PS 101 1st Edition Lecture 12Outline of Last Lecture I. Getting the NewsII. The Hard News/Soft News DebateIII. Effects of Media Exposure -Direct-IndirectIV. History of Media Effects Research-Agenda-setting-Priming-FramingOutline of Current Lecture I. What are Parties?-Functions of partiesII. Origins of the Modern PartyIII. History of American Parties-Party systemsIV. Ways of Thinking About Parties-In the electorate-As an organization-In governmentV. Why Do We Have A Two Party System?Current Lecture: Political PartiesI. What are Parties?A. Political organizations that sponsor candidates for office under their namesB. Label signifies something to the electorate 1. A party “brand name”C. Differ from other political groups (e.g., interest groups) because their key activity is selecting candidates for public office D. Four Functions of Parties1. They nominate candidates2. They structure the vote choice in elections These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.3. They propose alternative government programs4.They coordinate the actions of government officials II. Origins of the Modern PartyA. How was politics structured before parties?1. More informally; by communities, leadersB. What did the founders think about parties?1. Framers were concerned about parties— saw it as evilC. How did the arrival of modern elections change this? 1. A lot of people voting, so needed a way to inform people about the candidates running/policiesD. Where and when were the first parties “born”?1. In the United States in the 1800sIII. History of American PartiesA. Pre-party period1. Founding through Washington’s first termB. Parties developed quickly!1. Philosophical divisions between Federalists and Antifederal-ists (later represented by Democratic Republicans) turned out to be lastingC. Arrival of first party system1. A period in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them remain relatively stableD. Party Systems1. Change over time (Federalists, Whigs, etc.)2. Democrat and Republican names stay the same, but what they stand for changeE. Entrenchment of Parties1. Parties strengthened in the second party system under An-drew Jackson and the Democratic party2. Spoils system a. Rewarding party supporters with benefits like federal government positions3. Party principle a. Idea that a political party exists as an organization dis-tinct from its elected officialsi. Party is not synonymous with the people leading the party—it is lastingF. Realignments1. Mark switch from one party system to the next 2. Results from change in size or composition of party coalitions or the nature of the issues that divide the partiesa. Cross-cutting disagreements 3. Often happen quickly (within an election cycle or two)a. Can sweep one party in and another one out 4. When was the last realignment?a. No major shift in recent years; mostly split fairly even Democrat/RepublicanIV. Ways of Thinking About PartiesA. Party in the electorate1. How do people develop their party affiliations?2. Levels of affiliationa. Identifiers- Think about themselves as being a part of one party or anotherb. Supporters- Usually voters and activec. Activists- Go door to door to campaign for candidates and donate money 3. What is required to “join” a party?a. In the United States?i. Just decide and state which party you are a part ofb. In most other countries?i. Have to fill out an application, pay dues, etc.B. Party as organization 1. National Committeea. Principal body in each party; consists of representativesfrom state party organizations2. State and local party organizations a. Run parties’ day-to-day operationsb. Recruit candidates and supportersc. Raise money for campaignsd. Build consensus around issues3. Other affiliated groupsa. The Democratic National Committeeb. Republican National Committeec. How powerful are the leaders of the national committees? i. They are powerful within their parties, but they aren’t household namesC. Party in government1. Elected officials holding national, state, and local offices2. The public face of the party, largely independent of the party organization 3. Democrats and Republicans in Congress meet in caucus (Democrats) and conference (Republicans)a. Forum for debate and strategizing Party CoalitionsTrends in Party IdentificationPolarization in CongressD. So, Do Copartisans Always Agree?1. No, there are splits because of varied ideologies within factions of the party2. “Blue dogs” vs other coalitions 3. Needs of the House and the needs of the Senate are not al-ways the same4. The President and Congress will not always agree on issuesV. Why Do We Have a Two Party System?A. Reason #1—Our Electoral System 1. Single winners chosen by simple plurality vote2. Duverger’s lawa. A principle that asserts that plurality rule elections structured within single-member districts tend to favor a two-party systemB. Reason #2—Importance of the Presidency 1. Gives incentive to coalesce into the same two parties within each state/district C. Can Minor Parties Succeed?1. Not on a national level (Usually only see Democrat/Republi-can)2. But may matter in close elections (2000 presidential contest)3. May sometimes force major parties to take up some of their issuesD. Evaluating Parties1. The Responsible Party Government model a. Parties should present clear and coherent programs to votersb. Voters should choose candidates on the basis of party programsc. The winning party should carry out its programs once inofficed. Voters should hold the governing party responsible at the next