Political Parties and the Electorate

Chapter 4

Prepared by Teresa Nevárez, El Paso Community College© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Federalist 10: James Madison A well constructed Union will be able to break and control the

violence of factions Public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties Measures are often decided by the superior force of an

interested and overbearing majority A factious spirit has tainted our public administration with

unsteadiness and injustice A faction is a small or large number of citizens who are united

and act by some common impulse of passion or of interest adverse to the rights of other citizens or the community

Two methods of controlling its evil effects– Removing its causes (remedy worse than disease)– Controlling its effects (impractical)

Federalist 10: James Madison

Men have a propensity to fall into animosities Most common source of faction is unequal distribution of

property A landed interest grows up of necessity in a civilized nation The causes of faction cannot be removed but its effects can be

controlled: liberty and unequal distribution of land To secure the public good, a majority must be included in a

faction Neither moral nor religious motives can be relied on as an

adequate control A representative government should safeguard against the

plots of a few– There should be a minimum and maximum number of representatives to

make sure they will not be controlled by the few or that the number is so large that it allows for the confusion of a multitude

Party Government by E.E. Schattschneider

The Constitution had a dual attitude– Established a system of party tolerance– Created a governmental structure designed to make parties ineffective

In a republic, parties are tolerated but are invited to strangle themselves in the machinery of government

Founders were unaware of the benefits of parties as instruments of a popular government

It is wrong to assume that people have only conflicting interests In a democracy, the people move from controversy to

agreement to forgetfulness People have many interests, and interests compete with

interests Interests cannot be mobilized perfectly

The Party Model of Government

Background: The framers stressed the importance of limiting majority rule. The evil factions, i.e. parties and interest groups, had to be subdued by the national interest. In 18th-century terms, political parties and interests groups were to be looked at with apprehension since their goals were selfish by nature. Post-18th century proponents of democratic and party government support the belief in the rationality of man and discussion through the mechanism of political parties. They would argue that our weak party system is a major deficiency and barrier to effective democratic leadership.

Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System

Political parties are indispensable instruments of government– Provide electorate with proper alternatives– Bring continuation to the relationship of ideas about

liberty, majority rule, and leadership American party system has been slow in

responding to public interests Parties must provide direction over the government

as a whole– Bring forth programs to which they commit and are fully

accountable to the public Parties must be viewed as agencies of the

electorate

Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System

Dangers of Inaction:– American people may go too far for the safety of constitutional

government– Shift excessive responsibility to the president– Public cynicism will grow– Disintegration of the two major parties– Incapacity of the two parties to provide consistent action may rally

support for extremist parties– Continued alienation between voters and both major parties

Toward a Responsible Party System? (Arthur Paulson)

The responsible party model Critics of this current party system only see decay and the

end of realignment Speculation that the umbrella parties will be replaced by a

responsible party system

Three characteristics for responsible party model: It requires a functional fusion of powers between the

executive and the legislative– Executive and legislative branches must be led by the same party– Bicameralism reduces its effectiveness– Unified governments are more productive

Toward a Responsible Party System? (Arthur Paulson)

Responsible parties present clear ideological and programmatic alternatives– American parties are historically umbrella parties, non-ideological

coalitions of factions with diverse interests– American parties are becoming increasingly engaged in interest

articulation– Nationalization of political parties facilitates the development of

responsible parties The executive and legislative branches have the same

electorate– The separation of powers system separates the electoral processes

and staggers elections, creating a divided government– American political parties have temporarily resembled responsible

parties, but we do not have a party government

Divided We Govern (David Mayhew)

Today’s voters prefer divided control that provides checks and balances

Divided control is not a new phenomenon Divided control over government does not necessarily result in

deadlock and antagonisms between the executive and the legislature, but rather congressional oversight

Ideological coherence has happened under unified and divided control governments

There is no statistical relationship between divided party control and deficit financing

There is a historical tendency of Congress to follow the lead of the president on fiscal policies regardless of whether government is under unified or divided control

Plenty of historical examples where coordinated efforts took place during divided control

Separation of powers nudges officials toward deliberation, compromise, and super-majority outcomes

Functions and Types of ElectionsBackground: Elections are a part of the democratic

process. They reflect popular attitudes toward governmental parties, policies, etc. There are 4 types of elections:

Maintaining elections: patterns of previous elections persist

Critical elections: result in the permanent realignment of the electorate

Deviating elections: temporary shifts in the electorate

Reinstating elections: the return to normal voting patterns

A Theory of Critical Elections (V.O. Key, Jr.)

The electorate is the principal organ of governance An election is a formal act of collective decision making Many factors affect voting as well as subsequent behavior Central to the concept of critical elections is realignment

within the electorate, both sharp and durable Particular elections rarely form a perfect match for any

particular concept

Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory (Berelson, Lazarsefeld, and McPhee)

The individual voter does not possess the characteristics that the theory of democracy requires him to have

Knowledge– A democratic citizen is expected to be well informed about politics– He is poorly informed about simple and proximate subjects

Principle– Voting must be effected, having his own interests in mind as well as

those of the community– Traditionally, individuals vote the way trusted people around them

are voting Rationality

– Voting decisions must be reached through the exercise of rational judgment and knowledge of consequences and alternatives

– Voting is characterized more by faith than by conviction

Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory (Berelson, Lazarsefeld, and McPhee)

It seems remarkable that democracies have survived the centuries; but the answer lies in the defectiveness of the classic theory and its concentration on the individual citizen

Requirements for the System: Other features are required for democracies to survive:

– Limited intensity of conflict– Rate of change must be restrained– Stability in the social and economic structure must be kept– Pluralistic social organization must exist– A basic consensus must bind the contending parties

Involvement and Indifference– Interested voters vote more but also are less open to persuasion and

less likely to change– Low interest provides maneuvering room for political shifts

Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory (Berelson, Lazarsefeld, and McPhee)

Stability and Flexibility– The least partisan and the least interested voters are more open to

adjustments of attitudes and tastes

Progress and Conservation– The heterogeneous electorate provides a balance between

liberalism and conservatism

Consensus and Cleavage– Pluralism makes for enough consensus to hold the system together

and enough cleavage to make it move

Individualism and Collectivism– The individual does not have a great deal of detailed information;

however, he has picked up crucial general information as part of his social learning

The Responsible Electorate (V.O. Key, Jr.)

It is an error to assume that because a candidate wins, the majority of the electorate shares his views

Election returns establish only that the winner attracted a majority of votes

A candidate may win despite his tactics and appeals rather than because of them

The invention of the sample survey revolutionized the study of politics as well as the management of political campaigns

Many variables impact individuals’ decisions even when they have common backgrounds

Theories of how voters behave acquire importance because of the potential and real effects on candidates, not on voters

Voters are not fools