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Malett/Guthrie - PAD
Unit 3 - Political Parties
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Political party | a group of people with broad common interests that organizes to win elections, control gov’t, and thereby influence public policies. |
| Theocracy | one-party system where religious leaders dominate the gov’t |
| Ideology | basic beliefs about gov’t |
| Coalition government | several parties combine forces to obtain a majority |
| Third party | Any party other than 1 of the 2 major parties |
| Single-issue party | Parties that focus on one specific issue. Ex: The Free Soil Party, The Marijuana Party |
| Ideological party | Parties with a specific ideology that covers all issues. Ex: The Libertarian Party |
| Splinter party | Parties that break away from one of the larger, more established parties. Ex: The Bull-Moose Party, The Progressive Party |
| Economic Protest Party | Parties that advocate for a specific economic ideology. Ex: The Tea Party, The Greenback Party |
| National convention | party members meet every 4 years to nominate presidential & VP candidates; updates platform |
| National committee | large group mostly of reps from 50 state party organizations; runs the party and sets the agenda; plans for Nat’l Convention; more powerful on paper |
| Direct primary | an intra-party election where party members (citizens) vote for people |
| Closed primary | only party members vote |
| Open primary | All voters may participate, but may only vote in one primary. This is what WI has. |
| Plurality | largest number of votes obtained in an election (NOT necessarily the majority). Example: Three people are in an election. One person gets four votes; the other two each get three. The person with four votes has a plurality, but not a majority. |
| Runoff primary | Primaries between the top two candidates in a previous primary |
| Ticket | Prez and VP candidates |
| Platform | principles, beliefs, and positions on all the major societal issues |
| Partisanship | strong (unwavering) support for own party |
| Main goal of political parties | To get their candidates elected so they can influence public policy |
| Central question that a party tries to answer | “What role should gov’t play in individuals’ lives and in the nation’s welfare as a whole?” |
| Democrats’ answer to the "central" question | Government’s role is to serve and protect the public. Gov’t can and therefore should help individuals in need succeed. |
| Republicans’ answer to the "central" question | Gov’t should only provide for the general public what it cannot provide for itself. Individuals should rely on themselves and not on gov’t to succeed. |
| Both parties try to do this, which makes them seem indistinguishable at times | BOTH PARTIES TRY TO BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE AND THIS CAN CAUSE THEM TO APPEAR INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM EACH OTHER |
| Generally speaking, what is the Republican Party Platform? | - Maintain high levels of military spending - Social program cuts - Tax relief for middle/upper income Americans and incentives to businesses - Social agenda aligned with traditional Christian values |
| To what types of groups do Republicans appeal? | *Appeal to… Appeal to business, upper-middle and upper-class groups in Private Sector and social conservatives |
| Definition of conservative: | Conservative: “The Right” |
| Generally speaking, what is the general Democratic Party Platform? | - Supports expanded social welfare spending - Cuts in military spending - Increased regulation (rules) of business - Variety of consumer and environmental programs |
| To what types of groups do Democrats appeal? | *Appeal to… Seeks to unite organized labor, the poor, racial minorities, and liberal upper-middle class professionals |
| Definition of liberal: | Liberal: “The Left” |
| Traditional Democratic Supporters (demographic generalizations) | African-Americans, Hispanics, Women, Jews, Catholics, Lower Income, “Blue Collar” workers, the Coasts, Urban areas, Younger voters |
| Traditional Republican Supporters (demographic generalizations) | Men, Protestant Christians, Higher Income, “White Collar” workers, the South, Suburban and Rural areas, Older voters |
| 3 types of world party systems | One Party: only one party in control (Example: China and Cuba) Multiparty: several major parties representing wide range of ideologies (Example: Great Britain, Greece) Two-Party: 2 major parties dominate the gov’t (Example: The United States) |
| General structure of State Government | •Varies among states; party chairperson & committee − Ward: city units represented by 1 city council member − Precinct: smallest unit in cities; 1 polling place per precinct |
| Party trends of the 3 major eras | - Civil War – Depression: The Era of the Republicans - Depression – 1970’s: The Era of the Democrats - 1970’s – Present: The Era of Divided Government |
| The 3 levels of party operation | - Local - State - National |
| Identify the 4 main parts of National Party Organization | 1. National Convention 2. National Committee 3. National Chairperson 4. Congressional Campaign Committees |
| National Convention | party members meet every 4 years to nominate presidential & VP candidates; updates platform |
| National Committee | large group mostly of reps from 50 state party organizations; runs the party and sets the agenda; plans for Nat’l Convention; more powerful on paper |
| National Chairperson | head of Nat’l Com.; organizes party, recruits, campaigns, etc. |
| Congressional Campaign Committees | in each house of Congress; work to re-elect incumbents; 2-year terms |
| Identify the 6 main functions of political parties | 1. Recruiting Candidates 2. Educating the Public 3. Operating the Government 4. Dispensing Patronage 5. Providing “Loyal Opposition” 6. Reducing Conflict |
| Recruiting Candidates | a. Major function = selecting (nominating) candidates and getting them elected b. Election-oriented more than issue-oriented--ELECTABILITY |
| Educating the Public | a. Bring important issues to public attention b. Pamphlets, press conferences, speeches |
| Operating the Government | a. Running and staffing b. Leaders in legislatures try to gain members’ support for party’s position on given issues c. Link between legislature and chief executive |
| Dispensing Patronage | a. Favors given to reward party loyalty b. Jobs, contracts, appointments |
| Providing “Loyal Opposition” | a. Party out of power watches party in power b. Criticizes party in power and offers solutions c. Partisanship: strong (unwavering) support for own party |
| Reducing Conflict | a. Try to appeal to large #s of people b. Parties encourage gov’t to adopt policies with mass appeal c. Peaceful transition of power |
| Identify athe five ways individuals may seek nomination for public office | 1. Self-Announcement 2. Caucus 3. Nominating Conventions 4. Primary Elections (“The elections before the general Election”) 5. Petition |
| Petition | Person announces candidacy and files petitions a specified # of voters must sign (Nader) |
| Primary Elections (Define) | − Direct Primary: an intra-party election where party members (citizens) vote for people •In most states the candidate does not need a majority but a plurality: the most votes •Runoff primaries occur b/t top two candidates |
| Primary Elections (2 types) | • 2 types: − Closed Primary: only party members vote − Open Primary: All voters may participate, but may only vote in one primary |
| Nominating Conventions | − Official public meeting of a party to choose candidates for office − Presidential conventions more a showcase of the party and candidate than a nominating process |
| Caucus | − Private Meetings for party leaders/members − Leaders discuss what candidates to select − Presidential: Iowa Caucus most famous; citizens gather to select presidential candidates |
| National Party Convention | When primaries and caucuses are finished in May/June, the winner is usually clear. Nat’l convention serves a formality to officially nominate the candidate. |
| What is the purpose of a national party convention? | - Modern conventions now serve as a celebration of the party; includes speakers to rally support for the nominee |
| What happens at a party's national convention? | - Party Platform—principles, beliefs, and positions on all the major societal issues - Ticket = Prez and VP candidates - Vice Presidential candidate automatically nominated |
| Describe how the presidential primary season works | − Parties usually only hold a primary if there isn't an incumbent for the particular race. − Intra-party Election: DEMs vs. DEMs & REPs vs. REPs − Winners of the primary (usually need a plurality, not majority) get nominations |
| Incumbent | A person who is running for election who already holds the office and is trying to get relected. |
Created by:
cmguthrie35
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