1. Chapter 5 section 2, 3, 4, 5 Political Parties

2. Party Membership Patterns

Democrats mostly African Americans, Catholics and Jews, and union members.

3. GOP* - white males, Protestants, and the business community.

• *GOP is common shorthand for the Republican Party.GOP stands for Grand Old Party.

4. 2 out of 3 Americans follow the allegiance to a party based on their parents.

5. Significant Minor Parties

Libertarian Party stresses individual liberty, opposes taxes, government intrusion.

6. Reform Party Formed by Ross Perot, trade agreements to protect American jobs. 7. Constitution Party Anti-tax party, pro-life, pro-school prayer, opposes gun control, immigration, free trade, UN, gay rights. 8. Significant Minor Parties con't

Communist Party Communist ideology

9. America First Party Splinter from reform party, promotes Christian beliefs 10. Green Party Committed to environment, nonviolence 11. Socialist Labor Party Marxist party, collectivism 12. Socialist Party Anti-communist, non-racist, classless, feminist, socialist society. 13. Origins of Political Parties

Traced back to ratification of Constitution

14. Federalist Party Alexander Hamilton = worked for a stronger National Government. 15. Anti-federalist Thomas Jefferson = Limited role for National Government.Later they became the Jeffersonian Republicans or Democratic-Republicans. 16. After Washington, John Adams (Federalist) defeated Jefferson.Jefferson defeated incumbent in next election (incumbent is the current officeholder.) 17. Minor Parties

ideological parties those based on a particular set of beliefs a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters.

18. Example Socialist, Socialist Labor, Communist, Libertarian 19. Minor Parties

Single issue parties focus on only one public-policy matter.

20. Example Free Soil Party opposed the spread of slavery. 21. Example American Party (also called the Know Nothings opposed Irish-Catholic immigration in the 1850's. 22. Example Right to Life party opposes abortion. 23. Minor Parties

Economic protest parties have been rooted in periods of economic discontent.They have focused their anger on such real or imagined enemies as the monetary system, Wall Street Bankers, the railroads, or foreign imports.

24. Example:the Greenback Party tried to take advantage of agrarian discontent from 1876 through 1884. 25. Example:the Populist Party demanded public ownership of railroads, telephone and telegraph companies, lower tariffs, and the adoption of the initiative and referendum. 26. Minor Parties

Splinter parties those that have split away from one of the major parties.

27. Example:From the Republicans - Theodore Roosevelt's Bull-Moose Party Progressive Party of 1912, Robert La Follette's Progressive Party of 1924. 28. Example:From the Democrats Henry Wallace's Progressive Party and the States' Rights (Dixiecrat) Party of 1948 and George Wallace's American Independent Party of 1968. 29. Why Minor Parties are Important

Minor parties first used a national convention to nominate a presidential candidate.

30. spoiler role - can pull votes from one of the major parties. 31. 1912 election Republican split Theodore Roosevelt split votes with William H. Taft ending up with Woodrow Wilson becoming President. 32. National Convention

Meets in the summer of every presidential election year to pick the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

33. National Committee/National Chairperson/Congressional Campaign Committees

Party's affairs are handled by a national committee and national chairperson.

34. National chairperson is the leader of the national committee. 35. Each party has a campaign committee in each house of Congress. 36. State Organization

State central committee with a State chairperson.

37. Local organization

ward is a unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members.

38. precinct is the smallest unit of election administration.You vote in your precinct. 39. Future of Major Parties

Weakened

40. 1.Sharp drop in the number of voters willing to identify themselves as Republicans or Democrats.More claiming independent. 41. 2.Split-ticket voting voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election. 42. 3.Various structural changes and reforms (like changes in campaign finance laws.) 43. 4.Use of technology for campaigning. 44. 5.Single-issue organizations