| A | B |
|---|
| political party | A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label a "party identification" by which they are known to the electorate |
| mugwumps or progressives | The faction in the Republican party of the 1890s to the 1910s composed of reformers who opposed the use of patronage and party bosses and favored the leadership of experts. After 1910, they evolved into a nonpartisan "good gov't" movement that sought to open up the political system and crub the abuses of political parties |
| national convention | A meeting of party delegates elected in state primaries, caususes, or conventions that is held every four years. Its primary purpose is to nominate presidential and vice presidental candidates and to ratify a campaign platform |
| national committee | A committee of delegates from each state and territory that runs party affairs between national conventions. |
| congressional campaign committees | A party committee in Congress that provides funds to members who are running for re-election of to would-be members running for an open seat or challenging a candidate from the opposition party. |
| national chairman | A paid, full-time manager of a party's day-to-day work who is elected by the national committee. |
| superdelegates | Party leaders and elected officals who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caususes. Party rules determine the percentage of delegate seats reserved for party officials. |
| political machine | A party organization that recruits its members by dispensing patronage tangible incentives such as money, political jobs, an oppurtunity to get favors from gov't and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership control over membership activity. |
| ideological party | A party that values principled stands on issues above all else, including winning. It claims to have a comprehensive view of American society and gov't radically different from that of the established parties. |
| solidary incentives | The socail rewards that lead people to join local or state political organizations. People who find politics fun and want to meet others who share their interests are said to respond to solidary incentives. |
| sponsored party | A local or state political party that is largely staffed and funded by another organization with established networks in the community. |
| personal following | The political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks. |
| two-party system | An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in state and national elections. Third parties have little chance of winning. |
| plurality system | An electoral system, used in almost all American elections, in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not recieve a majority of the votes. |
| causus (nominating) | An alternative to a state primary in which party followers meet, often for many hours, to select party candidates. |
| direct primary | A proposal originated by progressive reformers to open up political parties to their membership. It permits a vote of party members to select the party's nominee in the general election |
| economic protest parties | Parties, usually based in a particular region, especially involving framers, that protest againest depressed economic conditions. These tend to disappear as economic conditions improve. Example: Greenback party |
| factional parties | Parties that are created by a split in a major party, usually over the identity and philosophy of the major party's presidential candidate. An example would be the "Bull Moose" Progressive party. |
| first party system | The original party structure in which political parties were loose caucuses of political notables in various locations. It was replaced around 1824. |
| initiative | A proposal favored by progressive reformers to curtail corruption. It allows a law to be enacted directly by vote of the peoplewithout the approval of a legislative body. |
| Old Guard | One of two major factions largely within the Republican party, composed of the party regulars and professional politicians. They were preoccupied with building up the party machinery, developing party loyalty, and acquiringand dispensing patronage. They were challenged by progressives from around 1896 to the 1930s. |
| one issue parties | Parties seeking a single policy usually revealed by their names, and avoiding other issues. Example: Free Soil party |
| second party system | The second party structure in the nation's history that emerged when Andrew Jackson first ran for the presidency in 1824. The system was built from the bottom up as political participation became a mass phenomenon. |
| solidary group | A political organization based on gregarious of game-lovig instincts. It survives on the basis of a friendship network. |
| special-interest caucus | A group within a political party united by a concern over a specific cause. The Democratic party has attempted to assure many special-interest groups representation at its national convention, though lately the party has moved away from that commitment. |
| unit rule | A requirement that all delegates representing a state at a national party convention vote with the majority of their satate delegation. |
| winner-takes-all system | An element of the electoral system used in the US which requires that only one member of the House of Represetatives can be elected from each congressional district. |
