Political Parties in the USA

1. OBJECTIVES:
1.DEFINE A POLITICAL PARTY
2.DESCRIBE THE FUNCTIONS OF A PARTY
3.IDENTIFY THE REASONS WHY THE U.S. HAS A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
4.UNDERSTAND MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS AND HOW THEY AFFECT THE
FUNCTIONING OF A POLITICAL SYSTEM
Political Parties & What They
Do

2. What is a party?
Political Party=Group of persons who seek to control
government through winning elections & holding
public office
 Some political parties are centered on principles, others on
elections
 U.S. parties are election-oriented

3. Elements that make up a party:
1. The Party Organization
 People who give time, money, effort to party
 Leaders, organizers, activists
2. The Party in Government
 Candidates & officeholders
3. The Party in the Electorate
 The voters

4. What parties do:
Link between government & the people
Best way for the “will of the people” to be known
Power brokers, compromisers, limit impact of
extremists at both ends of political spectrum

5. What parties do:
Nominating Candidates—Select candidates &
present them to voters
Informing & Activating Supporters—Campaigning
for candidates, taking stands on current issues, &
criticizing opponents
Attempt to form positions that will win the most
voters, but also offend as few as possible
The Bonding Agent Function—Act as “bonding
agent” to ensure candidates are qualified and of good
character; prompts officeholders to perform well

6. What parties do:
Governing—Many ways government by party
 Officeholders often chosen on basis of party
 Congress & state legislatures organized along party lines
 Positions associated with party==Speaker of the House,
Majority Leader, Minority Leaders, Whips
 Most appointments to executive office are based on party

7. What parties do:
Watchdog Function—Watch over the conduct of the
public’s business
 Especially true of party out of power
 Loyal opposition
 Work to regain positions
 Work to make party in power look bad

8. The two-party system:
Democrats & Republicans
Typically only these two parties have a reasonable
chance of winning public office

9. Why does the U.S. a two-party system?
Historical basis—started with Federalists & Anti-
Federalists
 Many Founders opposed “factions” or parties; main reason
parties are not mentioned in Constitution

10. Why does the U.S. a two-party system?
The Force of Tradition—Most people accept the two-
party system b/c there has always been one
3rd
party challengers have made little headway
The Electoral System—Shape & details of election
process work against minor parties
 Winner-take-all elections, winner receives a plurality (largest
number of votes)
 Many look at vote for minor party candidate as “wasted vote”
 Often times minor party candidates struggle to get name on
ballots

11. Why does the U.S. a two-party system?
The American Ideological Consensus—Most
Americans have a general agreement on
fundamental matters. Conditions that would spark
several strong rival parties do not exist in the
United States.
 Free of long-standing, bitter disputes; both parties tend to be
moderate

12. Multi-party systems
Feature of most European democracies and now
many other democracies around the world, including
Canada (see pie chart on p. 128)
Parties are often based on a particular interest, like
economic class or religious belief
This system tends to produce a broader, more
diverse representation of the electorate
Leads to coalitions, a temporary alliance of several
groups

13. One-party systems
Dictatorships
 Essentially a “no-party” system
¼ of states in U.S. today
 One party consistently wins elections
Is Nebraska a one-party system?

14. Types of one-party systems
One Party
Systems where
only one party is
allowed.
Example:
Dictatorships such as
Stalinist Russia
Example:
Republican North and
Democratic South until the
1950s.
Modified One-Party
Systems where one
party regularly wins
most elections

15. Party Membership Patterns
Factors that can influence party membership:
Family Major events
Economic Status Religion
Occupation Age

16. Critical thinking
Do you think political parties are a valid source of
information about candidates and their views? Why
or why not?
Explain why a person might consider a vote for a
minor-party candidate even knowing that the
candidate is not likely to win?