Nominating Candidates
-selecting candidates
-the activity that sets political parties apart from other political groups
Informing and activating supporters
-inform people and activate their interests in public affairs
-Parties share this function with news media and interest groups.
Bonding agent
-Tries to choose candidates who are qualified and of good character
-After candidates are elected the party prods them to do well or suffer in the next elections
Governing
-Helps legislative and executive branches work together
-most appointments to executive branch are made on basis of partisanship, or allegiance to a political party.
Acting as watchdog
-party that is out of power criticizes the party that controls the government
-the loyal opposition urges votes to oppose to the party in power but be loyal to the people and the nation
All______can be defined as groups of persons who join together because they want to gain control of the government through winning elections.
political parties
Allegiance to a political party is known as_______.
partisanship
In the United States, the major_____ are the Democrats and the Republicans.
parties
The party that controls the executive branch is known as the_________.
party in power
The two major parties in the United States are election-oriented rather than issue-oriented.
True
Once its candidates are elected, a political party has no interest in whether they perform well in office.
false
The function that most clearly sets political parties apart from other political groups operating in the United States is the nomination of candidates for elective office.
True
Most federal appointments to executive offices are made on a partisan basis.
True
One of the most important functions of the party in power is the "watchdog" function.
False
A political party is a group of persons who join together in order to
gain control of the government through the electoral process.
The function of informing the public and stimulating political debate is performed by
all of the above (the news media, political parties, and interest groups)
Broadly based parties like those in the United States tend to reduce and moderate political conflict by
encouraging conflicting groups to agree to compromise solutions.
Under the system of separation of powers, political parties are usually the agents that prompt cooperation between
the legislative and executive branches
The function of the "loyal opposition" is to
criticize the policies of the party in power.
Historical Basis:
2-party system rooted in the beginnings of the nation itself-Anti-Federalists and Federalists; disunity and divisiveness-he American party system began as a 2 party system.
Tradition:
The fact that the nation began a 2-party system has been a leading reasons for the retention of it.
Electoral system:
The basic shape, and many of the details, of the election process work in the direction of promoting the existence of but 2 major parties
Ideological Consensus:
The realities of American societies and politics simply don't permit more than 2 major parties
minor party
one of the political parties without wide support
two-party system
2 major parties dominate politics (in America)
single-member district
Electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected offie
plurality
largest number of votes cast for the office
pluralistic society
society consisting of several distinct cultures and groups.
consensus
a general agreement among various groups
multiparty
system in which several major and many lesser parties exist, seriously compete for, and actually win, public offices.
one-party system
("no-party" system) A political system in which only one party exists.
institution that promotes continuation of the two-party system
single-member districts
a union of many persons of diverse interests
coalition
general agreement
consensus
for example, the "Solid South
one-party system
culture composed of many distinct subgroups
pluralistic society
The two-party system in America goes back to the
ratification of the Constitution.
The fact that candidates for Congress do not need to win a majority of votes in order to win an election
discourages people from voting for minor-party candidates.
The statement that "Americans are an ideologically homogeneous people" refers to the fact that
Americans share basic political ideals.
Multiparty systems tend to produce
political instability
Which of the following groups would be most likely to support the Democratic party?
people whose parents supported the Democratic party
Federalists
-Strong before 1800
-"the rich and well-born"
-Alexander Hamilton
Jeffersonian Republicans
-1800-1820s
"common man" (people
-Thomas Jefferson
-James Madison
Jacksonian Democrats
-1820s-1830s
-small farmers, debtors, frontier pioneers, and slaveholders
-Andrew Jackson
Whigs
-1830s-1850s, never dominant
-eastern bankers, merchants, and industrialists, owners of large southern plantations/planters
-Henry Clay
-Daniel Webster
-William Henry Harrison
-Zachary Taylor
Republicans
-1860-1932
-business and financial interests, farmers, laborers, and newly freed blacks
-John C. Fremont
-Abraham Lincoln
-Faft
-T. Roosevelt
-McKinley
Post-Civil War Democrats
-never dominant outside the South
-"Solid South" (The South)
-William Jennings Bryan
-Wilson
New Deal Democrats
-1932-1968
-southerners, small farmers, organized labor, big-city political organizations, African Americans and other minorities
-Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)
-Harry S. Truman
John F. Kennedy
-Lyndon B. Johnson
Era of the Democrats,1800-1860
conflicts over public lands
-second bank of the US
high tariffs
slavery
Era of the Republicans, 1860-1932
Civil War
-Reconstruction
-Great Depression
Return of the Democrats, 1932-1968
Great Depression
New Deal (1930s), Roosevelt's (FDR) social welfare programs
WWII
Kennedy Assassination
incumbent
current officeholder (going to be going for reelection)
faction
conflicting group (groups that dissent)
electorate
people eligible to vote
sectionalism
emphasizes a devotion to the interests of a particular region.
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were leaders of the____
Democratic-Republican party
The party that developed in opposition to the Jacksonian Democrats was the______
Whig party
The Era of Good Feeling was a period of_____ rule.
one-party
In the 1996 presidential election, President Bill Clinton was the_____
incumbent
The_____expanded to include all white males during the Jacksonian era.
electorate
Policies designed to help farmers and planters
were supported by the Democratic-Republicans
During______ the Democratic party dominated the Federal Government.
1800-1860 and 1932-1968
Southerners
were NOT part of the coalition that backed the post-Civil War Republican party.
The critical election of 1896 was a _____ victory that signaled an end to divisive___conflicts.
Republican, sectional
Unlike previous periods, during the period from 1968 to the present,
one party has controlled the presidency while the other has controlled Congress.
Ideological Parties (marxist thought)
based on a particular set of beliefs-comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters.
-socialist, Socialist Labor, Libertarian Party, Socialist Worker, Communist Parties
Single-Issue Parties
Concentrate on only one public-policy matter
-Free Soil Party, American Party/"Know Nothings", Right to Life Party
Economic Protest Parties
-Parties rooted in poor economic times, lacking a clear ideological base, dissatisfied with current conditions and demanding better times
-Greenback Party
The Populist Party
Splinter Parties
-split away from one of the major parties
"Bull Moose" rogressive Party-T. Roosevelt
-Progressive Party-La Follette
-Progressive Party-Henry Wallace
-States' Rights (Dixiecrat) Party
-American independent Party
Single issue parties tend to
fade into history if unsuccessful at attracting voters
if successful at attracting voters, policies adopted by 1 of 2 major parties
Minor party most successful in winning votes
splinter party
minor party longest lived
ideological parties
minor parties functions:
first used national convention to nominate presidential candidate
decisive role (often a "spoiler role") in an election
critic and innovator
many important issues brought to public attention
The "Free Choice" party is formed by people intent on legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes
single-issue party
A group of Democrats, dissatisfied with the party's moderate nominee, decides to form a new "People's Rights" party to back their more liberal leader, Henry J. Smith.
Splinter party
A group of angry Midwestern farmers and laborers forms the "Working People's" party, calling for higher tariffs, higher farm subsidies, and congressional term limitations
economic protest party
The "Socialist Justice" party calls for a complete overhaul of the American political, economic, and legal systems.
ideological party
The "Equity" party works for an end to affirmative action programs
Single-issue party
Libertarian Party
ideological party
Democratic Party
major party
Populist party
economic protest party
Bull Moose party
splinter party
Prohibition party
single-issue party
Although ideological parties have not____, they have____
won many elections, been long-lived
The Free Soil party, the "Know Nothing"party, and the Right to Life party are all examples of
single-issue parties
True statement about splinter parties
Most of the important minor parties in the nation's history have been splinter parties
Minor parties are able to play a "spoiler role" in an election by
taking enough votes away from one of the two major parties to cost its candidate the election
Unlike major parties, minor parties
take clear-cut stands on controversial issues.
National Convention
every 4th year in presidential election
-to nominate the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates
-adoption of party's rules and the writing of its platform
National Committee
between conventions
handles party's affairs
staging party's national convention
prepares next national convention
National Chairperson
-4 year term
directs work of the party's headquarters and its small staff in Washington
-strengthen party and its fortunes
leader of national committee
Congressional Campaign
-2 years(term of Congress)
-reelect incumbents
-make sure that seats given up by retiring party members remain in the party
unseat incumbents in the other party
Two factors that contribute to the decentralization of parties
federalism
nominating powers
The party out of power operates at a disadvantage because it has no leader comparable to the
President
IN recent years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of voters who identify themselves as
independents
ward
a unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members
precinct
smallest unit of election administration; voters in each report to 1 polling place
split-ticket voting
voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election
Split-ticket voting has increased in recent decades
true
wards are the units into which states are divided for the election of congressional representatives
false-city council members
the adoption of the direct primary in the early 1900s strengthened party unity
false-increased divisiveness
PACs have made candidates less dependent on party organizations
true
IN recent decades, there has been a sharp increase in the number of voters who regard themselves as independents
true
The automatic leader of the party in power is the
President
The two main reasons that the major political parties are decentralized are
the divisiveness of the nominating process and the impact of federalism
Between elections, the affairs of both major parties are handled by each party's
national committee
The party's media consultants
is NOT one of the tree main elements of the two major parties in terms of the roles of their members
Party organizations have declined in recent years as a result of
the use of television and direct-mail campaign