Chapter 12 - Political Parties Flashcards
Political party
A group of candidates and elected officials organized under a common label for the purpose of attaining positions of public authority
National committee
Officials who oversee the operation of their party nationwide
National party convention
The meeting where the party formally nominates its presidential candidate
Party professional
A person who works directly for the party, is loyal to its goal of winning elections, and stays with it over long periods through multiple election cycles
Party amateur
An issue activist who is mostly interested in
specific policy areas and works for the party, or for the specific politicians within the party, to advance these goals
Smoke-filled room
A situation in which party elites make important decisions away from the scrutiny or influence of party membership
Primary election
An election held before Election Day to allow voters to select which candidates will appear on the ballot under a party label
Party identification
A psychological attachment or loyalty to a political party
Political machine
A local organization that controls the city or county government to such an extent that it can reward whole neighborhoods, wards, and precincts, or other groups with benefits such as jobs and government programs, in return for supporting the party’s candidates
New Deal Party System
A political alliance between southern Democrats, big city Democrats, rural voters, and African Americans that endured for several decades after the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932
Duverger’s Law
A regularity that only two parties tend to compete for control of the government in countries that have single-member, plurality
electoral systems
Party discipline
The tendency for members of a legislative party to vote as a bloc
Confidence vote
A vote held in a parliamentary system that, if it fails, brings on an election and possibly a new set of party leaders
