CHAPTER 9 Political Parties Prior to the 1990s, as had been true for many years in the past, there were more persons in America who called themselves Democrats than there were people who identified with any other group.but the gap between the two parties had narrowed; the number of people who identified themselves as Republicans had increased since the 1980s. In addition, close to a third of the voters called themselves independents. What Is A Party? A broadly based coalition that attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections in order to exercise power and reward its members Party Elements Voters Party Activists Party Leaders Outside of Government Party Leaders In Government Voters A majority of them consider themselves to be Democrats or Republicans Party activists Do person to person campaigning Engage in get out the vote activities Help raise campaign funds Operate local party organizations Party leaders outside of government They frequently control the party machinery and sometimes have important power bases Party leaders in the government The political office holders. The Development of American Political Parties In Federalist No. 10 James Madison predicted that Americans would divide up into political factions. George Washington, in his farewell address, warned the country against formation of political parties. The Federalist party, organized by Alexander Hamilton, was the first national political party in the country. An opposition party, the Democrat-Republicans, was formulated by Thomas Jefferson. In 1800 the Republicans replaced the Federalists in the White House when Jefferson was elected president. By the 1810s the Federalist party had declined significantly as a national party. The Republicans expanded their power from 1812 to the 1820s as the only major party. An Era of Good feeling prevailed. The Second American Party System, which began with the election of Democrat (formerly Republican party) Andrew Jackson in 1828, continued until the Civil War. It was rivaled by the Whigs who by the 1840s were a major party and were able to elect William Henry Harrison as president. By the 1850s the Whigs were divided into several wings and the Democrats were split between northern and southern wings. In 1854 a new party the Republicans emerged. With the coming of the new Republican party to power and the Civil War, the Democratic party was not to win a national presidential election again until 1884 with Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was elected president again in 1892, but after that the Republicans controlled the presidency until 1912. However, in the 1880s and 1890s new political factions emerged.
Shortly after the turn of the century Republican Theodore Roosevelt was elected president from 1901 to 1909. After sitting out from 1909 to 1912 Roosevelt ran again as a third party candidate. The Republican split of 1912 allowed a Democrat, Woodrow Wilson, to be elected president. He served two terms until 1920. Under Wilson America fought in World War I. Wilson was followed in the presidency by two more Republicans, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. During Hoovers s presidency America suffered a major stock market crash. This helped Democrat Franklin Roosevelt to win in 1932. FDR was elected for an unprecedented four times to the presidency. He died shortly after the beginning of his fourth term. Vice president Harry Truman replaced him. It was Truman who approved use of the atomic bomb against Japan. Truman was elected on his own as president in 1948 even though white Southern Democrats opposed him. In 1952 he was followed by former Army general Ike Eisenhower. Eisenhower served two terms as president. In 1960 his vice president, Richard Nixon, and Massachusetts Senator Jack Kennedy were the party nominees. Kennedy narrowly won the election. On November 22, 1963, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, TX. His successor was Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texan and long time Washington politician, having served in both houses of Congress. LBJ was elected president in 1964 and could have run in 1968 but decided not to do so. This time Nixon, who was again the Republican nominee, was able to win the election. Nixon was reelected in 1972 but resigned from office in August 1974 to avoid possible impeachment. His successor was Gerald Ford, who lost the bid for election in 1976 to Jimmy Carter. President Carter had difficulty winning broad public support for his leadership. The Iranian hostage situation drained his efforts. He sought re-election but was defeated by Ronald Reagan. President Reagan promised to reduce the size of government. He took a hard line position at first toward Russia. In the end he failed to reduce government expenditures but did see Communism begin to crumble. President Georege Bush won high public approval ratings for the defeat of Iraq in Desert Storm but economic stalemate in the United States ultimately weakened his pubic support considerably. He sought re-election but was defeated by Bill Clinton. Clinton and his wife Hillary were both under attack during his administration on numerous grounds. Yet he was re-elected in 1996 and even after impeachment had a strong public approval rating. In 2000 Democrat Al gore won the popular vote by some 500,000 votes but he was narrowly defeated by Republican George Bush in the Electoral College as a result of a highlydisputed vote recount in Florida. In 2004 President Bush narrowly defeated Democrat John Kerry. The Two-party System Minor Parties and Independent Candidates America has had hundreds of minor or thrid parties over its politcal history. V 0. Key, Jr. has suggested that minor parties fall into two broad categories. Those formed to propagate a particular doctrine and transient third-party movements that briefly appear on the American scene and then disappear. Among the transient third-party movements, Key perceived two types: Parties of economic protest (Populist Party - 1890s) "Secessionist parties" that have split off from one of the major parties (Dixiecrats -1948) In certain states minor parties have gained a powerful position; nationally, however, minor parties have never consistently enjoyed much power or influence. In 1968 George Wallace, segregationist governor of Alabama, formed the American Independent party and ran for president outside the two-party framework. In 1972 Eugene McCarthy, a liberal Democratic U.S. Senator, ran for president as an independent and as a protest candidate against the Vietnam War. In 1980 Republican Congressman John B. Anderson won a place on the ballot in every state as an independent. 1992 Ross Perot ran as an independent and received 20 percent of the popular vote,
