Government
Chapter 9- Political Parties
What is a political party?
a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a "party identification" which are know to the electorate (those voting to elect officials)
Benefits of Political Parties
help to shape American policy, and help us as citizens to know what to expect
while not every person in a political party believes exactly the same thing, it helps us to know what trends to expect from certain politicians.
Allows voters to have a general sense of who they are voting for even if they have not heard of them.
Political Party Origins
America was not intended to have political parties
George Washington's farewell address warned against "political factions" and said they would divide the country
it was the sounding fathers who essentially started political parties
they can out of the debate of what direction to take the nation
Federalist vs. Antifederalist
Purpose of political parties
never intended to take a hold in our nation and provide any significance, they serve some very important functions
recruit and support candidates
when it comes to functions, this is the first thing any party must do, is to have viable candidates
one then might ask, what makes a good candidate, comes from a few qualities: likeability, reliability, and knowledge of the system
it is the job of the political party leaders, not the politicians but the party leaders, to find these candidates
this happens at both the state and federal levels
nominating candidates
comes in many forms based on the state, but we have discussed two forms already: closed primaries and open primaries
a couple of other forms that are used is called a caucus and the convention, both of which involve less democratic process
a convention is where people gather and determine who will be placed on a ballot based off of nominations
win elections
once we have recruited and nominated candidates, the party then has to help them find a way to win the election
this can come in many different forms
finding the campaign
providing events and exposure
motivate the electorate to get out and vote
the power of these parties and the potency of these functions comes and goes, as all things do in politics.
The emergence of two parties
our first parties were the federalists and the antifederalists
federalists argued there should be more central government
anti-federalists believed more in states rights
turned into democratic and Republican parties
these parties have always been around but their values or views on issues have been changing for centuries
why two parties
it is hard to crack the already established tradition of us having two parties
many other nations have more than two parties, but they also run a parliamentary system
there is nothing in the constitution that states we cant have more than two parties, it is just how we have always had it
there are still plenty of third parties that have had an impact on the outcome of elections
in most us elections, the candidate with the most votes wins the seat- even if they don't get a majority
this discourages small or third parties, because finishing second or third earns no represetation
if a green party candidate gets 10% of votes in a district, they still lost, so voters often choose between the two major parties to avoid "wasting" their vote
the two major parties have institutional advantages: easier ballot access, automatic inclusion in presidential debates, and broad donor networks.
third parties must gather thousands of signatures and often aren't allowed in debates, keeping them out of the public view.
the "wastes vote" belief keeps voters from supporting third parties
the "bandwagon effect" people like to back a winner, not a protest vote
straight ticket voting and party loyalty habits reinforce the same two parties election after election
Winner take all system
the winner take all system is essentially a method of electing officials where it doesn't matter what the other candidate received for votes, you only get into office if you win the election
this style of elections has two major effects
less disagreement with the presidents office
candidates within their respective parties may concede early on to get a position in the presidents office
could lead to a lopsided Congress or presidency
third party impacts
most Americans aren't true democrat or Republican, most fall somewhere inbetwee
third party biggest impact is stealing votes from another party
also might bring attention to issues that are important
how are parties organized
3 levels of every major political party: national, state, local
levels work to gather or overlap on goals from time to tiem
role of national party level that serve two roles: one, to run national campaign for a general election and two, be the face of the party
state and local levels
each state has a party organized for both major political parties in their state, as well as hundred or thousands of different local party organizations
these organizations are much cleaner run now than they used to be
now the political parties at the state and local levels tend to be motivated by particular issues to get them to organize.
partisanship
in America we tend to only talk about two political parties, which is strange considering there is no requirement
Amy studies found that most americans have been or identify an independent for many years at a higher state than that of the two major political parties
still, many people vote democrat or Republican even though they Idnetify as independant
they do this because they don't want to waste their vote or they aren't truly independants but just identify as that because they are moderates but still lean one way.
Chapter 6- civil rights
Civil rights- right to be treated without unreasonable differences, based on a group classification
constitution says voting cannot be restricted on the basis of race, gender, color, or classification
also sets 18 as the voting age for federal elections.
raises potential conflicts between individual rights and group claims
group statues are not mentioned until 15th amendment
comes from civil rights amendment, expanded to local and state governments under 14th amendment
between 1882 and 1946, 4715 Americans were killed for no reason (lynched), most were African Americans.
