a.p. u.s. govt. ch. 8, “political parties”. why has there been a “tea party” movement in the...

A.P. U.S. Govt. Ch. 8, “Political Parties”

Why has there been a “tea party” movement in the U.S.?

• 2011: 800 local tea party organizations—with 200,000 members

• agreed that there should be smaller government—with reduced spending to lower the national debt; also—lower taxes; disagreed with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

• they opposed Pres. Obama and Democrats—and helped Republicans get elected to office in 2010

• They could not agree on a candidate for Pres. in 2012—so had less influence on the election

Two-party system

• Democrats and Republicans have dominated natl. and state politics for 125 years

• This is the “most distinctive feature of American politics”

• Do the parties differ? Are they necessary for democratic govt.? What functions do political parties perform? Why do we have any political parties?

Political Parties and their Functions

• Voting in free elections—allows citizens to control their govt.; 89% of Ams. feel that elections make govt. pay attention to them

• Ams.—have love-hate relationship with political parties: necessary for democratic govt.—but distrusted (esp. younger Ams.)

• Political party: organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization’s name; they are NOT interest groups

• Nomination: designation as an official candidate of a political party

Political parties and functions (cont.)• many people tie in democracy with political parties• political system: a set of interrelated institutions that links people with govt.• 4 important functions of political parties:• 1) nominating candidates: parties screen who would be a good one—and who

would not—so that quality candidates are chosen to run• 2) structuring the voting choice: they reduce the number of people on the ballot

—and increase chances of winning by reducing info. voters will need to choose• 3) proposing alternative govt. programs: to help voters choose which party

would better support their views—based on the policies the party wants to enact

• 4) coordinating the actions of govt. officials: they tend to make decisions together based on their party—and they do not want to defy their party wishes or they will lose support of the party; also, to have their policies enacted, they need a majority of support from other politicians

History of U.S. Party Politics• Democratic Party: founded in 1828 (with roots from the

late 1700s)—claims to be the oldest party in existence• Political parties are NOT mentioned in the Constitution—

seen as factions• electoral college: a body of electors chosen by voters to

cast ballots for pres. and v.p.; originally the electors were chosen by the state legislatures

• caucus: a closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the selection of candidates for office

• GW: elected unanimously by the electoral college to serve as pres.; he did not represent a political party, though

History of U.S. Party Politics (cont.)• First Party System: Federalists (strong natl. govt.—Alexander

Hamilton) and Democratic Republicans (weaker natl. govt.—Thomas Jefferson)

• After GW’s two terms as pres., John Adams elected pres. and T.J. V.P.—although both were from different parties

• Election of 1800: T.J. and Aaron Burr tied in electoral votes; Jefferson was chosen by the House as pres.; 12th Amendment: said the electoral college would vote on pres. and v.p. separately—to avoid a tie

• Federalist Party: ceased to exist by 1820• Election of 1824: Andrew Jackson won more popular and electoral

votes than John Quincy Adams, but lacked a majority of electoral; so the House decided the election in favor of Adams

History of U.S. Party Politics (cont.)

• Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs• 1828: Andrew Jackson won the first mass election in

U.S. history (where there was near universal white-male suffrage)

• Changes in parties:• national convention: gathering of delegates of a

single political party from across the U.S. to choose candidates for pres. and v.p. (which replaced the old caucus method)—and adopt a party platform: statement of policies of a national political party


• 1834: Whig Party formed (in opposition to Jackson—and former Federalist supporters)

• Up to the 1850s—Whigs and Democrats took turns controlling the presidency

• Whigs were torn apart by views for and against slavery• 1854: Republican Party was formed—based on opposition to

the expansion of slavery in the U.S.• 1860: Abraham Lincoln was elected president when the

Democratic Party split over slavery; this was a critical election: one that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters


• electoral realignment: change in voting patterns that occurs after a critical election (e.g. in 1860—North voted Republican; South voted Democrat—thus earning the nickname the “Solid South”—that lasted for 90 years)

• two-party system: political system in which two major political parties compete for control of the govt.; candidates from a third party have little chance of winning office

• majority party: when one political party enjoys support from most voters in an area; minority party: the party with less than a majority of voter support

• 1860-1894: Republicans won 8 of 10 presidential elections

History of U.S. Party Politics (cont.)• 1896: a second critical election; William McKinley (Rep.) defeated William

Jennings Bryan (Dem.); key issues included: economic depression; tariffs (taxes on imported goods); and the gold standard (having money “backed” by gold or silver); Populists: wanted more access to money and help for farmers

• This marked the beginning of connections between Republicans and business; also the Republicans controlled the presidency and Congress until 1929—and the start of the Great Depression

• 1932-1964: Democratic majority with the New Deal coalition; 1932 was the third critical election in U.S. history; Franklin D. Roosevelt won the first of his four terms as pres.—with the support of labor, liberals, urban workers, Catholics, Jews, and white ethnic minorities

