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Party history

  First parties – parties were initially viewed with suspicion and distrust by the founders (Washington ended his administration warning about them)

First parties were short lived—The Federalists (starting with the Constitution) and the Jeffersonian Republicans (starting in the 1790s)

They were heterogeneous coalitions (as they still are) and the Federalists faded away because they were small, run by non-professional politicians, and had no established tradition – the Jeffersonian Republicans dominate until 1828

Democratic Party (is a splinter of the Jeffersonian Republicans ) begins with Andrew Jackson’s first run for president in 1824 – politics was becoming a national activity and the electorate had expanded making political participation a mass phenomenon – Jackson establishes the Democrats and from 1828 (when he is elected president) to 1860 it is the dominant political party – presented itself as the party of the common man – literal interpretation of the constitution, state’s rights, and limited federal confederacy – does not regain its political strength  until 1933 when FDR Democrats take control of the presidency and Congress with a New Deal coalition of Catholics, Jews, African-Americans, farmers, intellectuals, and labor. – becomes the dominant party until the 1980s when the South and blue-collar northern voters begin to vote Republican – base is now government employees, labor unions, not-for profits – party now believes in expansive interpretation of the constitution and a strong federal government.

Republican Party begins with antislavery advocates who wanted to stop the expansion of slavery under the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 –supported commercial interests as well as antislavery including a transcontinental railroad, protective tariffs, -- from civil war to great depression the Republicans are the dominant party and during this time shift to the party of business – the Republican Hoover is blamed for the great depression and the Republicans decline until the 80s when they start doing better in the South – during the 90s conservative religious groups attempted to expand their influence within the party – this coalition  or social and economic conservatives in 1994 led the party takes control of both houses –

What is Electoral Realignment??

When a dominant political party is supplanted by a new party (usually for a period of about 30 years) – generally occur when economic or political crisis persuades voters to reexamine their partisan loyalties

1932-- FDR Democrats take control of the presidency and Congress with a New Deal coalition of Catholics, Jews, African-Americans, farmers, intellectuals, and labor.

1960s – Divided government becomes the norm with the presidency held by one president and Congress held by the other (The 2002 Congressional races which increased Republican control in Congress while George W. Bush was in the White House may be the end of that pattern)

What’s up with third parties?

n      Tend to represent social or economic protest that is not given voice by major parties – Rarely successful in winning elections or even becoming a stable party (The Republican Party is the notable exception when they defeated the Whigs in 1856 to be the opposition to the Democrats )

o       Can wield more influence that electoral size because their programs become co-opted by major party candidates (egs FDR and the socialist’s Social Security) – this is one of the theories behind why that third parties don’t last so long

o       Another reason may be that the primary and national convention system can allow dissident elements within the two major parties to influence the choice of candidates (antiwar dissidents within the Democratic Party were satisfied enough with McGovern that they didn’t create their own party)

o       Lastly the perception that a third party vote is a wasted vote under our plurality system

§         Types of third parties:

·        Ideological – a comprehensive view of American society radically different than the two major parties (Libertarians, Communists)

·        One-issue parties (Prohibition party, “know nothings”)

·        Economic protest parties – party usually based in one region that protests economic conditions (Populist Party, Greenback Party)

·        Factional parties: parties created by a split from a major party which can be very damaging to the party in which the division has occurred (Bull Moose Party from the Republicans)

Party Organization

            State and local party organizations – involved in local state elections

Federal election law allowed local organizations to spend unlimited amount of money on “party building” activities – so national organizations siphoned millions into local party groups – this was known as “soft money”

Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee vs Federal Election Commission (1996) – gov cannot limit $$ that a party spends on a race so long as it is not coordinated by the candidate

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) – bans this soft money and doesn’t allow federal party money to go to state party activities – the issue is now in the courts

Congressional Campaign Committees – Goal is to raise $$ for House and Senate election campaigns – sometimes compete with national committees for $$

National Committees – The DNC and RNC raise $$$, head off factional disputes, enhance the party’s reputation – the head of the party is the president who then appoints a national committee chair – making the president’s reelection of paramount concern to the chair

Functions of parties

Recruiting candidates – is reportedly becoming more difficult with mudslinging, press scrutiny, and fund raising requirements

Fundraising – parties provide funds (which may no be limited under the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002)

Voter mobilization – used to be the dominant engine for voter registration, mobilization and information now those jobs are provided by civic organizations (League of Women Voters) and the media 

Party identification – the prolonged existence of consistent parties give voters a long-term basis for prolonged influence over government and increases the elctorate’s capacity to recognize its options.

Organizational– parties allow for the organization of large numbers of people who may lack economic and institutional resources – allows for the creation of organized opposition to groups with more resources

Policy entrepreneurs – party leadership may be central in focusing on new policy objectives

Nominating candidates – Constitution sets no requirements for the process of nomination

            Forms of nomination –

Caucus – (18^th and 19^th century) informal gathering by party activists to select nominee (“the smoke-filled room”) – ends around the 1830s – “King Caucus” is when members of Congress selected the presidential candidates for the parties

Convention – formal gathering bound by rules that govern participation and procedures – state parties chose the delegates- adopted around the 1830s for the president as a way to break “King Caucus” which was then perceived as a tool for the party bosses – gave the presidency a more popular base

Primary elections – most common method now used – rarely get more than 25 percent of voter participation but is still more democratic

Closed primary – only voters who are pre-registered as party members can vote

Open primary – People can vote on any party’s ballot

The “problems” pf contested primaries

§         money is spent on something other than the general election

§         can reveal weaknesses and spread discord within the party

§         can force candidates to swing from center to win primaries

What use is the national convention??

Nominate the party’s presidential ticket – now primarily a media event since selecting the presidential candidate is done in the primaries

-         Determines the party’s rules – can help factions increase their influence

-         Party platform – rarely read but a sort of contract by which the factions state what it will take for them to support the ticket

Decline of parties

  Progressive reformers (who tended to be wealthy and educated) worked to strip the parties of power out of a legitimate desire to fight corruption as well as a belief that people like themselves (rich and educated) were best suited to lead   

n      Australian ballot allows for split ticket ballots

n      “merit systems” meant that government jobs could no longer be allocated by the parties

n      direct primaries meant that party activists no longer had control of the nomination process

After the turn of the century the party system begins to decline in power – become less effective campaign tools, less effective at mobilizing voters, less organized

In the place of party-based campaigning new methods emerge using new political technology: