Comprehensive Study Guide for Political Participation and Political Parties
Definition and Components of Political Parties
Definition of a Political Party: A political party is characterized as a team of individuals (men and women) seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office through duly constituted elections.
Objective: The primary goal is to put candidates up for office with the expectation that winning will allow the party to impact the government and the policy-making process.
The Three Parts of a Party: - Party in the Electorate: Refers to the party as it exists among the voters and those who identify with it. - Party as an Organization: Refers to the internal structure that forms to operate the party and build unity among its members. - Party in the Government: Refers to the organization of individuals from the same party who hold public office and participate directly in governace.
Tasks and Functions of Political Parties
Selecting Candidates: Parties identify and nominate individuals to run for public office at every level, ranging from local county commission races to the presidency.
Running Campaigns: Parties provide critical infrastructure for candidates, including professional staff, volunteers, financial assistance, and technical expertise.
Giving Cues to Voters: Parties serve as an educational tool for the electorate, informing them on how to vote and which issues to support or oppose.
Articulating Policies: Parties define and provide guidance on specific public policies, seeking to garner public support for these positions.
Coordinating Policymaking: Once candidates are elected, the party helps coordinate the positions of these officials on various issues to ensure a unified impact on policy.
Models of Political Ideology and Voter Behavior
Nolan Chart: A model used to divide political views into two distinct vectors: Personal Freedom and Economic Freedom.
Dominant Ideology Model: This model suggests voters are persuaded by dominant groups (governments, political parties, business interests) to accept ideologies sympathetic to those groups. It includes four categories: - Liberal - Communitarian - Libertarian - Conservative
Models of Voter Behavior: - Rational Choice: Voting based on a citizen's perceived self-interest; acting on what is best for oneself. - Retrospective Voting: Deciding if a party in power should be reelected based on the recent past. For example, during Donald Trump's presidency, asking voters: "Are you better off today than you were years ago?" - Prospective Voting: Voting based on predictions of how a candidate or party will perform in the future. For example, Joe Biden's campaign strategy of asking voters to look ahead at their prospects if he were elected instead of reelecting Trump. - Party Line Voting (Straight Ticket): Voting for one political party for all offices on a ballot. While ballots often have a single button for this, the majority of the public currently does not use this method.
The National Party Machinery and Organizational Structure
Party Identification: A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party. Membership is psychological. Although more Americans self-identify as Republicans than Democrats, the vast majority of Americans identify as Independents.
Hierarchy of Organizations: - National Level: The National Party. - State Level: All states have separate Democrat and Republican party organizations. - Local Level: Most counties have their own party organizations. For example, in Michigan there are counties, each with a Democrat and Republican party. Nationwide, there are estimated to be between and local party organizations.
The National Convention: Meets every years. Its tasks include: - Writing the National Party Platform (a document detailing issue positions on topics such as climate change, economy, and foreign relations). - Formally nominating and selecting the candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency.
The National Committee: Operates between conventions and is led by a National Chairperson. - Tom Perez: Chairperson for the Democrats (at the time of the lecture). - Ronna Romney McDaniel: Chairperson for the Republicans (at the time of the lecture).
The Internal Party Dynamics: A unique year where both national parties worked against specific candidates within their own ranks. The Republican party held meetings and ran commercials to defeat Donald Trump, while leaked emails confirmed the Democratic National Party supported Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.
The Nomination Process: Caucuses vs. Primaries
Caucus: A meeting of local party members to register preferences. - Example (Iowa Caucus): Held in large spaces like high school gymnasiums. Representatives give a to minute speech for their candidate. Voters literally "vote with their feet" by walking to a designated corner of the gym to be counted.
Primary: A more traditional approach where voters cast a secret ballot. - Open Primary: Any registered voter can vote in either party's primary (e.g., Michigan's system). - Crossover Voting: A strategy where members of one party vote in the other party's primary to try to eliminate the strongest candidate. This strategy usually fails. - Closed Primary: Only voters registered with a specific party can vote in that party's primary (e.g., Indiana's system). - Blanket Primary: Voters receive a list of all candidates and can vote for one name per office regardless of party affiliation.
Electoral Systems and Party Impact
Multiparty Systems: Common in other countries where , , or parties exist. - Requires the formation of a Coalition where parties agree to work together. - Pros: Increased choice and broader representation. - Cons: Instability; can lead to "no confidence" votes and frequent turnover in leadership.
Primary and Electoral College Allocation: - Winner-Take-All: The candidate who wins the majority or plurality (even by a single vote) receives all the electors/delegates. - Florida Example: Florida has electors toward the needed for the presidency. If Joe Biden wins by one vote, he gets all . This was a major controversy in the George Bush election. - Republican Primary Example: In , Trump won approximately of the vote in some contests but received all the electors because it was a winner-take-all state. - Proportional System: Electors/delegates are awarded in proportion to the percentage of the vote received. - Kansas Caucus 2016 Example: Bernie Sanders received of the popular vote and thus earned of the electors; Hillary Clinton received about one-third of the vote and one-third of the electors.
Minor (Third) Parties: - Types: Ideological, Single Issue, Economic Protest, and Splinter parties. - Impacts: - Issue Co-opting: Major parties often "steal" third-party issues. For example, Hillary Clinton adopted Bernie Sanders' platform of free college; the GOP adopted Ross Perot's focus on national debt in the s. - Spoiler Effect: Third parties can "siphon off" votes from major candidates. A shift of only or is often enough to tip an election to the opposite party.
Responsibility and Challenges within the Party System
Responsible Party Government Model: Parties should have distinct programs, candidates should be committed to those programs, and the majority party must carry out the program and accept responsibility for the outcome.
Challenges to Party Leadership: - Reelection Priority: The number one goal of politicians is to get elected, and then reelected. Officeholders will often break with party leadership if supporting the party line risks their reelection (e.g., following personal polling over party orders). - Personal Beliefs: Officials may vote against their party based on deep personal convictions. Examples include Pro-Choice Republicans or Pro-Life Democrats.
Scope of Government: Lack of uniformity often keeps government small but makes cutting existing programs difficult. Once a program is established, pushback from those who benefit from it makes it nearly impossible to eliminate.
The Future of Parties: While parties are no longer the exclusive source of information for voters (due to social media), state and national organizations are growing stronger. Even though voters identify with parties, they frequently engage in split-ticket voting rather than voting straight ticket.