Chapter 9: Political Parties What Is a Political Party? (pg.261) - A group of political activists who organize to win elections, to operate the government, and to determine public policy. What is an Interest Group? - Interest groups want to influence a specific type of public policy, but are not interested in controlling the government What are factions? - smaller groups of individuals from within a political party who are acting together in pursuit of some special interest or position
Functions of Political Parties in the United States Keep in mind: Although political parties were not provided for in the Constitution, they are now crucial to the operation of the government of the United States. Essential functions of political parties: Recruiting candidates Organizing and running for elections Presenting alternative policies Operating government Organized opposition
Short History of Political Parties in the U.S. The two-party system our own political landscape originated among supporters of the Constitution (the Federalists) and those who though the state should be the locus of authority and advocated a Bill of Rights (the Anti- Federalists). We can divide the evolution of our nation s political parties into six periods: 1789 to 1812: The Creation of Parties 1816 to 1828: The era of one-party rule, or personal politics 1828 to 1860: The Period of Andrew Jackson s presidency to just prior to the Civil War 1864 to 1892: The Post- Civil War Period 1896 to 1928: The Progressive Period 1932 to the present: The Modern Period
The Formative Years Short History (cont.) Took place between 1790 and 1816. Federalist Party became the first party to gain control of the national government. By 1796 the next major party came into the political process called the Democratic-Republicans Leader: Thomas Jefferson Within a few years, the party dropped the Republicans and were known simply as the Democratic Party The current Democratic Party claims its origin as the party built by Jefferson
Short History (cont.) Era of Personal Politics When attention centered on the character of individual candidates rather than on party identification. The Federalist Party began to erode as a viable party and from 1817 to 1828 only the Democratic-Republicans had control of the government This period, sometimes called The Era of Good Feeling, represents one of the very few times when the United States did not have a twoparty system.
Short History (cont.) National Two-Party Rule: Democrats & Whigs (pg.265) Whigs a.k.a National Republicans : The next major party to form was the Whigs in 1828 Whigs as a major political force came the return to a two-party system, which would last until the beginning of the turmoil of the Civil War As the issues of slavery and state rights divided the nation, political parties were also divided over these issues The Whigs began to collapse as a party in the mid-1840s and the Democrats began to divide into various factions Democrats: The oldest continuing political party in the Western world.
Short History (cont.) Post-Civil War Period As the Civil War was about to begin the next major party was becoming a factor in the political process The Republican Party (not to be confused with the Democratic-Republicans of the 1790s) controlled the government for most of 1860 to 1928 Abraham Lincoln belonged to the Republican Party It took the label of Grand Old Party, or GOP From the election of Lincoln until the election of FDR in 1932, the Republicans won all but four presidential elections. During this period the Democrats were the opposition party and only gained control of part of the government for brief periods
Short History (cont.) The Progressive Movement Major schism occurs in 1912 Teddy Roosevelt campaigned for the presidency as a Progressive Two other significant contenders challenge Teddy Woodrow Wilson DEM. William Howard Taft REP. Because of the split in the Republican Party, it allowed Wilson to be elected. The Progressive party collapses in 1921
Short History (cont.) The Modern Era: FDR elected in 1932 and reelected in 1936, 1940, 1944 Roosevelt used his enormous personal appeal to unify democrats He established direct communication between the president and the public through his radio fireside chats. Further reading on pg. 266-267
The Three Faces of a Party Three components: Party in Electorate: The party in the electorate is comprised of the people who identify with the party or who regularly vote for the candidates of the party in general elections. Without the party in the electorate it would not be possible for the party to have electoral success. Party Organization: to provide leadership and structure for the party that is not a part of the government. Party in the Gov t: This includes all elected and appointed officials who gained office on the label of the party. Once in office the leaders work to organize the efforts of the party in order to influence governmental policy that is favorable to the platform of the party NOTE: For a political party to be successful it must have all three subunits.
Party Organization In theory American political parties are structured like a pyramid, with the national party organization at the top and the local party organization serving as the base National Party Organization State Party Organization Local Party Organization
Party Organization (cont.) However, this theoretical structure is not realistic. Instead, American political parties tend to operate like a confederacy, where the state parties act autonomously and have loose connections to each other, and to the national committee.
