Political Parties and Elections

Political Parties

Political Party: group of people with broad common interests who organize to… Win elections Control gov’t Influence gov’t policies

The U.S currently has a two-party system System in which two parties compete for power even

though minor parties exist Republicans & Democrats

Parties in the Great Depression and After

1932 Dems won control of the White House and Congress For next 50 years remained majority

Beginning in 1968 Republicans controlled White House for 5 of next 8 presidential terms

1994: Repubs won both houses on Congress for first time in 40 years

1995: first time since 1945 that a Dem president worked with a Repub Congress

Role of Minor Parties

Third Party: also called minor party Variety of parties but common element is belief that

neither major party is meeting certain needs

Types of third parties: Single- issue: focuses exclusively on on major social,

moral or economic issue. Usually short lived- 1840s Free Soil Party

Ideological: focuses on overall change in society- socialist, communists, libertarian

Splinter: splits away from major party because of disagreement- 1912 Bull Moose Party led by T. Roosevelt

Obstacles to Third Parties

Difficulty getting on the ballot Large number of voter signatures in a short time

Single-member districts: only one party will win so majority party usually victorious

Financing the campaign Many reluctant to contribute for fear that third-party cannot

will not win

Appeal to voters in certain regions or certain groups in society Need wider appeal

Membership and Organization

Joining a political party is not required in the U.S People join a party if they support their ideals and

candidates Some simply vote while others get more involved by

contributing money or volunteering

Political party structure is broken up into local, state and national

State Party Organization

State central committee: made up of representatives from the party’s county organizations Choose the party state chairperson with influence

from a gov or senator

Main function of the committee: elect the party’s candidate for state gov’t offices

Also provides assistance to local candidates by coordinating activities and raising money

National Party Organization

2 parts: National convention National committee

National convention: gathering of local and state party members every 4 years to nominate party’s pres and vice-pres candidates

National committee: large group composed of reps from the 50 states that runs the party Party national chairperson: manages daily operations- raises money, PR

and promotes nat’l, state and local cooperation

Dems and republicans also have independent campaign committees for Congress Assist senators and reps that are running for reelection

Political Party Functions

Recruiting Candidates

Seek people who have a good chance of being elected

Political parties select candidates and present them to the voters

Often said that political parties are election-oriented rather than issue-oriented

Members share general ideology but differ often exist on specific issues

Educating the Public

Each party publishes its position on current topics facing the country Press conferences, speeches, pamphlets, ads, interviews

Sometimes candidates attack their opponents views rather than stating their own

When major party candidates fail to address issues, minor party candidates may force debate Green party

Many Americans not informed about important issues

Political party affiliation helps voters assess which candidate will be more acceptable based on their views

Operating the Government

Congress and state legislatures are organized and work on basis of party affiliation

Party leaders make sure members support the party’s position when considering legislation

Party also acts as a link between legislature and chief executive (pres or gov) Work through party leaders to promote their

administration’s programs

Dispensing Patronage

Patronage: favors given to members to reward party loyalty Jobs, contracts, appointments to gov’t positions

Example: Labor unions or business exes that contribute to a party may expect them to be sympathetic to their problems if they come to power

Laws and court decisions have limited patronage in recent years but practice remains major way that parties control and reward supporters

Loyal Opposition

Party out of power in the legislative or executive branch become the “watchdog”

Observes party in power, criticizes and offers solutions to political problems

If done successfully, public opinion may swing in the watchdog party’s favor and return it to power in a future election

Makes party in power more sensitive to the will of the people

Reduction of Conflict

To win an election a party must attract support from different groups

Accomplish this by encouraging groups to compromise and work together

Outcome: parties encourage gov’t to adopt moderate policies with mass appeal

Parties contribute to political stability by peacefully transferring power Know the party will continue to exist as the opposition party

and will return to power someday

How Candidates Are Selected

Caucuses

Caucuses: private meetings of party leaders

Historically caucuses chose all candidates for office but became criticized as undemocratic because people had no say

Modern caucuses: party rules require openness with selection process Selection starts local and works up to national

12 states use caucuses

Nominating Convention

Nominating convention: official public meeting of a party to choose candidates for office

Local party reps>county nominating convention selects candidates for county and state> state nominating convention selects candidates for state and nat’l>national convention

Convention system also became undemocratic because party leaders (bosses) chose delegates and controlled conventions

Public reaction against bosses in 1900s led to primary election as method of selection

