Political Parties Exam 2

What are the characteristics of party ID?

• Development of psychological ties to party

• Policy cues

• Affiliation is stable over time

• Party ID predicts how people will vote

• Party ID creates greater political involvement

What percentage of the electorate claims to be independent?

40%

What percent has a party or is a pure independent?

15% Democrats and Republicans, 12% pure independent

What are the four categories of voters?

• Idealogues

• Group benefits

• Nature of the Times

• No issue content

What keeps people from voting?

• Voter registration

• Residence requirements

• Citizenship requirements

What are the factors the influence voter turnout?

• Excitement of the election

• Competitiveness of the election

• Stake in the system

• Campaign mobilization

Who votes the most?

• The highly educated

• Old people

• Public sector employees

• Socially engaged

• Married people

• White people

• Women

Who actually forms the party?

State committees and organizations, national level has historically been a shell organization but they have become more influential as parties nationalize

What does the in-government party chair do?

Serve the government/president

What does the out-government party chair do?

Lead the party and serve as the bridge between candidates to prepare for the election

What are the causes of the nationalization of American politics?

• Mass media

• Federal Government involvement

• Emergence of national leaders

• Greater focus on issues/ideology

How did Democrats change in the 1960s?

Procedural change (top-down)

• Restructuring

• More transparent delegate selection process - Super delegates

• More open process

• More inclusive representation

How did Republicans change in the 1960s?

Service path - Bottom-Up

• Reassessment of where they were (expanded base of party by addressing more issues)

• Aggressive fundraising

• Organizational improvements (organized that states)

• Better candidate recruitment (training candidates to run and gave them a political foundation)

• Changed party image (attached self to new ideas of actually fixing problems)

What are the responsibilities of state parties?

• Calling and organizing party conventions

• Drafting party platforms

• Supervising the spending of campaign funds

• Selecting the party’s presidential electors and some representatives to the national conventions

• Can have some factions within

What caused the demise of the Byrd Machine?

• Baker v. Carr (1962) (One person one vote)

• Voting Rights Act

• National party reforms

• Changing electorate

• Conservative alternative

What caused the end of urban political machines?

• Political reforms - civil service protections (no more nepo babies)

• Economic change

• Federal social safety nets

• Decline in immigration

Who becomes party activists?

• Professional or issue oriented activists

• Come from political families

• Better educated and wealthies

• Those with policy agendas

• Ideologically driven

What draws people to become political activists?

• Material benefits

• Social incentives

• Issue-based incentives

• Mixed incentives (doing this for the resume)

What are the various political coalitions?

• Socioeconomic divisions

• Regional divisions

• Religious divisions

• Racial divisions

• Marriage divisions

• Gender divisions

  • Party ID

  • Race

  • Regional

  • Ideology

What are party factions organized around?

• Individual

• Region

• Common policy agenda

• Desire for patronage

What leverage do factions have?

Voice option and exit option

How do parties use issues?

• Mobilize and motivate their supporters

• Expand their base of support

• Project a desired image

What can factions influence?

• Party leadership fights

• Bills that are debated or modified

• Appointments

• Party platforms

• Elections

What are the realigning elections?

• 1800 - Jefferson v. Burr/Adams (Democratic-Republicans)

• 1828 - Jackson v Adams (Democrats)

• 1860 - Lincoln (Republicans)

• 1896 - McKinley v Bryan (Republicans)

• 1932 - Roosevelt v Hoover (Democrats)

What are the characteristics of a realigning election?

• High levels of voter interest

• Sharp differences between parties on key issues

• Changes in voting patterns and party coalitions

• Large period of unified party control

• Change in balance of power

• Occur with regularity

What are the other types of elections?

Maintaining and deviating

What are the other types of changes to the electorate that may explain why we no longer have realigning elections?

Secular realignment and dealignment

Why do parties not like primaries?

• They can be divisive

• Charges raised during the nomination process can be used in the general election

• Primaries can be costly

• Primaries may adversely affect electorates perception of party

• Primaries may result in a more ideological nominee

• Primaries limit the influence of the party

What are some of the policies Republicans adopted in their reform?

Welfare reform, school vouchers, testing standards, charter schools

What changes were proposed by the 1968 Presidential Commission?

• Delegates must be selected based on proportional representation

• Affirmative action clauses

• Delegates must be selected in the calendar year of the convention

• Delegate selection procedures must be dined and open

• Elimination of the unit rule, delegates free to vote for who they want

Criticism of the nomination process?

• Gives disproportionate attention to early caucuses and primaries

• Prominent politicians can’t take time off from duties to run for office

• Money plays too big a role

• Participation is low

• Primaries and caucuses can exaggerate regional factions in decision making

• System gives too much power to the media

What do conventions do?

• Approve the party platform

• Formalize the presidential nomination

• Approve the vice presidential nominee

• Launching the presidential campaign

What are the differences between the 1960 and 1976 Democratic nomination process?

• More primaries with more voters

• Campaign finance limits

• Decline in power for party regulars

• More open and transparent delegate/nomination process

• National party becomes dominant rule maker

• Proportional representation of delegates

• More diversified delegates

• Media playing a greater role

Pros of closed primary

• Other party can’t interfere

• Party gets a list of acknowledged supporters

Cons of closed primary

• May get a more ideological candidate that won’t do as well in the general election

• Candidates don’t have the opportunity to appeal to wider base because they are trying to appeal to party base

Pros of open primary

• May generate interest in non-traditional voters

• Select candidates with a broader appeal

Cons of open primary

• May not reflect party base

• Other party can influence outcome

Pros of blanket primary

• Can vote for candidate of choice without party label

• Can elect candidate in a single election

Cons of blanket primary

• Party can’t provide cues to voters based on label

• Two candidates in the same party could end up running against each other in the primary

Election of 1800?

Burr v. Jefferson v John Adams - Democratic-Republican Control

Election of 1828?

Jackson v. Sam Adams - Democratic control

Election of 1860?

Lincoln - Republican control

Election of 1896?

McKinley v. Brian - Republican control and “front porch” campaigning

Election of 1932?

FDR v. Hoover - Democratic control

Election of 1968

Not a realigning election, still special nut Republicans never gained control of Congress, and it’s been a more balanced era with no party dominance (breakdown of party realignment model)

What caused people to become independents?

• Vietnam

• Watergate

• Racial conflict in the 60s