Political Parties and Partisan Divides Summary

Overview of Partisan Divides
  • Post-election conciliatory tones observed.
  • Obama emphasized unity post-election meeting with Trump.
Political Parties
  • Definition: Organized groups (voters, candidates, activists) seeking to gain power via elections.
  • Partisan polarization has historically led to closely divided electorates.
Learning Objectives
  • 11.1 Evolution of political parties.
  • 11.2 Structure at national, state, local levels.
  • 11.3 Functions of political parties.
  • 11.4 Factors influencing party identification.
  • 11.5 Role of minor parties in elections.
  • 11.6 Persistence of the two-party system.
Political Party Functions
  • Key Roles:
    • Organize elections and candidate nominations.
    • Mobilize voters.
    • Facilitate governance and policy formulation.
Evolution of Political Parties
  • Emerged from federalist debates (late 1700s).
  • Historic parties:
    • Federalist Party: Strong central government.
    • Democratic-Republicans: Strong state authority, opposition to Federalists.
    • Rise of Jacksonian Democracy and the Whig Party.
    • Formation of the Republican Party due to anti-slavery sentiments (1854).
Political Polarization and Consequences
  • Increasing division and conflict between Democrats and Republicans.
  • Elite and mass polarization: divergence among the engaged public and politicians.
  • Impact on governance—polarization leads to reduced legislative productivity.
Minor Parties
  • Play crucial role by introducing new ideas and representing neglected issues.
  • Often face challenges due to major parties absorbing their platforms and the winner-take-all electoral system.
Party Organization
  • National Level: Structured with a national committee and chairperson overseeing activities.
  • State/Local Level: Central committees conduct grassroots activities and mobilize voters.
Factors Shaping Party Identification
  • Influential factors: political socialization, demographics (age, race, income, religion).
  • Growing trend towards independents (e.g., 31% identified as such in 2016).
The Two-Party System and Its Persistence
  • Reasons for persistence: electoral systems favoring two parties, co-opting of minor party ideas by major parties, and structural challenges for minor parties.
  • Perception of polarization reinforced by media and public discourse.