although he received no Electoral College vote. Perot ran again in 1996 as the nominee of the People First party which he was instrumental in founding. He received less than 10 percent of the popular vote. In 2000 Green Party candidate Ralph Nader very likely cost Al Gore the presidency by getting enough votes in several large electoral states to prevent Gore from winning. The Roots Of Dualism America has been a two party nation. Reasons for this are: (1) Lack of Ideological Division Between Parties and (2) A majority of the American voters take the middle ground on many issues of American politics. As a result, political candidates try to appeal to the great mass of voters in the ideological center. Consequently, it may appear that there is very little difference between the two major parties. Party Differences Do Exist A study of national convention delegates in the 1960s found Democratic and Republican leaders did differ sharply on many issues. Republican leaders identified with business, free enterprise, and economic conservatism in general. Democrats were friendly toward labor and government regulation of the economy. In more contemporary times issues that have come to dominate American politics such as abortion, health care concerns and federal spending policy have made policy differences more public and have led to more divisive political campaigns. Thus, party differences have become more evident. In one study of changes in American political parties, Everett Carl Ladd, Jr. and Charles D. Hadley suggested the emergence of a "two tiered" party structure. They argued that middle-class white voters have tended to express their resistance to social change by voting for Republican presidential candidates but for Democrats for congressional and state offices. The Decline Of Party Loyalties And Party Influence The fading of party loyalties among many voters has been one of the most visible features of American politics in recent years.there has been a long-term decline of party allegiance and a dramatic drop-off over the last decade. Of course, candidates and issues, not just party affiliations, influence voters; but the diminishing influence of parties is a significant change from the past. Reasons for the decline of party ties: A more educated electorate, Less dependence on parties for guidance, An increase in "split-ticket" voting, The increasing importance of television and the news media generally, The breaking up of the old loyalties and alignments within the major parties. The Democrats Democrats have been more willing to appropriate federal funds for social action, and it has often been the party of social innovation. The Democrats have traditionally been seen as the party of organized labor. Historically, the Southern wing of the party was much more conservative, but with the coming of black participation it has undergone more liberal change. The Republicans Republicans tend to see themselves as middle class. Republicans believe less in the ability of government to solve social problems. Republicans see themselves as insiders who represent the core of American society and are the carriers of its fundamental values.
Democrats claim the Republicans are controlled by big business. From middle-class America the Republicans get their votes; from the executive leadership and from the families of the great enterprises they get their funds. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Republican party also often drew support from conservative Christian religious groups. Shifting Regional Partisanship In the post-civil War period the South became very committed to the Democratic party. Later the big cities of the northeast joined the Democratic fold. The Republican party was centered in New England, the rural Midwest and the West and later the suburbs. In recent decades partisan leanings of geographical regions have shifted. New England has become much more Democratic. The South has become much more Republican. Suburbia has become more politically mixed as labor union members and middle-class minorities move there. Other groups such as political action committees, professional campaign managers, and interest groups have taken over some of the functions of parties, Urban political machines have declined,and candidates no longer rely on parties to run their campaigns to the extent that was true in the past. Party Structure American political parties are decentralized and loosely organized. Party structure is a system of layers of organization. Each successive layer of county or city, state, national-has an independent concern about elections in its geographical jurisdiction. The National Party Convention Meets every four years. Adopts a national party platform. Nominates presidential and vice presidential candidates. Elects new national party chairperson (on recommendation of the presidential nominee). Methods for Selection of National Committee Members By state party convention By the state delegation to the national convention By state committees, or By primary elections Between elections, the chief functions of the national committee staff are public relations, patronage, research, and fund-raising. Congressional Party Activities Both parties have internal committees or caucuses for nominating or electing their respective chamber and party leaders. In addition each party in each house has a campaign committee for raising and distributing campaign funds to candidates from their party. The Rise and Demise of the Political Boss and Political Machine The urban political machines of the late 19th century drew their power from the vast waves of immigrants to America's cities. The machines offered all sorts of help to these newcomers; in return, all the boss demanded was the newcomer's vote. Since the 1930s, the social services formerly provided by the party clubhouse now flow from the impersonal governmental bureaucracy. And, the establishment of the direct primary and internal party reforms have impaired the power of the bosses to control nominations
The National Convention The national conventions of both major parties can play an important role in rallying voter support for their party's candidates. Until 1824, nominations for president were made by party caucus in Congress. Since 1832, it has been by national conventions. Because the choice of a presidential candidate is usually determined by the outcome of the presidential primaries and caucuses, national conventions today have become less important. In 1992, the television networks cut back drastically on their convention coverage, claiming lack of public interest. They continued that reduced coverage in 1998 and 2000. National Party Conventions They take place over four days in July or August of presidential election year. In both parties, the candidate who wins a simple majority of the convention votes is nominated. Selection of Convention Delegates 1. Both major parties apportion delegates under complicated formulas based on population and party strength within each state. 2. Delegates to national party conventions are chosen by a variety of methods. 3. After the divisive 1968 national convention, reform elements within the Democratic party sought means to democratize the delegate-selection process. This led to the growth of presidential primaries by both parties. 4. Today, the majority of states and the District of Columbia use presidential primaries to chose all or some convention delegates. 5. In the remaining states, delegates are chosen by other methods - caucuses, district conventions, state conventions, and, in a few cases, by state committees. 6. In some instances, the results of the presidential primaries are binding on the delegates; in others, the delegates go to the conventions unpledged to any particular candidate. 7. The growth of primaries and caucuses that choose delegates pledged to vote for a particular candidate has greatly reduced the power of party leaders to control national conventions. Do Conventions Decide? Confirmation - renomination of incumbent Inheritance - vice president nominated Inner group selection - congressional members influence outcome Compromise in stalemate - dark horse is nominated as a compromise Factional victory - liberals win out over conservatives in nominating struggle The Future of the Convention System First, preconvention campaigns by presidential hopefuls have gained in intensity and length. Second, extensive coverage by tele-vision and other media has focused national attention on these precon-vention campaigns and increased their importance. Third, there are many more presiden-tial primaries than there were three decades ago. Should we adopt national presidential nominating primaries? Pro More democratic than convention Less cost Shortens campaigns Con Lack of voter turnout Further weaken political parties