Transcript Unit 2, Ch.5, Political Parties

Political Parties
Chapter 5
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Please sit where you like.
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Entrance Ticket
• Please define the following terms in your
own words:
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Political Party
Major Party
Multi Party System
Partisanship
Liberals
Conservatives
Minor Parties
Realignemnt
Dealignment
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Standards
• USG.3.15 - Summarize the evolution of
political parties and their ideologies in the
American governmental system and analyze
their functions in elections and government at
national, state and local levels of the federal
system.
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Discussion
• Who do the characters
in this political cartoon
represent?
• What is the significance
of their posture?
• How can you relate this
image back to the
concepts of Federalism,
Popular Sovereignty,
and Compromise?
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Vocabulary – Unit 2 (Ch. 5)
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Parties
Chapter 5
• Conservatives
– Splinter
Political Party • Minor Parties
Parties
– Ideological
Major Party
• Realignment
Parties
Multi Party
– Single Issue • Dealignment
System
Parties
• Partisanship
– Economic
Protest
• Liberals
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Some Definitions (Knowing these will make it easier to
understand how political parties work & They may be on the test as “Matching”.)
• Ward: A unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city
council members.
• Electorate: All of the people entitled to vote in an election.
• Precinct: The smallest unit of election administration; a voting district.
• Plurality: In an election the number of votes that the leading candidate
obtains over the next highest candidate. Not necessarily the majority.
• Consensus: A general agreement of various groups.
• Coalition: The joining together of people with diverse interests for a
common goal.
• Split Ticket Voting: A vote for candidates of different political parties on
the same ballot, instead of for candidates of only one party.
• Primary Elections: An election to choose candidates.
• Grass Roots Voters: Average voters
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By the way…
• The USC made no mention of political parties.
• It is legal to try to take over the U.S. government by
winning elections.
• Parties have been effected and in general weakened
by candidate centered politics.
• However, Presidential “Bromances” do occur. (3:32)
The Big 2
POLITICAL PARTIES (3:00)
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Parties: Powers in numbers to get your
candidate elected
• Political Party – A Group of people that try to
control the government by getting its candidates
elected
• Members of political parties have:
– Common principles &
– Seek to Control the Government
• Major Parties – In the U.S. the Republican and
Democratic Parties.
– Political Parties Rap (3:54)
The founders saw political parties as
“factions motivated by ambition and
self-interest.”
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They were opposed to them because disputes over
policies and elections were not easily separated
from disputes over government legitimacy.
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When disagreements occur, well…
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Sometimes you just need an anger translator (5:09)
Political Parties:
• Work to get candidates elected to political
offices.
– They also:
1. Nominate candidates to run for political office
2. Link people to their government officials.
3. Organize the government.
4. Insure the good performance of elected
officials.
5. Criticize other Candidate  this is NOT hard
to do…
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President Bush – Fool Me Once (1:03)
Best Obama Gaffes (1:49)
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MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM
A Multi-Party System is a system in
which several major and minor parties
compete for and win public offices.
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The “Big Two” Parties
• America has consistently been dominated by
two parties…and partisanship.
– Partisanship – Strong support of a political party.
• (that is “heavily slanted extremist propaganda”)
• Democratic Party
(3:28) – anti-republican propaganda
– Liberals – people who are less concerned about the amount of
governmental control and more open to change.
• Republican Party (2:42) – anti-democrat propaganda
– Conservatives – people who believe in less in government control and
more individual freedom.
Not the big 2
MINOR PARTIES
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Minor Parties
• Minor Parties – In the U.S. Minor Parties are called
3rd parties.
• Roles
– agenda-setting
– act as linkage institutions
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Minor parties tend to come and go…
Minor parties tend to take clear-cut stands on controversial issues.
• Note: Third Parties “Minor Parties” are often discouraged by election
laws of many states and tend to appear and disappear quickly due to
ballot access restrictions present and the reluctance of voters to support
minor party candidates.
Types of Minor Parties
• Types of Minor Parties
– Ideological Parties – A Political Party based on a
certain set of beliefs.
– Single-issue Party – A political party that focuses
on one main concern.
– Economic Protest Party – A political party that
forms during difficult economic times to demand
reforms.
– Splinter Party – A political party that has broken
away from one of the major parties.
Absorption of Minor Parties
• Over time, the ideas first developed by minor parties
are often ABSORBED by major parties.
• Absorption:
means that a 3rd party was doing well drawing attention
to an issue or candidate and gaining support so the major parties
absorbed the issue-started talking about that issue and using versions of
some of the same proposals to deal with the issue.
The Decline of Party Organizations
• Party organizations have declined in recent years as a
result of the use of TV, Internet, and direct mail
campaigns.
• Conventions are no longer necessary to
inspire public interest and participation.
Party Identification & Problems
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Party Identification: affiliation with or affinity for a certain party (specifically
its platform…or a plank therein)
Realignment - A turning point that changes partisan identification and
occurs when:
– New Voters
– New issues
– Some kind of National Crisis
Dealignment - Shifting away from both major political parties
Problems (aka “the death of parties”)…
– Rise of other linkage institutions
• The growth of Mass Media
• Interest groups
• No contrasting positions  Movement to the middle
• Most of the American Electorate has adopted this “Middle of the Road”
philosophy.
– Meaningless to members  no more perceived “social support”
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The decline in party organizations has been mirrored by a decrease in
party affiliations leading to an increase in the overall number of voters
who regard themselves as middle-of-the-road independents.
This is important because VOTERS are the largest membership group in
any party.
THE RISE OF THE INDEPENDENTS
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First Past the Post Voting Explained (7:00)
WHY WE HAVE ONLY 2 MAIN
POLITICAL PARTIES
Questions and Comments?
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Does Having 2 Major Parties Mean
That American’s Can’t Get Along?
• Historically, America has had 2 parties that have
consistently dominated the political arena.
• Since the 1960’s, the government has tended to
be “divided”; that is, when the executive was
one party, the legislative was the other.
Inter Political Dating
(5:24)
Check Your Knowledge
• Write IDs for relevant vocabulary.
• Review all concepts discussed in this presentation.
• Describe the origins of political parties in the U.S. and
analyze their major functions.
• Describe the multi party system in the U.S., explain
how it effects the function of the political system, and
explain the two party system.
• Describe the role of minor parties in the U.S.
• Explain why major parties have a decentralized
structure.
• Describe how major parties function on the national
and local levels.
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Current Event – Editorial
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ed·i·to·ri·al
/ˌedəˈtôrēəl/
adjective
noun
1. an article written by or on behalf of an
editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue.
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Where to Find an Editorial
Here’s an
idea…
Try googling
the term
“Editorials”.
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What an
Editorial
Looks
Like.
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Current Event – Editorial
• Instructions:
– Read the assigned Editorial either independently
or in a group.
– Complete the Editorial Current Event Form
– Hand in the completed Editorial Current Event
• 35 Points
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Homework:
READ AND NOTES ON CHAPTER 9
(INTEREST GROUPS)
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