Political Parties. [J Chapter Overview. [J Study Outline

Transcription

1 6 Plitical Parties [J Chapter Overview In his farewell address, President Gerge Washingtn warned against the grwing influence f plitical parties. Frm his perspective, parties represented a threat t demcracy in the United States. But in spite f his cautin, plitical parties tday play a central rle in American demcracy. In this chapter, we analyze the rle f plitical parties in American plitics. We begin by identifying the primary functins f parties in demcracies and distinguish the U.S. party system frm thse in E urpean demcracies. Then we evaluate the evlutin f plitical parties in American histry. Next, we utline the cntemprary functins f plitical parties, and examine the rle f parties in fundraising. We cnclude by evaluating the effects f recent party refrms and the lng-term prspects fr the current party system. By the end f the chapter, students shuld have a gd understanding f the rle f plitical parties in American plitics. [J Study Outline II Learning Objective 6.1: Identify the primary functins f parties in demcracies and distinguish the U.S. party sys~em frm thse in Eurpean demcracies. (p. 17 5) What Parties D fr Demcracy Plitical parties are rganizatins that seek plitical pwer by electing peple t ffice wh will help advance the party's psitins and philsphy as public plicy

2 Nnpartisan electin is an electin in which candidates are nt selected r endrsed by plitical parties and party affiliatin is nt listed n ballts. Patrnage is the dispensing f gvernment jbs t persns wh belng t the winning plitical party. Parties rganize the cmpetitin, unify the electrate, translate preferences int plicy, and prvide lyal ppsitin. The perid at the beginning f a new president's term during which he enjys generally psitive relatins with the press and Cngress is knwn as the hneymn. The Nminatin f Candidates fr public ffice and t decide the party platfrm. Party candidates can be nminated in ne f the fllwing ways: Caucus is a meeting f lcal party members t chse party fficials r candidates Party cnventin is a meeting f party delegates t vte n matters f plicy and, in sme cases, t select party candidates fr public ffice. A direct primary is an electin in which vters chse party nminees. An pen primary is an electin in which any vter, regardless f party, may vte. A clsed primary is an electin in which nly persns registered in the party hlding the primary may vte. Crssver vting is vting by a member f ne party fr a candidate f anther party. Party Systems The U.S has a tw-party system with many minr parties. A minr party is a small plitical party that persists ver time, is ften cmpsed f idelgies n the right r left, r that is centered n a charismatic candidate. Such a party is called a third party. Multiparty systems are fund in cuntries that have a parliamentary gvernment. They usually have a head f state, ften called the president, but als a head f the gvernment, ften called the prime minister. With this system, calitin gvernments are necessary t rule

3 Prprtinal representatin is an electin system in which each party running receives the prprtin f legislative seats crrespnding t its prprtin f the vte. A winner-take-all system is an electin system in which the candidate with the mst vtes wins. Minr Parties: Persistence and Frustratin Third parties ccasinally arise t challenge the tw majr parties, but they rarely gain enugh supprt t put a candidate in ffice. Sme parties frm arund a specific cause. Sme are splinter parties, frmed frm smaller factins f the tw majr partie: Sme frm arund a specific individual. Thugh they rarely win, third-party candidates d frce particular issues int t1 plitical debate and allw Americans t express their discntent with the tw majr parties. II Learning Objective 6.2: Describe changes in American plitical parties and identify fur realigning electins. (p. 182 A Brief Histry f American Plitical Parties Mst demcratic natins have multiparty systems that allw many interests t be represented. The United States, hwever, has always had a tw-party system. Plitical scientists divide Ameri~an histry int party eras, in which ne party dminated plitics fr a significant perid f time. Party eras change when a critical electin reveals new issues and a failure f the traditinal calitins. This usually causes party realignment, when the party redefines itself and attraa new calitin f vters. The First Party System: Alexander Hamiltn's shrt-lived Federalist Party was the first plitical party

4 Jeffersn's Demcratic-Republicans maintained cntrl f the White Huse. The Demcrats and the Whigs: Andrew Jacksn appealed t the masses rather than t the elite, and he frmed a new calitin and, ultimately, the Demcratic Party. The ppsitin party was the Whig Party, thugh it had little plitical success. The Tw Republican Eras: The Republican Party frmed ut f a calitin f antislavery grups and nminated Abraham Lincln as its flrst presidential candidate. The electin f 1896 began anther strngly Republican era, during which industrializatin and capitalism were advanced. The New Deal Calitin: Franklin Rsevelt brught the Demcratic Party back int favr by starting scres f federal prgrams t cmbat the Great Depressin. The new Demcratic calitin brught tgether the pr, Sutherners, African Americans, city dwellers, Cathlics, and Jews. Kennedy's New Frntier and Jhnsn's Great Sciety and War n Pverty cntinued the Demcratic New Deal traditin Present: Suthern Realignment and the Era f Divided Party Gvernment The states in the Suth have realigned and are nw strnghlds f the Republican Party, but this has nt always been true. President Nixn was able t capture the Suth, which had previusly been slidly Demcratic. When Nixn became president, it was the flrst time in the 20th century that there was a divided U.S. gvernment. This became a frequent electin pattern fr mst presidents that fllwed him. Divided gvernment is gvernance divided between the parties, as when ne hlds the presidency and the ther cntrls ne r bth huses f Cngress

