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TAMU POLS 207 - Political Parties, Interest Groups Part II
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Why are U.S. Parties so similar?Most people are on the center – then the rest are either on the left or right.Politicians gravitate to the center in order to win votes.Centrist voters are key.During the primaries, however, politicians move to extreme views because strong Republicans are the ones who vote in primaries – not centrists.Mitt Romney in 2012 didn’t have enough time to gravitate back towards the center and lost out.Primary ElectionsClosedOnly registered partisans can vote. Dems vote in Dem primary and Rep in Rep primary.OpenAnyone can vote – but you can only vote in one of the two primaries.Leads to strategic voting – A Rep will vote in the Dem primary for a bad candidate to try and affect the vote.Not enough of these to make a difference.MixedRegistered Independents can choose to vote in one primary.Some are open and some are closed.Top twoTake the top two who had the most amount of votes.Responsible Party SystemAmerica is NOT.American political parties are not “responsible parties” – that is, they cannot completely control nominations, campaign financing, or party members’ adherence to the party platform.No clear policy consequences.Because you have to adhere to the party platform.Is the party over?Decline in party attachmentsPrimary elections – weakened partiesNew-style politicsAdvertising campaign is media basedNegative campaigning – mudTurns off voters“swift-boating”“branding”making a name for yourselfImpact of the party in controlDemocratsLiberal ProgramsLarger tax burdenR=.38Greater spending per capitaR= .12No correlationFewer restrictions on abortionR= -.46Generous welfare benefitsR= .14No correlationUnified partisan control = one party in control.Easier to pass policies.Texas is from 50-70% unified.Political Party Competition and State PoliciesCorrelation With Index ofLower Chamber CompetitivenessTax Burden-.06State and Local Expenditures Per Capita.17TANF Benefits for Family of Three.19Restrictiveness of Abortion Laws.01Doesn’t matter if it is competitive or not – there is no difference in party policy.States do not create sudden policy changes.SummaryNo consistent pattern between partisan control of state legislature and policy.No relationship between long term partisan control and policy, only regional difference for TANF for southern states.No evident policy changes with party change.No public policy influences with interparty competitiveness.Interest GroupsOrganizations of individuals who share one or more interests.Try to influence the political system.Examples = PETA, NRA.Interest groups are strong regardless of the party in power.Interest Group AssetsLarge numbersSize is an asset, useful for electioneering and communicating preferences to government officials.But smaller groups easier to organize; easier to stimulate participationWealthFundingStatusVisibility and expertiseInterest Groups ActivitiesElectioneeringGet members for certain people/policies.Elect friends & defeat enemiesLobbyingGovernment for policy changeSharing information with their membersPropagandizingPublic for supportInterest Groups RepresentationWho is organized?Organized interests are much more powerful (i.e. relevant to the policy-making process) than those that are not organized.Economic producing groups are more likely to be organized than are consuming groups.People with more education and income are more likely to join groups than are people with less education and income.Those who join groups out of personal involvement tend to feel strongly about the issue around which the group is organized.WealthyWhite and MaleInvolved in businessInterest Groups in the Political ProcessContributions or Bribery?Contributing money to politicians is the best way to ensure personal access to legislators.Money is contributed in a variety of ways.Interest groups spend money entertaining legislators and executive officials at parties, lunch, award ceremonies, and other events.Groups give money to politicians in the form of campaign contributions.Interest groups are eager to give money in the hope that they will be rewarded with favorable laws, rulings, and policies.Texas ranks in the top three states for the number of lobbyists representing the energy, insurance, banking, real estate, health care, and agriculture industries.The saga of Enron illustrates the point that the actions of a rich interest group wielding the power of money to gain access and influence over policymakers are typical and systematic.A PAC is a committee formed by an organization, industry, or individual for the purpose of collecting money and then contributing that money to selected political candidates and causes.PACs concentrate the financial clout of large numbers of individuals and can, therefore, influence public policy more effectively than can a single, ordinary individual.While some states such as Maine and California limit the amount of money that PACs can contribute to state elections, in Texas these groups may give as much as they wish.Most politicians are sensitive to private, as opposed, to public interests due to the reality of electoral financing, not personal dishonesty.LobbyingTo lobby is to attempt to influence policy makers face-to-face.Making direct personal contact with legislators is the best lobbying techniqueWhile everyone has a right to influence government officials, it is corporations and trade organizations that employ the most lobbyists.Who Are the Lobbyists?Citizen lobbyists, as opposed to professional lobbyists, who are willing to get organized, inform themselves, and spend time talking to politicians can have an impact on policy, such as bicyclists did in 2001.Many of the most successful lobbyists are former state legislators or executives.There are also “public interest” lobbyists who promote their conception of the common good and take home a modest salary, but due to the biases in the interest group system, most of the people who do most of the lobbying serve narrow, wealthy interests.Interest Group StrengthCorrelation With Pressure Group InfluenceTax Burden-.30State and Local Expenditures Per Capita-.04TANF Benefits for Family of Three-.31Restrictiveness of Abortion Laws.09POLS 207 1st Edition Lecture 15 Outline of Last Lecture I. Political Parties introductionOutline of Current Lecture II. Why are the US parties so similar?III. Primary ElectionsIV. Responsible Party SystemV. Is the party over?VI. Political Party CompetitionVII. Interest


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TAMU POLS 207 - Political Parties, Interest Groups Part II

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