Unit 7: Political Parties and Political Behavior Parties, Voters, and Political Trends.
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Transcript of Unit 7: Political Parties and Political Behavior Parties, Voters, and Political Trends.
Unit 7:
Political Parties and Political Behavior
Parties, Voters, and Political Trends
Political Ideologies
My political views are affected by:
Factors of Political Socialization:
• Family
• Media
• Friends
• Education
• Religion
• Race
• Gender
• Age
• Geography
Ideological Spectrum
Left
Right
ModerateHolds beliefs
that fall between
liberal and conservative views, usually
including some of both
Reactionary
Favors extreme
change to restore society to an earlier,
more conservative
state
LiberalBelieves that
government must take action to
change economic, political, and
ideological policies thought to be
unfair
Conservative
Seeks to keep in place the economic,
political, and social
structures of society
RadicalFavors
extreme change to create an altered or
entirely new social system
Center
“If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.”
-Winston Churchill
What do you think he meant by this?
Definition: A group of people who seek to control the government
through winning elections There is NO Constitutional basis for their creation or
their structure Examples:
The Big Two - Republican (Conservative) Democrat (Liberal)
‘Major’ Third Parties - Constitution, Green, Libertarian
What is a Political Party?
What do Political Parties do?
1. Nominate – or name candidates for public office
2. Inform – the people and stimulate their interests and participation in public affairs
3. Approve – its candidate(s) to ensure the good performance of its people by seeing that they are qualified and of good character
Buttons, bumper stickers, ads, speeches, rallies, conventions—the media also partially performs this function on behalf of the parties
4. Govern – or conduct the business of government
5. Act as Watchdogs – over the conduct of the government, particularly criticizing the party in power
Definition – a system where only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning public office Democrats and Republicans
The Two-Party System
Historical: Parties grew out of first political factions – Federalist v. Anti-Federalists
Tradition: most Americans accept the idea of a two-party system because there has always been one
Electoral System: our method of electing the President is a winner-takes-all system, so people think they are ‘wasting’ their vote by voting for a 3rd party candidate
American Ideological Consensus: Americans in general have shared ideals, principles, and patterns of belief Agree? Are people becoming ‘sheeple’?
Why a Two-Party System?
Multi-Party - Several major parties and many lesser parties exist Positives: may better represent needs and concerns of
people Some people say that Republicans and Democrats
aren’t that different (Demi-cans and Republi-crats) Negatives: tend to lead to instability, difficult to win
the support of a majority A big problem in a Democracy – Popular Sovereignty?
One-Party – really means ‘no-party’ Positives: ??? Are there any? Negatives: too many to list…
Other Systems
Definition: There are numerous, less politically reliable parties in
the US other than the D’s and R’s. 4 types of minor parties:
1. Ideological: based on a particular set of beliefs (Ex: Libertarian – emphasizes individualism)
2. Single-Issue: those concentrating on a single public policy matter (Ex: Right to Life Party opposes abortion)
3. Economic Protest: those rooted in periods of economic discontent
4. Splinter: those that have split away from one of the major parties (from R: Bull Moose; from D: Progressive, American Independent Party; Tea Party)
Although they have no real chance of winning they are still important Spoiler – ‘steal’ votes from a major party candidate
Minor Parties
Key Terms
Partisanship – Strong devotion or faithfulness to a party, their beliefs, and/or candidates
Bi-Partisanship – The two major parties work together on an issue
Despite their differences the two major parties share an ideological consensus, that is they share a general agreement on fundamental issues
Platform – A party’s formal statement of basic principles, stands on major issues, and goals
Independents – People with no party affiliation
Party Membership Patterns
(Remember: These are TENDENCIES…there are many that do NOT follow the following criteria)
DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN
Income/Occupation
Lower income / Lower Status in Occupation & union workers
Wealthy / Higher Status
Occupations & members of the
business community
Education Less education More Education
Gender/age Women / 18-30
year olds Men / 55 years+
Religion Jews and Catholics Protestants
Ethnicity Black White
Geography Northeast and far West; urban
Midwest & increasingly the
South; rural
In his farewell address, George Washington called political parties “destructive” and said they replace the “delegated will of the country”.
He went on to say that although they may now and then serve some good, they will eventually become “potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government”.
1. What was Washington’s opinion of political parties?
2. Are political parties damaging to the principle of popular sovereignty?
Voter BehaviorVoting Rights History in the US
Before Constitution Women – in some colonies Free Blacks – in some colonies Slaves – Nope
After Constitution Women, Free Blacks, and Slaves were
initially denied the right or the States decided
History of Voting in America
13th Amendment (1865)– outlawed slavery 14th Amendment (1868)– granted citizenship to
former slaves 15th Amendment (1870)– gave African-American
males the right to vote However, later state laws prohibited them from
voting…Ex: Jim Crow Laws (1876-1965) Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of ’64, ’65 –
ended Jim Crow Laws 19th Amendment (1920) – gave women the right
to vote Women’s Suffrage: women’s right to vote
26th Amendment (1971) – lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18
Voting…how we got to where we are today