5 Learning Objective 6.3: Evaluate the functins f parties as institutins, parties in gvernment, and parties in the electrate. (p. 187) American Parties Tday Parties as Institutins Unlike the mre frmal parties f ther cuntries, American plitical parties are fairly decentralized, with city, state, and natinal administrative bdies. The supreme authrity in bth majr parties is the natinal party cnventin, which is a natinal meeting f delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, r state cnventins. Members assemble nce every fur years t nminate candidates fr president and vice president, ratify the party platfrm, elect fficers, and adpt rules. The party platfrm details general party-wide issue stances. Parties in Gvernment Members f Cngress take their partisanship seriusly since it determines if a party cntrls the Huse r the Senate. In the executive branch, presidents select members f the staff and cabinet mstly frm their wn party. In the judicial branch, partisan plitics mean less, but are still a factr in appintment t judicial benches. Parties in the Electrate Party registratin is the act f declaring party affiliatin; required by sme states when ne registers t vte. Party regulars place party first. Candidate activists are fllwers f a particular candidate, wh see the party as the. means t elect their candidate. narrw ranges f issues. Issue activists wish t push the parties in a particular directin n a single issue r Many vters cast their ballts n the basis f party identificatin

6 Fr instance, peple wh cnsider themselves Demcrats usually vte fr Demcratic candidates. Party identificatin is declining, hwever. Party Identificatin The trend in divided gvernment has led many plitical scientists t believe that the party system has dealigned rather than realigned. Party dealignment means that peple are gradually mving away frm bth parties. Learning Objective 6.4: Explain party fundraising and expenditures, and assess their regulatin. (p. 196) Hw Parties Raise and Spend Mney With the rise f sft mney in recent electins, parties have had mre resurces t spend n campaigns. In 2002, Cngress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Refrm Act (BCRA), which bans sft mney, except fr sme narrwly defined and limited activities. Sft mney is mney raised in unlimited amunts by plitical parties fr partybuilding purpses. Sft mney is nw largely illegal except fr limited cntributins t state r lcal parties fr vter registratin and get-ut-the-vte effrts. The parties adapted t BCRA by building a larger individual dnr base. Dnrs wanting t spend mre than the BCRA limits did s in 2008 thrugh a range f interest grups. Many were allied t 527 grups that ran parallel campaigns with the candidates and parties. Hard mney invlves plitical cntributins given t a party, candidate, r interest grup that are limited in amunt and fully disclsed. Raising such limited funds was harder than raising unlimited sft mney, hence the term "hard mney." The Supreme Curt has ruled that individuals, grups, and parties can spend unlimited amunts in campaigns fr r against candidates as lng as they perate independendy frm the candidates

7 When an individual r party des s, they are making an independent expenditure. II Learning Objective 6.5: Assess the effects f recent party platfrms and the lng-term prspects fr the current party system. (p. 197) lire the Plitical Parties Dying? Frequent effrts have been made t refrm bth plitical parties. 'The Prgressive mvement saw parties, as then rganized, as an impediment t demcracy and pushed direct primaries as a means t refrm them. Fllwing the 1968 electin, the Demcratic Party tk the lead in pushing primaries and stressing greater diversity amng the individuals elected as delegates. Republicans have als encuraged brader participatin and they have imprved their party structure and fmances. There has been sme party renewal in recent years as party cmpetitin has grwn in the Suth and the parties themselves have initiated refrms. Fr.Additinal Review Design a pyramid diagram depicting the tp-dwn leadership structure within a plitical party (natinal level, state level, lcal level). Place the varius party members n the pyramid alng with a descriptin f the rle played by each. Use this pyramid diagram when reviewing and studying fr the unit test and the AP Gvernment and Plitics exam. Create a timeline depicting the evlutin f plitical parties in the United States. Place the majr eras f plitical party develpment n the timeline alng with a descriptin f each era, including the plitical parties, their platfrms, and accmplishments. Use this timeline when reviewing and studying fr the unit test and the AP Gvernment and Plitics exam. 124