Political Parties Exam 1

intermediaries

groups that link citizens and the decision-makers in government

European political parties put more emphasis on keeping their elected officials faithful to the party’s program. In contrast, the US major parties….

concentrate on election activities

Recent congresses have been among the ______ in American history

most polarized

George Washington felt that parties would…

encourage people to oursure their narrow self-interest at other people’s expenset

three parts of parties

party organization, members of the public who identify within a party, party leaders in government

Republicans are usually linked with….

business

Democrats are usually linked with…

labor and the disadvantaged

what do parties and other political groups have in common

they all try to educate citizens

who was the leader of the Federalists

Alexander Hamilton

In the early years of the US, the _____ party favored a central banking system and high tariffs on imported goods

Federalist

Nearly all national politicians had aligned themselves with an early political party by…

the mid 1790s

who were the party of farming interests, less privileged, and those on the frontier

Democratic-Republicans

why did American politics change in the 1820s

most states had eliminated the requirement that only landowners could vote

what party had roots in the old Dem-Rep party but in a faction that opposed the Jacksonians

Whig Party

what did the electoral college require

each state to choose a number of presidential voters (electors)

what partied primarily welcomed the many immigrants who came to the US before the Civil War

Democratic Party

in the late 1800s, what was/were similar to a social service organization that helped new immigrants to the US w/ food and funds

urban party machines

the Progressive reforms…

tried to take power away from the great urban party machines

party machines

type of political organization developed in the cities

in the 2020s, Republican core beliefs included

tax cuts

American political parties are affected by

political institutions (ex. federalism), adoption of the secret ballot, economic trends in the nation (ex income inequality)

party faction

political party that shares a distinct goal, ex: Freedom Caucus

what is true about party systems?

some democratic nations have had extensive periods of one-party rule

in a _____, when one single party fails to win a majority of the votes, then two or more parties come together in a coalition in order to govern

multi-party system

most party systems in the US are

dominated by one party or the other

what is a major change in state party competition since the mid-1900s

the Republican Party now dominates most southern states

since 1964, the average success rate for incumbents seeking reelection to the US house was what percent?

over 90

what are some advantages that incumbents have in congressional elections

name recognition, media coverage, fund-raising

what is true about swing districts in the US congress

they have become much less common during the past 25 years

when the number of swing districts declines, the result has been to eliminate most of the…

moderate members of Congress

Duverger’s law / the two party system

plurality elections in single-member districts tend to produce two-party systems

minor parties tend to be weaker in a system with _____ because they don’t have a realistic chance of winning the presidency

a single executive

the less diverse its people are the more likely the district is to…

be dominated by one party

where are nonpartisan elections

most American cities and towns

the strongest vote getter of any minor party in the past quarter century has been the ____ party

Libertarian

which minor party claims credit for public policies such as minimum wage

socialist party

who was the only minor party candidate since 1975 to receive almost 20% of the popular vote for president

Ross Perot

how do independent candidates get on the ballot

they have to get a log of signatures on petitions

since 1952, approximately how many members of Congress have been elected on a minor party ticket?

fewer than 5

minor party presidential candidates can receive public funding for their campaigns if they receive at least what percent of the popular vote

5

one result of single-party control of a state government is that…

the dominant party can make major changes in state policy without needing to compromise with the other party

what tends to lead to a two-party system

state ballot access laws make it easier for the two major parties to get ballot access

cadre party

organization run by a few leaders and activists with little or no broad public participation

mass membership party

highly participatory organization in which all three parts of the party are closely linked

the major American parties, in important ways, are….

cadre parties

main unit of local party organization in most states

county

party organizational strength is indicated by…

larger budgets and more full-time staff members

at the state level, the party organization is most often called….

