POLITICAL PARTIES10/12-13/09

Mr. Westerfeld

WHY DO PARTIES FORM?

To facilitate Collective Action in the Electoral Process Means of organizing competition and political

opposition To Resolve Collective Choice in the Policy-

Making Process Speeds up policy making process because

permanent coalitions are developed To Deal with the Problem of Ambition

Parties are vehicles for candidates with ambition and provide structure but also check their individual goals

WHAT FUNCTIONS DO THEY PERFORM?

Recruiting Candidates Offering financial support and organization to quality

candidates willing to participate Nominating Candidates

By convention Formal caucus bound by a number of rules that govern

participation and nominating procedures. (diff in each state)

Primary Election- elections within parties to choose candidates

Closed Primary-only party members registered previously with a party may vote

Open Primary- voters may declare affiliation on primary election day

Getting out the vote Lower information costs for voters

WHAT FUNCTIONS DO THEY PERFORM?

Influencing National Government Policy

Allow for party goals to become national policy Congress

Cooperation in congress is facilitated by the party system- majority party delegates positions like speaker of the house, committee appointments, allocate office space.

President Pres provides resources for party reelection and in turn

party members in government provide support in implementing the pres agenda

PARTIES AND THE ELECTORATE

Political Socialization into a party leads to party identification. Development of ties with a party

Group Affiliations- Page 493 Race and ethnicity Gender Religion Class Ideology Region Age

How do you think your group membership effects your party id?

PARTY SYSTEMS- PG497

1st-Federalists and Democratic 2nd-Demorcrats and Whigs 3rd-Republicans and Democrats 4th-Republicans and Populist-Democrats

Party Machines develop Organized parties which controlled local politics

through patronage and nomination process

5th-The New Deal Coalition and Democratic dominance

6th?-Republican and Democrats Infighting and Coalitions

THIRD PARTIES

Problem – nobody wants to vote for a loser Who makes the rules? Single member district- U.S. system where

one representative is elected Multiple member district- system where

multiple seats are assigned in one district and each voter given multiple votes.

Should we adopt multiple seats?

TECHNOLOGY AND CANDIDATES

Polling Broadcast media Phone banks Direct Mail-renting subscription list Professional PR-consultants The Internet-media fragmentation and direct

access

Overall these developments have made campaigns more dependent on capital than volunteers

POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION

National Committees Fundraising and

organization Congressional

Campaign Committees Fundraising and

organization