Primary Elections

Direct primary: election in which party members select people to run in general election

Closed primary: only members of a political party can vote Open primary: all voters may participate even if they do

not belong to a partyRunoff primary: primary election between 2 candidates

who received most votes in the first primary

Each state sets date of its primary

In most states a primary candidate does not need a majority of votes to win but only a plurality: more votes than any other candidate

Petition

Person announces his/her candidacy and files petitions that a specified number of voters have signed to be placed on the ballot

Some states require all candidates file petitions

Party-backed candidates have an advantage because party workers will circulate petitions Also use financial and organizational resources to

back choice

National Convention

Pre-Convention Planning

National committee chooses site and date

Also tell each state party org how many votes the state will have at convention

In the past electoral votes=convention votes BUT recently parties have used complicated formulas

National Conventions

1992 New York City Bill Clinton Houston George H.W. Bush

1996 Chicago Bill Clinton San Diego Bob Dole

2000 Los Angeles Al Gore Philadelphia George W. Bush

2004 Boston John Kerry New York City George W. Bush

2008 Denver Barack Obama

St. Paul, Minn.

John McCain

2012 Charlotte Barack Obama

Tampa Mitt Romney

Assembling the Convention

Thousands of delegates assemble in the convention city Media, protestors, spectators

Many delegates arrive already pledged to a candidate but those who are not are sought after by the candidates

Evening of the opening day has keynote speech: party member intended to unite the party for the upcoming campaign

Nominating the Candidates

Convention chairperson oversees delegates voting

However, in recent conventions most candidates have already been chosen

Partly because TV has helped to narrow candidates in the primaries- some drop out knowing they cannot continue on in the primaries

Party leaders benefit from early victory of one candidate- have more time to plan the convention and unify the party

Vice-Presidential Nomination

Normally takes place on last day of the convention

Party’s presidential nominee selects a running mate and convention automatically nominates person chosen

Person chosen usually balances out ticket Different personal, political, and geographic

background from pres nominee

Acceptance Speech

Last event of the convention

Speeches are intended to: Unify the party Attack the opposition party Create a theme for the upcoming campaign Appeal to a national TV audience

Election Campaigns

Campaign Strategy & Organization

270 Electoral Votes to win- focused on states with large number of votes and swing states

Campaign strategy questions can include:

Aggressive attack vs. low-key campaign? Theme or slogan of campaign? What issues should be stressed? How much $ should be spent on: TV, radio, newspaper?

Strong organization is essential to running a campaign Campaign manager: responsible for overall strategy

and planning

TV and the Candidate’s Image

Image voters have is important- which candidate is perceived as more “presidential”?

Mass media can create both positive and negative images for the candidates

TV is the most important communication tool- single most commonly used source of news for most Americans Studies have shown that people are more likely to believe what

they see and hear on TV than read in newspapers or hear on radio

Televised debates first held in 1960

1. PERSONAL BACKGROUND OF VOTER

2. DEGREE OF LOYALTY TO A POLITICAL PARTY

3. ISSUES OF THE CAMPAIGN 4. VOTER’S IMAGE OF THE

CANDIDATE5. PROPAGANDA

Influence on Voters

Personal Background of Voters

Age and the differences that come with young vs. old

Education, religion, and racial or ethnic background

Cross-pressured voter: one who is caught between conflicting elements of his/her own life Catholics more inclined to vote Democrat BUT if an individual Catholic voter is also a wealthy

business exec, usually wealthy business people are Republican

Loyalty to Political Parties

Strong party voters select their party’s candidate in election after election

Usually vote straight-party ticket: select the candidates of their party only

Weak party voters are more likely to switch their votes to the rival party from time to time

Independent voters: don’t think of themselves as Republican or Democrat Number of independent voters has increased over the years Become important element in presidential elections along with weak

party voters

Issues in the Election Campaigns & The Candidate’s Image

Voters are better informed due to: TV better education on the issues greater impact of current events on people’s lives

(crime, inflation, unemployment, personal rights, ect)

Americans want a president who appears to be someone they can trust

Many select a candidate on image alone

Propaganda

Propaganda: involves using ideas, information or rumors to influence opinion

As political campaigns adapted to TV, campaign managers developed several propaganda techniques: Patriotism Famous actor or musician Negative labels- ‘liberal’, ‘conservative’, ‘right-wing’

When political propaganda becomes obviously misleading, people become skeptical and some analysts believe the result can be reduced voter participation