Who was limiting liberties?
local governments, not national
little movement with capital->taken to courts=slow progress
Plessy v Fergussen
established idea of "separate but equal"
meant as long as public accommodations were equal they could be separated
1/8 black, 7/8 white= black not white
Plessy was 1/8 black and sat on white train car, taken to court and fought that it was unconstitutional
Plessy was working with the train company/this was all a setup because businesses were losing money having to have double accommodations for blacks and whites
Why fight in the court?
you don't need as much public support and public opinion to potentially win the battle.
at this time support was not there in the public, so thus there was not as much support in congress
this case was fought for years, that separate did not mean equal, even in practice.
less likely to have politicians that are in minorities during this time
precedent- former decision, final until overturned by court of equal or higher value
ex. only supreme court can overturn plessy v fergussen because it was a supreme court case
Brown v Board of education
ruled that we cannot segregate based on race
took 60 years for this case to change things
required the use of national guard and federal funding
wasn't on grounds of 14th amendment, rather based on social science studies
education wasn't equal for white and black students, white students were getting better education and facilities
Thurgood Marshall was chief attorney in this case, also appointed as first African American supreme court justice
Reconstruction amendments- 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments
Harlan's Dissent
7-1 decision, Harlan was the 1
Contradicts himself by saying white is the superior race, then says there is no superior in this country in the eye of the law
Says his personal opinion, then says that isn't the point and they need to look at the real legal issue
De jure vs. De facto
De jure-segregation based on the law.
De facto- segregation that occurs naturally, not rooted in law.
de facto is based on decisions people make
Civil disobedience- peacefully ignoring or disobeying the law in order to show displeasure of the statue and will accept the penalty.
utilized by many civil rights activist
Rosa Parks- sat on the bus, accepted her consequences
Henry David Theroux
theorized the concept of civil disobedience
he disagreed with a law of tax, but paid consequences
didn't disagree with taxes, disagreed with what the taxes were for(funding war), refused to pay poll taxes (tax to vote)
gets thrown in jail but doesn't disagree with consequence
said it is the citizens responsibility to tell the government if you do not agree. show displeasure, accept consequences, get attention for your cause.
Civil disobedience
done outside in the civil rights movement and used around the world
utilized to this day
when a group feels marginalized and ignored this may be a path to being heard
Violent acts that also brought attention to this movement
there were some cops who used attack dogs and high pressure fire hoses to deter a peaceful protest
another act was when Klansmen killed three men (2 black and 1 white) and were aided by the local sheriff
these two events were made public aware thanks to the use of the media, shifting focus
Women's and equal rights
this was not arguing against legal tradition, they were fighting against a cultural tradition
they wanted to have expanded rights in the sense that they thought the law was trying to protect them too much
eventually the court saw it that was and eventually ensured the same rights that were given to med, were now given to women too
this movement started in Seneca Falls
Right to privacy
this deals mostly with peoples right to do whatever they want in their own homes
this came into play in the landmark case Roe v Wade
this case dealed with abortion rights and the court ruled that the right to ones privacy allows one to terminate a pregnancy at any point in time
the ruling did not decide when life began
Equality of opportunity
there is a belief that you cannot try and help a group of people recover from discrimination so much that it promotes them over a different group
this is known as reverse discrimination
this means that utilizing numerical targets is unconstitutional
this is very complex issue: balancing the past wrongs and current unfair starting point vs reverse discrimination
Equality of results
this is the idea that everyone must be brought up to the same starting point in the race of life
this is where affirmative action comes into play
the use of laws and regulations that require businesses or schools to take positive steps to increase the number of African americans and other minorities and women in its membership
it is not enough to have the opportunity, they need to have resources to help them utilize those opportunities
Affirmative action
this is seem in many settings, the most obvious the realm of colleges and universities and the NFL
in colleges, some schools have a "quota" if you will ensure that a certain number of students come from minority groups
in the NFL we have the Rooney Rule
Timeline
1961- JFK's executive order 10925
affirmative action introduced- schools must ensure fair treatment regardless of race
1978- UC v. Bakke
race can be one factor in admissions, but quotas are banned
2003- Grutter v. Bollinger
upheld using race as part of a holistic admissions process to promote diversity
2023- SFFA v. Harvard & UNC
supreme court ended race concious admissions, overturning decades of precedent
Gay rights
this was at first a states rights issue
eventually the court got involved and there was an intersection of rights involving laws of different states, otherwise known as conflicting laws
this is an example of how laws and court rulings shift over time, with societal views and norms
Chapter 7- Public Opinion
Why does a public opinion matter in a democracy?
leaders want to know what their bosses think, either for guidance or warning
Taken more seriously today, why?
because it tells politicians what their people want
Where do we get public opinion?
this is done through polling
it is through this that we see what the public generally believes
this shifts from time to time and is based on certain factors
Who influences our public opinion?
Family- you are around them the most, they have a great influence over you
Your family sees you the most during your "impressionable years"
Typically 9/10 kids will align with their parents political beliefs
Political Socialization- the idea that political ideals are influenced by family
Demographics- ones identifying traits: gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class
Gender-males and females tend to have different views on certain political ideas, initially thought to be because of the debate of abortion: women=pro choice men=pro life
Race and Ethnicity- White people are more likely to vote republican, Colored people are more likely to vote democratic. People of minorities are more likely to vote for those that support them (usually democratic)
Religion- Most people classify themselves as religious in some way. More religious= usually votes republican. Most religious people say abortion should be banned. Conservative religions vote more Republican (Lutheranism, Catholicism, Protestant)
Social Class- There are 3 classes in the US: Upper, middle, and lower. The lower class usually supports democratic. Upper class usually votes republican. People vote for who is going to benefit them more economically.
