US Political Parties Exam 2

Myth of the Independent Voter

People who claim to be independent actually have voting patterns that match a certain party

40 percent of the electorate claim to be independent

15% Democratic

13% Republican

12% Pure Independent

Pure Independent

12%

Not engaged

Least interested in politics

Least knowledgeable about politics

Least like to vote in elections

correlation between age and education being an independent

Strong

Why are there so many who claim to be independents?

Vietnam

Watergate

Racial

Age (younger people lack affiliation)

Education

The American Voter – Angus Campbell

Ideologues

Group Benefits

Nature of the Times

No Issue Content

Ideologues

12% of overall population

They know the political systems and parties

They know their views

They can place themselves accurately where they are

32% of college grads; 5% grade school or less

Group Benefits

42 % of population

Look for groups that they like and see who they tell them to vote for

38% of college grads; 40% grade school or less

Nature of the times

24% of population

Are things going well for me right not or going bad?

20% of college grads; 29% grade school or less

No Issue Content

22% of population

Not really interested or engaged in politics

10% of college grads; 26% grade school or less

Over time - The American Voter – Angus Campbell

Over time increase ideology,

decline in GB,

increase in NT,

same for NoC

Factors that hinder people from voting

registration

residence

citizenship

Factors that Influence Voter Turnout

Excitement

Competitiveness

Stake in the system

Campaign mobilization

Who Votes (five things)

Education

Age

Public Sector Employees

Socially engaged (ties within the community)

Marital status

Nationalization of American Politics

Mass (national) media

Stronger fed Government

National Leaders

Greater Focus on Issues/transcend where you live

State vs national parties

state parties vary greatly from state to state

How GOP got here today

lots changed in the 60s

GOP coming out of a time where they didn’t have a lot of presidents

Bill Brock reformed

came up with service path

Service Path – Bottom Up

Aggressive fundraising

Organizational improvements

candidate recruitment

Changing Party Image (promote new ideas like welfare and school vouchers)

How Dems gots here today

was run by elites

no DEI

changed to top down

post reforms they stopped winning

eventually implemented super delegates

Procedural Reform – Top Down

Greater transparency

More open process

More inclusive representation

State Party Responsibilities

Calling and organizing party conventions

Drafting party platforms

Supervising the spending of campaign funds

Selecting party’s presidential electors and some reps. to national conventions

Byrd state party Machine

Ruled VA from 1930s through 1960s

Rural based

controlled local offices

competent management and a restricted electorate

Balanced the budget, kept people from voting

Started to fall apart in 1960s

Demise of Byrd Machine

1962 Baker vs Carr

Voting Rights Act

National Party Reforms

Changing Electorate

Conservative alternative

Local machine

people knew each other

Ill give you job if you vote for me

Decline of the local machine

Political reforms

Economic changes

Federal social safety net

Decline in immigration

Types of party activists

professional (work for whoever is in power)

issue oriented purist (ideological, party is vehicle for advancing cause)

Who becomes party activists

Come from political families

Better educated and wealthier

Policy agenda

Ideological driven

What draws people to become party activists

Material benefits

Social incentives

Issue-based incentives

Mixed incentives

Political coalitions divisions

Socioeconomic

regional

religious

racial

marriage

gender

Parties used to…

mobilize and motivate their supporters

expand their base of support

project a desired image

Democratic coalitions Coalitions

Northeast and West Coast

feminists

African americans

lgbtq community

union member

liberals

poor

urban voters

Hispanics

single

Republican Coalitions

mainline protestants

southern whites

business

rural voters

white evangelicals

conservatives

married

South and Mountain West

Democrat party issues

expand healthcare

lgbtq

environmental

raise taxes

poverty programs

gun control

pro-choice

civil rights

Republican party issues

2nd amendment rights

pro-life

cut taxes

reduce regulation

free trade

strong defense

traditional values

religious liberty

Party factions

a party within a party

party factions organized around…

individual

region

common policy agenda

desire for patronage

GOP factions

moderate

establishment/business

social conservatives

Dem factions

progressives

new dems

centrists/blue dogs

Party factions can influence

party leadership fights

bills that are debate or modified

appointments

party platforms

elections

tools to leverage strength

voice

exit

Realigning elections

high voter interest

differences between parties on key issues

changes in voting

large period of unified party control

change in balance of power

occur with regularity

Realigning elections

1800 - emergence of 2 parties

1828 - modern 2 party system

1860 - republicans come in with slavery as issue

1896 - Mcckinly wins and republicans reinvigorate themselves

1932 - FDR wins and Dems become more powerful

What was not a redefining election

1968

it was special but not realigning

no main dominating power

GOP winning presidential but not congress

Other types of elections

maintaining

deviating

maintaining election

If the party wins that is supposed to win

Like in the democratic period of party systems and a democrat wins

Deviating election

When the out party wins

1956 - Eisenhower

other types of changes to electorate

secular realignment

dealignment

secular realignment

gradual changes in voting behavior over time

dealignment

decline in party loyalties (divided government the norm)

Nomination process

US distinctive

• nomination election

• general election

Nomination process involved mixture of

• primaries

• caucuses

Types of primaries

closed

open

blanket

closed primaries

advantages

• party picks own candidate

• gives party a list of their supporters

disadvantages

• more likely ideological nominees

• can’t attract new voters

Open

advantages

• select candidate with broader appeal

• could interest non-traditional voters

disadvantages

• may not reflect party base

• other parties try and influence

Blanket primary

advantages

• voters vote for candidate of their choice with no intermediary

• can elect candidate in a single election

disadvantages

• prevents party form providing a clear choice to voters

• two candidates from same party can go to run off

Why parties don’t like primaries

• divisive

• attacks can be coopted

• can make negative perception of party

• ideological nominee

• limit influence

1968 presidential commission reforms

PR delegates selection

affirmative action clauses

delegates selected in calendar year

delegate selection defined and open

delegates can vote who whomever they want (eliminated the unit rule)

What was 1968 presidential commission

Humphry (D) created to make changes for 1972 election

They come up with changes to make primaries a more open and representative process

Commission changed how campaigns were run and the delegate selection process

start early

perceived as legitimate

must win or do well

sustain efforts

party has different interests

Criticism of the nomination process

• attention early states

• can’t take time off

• money

• low participation

• exaggerate regional factors

• media too powerful

What conventions do

approve party platform

formalize the presidential nomination

approve the vice-presidential nominee

launching the presidential campaign

1960 Dem nomination process (7)

few primaries

winter take all

state party leaders = important

no spending limit

limited media

not diverse

unknown candidacies no chance

1976 Dem nomination process (8)

more primaries

finance limits

less power party regulars

more transparent nomination process

national party replaces state party as dominate rule-maker

PR selection

diversified delegates

media and early primaries play greater roles