What’s a political party?

A group of citizens who organize to

1. Win elections2. Hold public office3. Operate the government4. Determine public policy

Levels of Parties:A. Party in the electorateB. Party OrganizationC. Party in Government

What are the Functions of Party?

1. Recruit and nominate candidates for office2. Run political campaigns3. Articulate positions on Issues4. Critique the policies of the opposing party – “loyal opposition”5. Serve as a “linkage institution” between the people and their government

Why does the USA have a “two party system”?

1. Strong consensus on core political values2. Single member districts/plurality/winner take all system of elections3. Legal barriers to third parties – “a rigged system”?4. Historic Tradition

PARTY ERASparty era is a historic period dominated by one party

critical election national election where issues or candidate fracture the existing coalition of voters within a party; resulting in a significant shift in party loyalty

party re-alignment triggered by a critical election; new dominant party emerges, start of a new party era

party de-alignment time when voters refrain from offering support to either party; dissatisfaction; nonparticipation

First Party System (1796-1824)Federalist and the Democratic-Republicans

1800 Critical election

Jacksonian Era (1828-1856) Democratic Party and the Whigs

Republican Era (1860-1928) 1860 Republicans replace the Whigs Civil War legacy and modernity Solid South for the Democrats

1896 William Jennings Bryan defeated by McKinley GOP entrenched as dominant party for another generation

FDR and the New Deal Coalition (1932-1964)• big cities• labor• Catholics and Jews• African Americans• Southerners

“Reagan Coalition” ??!! - many political scientists slow to recognize

Divided Government (1968-present) despite the popular appeal of Reagan (1980-1988) 1. Nixon elected by “southern strategy” breaking off the white South from the New Deal coalition. Civil Rights/affirmative action at issue for white voters. 2. “Cultural War” has further eroded the New Deal coalition 3. Great and growing dissatisfaction with “big government”

Tea PartyLibertarians

both DEMS but especially GOP as a Party Organization are affected

Yet, the preponderance of divisive policy positions and the absence of any “new Reagans” have prevented the GOP dominance. An era of low “external efficacy”

= “divided government” - no party controls both the White House and Congress evidence that the voters intend this fact

Reagan Coalition: business/social orthodox/white South/suburbanites -but yet …

Consequence of Divided Government

1. Heightens partisanship; makes compromise difficult2. Slows the confirmation and legislative process; gridlock3. Increased frustration for the public. External efficacy lessens more