Chapter 7: Political Parties

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Objectives
What Parties Do for
Democracy
A Brief History of
American Political
Parties
American Parties Today
How Parties Raise and
Spend Money
Are the Political Parties
Dying?

What Parties Do for Democracy

LO 7.1

LO 7.1 Identify the primary functions of parties in

democracies and distinguish the U.S. party
system from those in European democracies.
What Parties Do For Democracy
Organize the Competition
Unify the Electorate
Help Organize Government
Translate Preferences into Policy
Provide Loyal Opposition
The Nomination of Candidates
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LO 7.1

What Parties Do for America

Party Systems
Two-party system
Weak minor parties
Multiparty systems in parliamentary governments

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LO 7.1

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LO 7.1

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LO 7.2

A Brief History of American Political

Parties
LO 7.2 Trace changes in American political
parties and identify four realigning elections.
Federalist Anti-Federalist debate
Political parties emerged in the 1790s

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Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

A Brief History of American Political Parties

LO 7.2

Realigning Elections
1824: Andrew Jackson and the Democrats
1860: The Civil Warthe Rise of the Republicans
1896: A Party in Transition
1932: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal

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A Brief History of American Political Parties

LO 7.2

The Last Half Century

Major shifts in party
Divided government has been the norm.
Republican South
Both parties more ideologically committed than before.
2008 - Realignment?

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LO 7.3

American Parties Today

LO 7.3 Differentiate the functions of parties as

institutions, parties in government, and parties
in the electorate.

Parties as Institutions
National Party Leadership
Party Platforms
Parties at the State and Local Levels

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American Parties Today

LO 7.3

Parties in Government
Legislative Branch
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
State and Local Levels

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American Parties Today

LO 7.3

Parties in the Electorate

Party Registration
Party Activists
Party Identification
Partisan Dealignment?

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LO 7.3

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LO 7.3

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Map of red states and blue states in the U.S. based on presidential elections since 2000. Red: The
Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (2000, 2004, 2008,
2012). Pink: The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent
elections. Purple=The Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate each carried the state in two of
the four most recent elections. Light blue: The Democratic candidate carried the state in three of the four
most recent elections. Dark blue=The Democratic candidate carried the state in all four most recent elections.

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LO 7.3

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LO 7.4

How Parties Raise and Spend Money

LO 7.4 Explain party fundraising and
expenditures, and assess their regulation.
How Parties Raise and Spend Money
Contributions from individuals and interest.
Regulation of campaign spending (speech) changing.
Less public funding of elections than in other countries.

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LO 7.4

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LO 7.5

Are the Political Parties Dying?

LO 7.5 Assess the effects of recent party reforms and the long-term prospects for the current party system.

Are the Political Parties Dying?

Critics of the U.S. party system:
(1) parties do not take contrasting positions
(2) party membership is essentially meaningless
(3) parties are too focused on the middle to pursue
change.

Reform Among the Democrats

Reform Among the Republicans
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LO 7.5

Are Political Parties Dying?

Continued Importance of Parties

Political parties are vital to democracy.
Parties organize the government.
Parties help citizens influence the government.

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Democrats and Republicans

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LO 7.1

Which of these is NOT a function of political

parties?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Organize the competition

Unify the electorate
Translate preferences into policy
Provide loyal opposition
All of these are functions of political parties.

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LO 7.1

Which of these is NOT a function of political

parties?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Organize the competition

Unify the electorate
Translate preferences into policy
Provide loyal opposition
All of these are functions of political
parties.

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Which of these is NOT a characteristic

of a realigning election?

LO 7.2

A. Weak voter involvement

B. Disruptions of traditional voting patterns
C. Changes in the relationships of power within
the broader political community
D. The formation of new and durable electoral
groupings

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Which of these is NOT a characteristic of a realigning

election?

LO 7.2

A. Weak voter involvement

B. Disruptions of traditional voting patterns
C. Changes in the relationships of power within
the broader political community
D. The formation of new and durable electoral
groupings

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LO 7.3

Which of following is intended to be

nonpartisan?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The United States Congress

The Executive branch
State legislatures
The federal judiciary

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LO 7.3

Which of following is intended to be

nonpartisan?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The United States Congress

The Executive branch
State legislatures
The federal judiciary

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After passage of the BCRA

__________________.

LO 7.4

A. Political parties were weakened because of

limits on funding
B. There was a surge in individual contributions
resulting in a strengthening of political parties
C. There was no change in contributions
D. There was a short weakening of
contributions followed by a modest increase

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After passage of the BCRA __________________.

LO 7.4

A. Political parties were weakened because of

limits on funding
B. There was a surge in individual
contributions resulting in a
strengthening of political parties
C. There was no change in contributions
D. There was a short weakening of
contributions followed by a modest increase

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LO 7.5

The GOP reform emphasized _____________

organization and membership recruitment.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Grassroots
Strict
Uniform
Systematic

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The GOP reform emphasized _____________ organization and

membership recruitment.

A.
B.
C.
D.

LO 7.5

Grassroots
Strict
Uniform
Systematic

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Text Credits

190: From Obama More Popular Abroad Than at Home, Global Image
of U.S. Continues to Benefit July 2010, by Pew Global Attitudes Project.
Copyright (c) 2010 by Pew Global Attitudes Project, a project of the Pew
Research Center. Reprinted with permission.
191: From GUIDE TO U.S. ELECTIONS, 6e, Vol. 1. Copyright (c) 2010
by CQ Press. Reprinted with permission. 203: From VITAL STATISTICS
ON AMERICAN POLITICS, 2009-2010 by Harold W. Stanley and
Richard G. Niemi. Copyright 2010 by Stanley and Niemi. Reprinted by
permission of CQ Press.

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Photo Credits

184: Jim Young/Landov

187: Billy Suratt/Auma Press/Corbis
189: (top) Newscom
189: (bottom) Reiner Jensen/Corbis
193: Library of Congress
195: 2008 Jupiter Images/Getty Images
196: Ed Reinkel/AP Photo
197: Sean Gardner/Reuters/Landov
199: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo
201: Terry Gilliam/AP Photo
205: Scott Audette/Reuters/Landov

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