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tx govt. 2023 > ch. 4 > Flashcards

ch. 4 Flashcards

1
Q

Define “Political Party”

A

A group of citizens who organize to contest elections, win public office, and impact policy making

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2
Q

What 3 components make up a political party? Define them.

A
  1. Party in the electorate: voters who identify with a political party
  2. Party as an organization: the local, state, and national structure of a political party and its paid leaders
  3. Party in Government: local, state, and national elected or appointed officials who identify or belong to a political party
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3
Q

What are all 6 characteristics of political parties?

A
  1. Two-party system
  2. All-encompassing
  3. Negative public view of their existence and function
  4. Political parties categorized into mass and cadre parties
  5. Weak parties
  6. One party dominance
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4
Q

Define a two-party system

A

A political system in which only 2 parties have a realistic chance of winning political office

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5
Q

What is Duverger’s Law?

A

Theory that a single member district electoral system results in a 2 party system and proportional representation in a multi-party system

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6
Q

What is a single member district electoral law?

A

An electoral system in which the person who wins the most votes in a district is elected office (discriminates against 3rd/minor parties)

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7
Q

What is proportional representation?

A

An electoral system in which seats are allocated based on the proportion of the vote a party receives

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8
Q

Define “all-encompassing”

A

Attempting to appeal to everyone

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9
Q

Define a cadre party

A

Decentralized and part time political party whose major purpose is to win office

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10
Q

Define a mass party

A

Centralized and full time political party whose major purpose is to represent a certain ideological viewpoint

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11
Q

What percentage of all voters in America base their vote on party identification?

A

80%

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12
Q

What are the 8 functions of political parties?

A
  1. Facilitate the voting process for the average voters
  2. Provide political socialization
  3. Recruit and nominate candidates for political office
  4. Run candidate campaigns
  5. Mobilizing voters
  6. Provide voters with information (“party platforms”)
  7. Organize the policy making process at all governmental levels
  8. Interest aggregation
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13
Q

Define “party platform”

A

A document drawn up every 2 years at the state convention that outlines a party’s policies and principles

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14
Q

Define “Interest Aggregation”

A

The act of joining with like-minded citizens to acquire political power

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15
Q

Define “political power”

A

The ability to make people engage in political acts they would not engage in of their own free will

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16
Q

List the factors of the first party system (1836-1845)

A
  • Called the era of the pre-party system
  • Political figures disagreed about everything
  • No real structure with 3 ideologies present: Conservative (slavery, religion), Classical form of Liberalism (religious freedom, individualism), Jacksonian Democrats (advocated for common people, fearful of large business like banks)
17
Q

List the factors of the second party system (1845-1877)

A
  • Dominated by the republican party post civil war because of military occupation, which disenfranchised white southerners
  • Known for military occupation, unpopular policies, corruption
  • Democrat party regained power post-reconstruction
  • Held power for hundred years due to reconstruction policies
18
Q

List the factors of the third party system (1877-1932)

A
  • One party state controlled by democrats until the 1990s
  • Vigorous party policies because everyone joins it to win office. The political party becomes all-encompassing
  • Liberal Wing supported: regulation of railroads and banks, creation of unions, minority rights
19
Q

List the factors of the fourth party system (1932-1998)

A
  • New Deal coalition: forged by FDR in 1930s, consisted of the working class, catholics, white southerners, African Americans, Jewish, intellectuals (dominated until the 60s)
  • FDRs death caused a fracture in the democratic party
  • Traditionalist: conservative on economic and social issues and opposed integration
  • Liberal Wing: believed in integration and new deal policies
  • Conservative Wing: state’s rights
  • Fracture was so bad that two state conventions were held
  • Democrats supported Republicans at a national level but would remain loyal to Democrats at local and state levels. This is because 1. most Texans were socialized to be democrats (yellow dog democrats), and 2. direct primaries where republicans voted in democratic primaries because their own were not competitive and had no viable candidate
  • Most Texans were more conservative than other states
  • Because democrats became more liberal in the 1990s, it forced many conservative democrats to become republican
20
Q

List the factors of the fifth party system (1998-present)

A
  • With the realignment of the 1980s, Americans from the Midwest and Northeast began to move to Texas and caused a shift
  • Urbanization is a factor. The middle class was prosperous in this period.
  • Platforms designed on cutting taxes, reducing welfare spending, was tailored for them
  • Conservative democrats began leaving during Reagan’s administration
  • With Texans leaning right, they became the majority
  • The change made the democrats more liberal
21
Q

Define “realignment”

A

When a core group of supporters of a political party switch to the opposing party

22
Q

Define “critical alignment”

A

A core group of political party’s supporters switching to the opposition. This switch also creates a new majority party. A switch of the conservative white vote in Texas constitutes a critical alignment at the state level

23
Q

Define “dealignment”

A

A core group of supporters leaving a political party and refusing to join another

24
Q

List the factors of the Precinct level of political parties

A
  • The lowest level
  • Every precinct elects a precinct chair (serve 2 year terms)
  • In charge of: recruiting volunteers, coordinating campaign volunteers, mobilizing voters, getting them registered
  • Serve on executive county committee in charge of planning and conducting local primaries and county conventions
  • Precinct hold conventions to elect delegates for county level
25
Q

List the factors of the County level of political parties

A
  • County party chair is elected (serves 2-year term)
  • Preside over county executive committee
  • Determine polling stations
  • Responsible for: renting machines, printing ballots, constructing primary ballots, recruiting for local and regional offices, incharge of local funds and spokesperson for local level
  • At the county level, delegates for state conventions are chosen
  • Help construct county party platforms
26
Q

List the factors of the State level of political parties

A
  • State Party Chair is the most powerful party official in state (2 year term)
  • Responsible for recruiting local and state offices, raising funds for candidates and party
  • Certify all party winners, preside over the state executive committee, which determines the site of the next state convention. They raise money, distro press releases, work closely with the party at a national level
  • Every even number year the state convention is held
27
Q

Most third parties are short lived in Texas and have _________ on Texas policies

A

no visible impact

28
Q

Why do third parties form?

A

Because they are dissatisfied with the two major parties and believe their policy issues are being ignored

29
Q

Third parties are typically…

A

Ideological and not electoral

30
Q

What are the two types of third parties?

A

Single cause and multi-cause

31
Q

Two real world examples of third parties are…

A

Libertarians and the Green Party

32
Q

What are some factors of the Green Party?

A
  • Peace: cut military funding and end our country’s long war and military presence
  • Ecology: Eliminate fossil fuels and move to renewable energy
  • Social Justice: Demand living wage and real safety net
  • Democracy: Public financing of elections, open debates, and more representative voting systems

tx govt. 2023 (7 decks)

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