Unit 5.2 Political Participation - Political Parties

Conventions

Political Parties meet to set their platforms & choose their candidates

critical election

An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty.

Dark advertising

Anonymously placed ads that appear in a target audiences social media, sway voters

Democratic National Committee (DNC)

is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day-to-day basis.

Democratic-Republicans

Led by Thomas Jefferson, believed people should have political power, favored strong STATE governments, emphasized agriculture, strict interpretation of the Constitution, pro-French, opposed National Bank

Democratic Party

One of the two major U.S political party;founded in 1828 by Andrew Jackson to support a decentralized government and state's rights

divided government

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

economic protest parties

Parties rooted in poor economic times, lacking a clear ideological base, dissatisfied with current conditions and demanding better times

Grand Old Party (GOP)

Nickname for the Republican Party

hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Hill Committees

The name applied to the four party committees, one for each party in each house, charged with aiding candidates for Congress

ideological parties

Parties based on a particular set of beliefs, a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters

independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

Issue Advertisement

Use of soft money for ads on individual issue with NO mention of the candidate

Jacksonian Democracy

A policy of spreading more political power to more people. It was a "Common Man" theme.

Jeffersonians

favored a weak central government,believed that common men should hold political power, and believed debt should be payed off ASAP

McGovern-Fraser Commission

A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

minor parties

smaller political parties-have little impact on national elections

New Deal Coalition

coalition forged by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930's to the 1960's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.

party chairperson

the chairman of the national committee of the political party who usually acts as the head of the party's permanent organization and has general direction of party strategy especially during election campaigns.

Party Dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

party realignment

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

psychographic segmentation

dividing a market into different segments based on social class, lifestyle, or personality characteristics

Republican National Committee (RNC)

is a U.S. political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy.

Republican Party

1854 - anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats, Free Soilers and reformers from the Northwest met and formed party in order to keep slavery out of the territories

Robocalls

A phone call conducted by an autodialer and using a recorded voice message system.

single-issue parties

Parties that concentrate on only one public policy matter

social media

any tool or service that uses the internet to facilitate conversations

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

splinter parties

parties that have split away from one of the major parties

Super delegates

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

swing states

In a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes.

Super PAC (Political Action Committee)

political-action committee that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, individuals and associations. Some nonprofit groups are allowed to contribute to super PACs without disclosing where their money came from; The most important difference between a super PAC and traditional candidate PAC is in who can contribute, and in how much they can give.

third parties

electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.

two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

Whig Party (1833-1856)

Formed in opposition to the policies of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party.

Leaders:

Henry Clay, Daniel Webster

Major Ideas:

Supported the supremacy of Congress over the presidency and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism.

winner-take-all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins