GVPT474 Midterm Study Guide 10 25 2013 Political Party Faction Polarization A coalition of intense policy demanders who hope to gain control of the government by winning elections Not clearly defined not in Constitution Number of citizens who are united and actuated by a common impulse or passion Madison This definition is used synonymously with political party Polarization implies that the political opinions and attitudes of the public in the aggregate have been pushed away from moderate centrist positions to the liberal or conservative extreme When the electorate is polarized the middle ground disappears This is not the case today Two bimodal groups are homogenous Party sorting process by which a tighter fit is brought between political ideology and party affiliation is occurring in American People separate into distinct camps based on ideology and issue position Moderate areas exist Its not polarization but can lead to it Party sorting is the process polarization is the end result Advocate of federal government appealed to business interests and wealthy people Madison Hamilton Separate power vertically and horizontally to lessen the effects of Party sorting politics Federalists factions Fed 10 Democratic Republicans government Jefferson Anti Federalists favored agrarian interests weak national Mass party Based on patronage to the victor goes the spoils Incorporates the common man getting his chance in politics Clash with earlier area ideal of disinterested service reluctant politicians West develops politics become more democratic Emphasized hard work and sociability for candidates Martin Van Buren was a symbol of new party ideals White manhood suffrage long ballot direct elections of electors larger electorate requires more organization the common man get their chance non ideological motive for party activism Not formal party membership aka no dues no party registration NOT just a partisan voting pattern State of mind and social identity that shapes behavior and cognition More than short term preferences or sum of issue attitudes Shapes behavior and thoughts about politics Begins to form early on in childhood and is relatively stable throughout life Causes of short term deviations tapping into other voter identity traits like ethnicity or religion Obama Kennedy Party identification Split ticket voting Straight ticket voting Independents Myth of independent Opinion that they are more educated than they really are They re actually less informed and less active Good reputation True independents are very rare 10 of population Pure independents do NOT move toward any party at all Realignment critical secular Realignment permanent big shift on how a people vote PARTY undergoes major shift in its electoral base and political agenda Groups of people may split up for various reasons They are rare and tend to occur after a major election Permanent durable shift in the composition and or strength of party composition Critical Great Depression New Deal FAST Secular Gradual South used to be very Democratic then changed to Republican after Civil War Coalition An alliance for combined action sometimes coalitions are formed for a temporary time other times they are long term Ex Prop 8 in CA when African Americans and evangelists really rich evangelical Christians coalition formed to overturn Gay Marriage legality Party Systems 1801 1828 Democratic Republicans Jefferson Conflict based on power of federal government Federalists v Dem Repubs 1828 1860 Democratic Jackson Based on power of government and slavery and westward expansion 1861 1896 Republican Lincoln Republican anti slavery party emerges Regionalism divides parties Civil war and reconstruction 1897 1932 Republicans McKinley Democratic party split so 1933 1968 DEMOCRATS FDR New Deal Coalition emerged Republicans dominate Democratic Dominance 1969 Democrats and Republicans Current system Main issues scope of government spending and taxes race civil rights 3 Types of elections Maintaining elections o Incumbent party retains power o Ex 1948 FDR Truman both Dems Deviating o Still affiliate with party but voting outside of your party o Ex Dems voted for Eisenhower during New Deal era o Incumbent party loses power but its only short term based on quality of candidates not realignment Realignment membership o Permanent big change in voting style party ID and coalition o Ex Elections where the party lines switch are realigning o 1932 election critical realignment Coalition maintenance The group takes on policy issues to make a group happy Karol s book chapter when a political party is faced with changing its views or losing its allies they keep their allies They re consistent in who they support but not in what policy they support Ex Trade policy Shift in positions due to changing preferences of party groups Dems were originally associated with labor and unions due to labor law not based on trade policy per say Dems were pretty liberal on trade Then economy started suffering and unions felt the impact of imports so they became more protectionist SO Dem members of Congress became more protectionist In fact the year after the flip was completed they passed a bill setting a quota for imports All happened in 1960s and early 1970s Not driven by policy people ADA liberal think tank position shifted slower than actual politicians They voted free trade votes as a YES and restrictions as NO well after the flip Driven by UNIONS Republicans became more supportive of free trade only after business interests supported it Wasn t due to new members of Congress and replacement of members due entirely to changing preferences of unions labor Coalition incorporation Bring a whole group of people thinking a certain way into their coalition by adopting their policy Ex African Americans in 1964 Democrats Ex Republicans super social issues abortion Divided government Split partisan control of elected branches In a sense branches were constructed for permanent divided government Structural Causes o Different electoral rules constituencies Ex Electoral college v direct election o Different term lengths House 2 Senate 6 Prez 4 Different years you might see that when Repubs won House Dems were winning in the Senate Also w Senate not all are up for election at the same time Even if there s a huge surge from one party it might not have a full effect o Districts naturally favor one party Gerrymandering Distribution of voters o Divided government is natural and expected