Age- younger voters are more likely to support democrats than older voters are
Education- higher educated= more likely to vote, college does not really influence political views, just depends on which school it is. Big city schools= more democrats smaller schools= more republicans
Single issue voters- people who chose their political party based on one issue. ex. abortion, taxes
Political Partisanship
some people who don't know how to vote rely on the party affiliation to vote
political party affiliation tends to point to a wide variety of trends and how someone will vote
most people don't base their beliefs on their party, but their party on their beliefs
most Americans don't follow true democrat or true republican beliefs. they are less polarized than that but rely on those figure heads that are polarized.
most Americans aren't truly left or right, but they depend the politicians who are strongly left or right to lead them
the elites are further left or right than you are
we typically associate ourselves with those whose beliefs align the most with ours
Negative Partisanship
vote based on disagreeing with the other political party
ex. hate the Republican party so they vote democratic
Public Opinion
the public opinion is one of the driving forces behind legislative policy writing
the representatives and senators will do what they think their people want
if a handful of Minnesotans in our congressional district decide that it is time for us to ban the use of spoons in schools, then there might be legislation written to reflect that
it is not always public opinion that drives what is discussed or enacted in Congress but it certainly has an influence
the public's opinion influenced who stays in their elected position
our public opinion is often influenced by factors outside of politics: information provided to us, available technology, and the political atmosphere
can be retroactive (take effect, have influence) or proactive (act in anticipation of future problems)
Chapter 8- Political Participation
Voter participation
voter turnout percentage changes depending on how you measure data
There are 3 ways to do this
Voting age participation
voting eligible participation
registered voter participation
Voting age participation
with this way of measuring data we go by anyone that is over the age of 18 and resides in the United States
If we go by this data, our participation in the past few elections hovers around 50-60 percent
Voting eligible particiaption
This data goes by anyone that is over the age of 18, and is eligible to vote
This data excludes some key people that would otherwise skew this data, those who are non-residents and those who have been convicted felons
By this data, we hover between 55-65 percent, and this gap has grown over the years.
Disenfranchisement- the inability to vote
Registered Voter Participation
This only counts the participation of those who were previously or have been registered
This would in turn exclude those that are not registered, and essentially outs those that aren't interested or can't vote.
By this number, we are regularly over the 65% mark
Registered to vote
How does one register to vote and why is everyone not registered?
It is as much your right to register to vote, as it is to not register or vote at all.
With that being said, most democracies around the world require registration, much like we do for the selective service.
How do we get better registration?
You can register in multiple places: online, at the DMV, at court offices, at polling locations in some states
The ability to register at the DMV is new, passed by Congress to encourage those to do it when they get or renew their licenses which has a broad reach
Otherwise, there are a lot of Get out the vote campaigns that help mobilize voters
On campus programs have done great advocating youth to vote
Successful Campaigns
Campaigns when run properly can help get better voter turnout
People who are invested in a campaign or a movement, whey are more likely to vote
Obama was able to do this in his first election, getting more people to vote
Trump did this through social media as well which has changed the game of politics in and of itself
How has voting been expanded
There have been, essentially four major points of voting rights changing
in the early 1800s with the help of Andrew Jackson, voting was expanded to all white males, not just those with property
it was given to all males regardless of race or ethnicity (15 amendment)
it was given to all women in early 1900 (19 amendment)
it was given to all over the age of 18 (26 amendment)
How voting has been restricted in the past
The obvious way is to just not allow people to vote, through the constitution
Other ways is through
Literacy tests- have to prove they can read
Poll tax- must pay a tax to vote
grandfather clause- only someone who had an ancestor that voted can vote
Another way people are restricted is if they are not citizens or they have been convicted of a felony
When will the youth vote
statistically youth are the most underrepresented voters
group of voters
it has been thought that at every election the youth will get out there and vote and they never do
many other nations tend to have higher voter turnout
maybe it is lack of difference in the parties
maybe it is because the government is doing a good job
Should we have voter ID laws
voter ID laws require people to have a photo ID in order to be able to vote
they argue that this will eliminate any voter fraud occurring
those against it argue that it discriminates against those that can't get a ID and that voter fraud isn't prevalent enough to warrant such a restriction
Australian ballot
it was previously believed that the data being collected before the 1900s could have been skewed due to lack of consistency
voters couldn't be stopped from voting twice, or the way votes were collected wasn't regulated
Australian ballot changed this, it was uniform across voting areas and was a secret ballot. also was government run ballots, and not done by political parties
with this shift it is possible that turnout didn't change, but the amount of voter fraud has