Political Parties

1. Interest Groups and
Political Parties
What are the differences between the
Democrats and the Republicans?
What are political parties important in
an democracy?

2. Interest Groups
 Definition:
 Private groups that attempt to influence the
government to respond to the shared attitudes
and ideas of their members.
 Examples:
 PAC, Sierra Club, AARP, ACLU, Philip
Morris,

3. Operations:
 Lobbying- communicate with politicians to
sway decision making
 Tools to catch their attention
 Money
 Gifts
 Mass Propaganda

4. Regulating Interest Groups
 Laws
 1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act:
 Registration with the House clerk or Senate
secretary if interest groups had money to persuade
legislation
 Act failed few interest group register b/c Supreme
Court (1954) allowed noncompliance of grass root
groups
 Act did not apply to lobbying the executive branch

5. When do interest groups become
political parties?
 Definition
 political party is an organization that seeks to attain
political power within a government, usually by
participating in electoral campaigns.
 Parties often support a certain ideology, but may also
represent a subgroups that have different interests.

6. Presidential election Results

7. Political Socialization
 Source of political beliefs and attitudes
 Family and the Social Environment
 Education
 Peers
 Leaders’ Influence
 Media
 Political events
 Example:
– The Great Depression
– 60’s and the Vietnam War Era

8. Impact of Institutions on Party
Structure.
 One party, Two party, or Multiparty
System Contingent on:
 Majoritarian or Proportional Representation
 History
 Presidential or Parliamentary System
 Laws and Constitution

9. Theory: Lipset and Rokkan
 Theory on Political Cleavages
 Parties that were formed in the aftermath of political,
religious, and economic revolutions are frozen.
 State vs. Church
 Worker vs. Owner
 Land vs. Industry
 Center vs. Periphery (Fed vs. State)
 These have and will continue to exist in the political
arena despite new issues and challenges.

10. The Constitution
 Says nothing about
political parties.
 Why?
 Founding fathers felt
parties were wicked
and corrupt.
 Did not want parties to
control politics.
 Did not want to pervade
the entire country.

11. Ideology

12. Ideologies:
Liberalism vs. Conservatism
 Conservatives:
 Favor limited governmental involvement in the economy
 Economic freedom is a necessity for the good of the
society
 Advocate governmental involvement to preserve
traditional values and lifestyles
 Liberals:
 Favor governmental regulation of the economy
 Advocate a limited governmental role in social issues
Social freedom is necessary for the good of society

13. Today’s Major US Political
Parties and Ideology
 Republican Party (GOP)-
 Considered the more
socially conservative and
economically liberal.
 Laissez-Faire Economics
 Party Chairman- Ken
Mehlman
 Democratic Party-
 Considered more socially
liberal and economically
interventionist.
 Party Chairman- Howard
Dean

14. US Parties: First Party System
(before 1824)
American Revolution
Federalist
Founded by Hamilton
Supported strong central government
Anti federalist
Founded by Jefferson
Supported more state autonomy
Also known as the Republicans
Jackson split into a Democratic party
Adams remained in the Republican party,
but latter called the Whigs
Hamiltonian vision for modernizing the United States

15. US Parties: Second Party System
(1824–1854)
Civil War
Democrats
Strong state govt
opportunities for common man such as farmers
hostile to blacks
Needed slavery for economy
National Republicans (Whig party)
active federal. govt,
economic Laissez-Faire
Against the expansion of slavery
Southern Whigs ceased to exist (dealigned)
Northern Whigs united with antislavery Democrats
and radical antislavery Free Soil party thus creating Lincoln’s
Republicans party

16. US Parties: Third Party System:
Post Civil War (1854–1896)
Post Civil War
Northern Democrats
Feared strong central govt
Catholics
Did not want to give free slaves rights
Dominated the white south for decades
Republicans
Sought to increase the power of the federal govt.
Promoted economic growth and businesses
Promoted evangelical protestant morals and values
Public schools w/ protestant curriculum
Inflation in check to maintain working class wages
Limited/prohibited the sale of alcohol
Democrats embraced populism. Advocated for small farmers
Sought high inflation for debt relief.

17. US Parties: Fourth Party System/
Progressive Era (1896–1932)
Industrial Revolution
Democrats
Traditional small govt. policy was realigned and opened
to govt. intervention in the economy
Wilson was able to win presidency because the Republican split
Republicans
Honest Impartial Govt could regulate the economy
more effectively
1912 split : T. Roosevelt ran on the Bull Moose Ticket
The platform based non progressive ideals. Protect women, children, and immigrants.
Reform corrupt govt, and give people more voice.

18. US Parties: New Deal and Fifth
Party System
Great Depression and New Deal
Republicans
Laissez Faire
State govt and private organizations
To ease the suffering
Democrats
United whites and blacks
Both sought relief from hardships
Strong federal govt
60’s
Democrats split from economic and social
Conservatives in south into republican base
60’s
social progressives
African Americans remained Democrats

19. Goals of Political
Parties
 To mobilize the public in an organization
 Organize and run elections
 Recruit Candidates (strategy: TO WIN)
 Presenting alternative policies
 Accepting responsibility for the operation
of govt. (advocating party agenda)
 Acting as opposition to party in power.

20. Parties: Party Structure
 National Level
 Pres. controls
 National Convention
 Party Chairperson
 National Committee
 State level
 Governor controls
 State Conventions
 State party chairperson
 Party Boss
 Local Level (Grassroots)
 County Committee
 County Chairperson
 District Leaders
 Precinct or ward captains
 Party Workers

21. Cartoon

22. Primary Elections
 Candidates nomination process
 Feb: Local caucus where party members select
delegate to district convention.
 Mar: District Convention selects delegates to state
convention.
 Jun: Presidential primaries are closed primaries.
Party member choose candidate for Nov election.
 Aug: National convention officially nominates party’s
presidential candidate.
 Keynote address will open convention and set the tone for
the convention and campaign.
 Nov: General election registered voters will cast
ballots for their candidate in the electoral college.

23. Parties in Action
 Meetings
 Quadrennial party convention
 Nominate presidential
candidate
 Reveals party platform
 Introduces new and upcoming
stars
 Establishes party momentum
 Government
 Provides funding for
candidates
 Whips legislators
 Finances
 Fund raising

24. National Convention

25. Accountability to the Voters
 Presidential and
Parliamentary
Systems
 Viable third parties

26. Role of third parties in a two
party system
 Goals of third parties:
 Rally enough supports where they are noticed
by the 2 dominate parties
 If you can’t beat them, then join them.
 Seek to have third party interest included in main
party platform

27. Role of the Citizen