Chapter 9 political parties Flashcards
3 levels of political parties
Party in electorate: Citizens who make a party (the voters who tend to support a given party)
Party organization: Workers of parties (formal structure of party officers and workers who try to influence elections)
Party in government: Representatives or people in office with party name (those who win office under the party label)
What are political parties?
Organized public groups with followings that seek to elect office holding with the purpose of exercising political power.
Book def: a political group that seeks to elect its members to public office.
Positive aspects of political parties?
Ghg
Negative aspects of political parties?
Fugu
Two dominated parties in our political system today?
Republicans: formed as party in opposition to slavery
Democrats: oldest existing political party
GOP
Grand old party (Republicans)
Why is the presence of a third party still important?
The third party brings more issues into notice which later the 2 major parties try to consider the issues to get votes
Why does the US have a two party system?
Mode of elections
Promotes more effective governance
Partisan Alignment
Enduring pattern
An enduring pattern of party loyalty in the electorate.
Partisan Realignment
Sudden, permanent shift
Is a sudden and permanent shift in that pattern.
Party patronage
The granting of jobs, contracts, and other official favors in return for loyalty to an individual leader or political party.
American Party (Know nothing)
Issues anti immigration
Political Machines
A party organization, usually in a city, that uses patronage to ensure its local dominance
Populist party
Issues rural interests
Progressive party
A movement which fought against political machines and fought for adaption of election procedures like primary elections.
New Deal coalition
Emerged and southerns, Jews, Catholics, African Americans, people with roots in Southern and Eastern Europe, union members, poor people, intellectuals, and artist were attracted to the Democratic party
Sources of party change
Ideas: the whole political system is based on certain ideas.
Events: change terms of the debate and balance power
Elections: follows a cyclical cycle- bring about a change in policy
Party makeup: constituency of political party determines party positions to a certain degree.
Types of primaries
Close: a primary in which only voters who formally register with the political party may vote.
Semi closed: a primary in which part members can only vote in their primary, but unaffiliated voters can vote in either party’s primary
Open: a primary in which any voter can cast a ballot in any party’s primary.
Blanket: vote for all democrats or republican candidates (all one party is selected)
National Party Convention
Gather every 4 years
Role of delegates: to select the nominee for president
Party platform:
How do the two conventions differ?
Democrats use super delegates
