What are political parties? How have parties evolved and how do they change? Democrats and Republicans Nominating process
Political parties - organizations that seek to control government by recruiting, nominating, and electing their members to public office U.S. has a 2 party system Winner take all system - 2 parties Proportional representation - multi-party system Electoral laws Minor parties
Current party system is one of the five in U.S. history Realignment - the transition from one stable party system to another Realignments are associated with major issues that fracture the unity of the major parties Example: 2nd to 3rd - slavery Fifth party system 1932-? Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) first elected in 1932 Economic issues New Deal Coalition City dwellers Blue-collar workers Catholic and Jewish immigrants Blacks Southerners Civil rights and Vietnam strained the coalition Are we still in the fifth party system? Has the Fifth Party System Realigned? Democratic coalition is less cohesive Success of New Deal policies - rise of other issues Regional Realignment Republicans capitalized in the South Democrats have shown increased strength in Northeast Dealignment
Democrats and Republicans
Party identification - psychological link to a political party Party identification can serve as a "lens" provide a political "shortcut" tells us a candidate's general position Republicans
- Division between traditional conservatives and new conservatives
- Generally favor lower taxes and smaller government
- Issues from the Republican Party Platform
- Lower taxes
- Reduced spending
- Vouchers and savings accounts for education
- Private retirement accounts and market reforms for Medicare
- Market based solutions for the environment and property rights
- Less regulation
- Challenge is to keep factions united
Democrats
- Division between liberals and moderates
- Private sector and government
- Issues from the Democratic Party platform
- Pay down debt and targeted tax cuts
- Secure Social Security and Medicare
- Reinvent government
- Health care
- Education
- Environment
- Democrats have a slight edge in identifiers
Primaries - direct primary allows voters in an election to choose the party's candidates Voter turnout is very low in primary elections
What are political parties? How have parties evolved and how do they change? Democrats and Republicans Nominating process