• African-Americans: few voted (based on southern restrictions)—but those who did began to vote Democratic for the first time

History of U.S. Party Politics (cont.)• 1968 to the Present: 1968 was the fourth critical election;

Richard Nixon (Rep.) won most of the South, and this started Republican support in that area since then

• Democrats: have controlled the House for most of the sessions—though today it is controlled by Republicans—and now have support in the North and urban areas (including workers, unions, and ethnic minorities—African-Ams. and Latinos)

• electoral dealignment: a lessening of the importance of party loyalties in voting decisions

The American Two-Party System

• bolter parties: formed by factions that split off from one of the major parties; they sometimes take votes from the major party and influence the election; e.g. Teddy Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose Party” (1912)

• farmer-labor parties: coalition of farmers and workers who believed that they were not getting their share of society’s wealth; e.g. the Populists of the late 1800s

• parties of ideological protest: usually favor more govt. activism—and want radically different policies; e.g. the Socialist Party; or less govt. involvement; e.g. Libertarians

The American Two-Party System (cont.)

• Single-issue parties: tend to promote one principle; e.g. Anti-masonic party (1820s-30s); Free Soil Party (1850s); and Prohibition Party

• third parties: express some voters’ discontent with the major parties and work for their own objectives; few have won a lot of votes—and none have won the presidency—but they DO have an effect on the policies adopted by the two major parties

• Minor parties function as “safety valves”—they allow those unhappy with the status quo to express their discontent

The American Two-Party System (cont.)

• 50% of Ams. today—think there needs to be a third party in the U.S.

• Two reasons for only two parties:• 1) electoral system: winner-take-all—only one position is at

stake, so two parties battle for it (especially the presidency)• 2) political socialization: people tend to obtain party support

from their families and those around them• majority representation: the system by which one office,

contested by two or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most votes

• proportional representation: legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

Party Identification in America

• party identification: a voter’s sense of psychological attachment to a party

• “voting—is a behavior; identification is a state of mind”; declare allegiance to a party to be a member of that party

• the proportion of Republicans and Democrats combined has exceeded that of independents in every year

• the proportion of Democrats has consistently exceeded that of Republicans, but has shrunk over time

• the proportion of independents (no party identification) has nearly doubled in the past 50 years

• Identification can change over time (e.g. Southern Democrats)

Party Identification in America (cont.)

• Democrats: lower incomes and less education; advanced degrees; no religious preference; more women than men (especially with more education); younger people; nonwhites

• Republicans: higher income and more education; some religious preference; more men than women; older people; whites

• half of Americans adopt their parents’ party• more younger people are independents• older voters could be either party—depending on long-term

loyalties

Party Ideology and Organization

• Democrats: want govt. spending to advance social welfare—and promote equality; including money to stimulate the economy

• Republicans: want more govt. spending on defense—less on social programs

• involved Democrats: 48% are liberals; involved Republicans: 85% are conservatives

• party platforms: how the party stands on the issues—usually decided at the party convention to nominate candidates for office; how money is spent by govt. is determined largely by these platforms (for the party that wins the election)

Party Ideology and Organization (cont.)

• Democrats: talk about equality, inequality, marriage, abortion, and discrimination in their platform

• Republicans: talk about order, crime, criminals, and spending in their platform

• Both: favor a market economy over a planned economy—but Republicans more so

• Organization: both parties have state and national organizations

• national convention: occurs every 4 years; delegates meet to nominate a candidate for president and forms the platform; also, governs the party for the next 4 years


• national committee: composed of party chairpersons and party officials from every state; it governs the party for the 4 years in-between conventions

• party conferences: a meeting to select party leaders and decide committee assignments, held at the beginning of a session of Congress by Republicans or Democrats in each chamber

• congressional campaign committees: an organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support its own candidates in congressional elections; shows that the natl. party structure is loose


• Both party organizations do NOT control presidential campaigns—the candidates do

• Democrats: allowed more leeway in choosing delegates to its convention in 1972

• Republicans: strengthened its organization—and fundraising, research, and service roles

• fund-raising: Republicans have typically raised more money than Democrats—but that changed in the early 2000s

• Party machine: a centralized party organization that dominates local politics controlling elections


• patronage: awarding govt. positions to your supporters who help you win an election

• social services: giving more benefits to those who support you politically

• both these were considered dishonest—and discontinued• national committees have begun to send money to state and

local parties (to help with organization and elections)• “decentralization of power”—has been the “most

distinguishing characteristic of Am. political parties”• But the parties have improved their national organization and

fundraising

The Model of Responsible Party Government

• responsible party government: a set of principles formalizing the ideal role of parties in a majoritarian democracy

• 4 components to it:• 1) parties should present clear and coherent programs to

voters• 2) voters should choose candidates based on the basis of

party programs• 3) the winning party should carry out its programs once in

office• 4) voters should hold the governing party responsible at the

next election for executing its program

a.p. u.s. govt. ch. 8, “political parties”. why has there been a “tea party” movement in the...

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