Political Parties in America

Re: admin questions, I need to see:

Taylor Sims

Jonathan Lin

For tomorrow . . .

www.3pc.net - party matchmaker

Madison’s Factions

“By a faction I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”

“Complaints are everywhere heard . . . That the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties . . .”

What are “political parties”?

Remember: “political participation”– Influence government policy by– Affecting choice of government personnel and/or– Affecting choices made by those personnel

Parties– Organized groups– Affect choice of government personnel by fielding candidates– Affect choices made by those personnel by creating norms of

reciprocity and group identification

Three meanings of “parties”

Party organizations Parties in government Parties in the electorate

Parties as “linkage institutions”

PartyOrganization

Electorate

Govt.Officials

Party Myths

Myth 1: Parties are monolithic

Reality: Party membership is quite diverse Example: 1850s, Republican party catered to

anti-slavery interests and commercial interests (focus on transportation infrastructure, etc.)

Example: Modern Republican party draws from socially conservative Christian population and economically conservative business interests

Myth 2: Parties are static

Reality: Parties vary over time, in terms of issue positions and membership

Example: Democratic party dominated the white south until the middle of the 20th century, when civil rights issues drove white southerners to the Republican party

Example: 19th century Democrats emphasized states’ rights, limited federal spending, and literal interpretation of Constitution

Origins of political parties

Madison’s fear of “factions” BUT, we’ve had parties from the beginning –

why?– People naturally form groups (“The latent causes of

faction are thus sown in the nature of man . . . .”)– Parties are useful

To us To elites

What Do Parties Do?

Parties as “linkage institutions”

Act as a bridge between electorate and “elites” Provide benefits to both groups

Candidate Benefits From Party Organizations

Campaign resources Information

– Issues– Electorate

Guidance Money

Candidate/Leader Benefits From “Parties in Government”

Signal of similarity Group loyalty/trust Shorthand for talking to voters Voting on issues: cue Issue support

What do we, the voters, get from parties?

Benefits to Voters

Cue to candidate positions: “heuristics” “Reliable” information about issues Easy way to give money Participation clearinghouse

What is “party identification”?

Individual voter’s psychological ties to one party (“I am a __________”)

NOT the same as ideology Formed early (often inherited from parents), rarely

changes in later life “Strength” of party identification

– Name only– Loyal voter– Party activists

Importance of party in the electorate

Parties draw their strength from mobilization of voters Shifts in electorate support (electoral realignment)

– Identity of major parties– Issue focus of major parties

Decline in party identification (dealignment)– may reduce government efficiency– lead to “divided government”

In sum . . .

Parties and party labels provide information to candidates, politicians, and voters

Not surprising, then, that parties have endured What has changed?

– Identities and positions of parties– Strength of parties

Party Strength and America’s Two Party System

Parties as Linkage Institutions: How Strong Is the Bond?

PartyOrganization

Electorate

Govt.Officials

Strong Parties

Have a lot of control over candidates and officials claiming the party identity– steering their policy positions– fostering a sense of mutual obligation and unity

among the party in the government

Directly and powerfully involved in mobilizing the electorate

Weak Parties

Candidates who ally themselves with the party– do not necessarily share any common policy

objectives or ideological values– do not necessarily feel a sense of obligation and

loyalty to one another Political parties have very little influence over

the electorate– unable to mobilize voters– not able to get voters to vote down party lines

History of Party Strength

Late 1800s – Birth of “Political Machines”– Patronage– Emphasis on strength of party organizations

Progressive Movement “Reforms”– Literacy tests– Direct primary

Civil Service– Undermined patronage system

History of Party Strength

Mid 1900s – Decline of Party Organizations Party in electorate and parties in government

still strong Parties divided along “natural” social cleavages

History of Party Strength

Modern era – Parties relatively weak Party organizations not as strong Party loyalties in government and electorate slipping,

too– More split-ticket voting

BUT maybe rallying– Finding a new niche– Shifting emphasis from putting politicians and voters together,

to putting politicians and money together

Arguments for a weak party system

Graft and corruption Censoring political agenda Party loyalties may detract from the job of

representation

Arguments for a strong party system

Better voter heuristic Limit finger pointing => Group accountability Longer-term view of politics

America’s Two-Party System

Overview

Why do we have a “two party system” in the U.S.?

If they cannot win national offices, what roles do third parties play in our system?

Why a two party system?

Sociological explanation– Parties reflect underlying social cleavages– Not satisfactory

Why don’t U.S. parties reflect various combinations of social issues?

Why don’t U.S. parties reflect diverse economic and ethnic interests?

Institutional explanation– Electoral laws determine how many parties can be viable– Social cleavages only lead to splintering of parties when

electoral laws are sufficiently permissive

Electoral laws: the geography of voting

Single-member districts– Electorate is divided up so that each seat in

government is associated with a particular district– That district elects only one representative

Multiple-member districts– Electorate may or may not be divided into districts– Even if electorate is divided into districts, the

districts elect more than one representative

Single-Member Districts in “Quadria”

1

1

1

1

Multiple-Member Districts in “Quadria”

4 Reps

Electoral laws: three systems for choosing winners in elections

Plurality system (also called “first past the post”)

Run-off majority voting Proportional representation

Multiple-Member District w/ Proportional Representation

Four representatives for district Single election for parties Example:

– Greens win 50% of vote– Communists win 25% of vote– Socialists win 25% of vote

What we have in the U.S.

Single-member districts Plurality elections (first past the post)

Duverger’s “Law”

Election systems that rely on single-member districts and plurality (or first past the post) voting systems favor a two party system

Why?– People are strategic – The real competition is between the top two

candidates, so voting for anyone else is a “waste”

Spatial Model of Duverger’s Law

ME

Green Party

Dems Reps

Duverger’s “Law”

Election systems that rely on single-member districts and plurality (or first past the post) voting systems favor a two party system

Election systems with multi-member districts and proportional representation allow for multiple parties to thrive

BUT

Some countries have single-member plurality electoral systems but multiple parties (Canada, India)

Some countries have multi-member districts and proportional representation but very little party competition (Australia, Austria)

Melding Sociological and Institutional Explanations

Two party systems arise from either– Single-member plurality systems OR– Homogenous population (like Australia and Austria)

Multi-party systems arise under these circumstances:– When the electoral system is multiple-member/proportional

AND the populace is fragmented– When the two parties become too removed from the electorate

so people start voting in expressive ways– When the heterogeneity in electorate is geographically

defined, so you have a whole bunch of small two-party systems (Canada)

Bottom Line

Social factors and election rules both matter Given our social structure (social cleavages not

tied to geography) and our rules, U.S. tends to have a two-party system

But people still vote for third parties . . .

People who vote for third parties often “look like” people who don’t vote at all– Alienation– Indifference

Except that third-party voters have stronger sense of civic responsibility

Third party voting is expressive

What do third parties do?

Win local and state office Force the major parties to move to capture the

lost votes Get issues on the agenda through media

coverage and public awareness