PLSC - American National Government Final

Joshua Thorp PLSC 10003

Affective Polarization 

Emotional or attitudinal feelings toward members of the opposing political party while feeling more positive toward their own parties

Why do we have political parties

More people turn out to vote, have better electoral choices, and are more able to hold politicians accountable

What are political parties

Coalitions of people seeking to win control of government with teh goal of shaping politics and policy

Why do parties want to win elections 

They want to control government 

Who is in the tent (political parties)

The media, interest groups, donors and super PACs, think tanks, adn voters 

what are big tents 

internal division/disagreements because factions emerge within parties

When did the early party system emerge (1790-1860s)

After the ratification of the constitution

Who are the Whigs

Anti-Andrew Jackson; a split from the Democratic Party

What happened in the 1964 presidential election

Conservative senator Gerry Goldwater (Arizona) was the Republican nominee ran on a states’ rights platform. Opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and what we saw as the unwarranted expansion of executive power 

Appealed to Deep South who had been engaged in protracted reistance to desegregation efforts 

Anti government conservative very little evidence that he was racist

Three Aspects of political parties

party as organizations, party in gov, and party in the electorate 

party as organizations

party leaders, staff, affiliated institutions and members that regulated and coordinate party activities and events

Key actors in determining which candidates make it only to the ballot on Election Day

party organizations 

party in government 

Describes the role of parties in shaping the behavior of incumbent adn aspiring politicans

party in the electorate 

ordinary citizens’ behavioral support for a given political party nad its activities, as well as psychological identification with parties 

Partisan ship doesn’t not mean party membership which involves formal process of registration 

nomination by convention (historically prominent)

conventions are meetings of party delegates who meet to vote on nominees 

Types of nominating by convention

nomination by convention, by primary, and by caucus

nomination by primary (dominant method)

open primary: anyone can declare a party affiliation and vote for a given nominee

Closed primary: others need to register their party affiliation by a set time before the primary 

nomination by caucus

Some states select delegates using caucuses. 

Local caucuses select delegates to state caucuses who select delegates to the national candidates to the national convention 

why two parties

Electoral systems (winner-takes-all) disincentives voting for minor parties adn electoral rules keep 3rd part challengers out 

Duverger’s law

In single-member district, plurality voting systems individuals are incentivized to vote for major party candidates to not “waste” their vote 

downside of Duverger’s law

High stake elections, discourages honest voting, reduces choices and minority representation 

Cartel model

Majority parties cooperate on campaign finance laws, ballot access rules, media regulations to maintain there dominant positions 

Compulsory preferential voting

means your vote always has some electoral impact, even if your first choice is the lease possible 

Reduces teh need for get-out-the-vote initiatives or riling up the base 

Encourages compromise and pushing parties toward teh center 

median voter 

encourages compromise and pushing parties toward the center

Median voter theorem 

to win elections teh party’s need to be able to appeal to the median voter 

Partisan identification

source of social meaning from individuals making it difficult to defect from one’s partisan tribe 

interest groups

an organized group of people or institution that uses various forms of advocacy to influence public policy 

Factionalism

organized interests get disproportionate attention, enabling them to secure policy outcomes with one another, resulting in more representative outcomes

critiques fo teh pluralist ideal

pluralism is undermined by free-riding and class/wealth inequality leads to disproportionate influences at the top

Free riders

benefir from teh work of others without participating themselves 

who’s interests are represented

Executive and professional are disproportionately represented by various interests groups 

Civic voluntarism

voluntary participation in civic organizations

political socialization

provided opportunities develop civic skills and reinforced ideals of good citizenship

Lobbying 

attempt by a group to influence the policy-making process the strategic sharing of information and building relationship with policy-makers

Inside lobbying

influencing policy directly through policy makers

Meeting with legislators, providing funding through PACs, developing information ties with staff to build informal influence

outside lobbying

mobilizing public opinion, the media, policy constitutenys to exter pressure of policymakers

iron triangles

policy making equilibrium in which three key policy actors mutually benefit

What are three policy actors for iron triangles

congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest gorups

Role of interest groups in iron triangles

Drum up support from politicians that act in their favor 

Satisfies Re-election incentives of politicians

role of congressional committees in iron triangles

fund bureaucratic agencies, determine level of oversight, and prove favorable legislation to interest groups