Sides Chapter Six: Political Parties Flashcards
What do political parties do?
Political parties strategically participate in elections by recruiting candidates, airing advertisements, and mobilizing voters.
What are political parties?
They are groups of people with a shared interest in electing public officials under a common label.
What are the three different manifestations of political parties?
The party in the electorate: includes all citizens who identify with the party, including those who participate in primaries and vote for the party in general elections.
The party as organization: comprises the institutions that administer party affairs, including the official bodies that raise funds and create the rules for the party.
The party in government: consists of the elected leaders and appointed government officials who shape party policy goals.
Why are there political parties?
Political parties serve the needs of politicians who want durable legislative majorities in order to pass legislation. Politicians also benefit from a reputation or “brand” that citizens recognize and can rely on when voting, and they need an infrastructure that helps persuade and mobilize voters during elections. They also promote the policy goals of various interest groups, which often affiliate with parties in order to advance their agendas.They can also make democratic government work better. They aggregate and articulate interests.They organize coalitions. They coordinate elections and mobilize voters. Parties coordinate the legislative process.They also facilitate collective political action.
What is the role of the party as the electorate?
Since Americans identify with or lean towards either the Democratic Party or Republican Party it makes the partisan complexion of a district or state a central feature of the reality that candidates confront.
It is also important in terms of volunteers and supporters within the community. Since the US is becoming more geographically polarized many areas no longer support viable two party competition or enable Americans to hear from both partisan sides.
what is the role of the party as an organization?
Party organizations such as the national committees, state committees, and legislative campaigns recruit candidates and raise money for them. They try to recruit candidates who have previously held elected office because they are much more likely to win future elections.They also selected the party’s general elections nominees.They also raise money for their candidates.
What is the role of the party in the government?
Candidates with a party label are ties to the party’s elected leaders. The party with the majority in the legislature gets to set the agenda, typically earns more donations from access-oriented contributors, and can time legislation to maximize its impact on elections. Legislators must work through their party to pass bills that benefit their districts, such as legislation to support local road projects. Bringing federal money or other benefits to their districts can help increase an incumbent’s popularity and prospects for reelection.
What are the major rules that constrain parties?
The major rules that affect the parties are election laws and campaign finance laws. The most relevant election laws for parties are those that affect primary elections.
what are the realities that constrain parties?
They are also constrained by the prevailing economy. Many citizens disapprove of the party that presides over an economic recession and support the opposition.They also find themselves constrained by the decisions of other actors, including candidates and interest groups.
