gov quiz

party polarization

growing gap between the stands of the parties on policy issues

positive for party polarization

makes politics easier to understand for voters

negative to party polarization

makes compromise more difficult (less room for middle ground)

party competition

battle between Democrats & Republicans for public offices

political party

a team of mean [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election --> STAY IN POWER

components of a political party: 3-headed giant

1. party in the electorate
2. party as an organization
3. party in the government

Party in the electorate

to be a member, you only need to claim to be a member

Party as an organization

a) organizational government machinery when in majority
- national office, full time staff, rules and by-laws, budget, chairperson, delegates to national committee, DC officials
b) loyal opposition when in the minority

- these are the people who keep the party running between elections and make rules

Party in government

all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party
- president, congress, members, governors, etc (don't always have to stay loyal to party ideology and can put personal principle first)
- personify party views

linkage institutions

translate inputs from public (voters/citizens) to outputs from policymakers

How do policymakers decide what issues to focus on?

sift through all the issues, identify most pressing matters, and put them in government agenda

Tasks for Parties to be Effective Linkage Institutions

1. pick candidates
2. run campaigns
3. give cues to voters
4. articulate points
5. coordinate policymaking

Pick candidates

must need a nomination from a respective party to run for any office about local

run campaigns

parties coordinate campaigns for local, state, and national elections

Give cues to voters

association with a party gives voters info and ability to assume a candidate's principles and scope of gov't

Articulate points

each party advocates fro a specific party policy alternatives

Coordinate policymaking

coordinate between executive and legislative branches

rational choice theory

seeks to explain the actions of voters and politicians by assuming that individuals act in their own best interest and carefully weigh the pros and cons of possible alternatives
- by Anthony Downs

what does rational choice theory say in association to parties?

parties adapt to public/constituent ideology/views

what are the two factors of rational choice theory?

1. voters want to maximize the chance that policies they favor will be adopted by gov't
2. to win the wise party selects policies that are widely favorable

How do parties select policies to attract independent voters?

parties must stay near the middle to attract them while differentiating themselves significantly to win loyal support

party image

The voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism, pro life or pro choice, etc

party identification

a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party over another

percentage of voters identifying as independent in 2016

42% and rising

ticket splitting

voting with one party for one office and another party for another office
- independents vote for person not party so they do it the most

structure of an American political party (pyramid)

1. national committee and national convention
2. state party organizations
3. thousands o local party organizations

why is the pyramid political party structure misleading?

head/chairperson of national committee is on top on paper but not in fact

American party is regulated to a ____ role

limited

party machines

a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducement like patronage to win votes and to govern

patronage (SPOILS SYSTEM)

one of the key inducements used by party machines
- a job, promotion, or contract given for political reasons rather than merit/competence

what has replaced inner city machines

count level organizations
- weakened bc progressive reforms attacked urban party orgs

open primaries

when voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to represent/participate in Democratic or Republican contests to select party nominees

closed primaries

only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for the party's. candidates in nominee elections (encourages party loyalty)

national convention

the meeting of party delegates every 4 years to choose a presidential ticket (and VP) and write the party's platform

national committee

one of the institution that keeps the party operating between conventions
- delegates can be committee people, composed of reps from states and territories

national chairperson

person responsible for running the ongoing activities oof the national party organization
biggest challenge = money/budgeting

how is chairperson chosen?

- chairperson of the airy in the White House chosen by Prez
- big contest for out of power party chair

blanket primaries (jungle primaries)

voters are presented with a list of candidates from all parties with no party id
- forces voters to know who the candidates are

coalition

a group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends on
- ex. House of Freedom Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, etc

Caucus

A meeting of members of a political party

parties/politicians generally ___ on the promises of their campaign

act

party eras

historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win the majority of the elections

critical election

An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party
- sometimes marked by national crisis or trauma
- new issues --> dividing electorate --> party system will transform

party realignment

the displacement of the majority party but he minority party, usually during a critical election period

party dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in party by sharking party identification (people moving away from parties)

why are political scientists afraid of party dealignment?

parties are becoming ineffective and useless since regularity with which partisan control of the presidency and congress has been divided

responsible party model

how parties should work according to political scientists
- parties should offer clear choices to the voters and once in office, should carry out their campaign promises

third parties

electoral contenders other than the two major parties

are not unusually but rarely win elections

3 Varies of 3rd Parties

1. parties that produce certain causes or take extreme ideological positions
2. splinter parties or offshoots of major parties
3. parties that merely extend off of a popular individual with presidential aspirations

why are third parties important?

they have brought new groups to electoral and serve as "safety values" for popular discontent

winner-take-all system

an electoral system in which legislation sears are awarded only to the candidate gets the most votes
- no prize for 2nd place type beat
- discourages small parties even in elections with no majority

proportional representation

an electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

coalition government

when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature

benefit of proportional government

enables multiple points/voices to be represented in governing body

benefit of coalition gov't

can develop unique identities to appeal to voters
- compromises must be made after elections, otherwise the coalition is in trouble and may call a new election

what would happen if America were a multi-party government?

would be more moderation in political conflict

4 components of responsible party model

1. parties must present distinct, comprehensive programs for governing the nation
2. each party's candidates must have the commitment, internal cohesion, and disciple to carry out the program
3. majority party must implement its programs and minority must say what they would do in power
4. majority accepts responsibility for gov't performance

what would happen with officeholders under a responsible party model?

would have firm control of government

why can't officeholders be disciplined to ensure cohesive policymaking?

bc there is no mechanism to punish (can't take away staff or support)

why can party legislators vote against party policy?

because they are not forced to support to party policies if it goes against their views (DECENTRALIZED GOVT)