Ch. 8 Political Parties

Front 1

What is the formal definition of political parties?

Back 1

Political Parties are voluntary associations of people who seek control of the gov't through common principles based on peaceful and legal actions (i.e. winning elections).

Front 2

What three roles do political parties serve?

Back 2

1) unite the people who will vote (party in the electorate) 2) unite the public officials of the same party (party in gov't) 3) organize party duties such as raising money, organizing conventions, and party functions (party in organization).

Front 3

What is the "electorate"

Back 3

voters

Front 4

What do political parties do?

Back 4

1) recruit candidates
2) Nominate and support candidates for office
3) Educate the electorate
4) Organize the government

Front 5

Name some factors that influence which political party someone decides to support.

Back 5

1) ideology
2) education level ***
3) income
4) occupation
5) race
6) religion
7) family tradition
8) region of the country
9) marital status

Front 6

Why do we stick to the tradition of having 2 parties? (well main parties)

Back 6

1) historical roots: British heritage and also the Federalist v. Anti-Federalist divisions
2) electoral system: single member districts mean that only one rep is chose from each district.
3) election laws: these vary from state to state, which makes it hard for third parties to get on the ballot.

Front 7

Give the time line of political party divisions in the following chunks: 1) 1789-1800, 2) 1800-1860, 3) 1860-1932, 4) 1932-1968, 5) 1968-now.

Back 7

1) 1789-1800: Feds and Anti-Feds
2) 1800-1860: Anti Feds--> Democrats. Democrats v. Whigs. 3) 1860-1932: after CW, Lincoln. Whigs--> Repubs. Repubs v. Democrats.
4) 1932-1968: FDR, Democrat rule
5) 1968-now: divided government, potential gridlock.

Front 8

What is dealignment?

Back 8

Dealignment is when significant numbers of voters no longer support a political party.

Front 9

What is realignment?

Back 9

Realignment is when voting patterns have shifted and new coalitions of party supporters have formed. (i.e. elections of 1860, realign to Repub, and 1932, realign to Democratic party)

Front 10

Although American politics is dominated by the 2 main parties, why are third and minor parties still important?

Back 10

Minor parties have provided important reforms that have been adopted by the major parties. Success, not failure, ends minor parties as major parties adopt their ideas.

Front 11

What are the four types of third parties?

Back 11

1) ideological: those based on a particular set of social, political, or economic beliefs (i.e. communist, socialist, libertarian)
2) splinter/fractional/personality- those that appear when there is reform w/ in a big party, i.e. a strong candidate who isn't elected forms his own party. (i.e. Theodore Roosevelt's "Bull Moose" Progressive party)
3) Single Issue parties- parties that concentrate on getting a single public policy matter. (i.e. Free Soil Party, Prohibition party)
4) Protest parties- parties that come up in periods of discontent (i.e. Green back ,Populist). These parties tend to be sectional..geographically??

Front 12

Are the 2 major political parties centralized or fragmented?

Back 12

The two main political parties are highly decentralized. But the party of the President tends to be a bit more united than the opposition.

Front 13

What is a national convention?

Back 13

It is a party's main national voice. It is when the party meets once in the summer of every fourth year to do two things: 1) select the P and VP Candidate, 2) write the party platform.

Front 14

What is the national committee?

Back 14

The national committee manages the party activities in the four years between each national convention. The national committee est. the rules of the convention, publishes and sends out party literature (like brochures), and raises money for campaigns.

Front 15

Who is the national chairperson?

Back 15

The national chairperson directs the work of the national committee. He or she does fund raising, recruiting of new party members, encourages party unity, and tries to help the party candidate win the presidency. There is national chairperson for each political party and he or she works in Washington D.C.

Front 16

What is the Congressional Campaign Committee?

Back 16

It is the party's committee in the HR and Senate (one in each) that works to ensure the re-election of the party's candidates by raising money and deciding how much money and support each candidate gets.

Front 17

How is the organization of state and local parties compared to previous years?

Back 17

State parties are more organized and better funded.

Front 18

What is soft money?

Back 18

It is virtually unregulated money that the national political party organization gives out to state parties.

Front 19

Why are state parties stronger now?

Back 19

They are more organized with the aid of soft money from the national political party organization. (NPPO, there is one for each party)

Front 20

What does the future of political parties look like?

Back 20

They seem to be dying a bit.

Front 21

Why are political parties on the decline today?

Back 21

1) stronger third parties take voters who could have voted for the 2 major parties.
2) more independent voters
3) more ticket splitting (when voters vote for candidates from more than one party)
4) people think the 2 parties don't have that many differences
5) party reforms w/in parties cause conflict w/in parties
6) new tech has allowed candidates to be more independent of the parties. We vote for the candidate more than we vote for the party.