Lecture Notes Essay III Political Parties 1828 marks the beginning of political parties as we know them today 1828 also marks the date the present Democratic is formed o Considered to be the oldest political party in the world still in existence 1854 marks the date that the Republican party Grand Ole Party was formed Also marks the beginning of our present two party system considered to be the oldest two party system Functions of Political Parties Stimulate Competition the opposition on their toes Representation Provide a means for organizing the government serve as a means of representing various groups or constituencies particularly in congress the main purpose of political parties is to win public office keep 1923 Mayoral Election in Youngstown Ohio parties in local elections had been outlawed there were 8 candidates and the Ku Klux Klan guy won The Decline of Importance of Parties among Voters we know this because o fewer voters are willing to identify with a political party o there has been a dramatic increase in ticket splitting Ticket Splitting voting for some Republicans and some Democrats Today only 20 of people identify themselves as Republicans Reasons why Political Parties are less Important to Voters The use of technology TV computers and polls Reform of the nominating process primaries have reduced the need the need to be a Increased educational level of the electorate people who vote registered member of a party to help select nominees Why the US and a Few Other Countries have a Two Party System The use of single member election districts only one person is elected from each district In Israel Knesset 120 members you don t vote on people you vote for parties Critical Elections Lecture Notes Essay III A critical election is one in which a long lasting change in party loyalty and voter sentiment takes place It makes a long lasting shift in the voting behavior of the electorate See the text 1860 1896 and 1932 1932 Republican Democrat Great Depression o The base of the Democratic party is formed in 1932 o The Democratic coalition consisted of unions blue collar workers ethnic minorities Jews and African Americans etc Third Parties Minor Parties Have yet to win a single presidential election Elections Two step process for election to public office in the US 1 Win your party s nomination become your party s official candidate 2 Win the general election Nomination Process 1 Caucus Convention System 2 Direct Primary states i e Ohio PA Types of Primaries 1 Open Primary nominee i e Ohio i e PA 2 Closed Primary used in about 12 states i e Iowa ordinary voters select party nominees through a conventional vote 38 you don t have to be a registered member of the party to select the party you must be a registered party member to help select the party nominee National Presidential Nominating Conventions Democrats have about 4 000 delegates Republicans have about 2 000 delegates How Delegates to the Convention are Selected 1 Caucus Convention System 12 States 2 Primary 38 states 3 At larger or super delegates about 600 are selected this way o Democrats only The last time more than one vote was needed to elect the party nominee was in 1952 when 3 ballots were needed to select Adalai Stevenson Lecture Notes Essay III Vice President By tradition the VP is chosen by the presidential nominee Usually the president selects a VP to balance the ticket ideologically and geographically General Elections for the Presidency Electoral college Every state has a number of electors equal to its representation in congress o Ohio has 18 representatives 2 senators and 20 electoral votes o Pennsylvania has 21 electoral votes o California 55 votes o 7 states have only 3 electoral votes Total number of electors o 435 House of Representatives o 100 Senators o 3 DC o 438 total electors 270 needed to win the election majority Maine 2 Reps 2 Senators Criticisms of Present Electoral College System See handout If no candidate wins a majority of the total number of electoral votes the election for the president is thrown into the House of Representatives where each state has one vote The Senate picks the vice president and each senator has one vote New Politics 1 Candidate Oriented as opposed to party nominated as in the past Personality and image count more than ever before 2 Professional assistance professionals involved in polling targeting image building etc Madison Avenue techniques are increasingly being used to promote campaigns Joe McGinniss wrote The Selling of the President 1968 3 Issue Oriented for a small but significant group i e abortion gay rights war etc Coattail Effect Refers to the ability of a very popular candidate usually for the presidency to pull into office other candidates of his her party who might not otherwise get elected Campaign Financing See handout 1971 Campaign Practices as Amended by the 1974 Act Lecture Notes Essay III Soft Money Money contributed to a political party which up until 2002 was unlimited 2002 passes the McCain Finegold Act that put restrictions on soft money donations Hard Money Money given directly to a candidate Presidential Campaigns general election There is public funding available for presidential candidates in both the primaries and the Every candidate up until 2004 has accepted public financing for the general election McCain accepted money for the general election and got 84 1 million dollars In 2008 O Bama rejected public money in both elections Congress Bicameral legislature o House of Representatives 435 members same amount since 1929 OH 18 PA 19 CA 53 Take census every 10 years 1 rep 700 000 people o Senate 100 senators 2 state Differences in Procedures See handout Differences in Powers See handout Organization of Congress Congress is organized around the committee system The basic committees are called standing committees The idea of standing committees is specialization or division of labor Standing committees create bills and legislation and are sometimes called the little legislatures o 20 standing committees in the House o 18 in the Senate o 15 30 members per committee Lecture Notes Essay III o i e agriculture foreign relations etc 150 subcommittees in congress further specialize Committee Assignments Factors influencing committee assignments Interest or experience 1 Seniority how long you ve been in congress 2 3 Acceptance by party leaders 4 Ideological and geographical balance Party membership on each committee is roughly the same proportion