Homework: None

FrontPage: OL on your desk.

Political Parties

The only party you need to be concerned about

right now…

Political Parties

2 Definitions exist:• “Election-oriented”– definition that describes

American parties– A group that seeks to control government through the

winning of elections and the holding of public office

• Principle-oriented” - Global or universal definition – A group joined by common principles that seek to

control government in order to determine and affect its policies

Party Systems

– Are there legitimate opposition parties to the one in power? How many?

– Are there elections?– Which nations use this type of system?– What are the Pros and Cons of each?

To determine the similarities and differences between the various types of party systems used in each nation of the world, we can look at their country and ask/answer a few questions:

Example of Multiparty System:

Name of Party Hadash KadimaLabor LikudMeretz

Yisrael BeitenuNational Union

Shas Torah and Shabbat Judaism

United Arab List

Israel - Knesset Results: 2009

# of Seats (120)

428132731541154

The United States: A Two party system

• Next, we’ll take a closer look at the two party system in the US…

FrontPage: Give a pro and a con of a multiparty system.

What Parties Do in the US

• Recruit candidates – the primary function; – The goal of parties is to run candidates and control

government• Operate the Government – When winning the White House, or Congress, they

then must “govern” by passing laws and carrying them out

• Loyal Opposition– Question party in power, present alternative ideas– In between “Iraq and a hard place” - - why?

What party are you best associated with?

• This answer depends on how we feel about government and society…

• Let’s find out…

FrontPage: What attributes might we associate with these animals?

The Last Word: Political ID WebQuest due tomorrow

The History of the Democratic DonkeyThe person credited with popularizing these two animals as political symbols is the German-born political cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose drawings also helped create modern images of Uncle Sam and Santa

Claus. Nast joined the staff of Harper's Weekly in 1862 and by the time he left in 1886, he had indelibly stamped the elephant and donkey as

political party symbols in the minds of Americans everywhere.Nast was not the first to tie the Dems to this particular beast of burden.

Previously, in 1828 when Jackson ran for president, his opponents tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist views and his slogan, "Let the

people rule." Jackson turned it to his advantage by using the donkey on his campaign posters. Interestingly, the first use of a donkey in a political

cartoon came in 1837, three years before Nast was born. The cartoon showed former President Andrew Jackson stubbornly attempting to

direct the Democratic Party even after leaving office.from the San Francisco Chronicle – www.sfgate.com

Nast Cartoon w/Dem Donkey

The History of the Republican Elephant

Although the elephant had already been connected with the Republican party as early as 1864 (in a piece of Lincoln campaign

literature), it was Nast's cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly a decade later titled "The Third Term Panic" that made the animal stick as the Republican's symbol. It showed a donkey disguised in

a lion's skin chasing away frightened animals. An elephant bearing the title of "Republican Vote" bounded clumsily towards a tar pit

of "Inflation" and "Chaos." The elephant represented the confused behemoth that Nast felt many Republican voters and

publications had become.

from the San Francisco Chronicle – www.sfgate.com