Chapter 8: Political Parties

Question 1

political parties

Answer 1

organizations that run candidates for political office and coordinate the actions of officials elected under the party banner

Question 2

party organization

Answer 2

specific political party’s elders and workers at the national, state, and local levels

Question 3

party in government

Answer 3

group of office holders who belong to a specific political party and were elected as candidates of that party

Question 4

parties in the electorate

Answer 4

group of citizens who identify w/ a specific political party

Question 5

realignment

Answer 5

transition to party systems

Question 6

national committee

Answer 6

american political party’s principal organization, comprising of party representative from each state

Question 7

constituency group

Answer 7

organizations w/in the party that woe to attract the support of particular demographic groups (teams)

Question 8

individual groups

Answer 8

aim to build support from specific individuals or politicians

Question 9

interest groups

Answer 9

loosely affiliated w/ political parties, but support them

Question 10

Tom Pendergast

Answer 10

affiliated w/ political machine, spoils system, and was a powerbroker (provided welfare in KC in exchange for votes)

Question 11

political machine

Answer 11

unofficial patronage system w/in a political party that seeks to gain political power and gov contacts, jobs, and other benefits for party leaders, workers, and supporters

Question 12

spoils system

Answer 12

practice of rewarding party supporters w/ benefits like federal gov positions

Question 13

party caucus serves variety of functions:

Answer 13

• forum for debate, compromise, and strategizing among a party’s elected officials
• decided legislative committee assignments, leadership positions on committees, and leadership positions w/in the caucus
• leaders also serve as a spokespeople for their respective party, especially when prez is from the other party

Question 14

unified government

Answer 14

can hold people accountable

Question 15

divided government

Answer 15

doesn’t really hold people accountable, modern

Question 16

deep attachment

Answer 16

early theories suggested that one’s party identification was a deeply held belief acquired early in life and rarely changed over time

Question 17

running tally

Answer 17

if you agree w/ party give +, if not give -

enough - w/o + could cause you to change affiliation

Question 18

primary election

Answer 18

voters choose major party nominees for political office

• closed: only registered primary members (strategic voting)
• non-partisan: candidates of both parties on same ballot
• open: any registered voter

Question 19

caucus election

Answer 19

• group together w/ you favored candidate

- can be persuaded to change or if not enough w/ group, gets eliminated

Question 20

party platform

Answer 20

• set of objectives outlining the party’s issue positions and priorities
• candidates are not required to support their party’s platform

Question 21

independents

Answer 21

do not find parties attractive enough to affiliate w/ them

Question 22

single member plurality system

Answer 22

highest vote-getter wins, even if less than half of the vote

Question 23

multimember proportional representation

Answer 23

• number of seats a party gets in legislature is determined by number of votes that party receives (other countries)
• reason why minor parties are not popular in US bc we don’t have this

Question 24

Duverger’s Law

Answer 24

in democracy w/ single member districts and plurality voted, only 2 party candidates will have realistic chance (US)

Question 25

Median Voter Theorem

Answer 25

candidates will tend to move towards the median voter in a single-member plurality system (closer to the middle)

Question 26

Proposition 7

Answer 26

allowed cross-filing to continue, but required party label

Question 27

Masket

Answer 27

primaries have low turnout, little advertising, no rival party labels among which to choose and no media attention

Question 28

Informal Party Organizations

Answer 28

nominations easily controlled by political insiders, including legislative leaders, interest groups, activists, etc. (Maxine Waters)

Question 29

5 groups of IPOs

Answer 29

• leader
• inner circle
• benefit seekers
• activists (purely motivated by ideology) *IPO can’t exist w/o
• brokers (bring activists in contact w/ inner circle)