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AP Government Chapter 8 Political Parties Slide 2 Different types of political systems One Party Two-Party Multi Party Slide 3 The Two-Party System. Slide 4 Libertarian Party Opposes international dealings Opposes government taxes Opposes government intrusion into private lives Slide 5 Green Party Slide 6 The Constitution Party The mission of the Constitution Party is to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity through the election, at all levels of government, of Constitution Party candidates who will uphold the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. It is our goal to limit the federal government to its delegated, enumerated, Constitutional functions and to restore American jurisprudence to its original Biblical common- law foundations. Slide 7 Party Differences, 2008 Slide 8 Political Party Vocabulary Linkage institutions: Translate input from the public into outputs from policymakers; sift through all issues, identify pressing concerns and put these onto the government agenda (Parties, elections, interest groups, media) Rational-Choice Theory: Explain actions of voters as well as politicians; assumes that individuals act on their own best interest; carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives Party Identification: Self-proclaimed preference for one party over another Ticket splitting: Voting with one party for one office and the other for other offices Slide 9 PRIMARIES Open primaries (or pick-a-party) are those in which voters of any affiliation may vote for the slate of any party. Closed primaries are those in which only the voters affiliated with a party may vote in its primary. Blanket primaries (or "jungle primaries") are those in which voters, regardless of affiliation, may choose the party primary in which they want to vote on an office-by-office basis. The blanket primary was struck down in 2001 by the Supreme Court in CA Democratic Party v. Jones. Slide 10 2008 Electoral Map Slide 11 National Party Organization National Convention: Write partys platform and then nominate its candidates for president and vice president National Committee: Keeping the party operating between conventions; reps. from states and territories organize and raise money Slide 12 FIVE Party Eras 1. 1796-1824: Federalists V. Democratic-Republicans 2. 1828-1856: Democrats V. Whigs 3. 1860-1928: Republican Eras 4. 1932-1964: New Deal Coalition 5. 1968-Present: Divided Party? Slide 13 Party Eras in American History 1968-Present: The Era of Divided Party Government Divided government: one party controls Congress and the other controls White House Divided government due in party to: Party dealignment: disengagement of people from parties as evidenced by shrinking party identification Party neutrality: people are indifferent towards the two parties Slide 14 Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics Multiparty Systems in Other Countries Winner-take-all system: legislative seats awarded only to first place finishers Proportional Representation: legislative seats awarded based on votes received by the party - more votes, more seats Coalition Government: two or more parties join to form a majority in a national legislature Slide 15 Responsible Party Model Some political scientists believe this view on how political parties should work Parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises!