| A | B |
|---|
| US: 2 Party System | Mean that Democratic and Republican parties compete for office= Has been important in Congress= Has fluctuated in importance |
| Party Competition | Healthy for democracy= Not always liked= Those in power see formation of opposing parties as treasion |
| Mid-19th Century US Politics | Dominated by powerful party organizations (large voter loyalty, controlled electoral politics, influenced policy through elections) |
| Current Electoral Politics | Parties face competition from candidates themselves= Become candidate-centered where individual candidates build own campaign and voters choose based on reactions to candidates and loyalty |
| Political Parties | Been criticized for introducing selfish/partisan concerns into public debate/national policy= Vital to democracy= Expand popular political participation, promote more effective choice in elections, smooth flow of public business in Congress= Once dominated the electoral party but now doesn't even control candidates' nominations or campaigns |
| Current problem in US | Not that political life is too partisan but that parties aren't strong enough to function effectively (1 reason why US has low levels of popular political involvement) |
| Growing Ideological gulf between 2 parties | Caused more heated debates/issues in Congress and state legislature |
| Modern Day Candidates | Self-selected and finance their own campaign |
| Political Parties and Interest Groups | Organizations seeking influence over gov. |
| Political Parties: How they differ from interest groups | Orientation= Seeks to control entire gov. through electing its members to office (thus controlling gov.'s personnel)= Parties mainly composed of "Office Seekers" |
| Interest Groups: How they differ from Political Parties | Concerned with electing politicians (through electoral assistance/campaign funding) who agree with their policy opinions= Don't sponsor candidates directly= Between elections, accept gov. and its personnel and try to influence gov. policies through them= Are "Benefit Seekers" |
| Why Political Parties organize | Due to 3 problems which politicians must cope: Collective Action, Collective choice of policy, Ambition |
| Collective Action Problem | Results from outgrowth of elections where candidate for office must attract funds, assemble group of activists/workers, mobilize prospective voters, persuade them to vote for him= Is problem inside government where cooperation is necessary |
| Collective Choice of Policy Problem | Conflicts within legislature and between legislature and executive can make/break policy success/electoral success |
| Ambition Problem | Results from politicians seeking success for themselves and their organization= Can undermine collective drive of fellow partisans |
| Development Understanding of Political Parties | Developed with expansion of suffrage= Understood only in context of elections= So linked that US parties take shape from electoral process |
| Shape of Party Organization | Followed rule: For every district where an election is held, should be some kind of party unit= These units provide brand name, resources (human/financial), interest, link to larger national organization (which help party's candidates arouse interest in their candidacy, stimulate commitment, overcome free riding that decreases general election turnout) |
| Party Organization: Essential for what | Essential for effective electoral competition by groups lacking good economic/institutional resources= Essential for policy making |
| Party Building | Strategy pursued by groups that must organize the collective energies of large numbers of individuals to counter opponents' superior material means/institutional standing |
| Disciplined and Coherent Party Organizations | Were developed first by groups representing political goals of working classes |
| Parties: Left and Right | (Maurice Duverger) Parties always more developed on left than right because always more necessary on left than right |
| Parties: US vs. Europe | US has always seemed weak in comparison (no criteria for party membership [no cards for members to carry, no dues, no mandatory participation in events, no idea of exclusiveness]) |
| Parties: Within Government | Are coalitions of people with similar ideas who (as a rule) will support each other's plans= Sometimes disagreement but party label gives motive to cooperate |
| Why do parties facilitate policy-making process? | Are permanent coalitions= If new alliances had to be made each time, business/government would stop |
| Parties create basis for what? Result? | Coalition and thus reduce time/energy/effort needed to advance legislative proposals |
| Parties enable what? | Individual politicians to achieve goals (their names are important also) |
| Once their candidates are elected, parties provide them with what? | Supply with a basis for coordination, common cause, cooperation, joint enterprise (able to do this because all electorates share similar ideas) |
| What threatens cooperation | Individual ambition= Parties, though, by regulating job advancement, providing for orderly resolutions, and attending to post career care of elected party officials is able to save cooperation |
| Primaries | Providing context where clashing electoral ambitions can be resolved |
| Representative Partisan Bodies do what? | Resolve competing claims for power positions (EX: Democratic Committee on Committees in the House) |
| Politics consists of... | Ambitious and autonomous individuals seeking power |
| Unchecked and unregulated burnishing of individual careers causes... | Chaos and destructive competition where the dividends of cooperation are rarely reaped |
| Political Parties constitute organizations of... | Sad spirits who try to capture some of those dividends by providing a structure where ambition is not suppressed completely but is no so destructive either |
| Main function of Parties | Involved in nominations and elections= Provide candidates for office, getting out the vote, facilitating mass electoral choice= help solve problems of collective action and ambition= Also influence institutions of gov. (providing leadership/organization of various congressional committees/activities)= Help solve problem of collective choice concerning institutional arrangements and policy formulation |
| Recruitment of candidates for office | One of most important/least noticed party activities= Each election year, many candidates must be found for tons of positions= Where incumbent isn't running for election, party leaders try to find strong candidates and interest them in running (recently been hard to do) |
| Ideal Candidate | Has unblemished record and capacity to raise enough $ for good campaign= Party leaders not willing to provide financial backing |
| Campaign: House Seat | Many hundred thousand $ |
| Campaign: Senate Seat | Several million $ |
| Decrease in potential congressional candidates | Many declined opportunity to run for office because they don't want to leave home/family for hectic life in Congress |
| Article I, Section 4 | Few provisions for elections= States have power to set times, places, manner of holding elections (even those for US senators/reps.)= Reserves to congress power to make such laws if it chooses (has made laws bout elections, congressional districting, campaign practices) |
| Constitution amended many times to expand what right? | Right to participate in elections |
| Constitution and laws on nominations | Are silent= Set only citizenship and age requirements for candidates= Pres. must be at least 35, natural born citizen, resident of US for 14 years= Senator must be at least 30, US citizen for last 9 years, and resident of state he/she represents= Member of House must be at least 25, US citizen for 7 years, and resident of state he represents |
| Nomination | Process that a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office= Is the parties' most serious/difficult business= Nomination process can precede election by many months (as it does when many candidates for presidency are eliminated from consideration through debates and state primaries until there is only 1 survivor in each party [the party's nominee]) |
| Nominating Convention | Formal caucus bound by many rules that govern participation and nominating procedures |
| Conventions | Meetings of delegates elected by party members from the relevant county (a county convention) or state (state convention)= Delegates to each party's national convention are chosen by party members on a state-by-state basis (is no single national delegate selection process) |
| National Convention | Nominates party's presidential candidate |
| Nomination by Primary Election | Party members select party's nominees directly rather than selecting convention delegates who then select the nominees= Are not great replacements for conventions because it is rare that more than 25% of enrolled voters participate= Are still replacing conventions as the dominant method of nomination |
| States that use state conventions to nominate candidates for statewideoffices | Small number (Connecticut, Delaware, Utah)= Even these state also use primaries whenever a substantial minority of delegates has voted for one of the defeated aspirants |
| Candidates chosen in primary elections vs. those selected by party conventions | Tend to be more aggressive and more ambitious while those selected by party conventions are more likely to have mastered the arts of compromise and collegiality |
| Why are contemporary presidents more ambitious and driven than 19th century ones? | Due to the shift from party conventions to primary elections for the nomination of presidential candidates |
| Party conventions vs. primary elections: Candidates Chosen | Party conventions choose candidates who get along while primary elections favor politicians with energy/enterprise to mount a public campaign |
| What results from the particular institutional arrangement that a state employs? | A "selection" effect= Institutions matter in this case because they encourage/discourage particular types of candidates (as the institution principle suggests) |
| Primary Elections: 2 categories | Closed and Open= Are, in both cases, more open than conventions or caucuses to new issues and new types of candidates |
| Closed Primary | Participation is limited to individuals who have previously declared thier affiliation by registering with the party |
| Open Primary | Individuals declare their party affiliation on the day of the primary election= Is done by going to the polling place and asking for the ballot of a particular party= Allows each voter to consider candidates and issues before deciding whether to participate and in which party's contest to participate= Are thus less conductive to strong political parties |
| When does election period begin? | Immediately after the nominations= Has been a time of glory for the political parties (whose popular support is fully displayed)= All support/strength of party committees and all the committee members are activated in the form of local party workforces |
| Electoral Process: Step 1 | Voter registration= Takes place all year round= Was once time when party workers were responsible for all this kind of electoral activity but have been helped/gotten rid of by civic groups (EX: League of Women Voters, unions, chambers of commerce) |
| Why do many people often free ride by enjoying the benefits of an election without incurring the costs of electing the party that provided the benefits? How do parties help solve problem? | Because it is costly for voters to participate in elections and many of benefits that winning parties bestow are public goods (i.e. can't exclude anyone)= Parties are important because they help overcome it by mobilizing the voters to support the candidates |
| Non-For-Profit Groups | (EX: America Votes) Made effort to register/mobilize voters= To comply with election law, they are nominally independent of the political parties (in reality are shadow appendages of the 2 parties, with liberal groups working to mobilize Democratic voters and conservative groups laboring to mobilize Republicans) |
| General Election Ballots: Candidates | Likely to be only 2 or 3 candidacies for which nature of the office and characteristics/positions of the candidates are well-known to voters |
| Partisan Cues | Make it so that voters will not find it hard to make informed choices about choices for judges, state comptroller, etc. |
| Referendum | Being used more and more as a means of direct democracy= Typical referendum question is one on which few voters have a clear/educated position= Parties and campaigns help most by giving info. when voters must choose among obscure candidates and vote on unclear referendums |
| Parties facilitate... | Mass electoral choice= Often said that we should vote fore "best person" regardless of party affiliation (but this is not a good idea/does not happen) |
| In the absence of party labels, voters... | (V.O. Key) would be constantly confronted by a overwhelming array of "new faces, new choices" and might have difficulty in making informed decisions= Voter's party identifications and candidates' party affiliations help voters make good choices |
| How do parties lower information costs of participating? | By providing "brand name" recognizability (i.e. voters know what positions a candidate will take just by identifying the candidate's party) |
| How do parties give elections a kind of sporting-event atmosphere? Result? | Voters treat parties like teams that they can support/cheer on to victory= This increases the entertainment value of participating in elections |
| To whom does parties direct the flow of government benefits? | Directs flow of government benefits (i.e. patronage jobs) to those who put the party in power= Encourage people to identify with and support one of the 2 parties |
| Role of Party Organizations in electoral politics | Declined over past 3 decades= This decline (and partial replacement of party by new forms of electoral technology) is one of most important developments in 20-21st century US politics |
| Ultimate test of party system | Is its relationship to and influence on the institutions of gov. and the policy making process |
| Most familiar observation about US politics is that 2 major parties... | Try to be all things to all people and are thus indistinguishable from eachother |
| Parties in US are not... | Programmatic or ideological, but still differ from oneanother |
| Differences between positions of Democratic and Republican party leaders | Emerged during era of Ronald= However, still ok to describe US parties as nonprogrammatic and nonideological because as "big tents", each party covers wide range of policy orientations among its politicians |
| Republican Party: Characteristics | National leadership of Republicans supports high levels of military spending, cuts in social programs, tax relief for middle/upper income voters, tax incentives to business, social agenda backed by members of conservative religious denominations= At national level, appeals to business, upper-middle and upper-class groups in private sector, social conservatives |
| Democratic Party: Characteristics | National Democratic leadership supports expanded social welfare spending, cuts in military spending, increased regulation of business, consumer/environmental programs= At national level, seeks to unite organized labor, poor, members of racial minorities, liberal upper-middle class professionals |
| What do the 2 parties' basic positions reflect? | Differences in philosophy and thus in core constituencies to which the parties seek to appeal |
| Party leaders often seek to develop issues that will... | Add new groups to their party's constituent base (EX: Latino Voters) |
| Parties do not always... | Support policies because they are favored by their constituents= Party leaders instead can ply role of policy entrepreneurs (seeking ideas/programs that will expand their party's base of support while eroding that of the opposition |
| It is essential that a party's programs and policies... | Lead, rather than follow, public opinion= Like counterparts in business world, party leaders seek to identify/develop "products" (programs/policies) that will appeal to the public= Public has ultimate voice (and decides whether to buy the new public products) |
| Congress: Party system | Depends heavily on party system= Speakership of House is basically a party office= All members of House take part in election of Speaker but actual selection is made by majority party= When majority party presents nominee to entire House, its choice is ratified in straight party-line vote |
| Majority Party | Party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either House or Senate |
| Committee system of both houses of Congress | Product of 2 party system= Although rules organizing committees and defining jurisdiction of each committee are adopted like ordinary legislation by the whole membership, all other features of committees are shaped by parties= Each party is assigned quota of members for each committee (depending on % of total seats held by party)= On rare occasions when independent/3rd party candidate is elected, the leaders of the 2 parties must agree against whose quota this member's committee assignments will count (likely, the member will not be able to serve on any committee until question of quota is settled) |
| Assignment of individual members to committees | Is part decision= Each party has a committee on committees to make such decisions= Whether to grant permission to transfer to another committee is also party decision |
| Who advances up the committee ladder toward presidency | Is party decision= Since 19th century, advancements are automatic based on length of continuous service on the committee |
| Seniority System | Existed only because of the support of the 2 parties and each party can depart from it by a simply vote |
| The party that wins the White House is always led... | By the president= President normally depends on fellow party member in Congress to support legislative initiatives= Still, members of president's party in Congress hope that the president's programs and personal prestige will help them raise campaign funds and secure reelection |
| Political Parties are made up of... | More than just organizations and leaders= Made up of tons of rank-and-file members |
| Party Identification | Individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another (also has a rational component)= Voters generaly form attachments to parties that reflect their views and interests= Once these attachments are formed, they are likely to persist and even be handed down to children unless some very strong factors convince individuals that their party is no longer an appropriate object of their affections= Attachment to party does NOT guarantee voting for that party's candidates but does reflect tendency |
| How is party identification similar to brand loyalty in the marketplace? | Consumers choose brand for its appearance/mechanical characteristics and stick with it out of loyalty/habit/unwillingness to examine other choices but may eventually switch if the old brand no longer serves their interests |
| Party identification gives what? Result? | Citizens stake in election outcomes= Reason why strong party identifiers are more likely than other Americans to go to the polls and are more likely than others to support the party with which they identify |
| Party Activists | Drawn from the ranks of the strong identifiers= Are those who do not only vote but also contribute their time/energy/effort to party affairs= Give a lot of time/energy/$ to party cause= No party could succeed without volunteers who undertake mundane tasks needed to keep organization going |
| Democratic and Republican Parties are US's only... | National parties= Only political organizations that draw support from most regions of the country and from Americans of every racial/economic/religious/ethnic group |
| Democratic and Republican Parties do not... | Draw equal support from members of every social group |
| When we refer to the Democratic/Republican coalition, we mean.. | The groups that generally support one or the other party= Variety of group characteristics ar associated with party identification (i.e. race, ethnicity, ender, religion, class, ideology, region) |
| African Americans | Since 1930s and Franklin Roosevelt's new Deal, have been Democratic in party ID= More than 90% of blacks describe themselves as Democrats and support Democratic candidates in elections= 25% of Democratic party's support in presidential races comes from blacks |
| Latinos | Don't form monolithic bloc= Cuban Americans are Republican while Mexican Americans favor Democrats by a small margin= Others, including those from Puerto Rico, are Democratic |
| Asian Americans | Divided in party support but along class lines= Asian American community's influential business and professional stratum identifies with Republicans but less-affluent Asian Americans tend to support Democrats |
| Gender | Women more likely to support Democrats and men more likely to support Republicans (known as Gender Gap) |
| Gender Gap | Distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting differences in views between men and women |
| Jews | Among Democratic party's most loyal constituent groups since New Deal= 90% of all American Jews are democrats (although % is declining among younger Jews) |
| Catholics | Were once strongly pro-Democratic group but have been shifting toward Republican party since 1970s when GOP began to focus on abortion and other social issues deemed important to Catholics |
| Protestants | Are Republican= Protestant fundamentalists have been drawn to GOP's conservative stands on social issues (i.e. school prayer and abortion)= Clearly seen in 2001 |
| Class | Upper income Americans are Republican while lower income Americans are Democrats= Class divide reflects difference between the 2 parties on economy |
| Republicans: Economy | Support cutting taxes and social spending (reflect interest of wealthy) |
| Democrats: Economy | Favor increased social spending even if this requires increasing taxes (reflects ideas of middle class) |
| Exception to Class Party Loyalty | Relatively well of individuals who work in the public sector or such related institutions as foundations/universities tend to affiliate with the Democrats= They are likely to like Democrats support for expanded role of government and high levels of public spending |
| White voters with less than a college education | Become less strongly affiliated with Democrats over time= This trend is restricted to SOUTH (outside south, decrease in support by only 1% point for Democratic presidential candidates) |
| Southern Party Loyalty | Reflects general sorting outt of partisan attachments as voting rights have been extended to Blacks in the South |
| Ideology | Similar to party identification= Most who describe themselves as conservatives identify with Republican party while those who call themselves liberals support Democrats= This division has increased recently as 2 parties have taken different positions on social and economic issues |
| Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Before passed, when party differences were more blurred, not uncommon to find Democratic conservatives and Republican liberals (both are rare today)= Was a watershed even in US politics= Caused Black voting in south to increase and Republicans began offering southern whites alternatives to Democratic party= Result was that each party became clearer ideologically leaving little room for conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans |
| Region | Between Cibil War and 1960s, Solid South was Democratic= Today, south is republican just like much of West and Southwest= Area of greatest Democratic party strength is the Northeast= Midwest is a battleground and is evenly divided |
| Southern Republicanism | Resulted because conservative white southerners identify the Democratic party with the civil rights movement and liberal positions on abortion, school prayer, etc.= Republican strength in South and West is related to the weakness of organized labor in these regions as well as to the dependence of the 2 regions on military programs supported by the Republicans |
| Democratic Strength in Northeast | Function of continuing influence of organized labor in the large cities of this region as well as region's large population of minority/elderly voters who benefit form Democratic social programs |
| Age | People younger than 50 evenly divided between Dems. and Republicans while those older than 50 are much more likely to be Democrats= People from the same age are likely to have experienced similar set of events during period when they formed party loyalties= Americans between 50-64 came of political age during cold war, vietnam war, civil rights movement and those older than 65 are product of Great Depression and WWII (both like democrats) |
| Youngest group of Americans | Came of age during an era of political scandals that tainted both parties call themselves INDEPENDENTS |
| The history of each party is... | Linked to that of its major rival |
| Nation's Party System | Group of parties that are important at any given moment= Most obvious feature is the # of major parties competing for power= US has mainly had 2 party system (meaning that only 2 parties have had serious chance to win national elections) but not always same 2 parties= Also refers to the organization of the parties, the balance of power between/within party coalitions, parties' social/institutional bases, issues/policies around which party competition is organized |
| Character of a nation's party system can change even through... | # of parties remains the same and even when the same 2 parties seem to be competing for power |
| Contemporary American political parties mainly compete for what? Why? | Support of different groups of middle class Americans= Is because less affluent Americans participate less often in the political process than do wealthier Americas= As a result, issues that concern middle/upper-middle class (i.e. environment, health care, retirement benefits, taxation) are very much on the political agenda while issues that concern working-class and poorer Americans (i.e. welfare, housing) get little attention from both parties |
| Creation of new issues | Don't just happen= Result of political entrepreneurs looking for opportunities to undermine the prevailing political belief and its political beneficiaries |
| Over US history, changes in political forces and alignments have produced... | 6 party systems each with distinctive political institutions, issues, and patterns of political power and participation= Some issues last long time (EX: Conflicts over distribution of wealth) |