Party Organization (cont.) National Party Organization: Receives the most publicity during the national convention Members of the party who have been selected to attend the convention: 1. Meet to nominate the presidential candidate, 2. Approve the party platform, and 3. Approve the presidential candidate s selection of a vicepresidential candidate
Party Organization (cont.) State Party Organization: There is a state chairperson who is responsible for making the party competitive in elections at the state level. Like the national party each state holds a state convention, which endorses candidates of the party. A state party platform is drafted which focuses on issues at the state level of government.
Party Organization (cont.) Local Party Organization: The local party organization is very different in different regions of the country. In some areas there is little evidence that the party has any local organization. In other areas there is a very strong local organization that controls the local governmental process. The national party has little control over the local organization.
Party in the Government The partisan outcome of an election is important for a number of reasons: including the ability of the majority party to dominate committees in legislatures, decide appointments in the executive branch set the political agenda. Gaining an electoral partisan majority does not mean absolute power.
Two Major U.S. Parties and Their Members Unlike European parties, many of which are divided along class and religious lines, parties in the United States are very broad based coalitions. Because of the structure of the two-party system, both major parties must appeal to a wide range of citizens. Still certain groups are more likely to affiliate with one party.
Two Major U.S. Parties and Their Members (cont.) The Democratic Party has had support from the following groups: ethnic minorities members of labor unions Jewish voters the working class (blue collar) women The Republican Party has had the support from the following groups: college graduates higher income families professionals (white collar) business people
Why Has the Two Party System Endured? In 2002 the United States Constitution is over 212 years old. During this time there have been 108 Congresses elected and 52 presidential elections During only 28 years under the Constitution has the U.S. not had a two-party system. Since 1856, or for the last 146 years, the U.S. has had nothing but a two-party system. There are at least five major reasons for the twoparty system in the United States.
Important Key Terms: Sectional Politics National Politics Class Politics Plurality Electoral College
5 Reasons for the Two-Party System: 1. The historical foundations of the system 2. Political socialization and party identification 3. The commonality of views among Americans 4. The winner-take-all electoral system 5. State and Federal laws favoring the two-party system
Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Political History The 1992 presidential election serves as an excellent example of the impact a candidate who is not affiliated with one of the two major parties can have on the electoral process. Ross Perot ran as an independent candidate and received 19 percent of the total popular vote. - Only two candidates, not affiliated with a major party, have received a higher percentage of the popular vote in this century (T. Roosevelt 1912; and LaFollette 1924). However Mr. Perot, like Mr. Roosevelt, and Mr. LaFollette did not win the election. In Mr. Perot s case he did not receive any electoral votes. Nonetheless, many would contend that he impacted the election by taking votes from either Mr. Bush or Mr. Clinton. This demonstrates that candidates who are not from the two major parties are not likely to win an election, because of the reasons listed above Furthermore, when a candidate from a third party runs for the office of president and is unsuccessful and then runs again four years later the percentage of vote the candidate receives is considerably less. - Mr. Perot only received 8.5 percent of the popular vote in 1996. But candidates from minor parties can still have an impact on the political process.
Key Terms Third Parties A political party other than the two major political parties (Republican and Democratic). Usually, third parties are composed of dissatisfied groups that have split from the major parties. They act as indicators of political trends and as safety valves for dissident groups. Splinter Parties A new party formed by a dissident faction within a major political party. Usually, splinter parties have emerged when a particular personality was at odds with the major party.
Notable Minor Parties in History The following represent some of the more important minor parties based on a particular philosophy or ideology: - Socialist Labor Party (began 1877) - Socialist Party (began in 1901) - Communist Party (split from the Socialist Party in 1919) - Socialist Worker s Party (began in 1938) - Libertarian Party (began in 1972) - Reform Party (began in 1996)
Minor Parties (cont.) Not all minor parties have been based on a different ideology from the major parties. A few minor parties are formed when members of one of the two major parties are dissatisfied with the leader of the major party, or the members are dissatisfied with the platform of the major party. These are usually referred to as spin-off parties. - For example, the Bull-Moose Progressives were a spin-off of the Republican party. The Bull-Moose Progressives were those reform-minded Republicans who supported the candidacy of Theodore Roosevelt over that of William Howard Taft.