecrat
BIG PARTY TRENDS
decline of national parties influence on state and local issues American voters in general
grassroots activists growing in power Tea Party
polarization of party influences into regions Red states v. Blue states
AMERICAN PARTIES IN DECLINE
Parties realigning or decaying? Why? changes in state voting procedures
party ballot vs. Australian ballot split ticket vs. straight ticket voting
CHAPTER 13
ELECTIONS AND CAMPAIGNS
CHANGES IN MODERN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
decline of party influence political technology firms direct mail/internet firms polling firms media consultants
the impact of money the impact of polling
PRESIDENTIAL VS. CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS impact of presidential coattails has declined congressional candidates can duck responsibility differing constituencies fewer people vote in congressional elections presidential campaigns are more competitive
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT
creating “buzz” create time to run background may matter organization money
individuals PACs federal matching funds
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT
strategy and themes incumbent vs. challenger inside or outside Washington establishment vs. insurgent positive or negative tone
Reagan example
judging the timing of the campaign win early and often
choosing voters to target
NOMINATING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Contradictory party forces: selecting a candidate who can win a general
election selecting a candidate who can satisfy factions
and ideology of the party
RUNNING FOR CONGRESS
malapportionment and gerrymandering Wesberry v Sanders (1964) 4th Congressional District, Illinois Georgia
winning the primary ballot procedures develop personal following incumbent advantage
RUNNING FOR CONGRESS
sophomore surge franking privileges trips home television and radio adds casework and pork barrel run for Congress by running against it
influence of localism decline of party leadership control over
members
TYPES OF PRIMARIES
Caucus Open primary Closed primary Blanket primary Run-off primary Current Map Date of Primary Front Loading Issues growing importance of primaries party delegates vs. party rank-and-file/average voter
PRIMARY VS. GENERAL ELECTIONS
primaries/caucuses targeting political activists activists are more ideologically extreme balancing act for candidate who will return for
general election
IMPACT OF MEDIA
Television paid advertising (spots)
Johnson vs. Goldwater (1964) Bush vs. Dukakis (1988)
subtle (if any) impact on election outcome most voters rely on multiple sources of information news coverage of candidacy (a visual) vital to a campaign paradox of spots vs. visuals
IMPACT OF MEDIA
Televised Debates usually work to the advantage of the challenger the impact hard to determine debates can hurt more than help a candidate
sound-bites Reagan-Mondale debate Bush watch check Gore’s alpha male moment
slogans/sell candidate more than ideas 1996—networks agree to provide free time for major party
candidates FCC allowed the exclusion of “minor” parties
INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
growing in importance as campaigns learn how to use the new medium sophisticated direct-mail campaigns micro-targeting acquisition and maintenance of “mailing” lists
impact consultant-driven, poll-driven campaigns
MONEY AND CAMPAIGNS
Sources of Campaign Money congressional candidates—private citizens and interest
groups political actions committees (PACs) political parties most from small donors
presidential candidates primaries—private citizens and interest groups general election—private and public funding
federal matching funds
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
Federal Election Campaign Act (1973) (FECA) individual donor limits ($1000) per election ban on corporate and union donations directly
to campaigns limits on PACs ($5000 per candidate) Federal Election Commission (1975)
created to enforce FECA disclose campaign finance information oversee the public funding of Presidential elections
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
Impact of law: increased expanse of elections creates new monetary incentives
independent expenditures “soft money” increase influence of PACs and SuperPACs
further weakened the political parties opened the door to self-financed campaigns increased advantage of incumbents
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
Buckley v Valeo (1976) expenditures on behalf of candidates that are
independent of the campaign cannot be regulated
free speech issue BCRA (McCain-Feingold, 2002)
bans soft-money contributions to parties from labor unions and corporations
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
SuperPACs (527 groups) can raise unlimited funds from any source
and spend it to advance “political causes” unlimited expenditures allowed as long as
there is not direct coordination with candidate or his/her campaign
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (2004)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) struck down restrictions on independent
corporate and labor spending on party and independent campaigns
McCutcheon v FEC (2014) struck down aggregate limits that an individual
can contribute to candidates and political committees
upheld individual contribution limit to a specific campaign ($2600)
MONEY AND WINNING
Presidential elections: party affiliation state of the economy (“it’s the economy,
stupid”) character of the candidates money is very important in presidential
primaries tends to be less determinant in general election
MONEY AND WINNING
Congressional elections money far more determinant
challenger name recognition big spending challengers do better high-spending incumbents do better
big advantage for incumbents: easier to raise money can provide benefits/services to constituents franking privileges free publicity through legislation
HOW VOTERS DECIDE
Party Loyalty party affiliation matters more than the candidate
how much do voters know about the issues? why don’t the Democrats win all elections then?
Democrats are less wedded to their party higher percentages of Republicans vote than
Democrats
HOW VOTERS DECIDE
Issues V.O. Key
most voters who switch parties from one election to the next do so on their own interests
voter incentives vital depends on issue intensity
HOW VOTERS DECIDE
prospective voting voting for a candidate because you favor
his/her ideas for handling issues
VS.
retrospective voting voting for a candidate because you approve of
his/her performance in previous office
HOW VOTERS DECIDE
position issue issue about which the public is divided and rival
candidates and/or parties adopt different policy positions
VS. valence issues
issue about which the public is united and rival candidates and/or parties adopt similar positions
“pocketbook” issues which party/candidate will handle these issues
best? clothespin vote
PARTY COALITIONS
what identifiable groups in the population supported what party and to what degree? how loyal is this group to a party?
Democratic coalition African Americans are most loyal Jewish support appears to be on the wane Hispanics-depends on ancestry and region of the
US Catholics, southerners, union members have
increasingly tended to swing largest proportion, but least dependable
PARTY COALITIONS
Republican coalition party of business and professionals elderly, retired voters rural, social conservatives
PARTY REALIGNMENTS
V.O. Key, A Theory of Critical Elections sharp, lasting shift in the popular coalition
supporting one or both parties
realignment a shift in the coalitions that make up the major
political parties moves the minority party to the majority and vice
versa on all levels of government 1800, 1828, 1860, 1896, 1932
PARTY REALIGNMENTS
dealignment shift from party affiliation to independent
status 1960-2013 divided government
critical election elections that begin a realignment or
dealignment hard to see them happening until years later
PARTY REALIGNMENTS
deviating election an election that diverges from recent trends but
does not represent a long-term shift 1948, 1994, 2006
maintaining election continuance of the prevailing voting patterns
WHY DO ELECTIONS MATTER?
what they imply about the attitude of voters? what do results say about the operation of the
electoral system? what do the results say about the fate of the
political parties? how do election results influence the direction of
public policy?
WHY DO ELECTIONS MATTER?
evidence indicates the many elections do make a big difference in policy 1932—New Deal coalition 1964—Great Society based on huge
Democratic majorities 1980—Reagan Revolution 2008—Obamacare