| When did 2 party system emerge? | During new Republic= Competition in Congress between northeastern mercantile and southern agrarian factions led Hamilton and the northeasterners to form a cohesive voting bloc within Congress= Southerners (led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison) responded by attempting to organize a popular following to change the balance of power within Congress= When northeasterners replied to this southern strategy, result was birth of America's 1st national parties: Democratic-Republicans (base was in South) and Federalists (strength greatest in New England states)= Both competed in elections but their ties to electorate were loose (electorate was much small) |
| Federalists | Spoke mainly for New England mercantile groups and supported protective tariffs to encourage manufacturers, assumption of states' Revolutionary War debts, creation of national bank, resumption of commercial ties with England |
| Democratic-Republicans | Opposed Federalist policies and instead favored free trade, promotion of agrarian over commercial interests, and friendship with France |
| Logic behind formation of 2 party system | Both parties would be a means by which to institutionalize existing voting blocs in Congress around a cohesive policy agenda |
| 1800 American Electorate | Small, voters followed local political/religious leaders and community notables |
| 1800 Party Nominations | Were informal, ruleless/unregulated= Local party leaders would simply gather party elites and they would agree on the person (usually one of them) who would be the candidate |
| Caucuses | Meetings where candidates were nominated |
| Before introduction of secret ballot... | Few were willing to speak out against ruling/major power |
| Era of Good Feelings | US had only 1 political party, Democratic-Republicans, from the collapse of the Federalists until 1830s= Lacked party competition= Much factional conflict within the party, particularly between supporters/opponents of General Andrew Jackson [US military hero of War of 1812]= Jackson was candidate in 1824 and won most popular/electoral votes but not the majority (which threw the election into the House)= Jackson's opponents did not award him presidency but still got it |
| Jackson's Presidency | Liked by those n the nation's farms and villages= Worked for the common people by embarking on a program of suffrage expansion that would give Jackson's supporters the right to vote= To bring many to the polls, jacksonians built political clubs and held mass rallies and parades which laid the groundwork for new/more popular politics= In response to complaints about resulting cliques of party leaders dominating nominations at party caucuses, Jacksonains established the state and national party conventions as the forums for nominating presidential candidates (gave control of presidential nominating process to new state party organizations) |
| Martain Van Buren | Organizational genius behind Jacksonian movement and established a central party committee, state party organizations, party newspapers |
| Jacksonians | Came to be known as the Democratic party= Had opponents in New England states and opponents formed the Whig Party |
| Second Party System | Whigs vs. Jacksonians |
| Democrats and Whigs: 1830-40 | Built national party organizations= Both enlarged bases of support by expanding suffrage through elimination of property restrictions |
| Whig Party: Support | Stronger in Northeast than South and West= Stronger among mercantile groups than small farmers= Were successors of Federalists |
| Whig Policy | Liked national bank, protective tariff, federally sponsored internal improvements (Jacksonians opposed all these) |
| How did Whigs unite? | Were diverse group= United by opposition to Democrats than by agreement on programs |
| 1840 Presidential Election | Whigs won first presidential election (under Henry Harrison leadership)= Marked first time that 2 parties competed for presidency in every state in the Union= Whigs avoided issues and emphasized personal qualities/heroism of the candidate= Whigs also invested much in campaign rallies and entertainment |
| Hard-Cider Campaign | 1840 Presidential election that Whigs won= Describes practice of using food/drink to get votes |
| 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act | Overturned Missouri Compromise of 1820 and Compromise of 1850 (which both slowed slavery expansion)= Gave each territory right to decide whether to permit slavery= Opposition to policy led to formation of many antislavery parties (Republicans emerged as strongest new force) |
| Republican Party | Created from anti-slavery opposition to Kansas-Nebraska Act= Drew membership from Whigs, Know-Nothings, Free-Soilers, and antislavery Democrats= Won control of House of Reps. in 1858= Lincoln won presidency in 1860 |
| Republican Policy | Liked homesteading, internal improvements, construction of transcontinental railroad, protective tariffs, containment of slavery |
| Civil War | Lincoln relied on Republican governors/state legislatures to raise troops, provide funding, maintain popular support= Secession of South stripped Democratic party of many of its leaders/supporters but still remained competitive= Defeated Confederacy in 1865 and Republicans wanted to turn South into Republican area through Reconstruction |
| Reconstruction | Republican program that enfranchised newly freed slaves while disenfranchising many white voters and disqualifying many white politicians from seeking office= Was also meant to turn South into Republican supporters= Program ended in 1870s |
| Post-Civil War South | Many black did not have right to vote= Was solidly Democratic |
| Republicans and Democrats: From end of Civil War to 1890s | Republican party remained party of North with strong business/middle-class support= Democratic party was party of South with support from working-class/immigrant groups in North= Republican candidates campaigned by waving the "bloody shirt" of the Civil War= Democrats campaigned by emphasizing issue of the tarrif |
| Party Machines as Strategic Innovation | Was fully made during 3rd party system= Many cities and counties had party machines (well organized parties) and their leaders were bosses |
| Party Machines | Late 19th century, local party organizations that controlled local politics through patronage and the nominations process= Leaders of parties were called BOSSES= During height of party machines, party and government were basically the same |
| Party Machines depended on... | Patronage of spoils system (party's power to control government jobs) |
| Patronage | Worked as selective benefit for anyone the party wished to attract to its side= Bosses were able to recruit many people who were then able to mobilize many voters |
| How did Party Machines maintain their organizations and diminish free riding? | Used selective incentives of patronage and nomination |
| Critics of Party Machines | Said they were antidemocratic and corrupt= Said they served interests of powerful businesses and did not help their supporters |
| George Washington Plunkitt | Considered machine politics and spoils system to be patriotic= Said to create and retain political influence and power, you must study human nature and act accordingly= Said country was built on political parties and that the parties needed such patronage to operate and that if patronage was withdrawn the parties would fall apart |
| Progressive Era | (Created out of anger to excessive powers and abuses of party machines and bosses) Motivated by desire to rid politics of corruption and improve quality/efficiency of government= From perspective of middle/upper class Progressives and financial/commercial/industrial elites, the weakening or elimination of party organization would also mean that power could more easily be acquired/retained by the "best-men" (those with wealth, position, education) |
| Progressive Era: Anti-Party Reforms | Voter registration laws (must register before election to vote), Australian-ballot (took away party's right of printing/handing out ballots and thus introduced possibility of split-ticket voting), introduced nonpartisan local elections (eroded grassroots party organization), extended "merit systems" for administrative appointments (stripped party organizations of access to patronage and thus reduced party leader's ability to control nomination of candidates) |
| Result of Progressive Era | After 20th century, party power decreased and so did voter turnout= Between two world wars, organization remained major tool to contending electoral forces but in most areas of country the reformed state and local parties that survived Progressive Era gradually lost their organizational vitality and coherence and became less effective campaign tools |
| 4th Party System | Rapid social/economic changes led to creation of Populist Party= Republicans were nation's main party for last 30 years= Republican party was for business (wanted low taxes, high tariffs, minimum government regulation)= Democrats were too weak (southern democrats concerned with maintaining region's autonomy on race to challenge Republicans) |
| Populist Party | WOn support of South and West= Appealed to small farmers and western mining interests and urban workers |
| Great Depression | Occurred after Republican Herbert Hoover won 1928 pres. election= FDR in 1932 developed New Deal for economic recovery |
| New Deal | Federal government took responsibility for economic management of social welfare= FDR made many programs to strengthen democratic party= FDR rebuilt party around center of unionized workers, upper-middle-class intellectuals/professionals, southern farmers, Jews, Catholics, northern Blacks (few blacks in south could vote) |
| Johnson's Great Society | (Hurt New Deal) Designed to fight poverty and racial discrimination= Involved empowerment of local groups that were often at odds with city/country governments= Programs caused conflict between Democratic machines and national administration that split Democratic coalition |
| Civil Rights Movement | Struggle over civil rights divided northern dems. (supported civil rights cause) and white southern Dems. (defended system of racial segregation)= Northern Democrats also experienced split along class lines (blue-collar workers tending to vote Republican) after civil rights movement launched northern campaign aimed at securing access to jobs and education and end to racial discrimination in areas of housing |
| Vietnam War | Further divided Democrats= Upper-income liberal Democrats opposed Johnson administration's decision to send US forces to fight in Southeast Asia |
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