Chapter 9: Political Parties example #32939

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices.

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control.

the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force; in the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years.

the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress.

the division between the two major parties on most policy issues, with members of each party unified around their party's positions with little crossover.

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties.

the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff.

a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters.

a national party political institution that nominates the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, establishes party rules, and writes and ratifies the party's platform.

a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues.

money contributed directly to political parties and other organizations for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws; in 2002 federal law prohibited unregulated donations to national party committees.

nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates. Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and grants tax-exempt status to nonprofit advocacy groups.

strong party organizations in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century American cities. These machines were led by 'bosses' who controlled party nominations and patronage.

the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters.

an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another.

partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates.

a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men.

the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office.

an individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda.

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate.

the party that holds a minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate.

1. Political parties are organizations that seek influence over government. Political parties as they are known today developed along with the expansion of suffrage, and actually took their shape from the electoral process. 2. In modern history, political parties have been the chief points of contact between governments and groups and forces in society. By organizing political parties, social forces attempt to gain some control over government policies and personnel. 3. Historically, parties originate through either internal or external mobilization by those seeking to win governmental power. Internal mobilization occurs when political conflicts break out and government officials and competing factions seek to mobilize popular support. External mobilization takes place when a group of politicians outside government organizes popular support to win governmental power. 4. Political parties, as coalitions of those with similar interests, are also important in making policy.

1. The United States has usually had a two-party system, meaning that only two parties have a serious chance to win national elections. 2. American third parties have always represented social and economic protests ignored by the other parties. 3. The United States has experienced five realigning eras, which occur when the established political elite weakens sufficiently to permit the creation of new coalitions of forces capable of capturing and holding the reins of government. 4. The structure of America's single-member districts and plurality voting limit the electoral prospects of third parties.

1. Party organizations exist at virtually every level of American government—usually taking the form of committees made up of active party members. 2. Although national party conventions no longer have the power to nominate presidential candidates, they are still important in determining the party's rules and platform. 3. The national committee and the congressional campaign committees play important roles in recruiting candidates and raising money.

1. Individuals tend to form psychological ties with parties in "party identification." This identification often follows demographic, ideological, and regional lines. 2. The two major national parties do not draw equal support from members of every social stratum. A variety of group characteristics are associated with party identification, including race and ethnicity, gender, religion, class, ideology, region, and age.

1. Parties are important in the electoral process for recruiting and nominating candidates for office. 2. Though not so important today as in the past, parties also can make a big difference in convincing voters to vote. 3. Parties also help voters choose among candidates.

1. The differences between the two parties reflect a general difference in philosophy but also an attempt to appeal to core constituencies. The policy agenda that party leaders adopt often reflect these differences. 2. Political parties help to organize Congress. Congressional leadership and the committee system are both products of the two-party system. 3. The president serves as an informal party head by seeking support from congressional members of the party and by supporting their bids for re-election.

1. Democracy depends on strong parties, which promote electoral competition and voter turnout and enable governance through their organizations in Congress. 2. The ties that parties have to the electorate are currently weak; the resulting "candidate-centered" politics has some negative consequences, including lower voter turnout, increased influence of interest groups, and a lack of effective decision making by elected leaders.

interest groups

promote

an organization that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office

democratic participation

political parties

two major political parties

single member electoral districts

proportional representation

No state has ever tried a multiparty system in the United States before

party system

Federalists; Jeffersonian Republicans

sharp partisan differences

parties

nomination

databases

parties

policy entrepreneurs

party caucus that holds a majority of seats in the House.

political parties in congress

fellow partisans

strong partisanship

machines

state and local party organizations

financial resources

the president if the party controls the White House, or the party committee if the party does not control the White House

nomination of senate and house candidates

democrats

somewhat more likely to support the republican party

overwhelmingly committed to the Democratic Party.

the wealthy

upper-income Americans

South and Mountain West.

An interest group seeks to influence government on a narrow range of issues, whereas a party attempts to win elections.

factions that represented a threat to the social order of the country.

proportional representation election

merchants; agrarian interests

Democratic

Republican

the Great Depression

Southern

proportional-representation

a closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters.

single-member electoral districts.

a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues.

527 committee

African Americans

Democratic

selecting a single candidate to run for an elective office.

white male

social programs and regulation of businesses.

patronage

Democratic

Upper-income

Speaker of the House.

liberal; Democratic

Democratic

national