|
|
 |
INTERACTIVE LECTURE POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATIONS |
 |
|
Throughout American history, the political party has been a dominant feature of the political system. The Founders did not mention the term "political party" anywhere in the Constitution. But the party system has been a pervasive force ranging from the first party period of Federalists and Anti-federalists to the modern party period of Democrats and Republicans. A political party is an organization that attempts to control government by recruiting, nominating, and electing their members to public office. Parties provide a way for the citizens to have some say about who serves in government and what policies are adopted by government. Parties link the voters with policymakers and thereby serve several important purposes. They help select public officials by recruiting candidates and providing campaign resources. They help empower the citizens by keeping them informed and connected to the political arena. They help influence public policy by organizing, coordinating, and checking government action. Political parties carry out these functions through the party in the electorate, the party in government, and the formal party organization. Without political parties, the political system would probably be even more fragmented and interest groups even more powerful. Parties are organizations that bind together Americans from all regions, races, religions, occupations, and so on. Are political parties seen as a positive or negative aspect of American National Government? One of the central features of American democracy is the two-party system. Only two parties have competed effectively for Congress and the White House. The most common explanation for the two-party system is the election system in which public officials are elected from single-member districts under a winner-take-all arrangement. Only the candidate with the most votes is elected from a district or state. This means that only the major parties have much of a chance of winning office because of their political strength in numbers. Another reason for two-parties is that the major parties have a vested interest in maintaining an election system that undermines the development and growth of minor parties. State legislatures controlled by the two parties have passed laws requiring political parties to secure a sizable number of signatures or a certain percentage of the popular vote in the last election before their name is put on the ballot. Recently, presidential candidate Ralph Nader failed to receive 5% of the popular vote to qualify his Green Party for federal funding in the 2004 election. At no time since 1800 have more than two firmly entrenched parties had a realistic chance of controlling the House, Senate, or Presidency. Are there any advantages and disadvantages to the two-party system? Many times the two-party system has been challenged by minor or third parties. It has proven difficult for third parties to compete with the major parties. There are usually several minor parties running in any given election. Some minor parties have arisen around a charismatic personality and tend to have shorter political lives. Examples are Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party, George Wallace’s American Independent Party, and Ross Perot’s Reform Party. In 1992, Perot won 19 million votes or 19% of the popular vote but not any electoral votes. He got about half as many votes four years later. In 2000, the Reform Party was badly fragmented and its presidential candidate (Pat Buchanan) failed to receive 1% of the popular vote. Other minor parties have been organized around an ideology and tend to persist over a longer time. Prime examples include the Communist, Democratic Socialist, Prohibition, Libertarian, and Green parties. Personality and ideological parties have exerted outside influence on the political system by drawing attention to controversial issues and by organizing efforts such as the abolitionists and civil rights movements. But third parties have never won the presidency or more than a few congressional seats and usually only shaped national policy from the outside. Minor parties have been criticized as spoilers, which divert votes away from the major party candidates and cost them the election. Perot was accused of taking votes from George Bush in 1992; Nader was criticized for diverting votes from Al Gore in 2000. In any event, third parties have brought important issues to the forefront and provided a voice for dissatisfied Americans. Many voters feel a partisan attachment to a particular political party, an affiliation that guides them in deciding among competing candidates. Some voters simply vote their party identification with little or no knowledge of candidates or issues. But a party vote is in part an issue vote. Political parties have taken relatively consistent stances on issues. Since the 1930s, the Democratic Party has favored an expanded role for the federal government in regulating economic issues while the Republican Party has called for allowing the marketplace to function according to the forces of supply and demand. The parties have also differed with regard to issues of lifestyle and morality. Republicans have generally advocated governmental intervention to promote public morality, while Democrats have typically called for governmental protection for freedom of choice. An example is the abortion issue with Republicans favoring the state to outlaw abortions and Democrats supporting a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy. Most voters recognize these partisan differences and associate the party label with the policy stances of candidates. Today, a growing number of citizens claim that they vote for candidates rather than parties. Many more people now call themselves independents when asked whether they identify with a political party. But overall, party affiliation is still the greatest predictor of how people vote in presidential and congressional elections. Are you a registered Democrat, Republican, or Independent and which party do you usually support? Some Compelling Questions One of the central questions of American politics asks what essential functions are performed by political parties? How do political parties select candidates, mobilize voters, provide information, direct policymaking, and check political power? What are the rationales for the existence of a two-party system within the United States, and particularly the pervasiveness of the Republican Party and Democratic Party? Another central question of American politics asks how has the political party system developed since the founding of the nation? How has the two-party system evolved into different periods of party de and re alignment? What have been some of the prominent third or minor parties and why did they emerge? How have third parties exerted influence on voter turnout, election outcomes, and public policies? |
Please fill in all items:
If you do not want to have your email address posted, then you must type the @ sign in replace of your e-mail address.
|