the state central committee

what do local party committees focus on

get-out-the-vote and voter registration activities

how is the relationship between national, state, and local party organizations described as

stratarchy

when did the high point of local party organizational strength occur

late 1800s and early 1900s

patronage

jobs awarded on the basis of party loyalty rather than qualifications

the party machine was a method by which ethnic groups, especially _____, gained a foothold in American politics

the Irish

local party organizations today are…

stronger than they were in the mid-1900s

what ways are local parties currently expanding their efforts

recruiting candidates, using social media, absentee and early voting

until recently, state party organizations were…

weaker than the local party organizations

due to progressive reforms in the early 1900s, what limited the influence of state parties on campaigns for state offices

direct primary

what impact did reforms introduced by the national Democratic Party in the late 1960s have

reduced state party leadership’s role in selecting a presidential candidate

what is true of state party organizations?

republican state parties tend to be stronger than democratic state parties

a particularly dramatic recent change in the state party organizations is

growth of stronger state Republican parties in the southern states

what are some activities done by local party organizations

encouraging party voters to get to the polls, canvassing, registering new voters

what is true about local party organizations

they often have trouble recruiting enough people to fill precint committee leadership positions

what is each major party’s supreme national authority

national convention

between conventions, what are the two parties’ main governing bodies

national party committees

who chooses the chair of the party that holds the presidency

incumbent president

during the past half-century, what is true about the relationship between the president and the national committee of the president’s party

national committee frequently dominated by president

the parties’ Congressional Campaign (“Hill”) Committees…

can spend independently in congressional campaigns

service party

party organization that supports campaigns w/ money and other resources as opposed to running campaigns itself

where was the idea of service parties first developed

in the Republican party

what did the 2002 Campaign finance reform do

barred national committees from collecting soft money after the 2002 elections

by the 2020s, the biggest portion of party fundraising came from individuals, but where did the increasing proportion of the national parties’ committees’ money come from

members of congress

winning candidates are typically told by their party’s Hill Committee to spend several hours each day

on the phone raising money for their next campaign

the two national parties’ committees have created databases to…

identify the voters most likely to support their party’s candidates

great majority of party funds in recent House and Senate races are now spent in the form of…

independent expenditures

independent spending is supposed to be…

money spent by party organizations independently of the candidate theyre trying to help

what types of congressional campaigns do party committees target their spending

most competitive races

one of the areas of greatest conflict between the national parties and their state and local brethren centers on national party involvement in….

primaries

in recent decades, the national party organizations have

greatly increased their funding and other resources

the 50 state strategy involved…

the DNC paying field organizers in every state

in a state primary election, the party’s national committee…

sometime favors a candidate different from the state party’s favorite, which can cause conflict

party activists tend to be more _____ in their views on issues than most voters in their party

consistent

material incentives

tangible rewards for activity in a group

solidary incentives

intangible benefits that people can gain by associating with others and being a part of a group

purposive incentives

sense of satisfaction when promoting an issue or cause that matters to them

most government workers are now hired under…

civil service rules

why is it that leaders of the construction industry are so active politically in states and cities that spend millions yearly on roads and public buildings

they can get favoritism in government contracts

someone dedicated to abortion rights who works for a pro-choice candidate is a good example of what incentive

purposive

party organizations are likely to

accept help from whatever volunteers are available

party activists two types

pragmatists and purists

pragmatists

prioritizes practical results, winning elections, and passing achievable policies

purists

prioritizes strict ideological purity and specific policy goals

compared with current local party activists, the activists in the old urban party machines in the 1800s and early 1900s were…

more typical of the urban population in education levels and income

who do the must successful appeals to take part in campaign work come from

friends or acquaintances of the individual

one of the most distinctive characteristics of American party activists is that compared with the average voter…

they tend to be of higher income and have more formal education

democratic activists are more likely than republican activists to be…

female, black, or a union member

in recent years, Republican party activists have been…

further to the right than Democratic activists are to the left

most people who work on behalf of the US parties are

volunteer activists

chair of the RNC

Joe Gruters

chair of the DNC

Ken Martin

chair of the DCCC

Suzan DelBene