Chater 8 Flashcards
Ideological Party
a party that values principled stands on issues above all else
superdelegates
party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses
personal following
the political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks
caucus
a meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate
party competition
the battle of the parties for control of public offices
political party
a team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election
linkage institutions
the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda
party image
a voter’s perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism
rational-choice theory
a popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. it assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives
party identification
a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
ticket-splitting
voting with one party for one office and with another part for other offices
party machines
a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducement, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
patronage
one of the key inducements used by a party machine, a job awarded for political reasons
closed primaries
elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty
open primaries
elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests
Blue Dog Democrats
fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the south and/or rural parts of the US
national convention
the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform
national committee
one of the institutions that keep the party operating between conventions
national chairperson
the person responsible for the day to day activities of the party and is usually hand-picked by the presidential nominee
party eras
historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections
critical election
an electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party
coalition
a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends
party realignment
the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during the critical election period
party dealignment
the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification
new deal coalition
a coalition forged by the Democrats, who dominated american politics from the 1930’s to the 1960’s
coalition government
when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature
third parties
electoral contenders other than the two major parties
winner-take all system
an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come first in their constituencies
proportional representation
an electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election
responsible party model
a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work, and how they should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises
