Political Party Notes - 3.2

Functions of Political Parties

What do they do?

• Functions of political parties:
  • recruit and label candidates
  • influence voters
  • gather funds
  • oppose other parties and their candidates
  • get elected

What is the most important thing that political parties want?: to get elected.

Party Systems:

• One party system: only one party exists, non-voluntary, only represents some, usually linked to a dictator.

  • California has a One party system.

• Two party system: several parties but only two dominate. Most citizens agree on basic principles, single member districts.

• Multi party system: multiple parties competing for power (around 4-20 parties based on: region, ideology, or class position.) Proportional system w/ (voters) more meaningful choices.

  • the Multi party system is more similar to the Two party system.
  • in the Multi party system, it’s difficult for one party to gain all of the control.
  • the Multi party system allows voters a choice of candidates that better reflect their views.

Which party system does the United States have?: Two party system.

Party Identification and Membership

What demographic factors determine political party membership?

• ideology
• religion
• education
• marital status
• income
• occupation
• race / ethnicity
• family tradition
• gender

Liberal are more likely to be a democrat; Conservatives to be more republican.

Two Party System History

• Rise of Political Parties (1789-1800): Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist (supportist of the constitution) and Thomas Jefferson’s Anti-Federalist later Democrat-Republicans (advocates for state rights).

  • What are the first two political parties in American history?: Federalist and Anti-Federalist.
  • Democrat-Republic: those who support a more democratic republic (describes the government and not the party).

• Democratic Domination (1800 - 1860): Democrat-Republicans dominate until they split Andrew Jackson; creates Jacksonian Democrats (Democrats). Became known as the party of the common man and they expanded suffrage in America.

• Republican Domination (1660 - 1932): Began as a third party, appealed to commercial and anti-slavery groups. Abraham Lincoln and first president called Grand Old Party (GOP).

  • ^^Abraham Lincoln is the first Republican president.^^
  • Republicans were more liberal; democrats were more conservative during 1660-1932.
  • Which two presidents bookend the 1860-1932 Republican domination of the presidency? Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• Return of the Democrats (1932 - 1968): Depression brings end of Democrats, FDR unites black, city dwellers, blue-collars, Catholics, Jews, and women to create New Deal Coalition. Elected 4 times.

• Divided Government: One party controls White House and other party controls Congress. This causes gridlock.

  • you need both parties to work together in order to pass bills.

Which of the third parties is based on a particular belief system? Ideological.

Political parties that separate from larger ones often because of a strong personality that leads it is known as: Splinter/Fractional.

Political parties that are based on a particular set of beliefs are known as: ideological parties.

Which former president is credited with "starting" the Democratic party we know today? Andrew Jackson.

Party Voting

Electoral Dealignment: when a significant number of voters no longer support a particular political party.

Electoral Realignment: When new voting patterns have shifted and new coalitions of party supporters have formed.

• Electoral Realignment was present during FDR’s election.

Third or Minor Parties:

• There were many parties created before the Democrats and the Republicans, until it branches and reunites into a singular individual, like a president.
  • (example: Teddy Roosevelt - Bull Moose Party.)

Parties can be:

• Ideological: based on a particular set of social, political, or economic beliefs (communist, socialist, libertarian).

• Splinter/Fractional: Parties that have split from larger parties. An Individual (with strong personality) did not win a nomination. (like Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party.)

• Single Issue: parties that concentrate on a single public policy matter (free soil, right to life, prohibition).

• Protest: usually rooted in periods of economic discontent; may be selectional in nature (Greenback and Populist Party).

Democrats

• Democrat symbol is a donkey.
• Democrats stands for: environmental issues, civil liberties, women’s issues. and tend to be more liberal ideologically.

(Democrat) History: Begins from Thomas Jefferson in 1800s > Became Democrats with Andrew Jackson in the 1820s.

• Democrats are supported by:

  • African Americans
  • Pacifists
  • Environmentalists
  • Feminists
  • Latinos
  • Members of Organized Labor

• Democratic News outlets:

  • New York Times
  • The Nation
  • New Republic
  • MSNBC
  • Air America Radio

Republicans

• Republican symbol is an elephant.

History: Started in the 1850s as centrist and liberal reformers > came from Whigs and left the moderate Democrats.

• Dominated the government from 1860-1932.

• Republicans are also called the Grand Old Party (GOP).

• Republicans stands for: economic freedoms, social conservatives, against taxes, strong military support from the south, agricultural regions and mountain states.

Who was the first Republican president?: Abraham Lincoln.

• (Republicans) Supported by:

  • Neo-conservatives
  • business interests
  • Wall Street and financial interests
  • supply-side conservatives
  • religious conservatives
  • southern conservatives
  • mountain states conservatives (libertarians)

• (Republican) News Outlets:

  • Washington Times
  • National Review
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Fox News
  • Rush Limbaugh

Future of Political Parties:

• Although a lot of red may appear on a map; those maps are rural areas. There are more democrats that we think we are, population wise. \n

Who votes for who?

• Northeast states - Democrats
• Southern states - Republican
• Midwest states - Split
• Great Plains states - Republican
• Mountain states - Republican
• West Coast - Democrat
• Men - Republican
• Women - Democrat
• European Ancestry - Republican
• African Ancestry - Democrat
• Hispanic Ancestry - Democrat
• Protestant - In the North (Democrat); in the South (Republican)
• Roman Catholic - North is Democrat and South is Republican
• Jewish - Democrat
• Non-Religious - Democrat
• Wealthy - Republican
• Middle Class - Split
• Urban centers - Democrat
• Suburbs - Republican
• Rural - Republican

Which political party tends to be in urban areas?: Democrat.

• Third-party challenges: they continue to take votes, making it more difficult for major candidates to get a majority vote.

  • more run-offs can take place.

• Loss of support by party loyalist: increase in independent voters.

• Increase in split-ticket voting: many voters vote for candidates from more than one party.

• Lack of perceived difference: voters often believe there are no major differences between the parties or candidates.

• Party reforms: changes within the party to create more freedom has also created more conflict.

  • becomes more liberal.

• Methods of campaigning: new technologies have allowed candidates to become more independent of parties.

What is one way political parties are changing?: Using different methods of campaigning like social media.

Which political party begin as the Anti-Federalist?: Democrats.

Which political party has interest in business owners and the banking and financial world?: Republicans.

Catholics and Protestant religions are politically split between the parties based on what?: North versus South.

When a new voting pattern begins where voters shift their beliefs under a new party, this is known as Electoral: Realignment.

All of the following are considered future changes for political parties and how voters respond to political parties EXCEPT: changing the political parties mascots.

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