The document discusses the key aspects of political parties in the United States including membership requirements, roles of party members, political philosophies of different parties, organization of parties from local to national levels, and the purpose and development of party platforms.

1. Membership
-who can be a member of a party?
-requirements?
-What Party Members Do?
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-
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2. Political Philosophy
-Conservatives-- person who favors
less government or a government
that is less involved in people’s
lives and is less open to reforming
ideas
-Liberals-- people who are in favor
of more government involvement
and may be more open to reform
-Moderates-- person who is
somewhere in-between the major
political parties and may have some
beliefs which favor one side and
other beliefs that favor the other
party

3. Republicans
-beliefs?
-demographics?

4. Democrats
-tend to believe in?
-demographic features

5. Organization
-local
-precincts-- Term for a district or
area
-state
-national
-political machine– when a party so
strongly controls an area that the
opposing party offers little
resistance

6. Local Level
-most important level
-all voting takes place here
-most volunteers work at this level
-elections here affect people the
most

7. State, National Level
-Focuses on several elections
-Lots of funds spent at this level
-party goals developed at this level
-National Conventions-- Meeting
held every four years when
Presidential candidates are chosen
and the party develops official
policy beliefs

8. Party Platform
-statement of a party’s beliefs and
goals
-planks-- what the party’s policy is
on a single issue
-developed at National Party
Conventions
-not representative of all party
members

9. Party Platform
-statement of a party’s beliefs and
goals
-planks-- what the party’s policy is
on a single issue
-developed at National Party
Conventions
-not representative of all party
members