Chapter 8: Political Parties and Interest Groups Flashcards
Political Parties
coalitions of people who form a united front to win control of gov’t and implement policy
*seeks to control gov’t through the election of specific candidates
*in office, parties organize gov’t lawmaking and seek to change gov’t policy
*concern themselves with gov’t personnel
*private organizations governed by their own rules
*include media, interest groups, think tanks, donors, super PACs, etc.
Interest Groups
*organizations that concern themselves with gov’t policy and seek to change it/influence it (memebership/business/trade organizations, etc.)
*by lobbying/contributing to political campaigns
partisanship
identification with or support of a particular party or cause
importance of parties/partisanship
*they mobilize citizens to vote in elections and aid the task of electing certain officials/provide officials with organization for running gov’t
*organize the political world
*simplify complex policy debates for citizens/officials
*inform the public about gov’t policies
proportional representation system
a multimember district system in which some or all seats are allocated to political parties based on their share of total votes in an election
*results in multiple parties in gov’t
plurality system
electoral system in which, to win a seat in a representative body, one need only receive the most votes in an election (not the majority)
Duverger’s Law
law stating that a plurality voting system with single member districts, tends to result in a two-party system - voters have incentive to not vote for small parties for fear of “wasting their vote” because only one party’s candidate can win
party system
the set of parties important at any given time in a nation
Whig party
*successor of the Federalist party (faded after the War of 1812)
*formed by groups opposing Pres. Jackson (1830s)
*had strong support in the Northeast among merchants (less in the South and West among farmers)
*dissovled by 1856 with many joining the Republican party
-(both whigs and democrats tried to eliminate property ownership as a requirement for voting to enlarge support bases)
Republican Party
*grew out of divisions in the Democratic and Whig parties due to conflicts over slavery
*formed in 1850s by a group of state civic and community leaders who opposed slavery by constructing pary organizations in Northeast and West
*pleged to ban slavery from western territories
The Tea Party
*formed in opposition to Pres. Obama’s agenda (especially national health care)
*powerful insurgent faction within Republican party
*used Rep party networks to fund conservative challengers to mainstream Republicans (hoped to be less compromising of Republican principles)
*coalesced around Pres. Trump for 2016 - appoints three Justices: federal abortion protection ended (Tea Part policy goal)
political polarization
the division between the two major parties on most policy issues with members unified around their party’s positions with little crossover
Party Organizations
*exist at every level of gov’t
*state law/party rules dictate creation
*members are elected at local party business meetings (caucuses) or as part of primary elections
*the formal structure of a political party (leadership, election commitees, active members, paid staff)
*ex: RNC, DNC
party activites: recruiting candidates
*one of most important party activites
*ideal candidate has experience holding office and the capacity to raise enough to mount a serious campaign
*party leaders attempt to identify strong candidates and encourage them to run
Majority Party
*party holding the most amount of seats in legislature
*control party leadership positions (ex: Speaker of the House)
*set the policy-making agenda
House and Senate campaign commitees
*held by each party
*made up of congressional memebers expected to raise money from large/small donors/corporatons then directed to competative House/Senate races
party identification
*an individual voter’s psychological ties to one party or another
*attachments are made usually in youth and are likely to persist unless strong factors convince otherwise
Partisanship as a reflection of party identification: arguments
*result of policy evaluation
*result of “running tally” - previous successes/failures - an expectation of the future based on past experiences
*emotional attachment - parties so important one changes policy preferences to match that of the party
retrospective voting
*closely tied to “running tally” concept
*voting based on past performance of candidate/political party
party activists
*partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates
affective polarization
the emotional dislke of memebers of the other party
*rooted in partisanship as a group identity - widespread use of partisan media encourages it (We the People 14th ed)
negative partisanship
phenomenon in which, over time, people form strong opinions against a political party rather than for one
minor parties
*AKA: third parties
*have always existed in spite of America’s dominant 2-party system
*represent social/economic interests not addressed by the dominant parties
*exist mainly as protest movements against the dominant parties or to promote specific policies
Ranked Choice Voting
*currently in use in 250 local elections (statewide - Maine, Alaska)
*gives voters more choice/ensures minor-party votes aren’t wasted
*voters rank multiple candidates (usually 3) - if candidate wins majority of first choice votes, that candidate wins - if no majority, candidate with fewest first choice votes is eliminated and votes are redistributed to second-choice candidate - ballots are then recounted
interest groups vs social movements
*interest groups tend to be more formalized and try to influence policy through political channels
*social movements engage in collective action
Interest group functions
*use connections with the public (meetings, email lists, social media) to educate members on policy issues (by conducting research) and mobilize them for elections
*furnish information to and lobby members of congress during lawmaking process
*provide information to executive branch and participate in administrative rule making and regulation design
*monitor gov’t programs/regulations
*use judicial system to engage in litigation
washington representatives
“phone book” of organizations with lobbying presence in D.C
critiques of pluralism
*difficulty in attracting and maintaining members
*the vital need for resources
*not all interests are equally represented
collective goods
benefits sought by groups that are broadly available and can’t be denied to non members
free rider
those who enjoy the benefits of collective goods without participating in acquiring or providing them
informational benefits
*a selective benefit offered by interest groups
*information provided to group members through newsletters, emails, periodicals, etc.
material benefits
*a selective benefit offered by interest groups
*include that that can be measured monetarily - goods, services or money (mugs, tote bags, discounts on travel, etc.)
solidary benefits
*a selective benefit offered by interest groups
*the friendship and networking opportunities provided by interest groups, as well as the satisfaction of working toward a common goal with like-minded individuals
purposive benefits
*a selective benefit offered by interest groups
*the appeal of the purpose and accomplishments of a group
lobbying
*strategy by which organized interests seek to inflence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on gov’t officials
iron triangle
the stable cooperative relationship that often develops among a congressional commitee, administrative agency, and 1 or more interest groups
*typical but not all relationships are triangular
issue network
loose network of elected leaders, public officials, activists, and interest groups drawn together by a specific policy issue
