Chapter 11 Political Parties

Question 1

Partisanship

Answer 1

The quality of taking the side of a party, or espousing a viewpoint that reflects a political party’s principles or position on an issue. Often decried by those who wish the parties would work together

Question 2

Nonpartisan Election

Answer 2

An election in which candidates run as individuals, without any party affiliation. Many towns and cities feature nonpartisan elections

Question 3

Party System

Answer 3

The broad organization of U.S, politics comprising the two main parties, the coalition of supporters backing each, the positions they take on major issues, and each party’s electoral achievements

Question 4

Party Machine

Answer 4

A hierarchical arrangement, of party workers, often organized in an urban area to help integrate immigrants and minority groups into the political system. Most active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

Question 5

Party Boss

Answer 5

The senior figure in a party machine

Question 6

New Deal

Answer 6

Broad series of economic programs and reforms introduced between 1933 and 1936 and associated with the Franklin Roosevelt administration

Question 7

Grand Old Party (GOP)

Answer 7

Longstanding nickname for the Republican Party; ironically, bestowed early in the party’s history, in the 1870s

Question 8

Party Identification

Answer 8

Strong attachment to one political party, often established at an early age

Question 9

Straight-ticket-Voter

Answer 9

One who votes for the same party for all offices on a ballot

Question 10

Split-ticket-Voter

Answer 10

One who votes for at least one candidate from each party, dividing his or her ballot between the two (or more) parties

Question 11

Base Voters

Answer 11

Party members who tend to vote loyally for their party’s candidates in most elections

Question 12

Party Platform

Answer 12

The written statement of a party’s core convictions and issue priorities. Generally revised every four years, in time for the national party convention

Question 13

Party Organization

Answer 13

The portion of a political party that includes activists, state/local leaders, and affiliated professionals like fundraisers and public relations experts

Question 14

Party in Government

Answer 14

The portion of a political party’s organization that comprises elected officials and candidates for office

Question 15

Party in Electorate

Answer 15

The largest (and least organized) component of a political party, drawn from the public at large: registered members and regular supporters

Question 16

Party Caucus

Answer 16

A meeting of all House or Senate members of one or the other main party, usually to discuss political and policy strategies

Question 17

Divided Government

Answer 17

Periods during which at least one house of Congress is controlled by a party different from the one occupying the White House