4/5/14 1 Political Participation Political Parties Introduction • Political parties are made up of ▫ Electorate- the people ▫ Government ▫ Organization- committee chairs, etc. • Historical party eras are realignments, which are always 2 sided. • Know the characteristics of today’s party era Political Parties • Political parties seek to control the government by gaining office through elections ▫ They want to win • 2004 Bush • 2008 Obama - more voter turnout bc it’s easier to see differences. There’s more contrast btw candidates • 2012 Obama The Downs Model • Rational-choice theory ▫ Assumes that people do what’s best for them while weighing their options • Downs Model ▫ Teams of men and women seek to control gov’t through gaining office in a constitutional election ▫ Through voting, voters increase the chances that policies they favor will be adopted. ▫ Parties want to win elected offices so that they can influence elections Tasks of Parties • Pick Candidates • Run Campaigns • Give Cues to Voters through media • Articulate Policies • Organize Policymaking • Political parties are linkage institutions How Parties Influence Policy Opinions • Parties provide signals/mental short-cuts for party-identifiers ▫ We rely on news for these short-cuts and this information ▫ This is part of how people choose their views on politicies ▫ Contributes to uninformed voting and policy views ▫ We have limited information about politics Components of Parties • Parties can be thought of in three parts: electorate, organization, and government The Party in the Electorate • Voters who identify with a political party • Party identification: person’s political party preference • Ticket-splitting: voting for offices individually, for multiple parties ▫ Independents are more likely to do this ▫ This is why any state could technically be a swing state • Straight ticket – choose one party for all offices Graph: Party Identification, 1952-2012 • Republicans- minority party Table: Party Leaners Local Party Organizations • Grass Roots Organizations: locals working for a party. ▫ Very important in presidential primaries. (Think of the people who call you on the phone) • Local Parties ▫ Party Machines: Political party organizations that rely on material incentives to win elections ▫ Patronage: When a job, promotion, or contract is given for political reasons. Used by party machines. ! Think of the wealthy and their connections. No longer commonly occurring. • Due to growing reforms, party machines and local organizations are becoming weaker State Party Organizations • State parties make a difference in presidential elections ▫ Primaries or caucuses ▫ Delegate selection procedures vary by state ! Texas two-step- democratic party selection process • Selection process varies more from state to state in the Republican Party Texas Party Organization: Precincts • Multiple in each county • Precinct chair: voted on by precinct; party organizer • Precinct convention: 1st Tuesday in March (even-numbered years) ▫ 2008 this “convention” was evening of primary day (or the caucus portion of the Democratic selection process) ▫ Select delegates and Adopt resolutions for county convention ▫ Precinctàcountryàstate Texas Party Organization: County • County chair- head of county executive committee (all precinct chairs) ▫ Puts together primary ballot ▫ Tallies votes from mail in ballots and ballots cast in precincts from primaries for local office • County conventions take place the last Saturday in March, after precinct conventions ▫ Representatives vote to resolve issues ▫ Decide who will attend State Convention Texas Party Organization: State • State convention – June ▫ Select state chair and representatives ▫ Select electoral college members ▫ Select representatives for National convention ▫ 64-member state executive committee ! Each party selects 1 man and 1 woman. Republican’s select from congressional districts, Democrats select from state senate districts. ▫ National convention representatives selected National Party Organization • National Convention: party representatives meet every 4 years to write presidential ticket ▫ Open 24 hrs a day to accept your $$$ ▫ President and Vice President have formal send off ▫ Agree to party platform • National Committee: Keeps the party running when it isn’t meeting ▫ In charge fundraising efforts The Party in Government • The more issues members agree on, the stronger the party • Parties can provide funding in a close race • Coalition: Individuals who share a common interest. (i.e. Political parties) • Parties- have platforms • Politicians- have promises and usually carry out these promises when elected in gov’t. • Candidates try to give us an image of who they are ▫ Compelling life stories (Barack Obama: parents separated, mother remarried, mixed race, worked his way up) Graph: Party Polarization over Time • Washington today is polarized • Many southern democrats are now republicans • There’s more agreement within parties, less between them Graph: The Vanishing Middle • There are now very few moderate voters and very few independents Graph: More Recent Partisanship • Barack Obama is right about in the middle of where the democratic party lies in terms of political partisanship Graph: Partisan Key Votes Party in Government Today • Current President is a Democrat • 113th Congress: ▫ House: Republicans ! Republican: 232 ! Democrat: 201 ▫ Senate: Democrats ! Republican: 45 ! Democrat: 53 ! Independent: 2 Parties in American History • Party Eras: when most votes are for the party in power (historical periods) • Critical Election: New issues and coalitions surface. Massive change in voting/politics. ▫ Typically occurs during/after crisis e.g., Civil War, Great Depression. • Party Realignment: Shift in power between minority and majority parties (i.e. If the Republican party were to win the next Presidential election) Party Eras • The First Party System ▫ 1796-1824 ▫ Federalists- first party • Jacksonian Democrats v. Whigs ▫ 1828-1856 ▫ Jackson founded