political parties and interest groups slides Flashcards
Approach of a political party
Direct: try to gain power by nominating candidates for election to public office
Approach of an Interest Group
Indirect: Try to influence those in power by applying political pressure
Focus of a political party
Broad: Takes positions on a variety of issues encompassing many different interests
Focus of an Interest Group
Narrow: Takes a focused position on just one issue or set of related issues
Visibility of a Political party
Must operate in the open to appeal to the electorate
Visibility of an Interest Group
May work entirely behind the scenes if it wants
Winner take all
in each election contest, there is just one winner
plurality rule
the winner is the candidate with the largest share of votes
- It’s like an olympics with only gold medals, no silver or bronze.
-Once two parties have attracted enough support to compete for a plurality, there aren’t enough voters left for any other party to reach that level.
Ballot access
State laws commonly require minor parties to petition and pay fees.
What system is common in US politics?
The two party system
What is the alternative method of politics?
The biggest difference from the two party system, is that it includes proportional representation, meaning that more than one party can have seats in the house of reps, for example
Proportional Representation
An electoral system where legislative seats are given to political parties based on each party’s percentage of the vote.
- you vote for parties instead of candidates
-It’s like an Olympics with more medals than gold, silver, and bronze. They also give out medals for 4th place, 5th place, 6th place, and so on.
-For example, if a minor party gets only 5% of the vote, it doesn’t mean they lose; it means they get 5% of the seats in the legislature
What are the consequences of voting for a third party?
In a two party system, voting for a minor party helps your least favorite major party win.
- example, voting for green will help republicans win
-for example, voting for libertarian will help democrats win
What is the party-in-the-electorate?
Voters who identify with the party
Their job:
- nominate the party’s candidates (primary elections)
-help those candidates win (general elections)
What about independents?
- independents outnumber republicans and democrats, but few are truly independent… (they usually lean to one side or the other)
What is the party organization?
people in the party’s management structure, such as delegates to the national convention and members of the national committee
What is the party in government?
people from the party who are elected to public office
- their job is to pass legislation turning the party’s ideas into law
What are the 3 components of a party?
1-party in the electorate (voters)
2- party organization (people that manage the party [for example, delegates to the national convention, or members of the members of the national committee)
3- party in government (legislators that were elected)
why might the party in government have a hard time?
federalism (may lack authority over the matter)
bicameralism opposing party may hold other house
separation of powers (opposing party may hold presidency)
What is unified government?
when the same party holds the presidency, the house, and the senate
what is divided government?
when one party holds the presidency while the other party holds part or all of congress
polarization
occurs when people move toward one side or another, dividing into groups that are so far apart that compromise is difficult
It’s the opposite of bipartisanship, where Democrats and Republicans work together and moderate their views to get things done.
Benefits and drawbacks
1- Voters have clear options on Election Day because the parties are so different.
2 - Less willingness to work with the opposition moves the debate within the party, which may divide party members into factions.
3 - If the parties can’t agree, then the government has a hard time getting things done because each party usually controls some part of the government.
interest group
A formal group of individuals or organizations that attempts to influence government decisions.
faction
A minority of the population organized around a common issue or cause, possibly to the detriment of the majority.
interest groups do the legwork
So you don’t have to be a political expert to participate in politics
Things they do:
Monitor the government to know when lawmakers are addressing an issue of concern to the group
Provide information to group members on what the government is considering and which outcome would be best
Formulate a plan for the group to influence politicians
tension between freedom and democracy
Group politics may harm democracy.
Because each group focusses narrowly on its own members, if government responds to a particular group, it may not be addressing the public good
Yet group politics is secured by the Constitution.
Right to peaceably assemble Right to petition the government
what are the 4 interest group strategies?
lobbying
electioneering
outside lobbying
litigation
lobbying
Face-to-face contact with policy makers, trying to influence their decisions
People who do it are called lobbyists.
Two main tools:
Money to gain access Information to persuade
electioneering
Trying to influence who wins elections
Mainly through money
Campaign contributions through political action committees (PACs), which collect money and distribute it to candidates Bundling individual contributions from members of the group Issue advocacy through Super PACs, which can spend unlimited sums as long as their ads don’t mention candidates
outside lobbying
Trying to get the public on your side; pressuring policy makers indirectly, through their voters
Some tactics, or strategies:
Advertisements
Rallies and demonstrations
Petition and letter-writing campaigns
litigation
Taking action in court (lawsuits)
Including…
Class action lawsuits where numerous plaintiffs join in the same case
Amicus (amigo) briefs, which allow you to make written arguments to the court even though its not your case
Groups also lobby the president and the Senate for appointment of favorable judges.
