ch 8 synopsis

Chapter 8 – Political Parties

Learning Objectives:

· Define the key terms at the end of the chapter

· Describe the four most important functions of political parties

· Trace the history of major political parties in America

· List the functions performed by minor political parties

· Account for the emergence of a two-party system in the U.S.

· Assess the extent of party identification in the U.S. and its influence on voting choice.

· Summarize the ideological and organizational differences between Republicans and Democrats


Chapter Synopsis
Many people equate democracy with the presence of competitive political organizations. In a democratic political system, parties have four major functions: (1) nominating candidates for office; (2) structuring the voting choice; (3) proposing alternative government programs; (4) coordinating the actions of government officials.
Political party activity in the U.S. has consistently revolved around two major parties alternating power. The Federalists, Democratic-Republicans, and Whigs formed the basis of two party systems earlier in our history. Today, the long traditions of the Democratic Party, founded in 1828, and the Republican Party, founded in 1854, virtually close out the field to any serious challenge from a young, upstart party.
The balance between the Democrats and Republicans in the current party system can be usefully analyzed according to three critical elections. A rough balance of power between the parties followed the election of 1860. The election of 1896 led to the Republicans emergence as the majority party. The election of 1932 led to a majority of voters identifying themselves as Democrats, which has continued to the present day.
Minority parties fall into four categories: (1) bolter/splinter parties, which are split-off factions from a major party; (2) farmer-labor parties, which have a populist, working-class orientation; (3) parties of ideological protest, such as the Socialist and Libertarian Parties; and, (4) single-issue parties, such as the Prohibition Party. Minor parties on the whole have not been strong vote getters, but they have had some success as policy advocates. They also serve as a political safety valve by giving discontented groups the opportunity to air their policy views.
Party identification, a state of mind or psychological attachment to a political party, should be distinguished from voting, which is a behavior. Most Americans readily identify with one of the two major parties, and this predisposition is the most important long-term force affecting U.S. elections. Short-term factors, however – such as candidate attributes and policy positions – may lead a voter to abandon his/her party’s nominee and vote instead for a candidate of the opposing party.
Although both the Democrats and the Republicans support the concept of capitalism, there is a definite ideological gap between government roles favored by the parties. In particular, the Democratic activists are likely to be liberals or moderates, whereas Republicans are more inclined toward conservatism.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats have a hierarchical party structure, and the national party has little control over decentralized state and local election campaigns. The candidate nomination process in American party politics, unlike other party systems in the world, centers on election rather than by selection by party leaders.