Exam #2 Flashcards
(51 cards)
Party Organization: Party Structure
- National/State/Local Parties (DNC/RNC)
- Congressional Committees (Goal: in charge of getting their members reelected, Provides: funding, staff, media)
- Party Governor Association (RGA; Republican Governors Association/DGA: Democratic Governors Association)
(Goal: Recruit candidates & provide resources to make sure they get reelected)
Political Machines (what they are)
- disciplined organizations
- relies on material incentives for votes (give me your vote and ill give you … “could be jobs, benefits, social services”)
- control all votes, engages in election fraud if the election is close, had access to ballots
Political Machines (rise and fall, & where)
- formed in 19th century
- fell off around early 20th century
- why? development of social services such as welfare, higher education levels, campaign finance reforms
- prevalent in urban areas, but can also be found in suburbs and small towns
Local Party Strength - Over Time, Political Machines: Then v. Now?
Who? - Political Machines vs. Today (70s to now)
Then? - Controlled and ran the campaigns, relied on unpaid volunteers
Now? Providing services to campaigns
Local Party Strength - Over Time (Now- Strengths v. Weaknesses)
Strengths: Grassroots Activities (stuff done in local area such as knocking on doors, sending mail in ballots, phone calls, making people aware of the election), more active : online presence , more visible, strong in recruiting candidates
Weaknesses: Costly activities (running ads, polls, giving fundraising or fundraising in general)
Parties as Service to Politicians
Parties solve Collective Action Problems
(ex: giving funds to other candidates, so the candidates themselves don’t have to (parties do that for them)
- They do this because it solves a public good , this would be winning a majority -> stays in the party so they can pass legislation
- When you have two candidates , as a rational politician you would not give your opponent money from your campaign fund, the republican PARTY WOULD DO SO , SO THEY CAN WIN A MAJORITY EITHER WAY AND PASS POLICIES
Endogenous Institutions
- To grow from within
- Made themselves by their own rule so they can grow - “for the people by the people”
- Working for their own advantage
Example of Endogenous Institutions
Ex: the Democratic party would make sure Obama has all the media coverage b/c they believe he is the best candidate in the party - they make their own rules, BUT say the feds made the rule - the Democrats would have to follow those rules and say they had to build the platform to serve all candidates - but b/c EI’s make their own rules, they do what they have to in order to get the advantage
Parties and Politicians (Aldrich)
Argues that parties are JUST service providers to ambitious politicians
Parties & Politicians (Heersink)
-Argues they are more then service providers, they are active participants
○ Only active participants when they are they minority.
EX: If the president is in the white house, the president is in charge of the party, BUT when they don’t have the white house , the party serves a larger role by promoting / deciding the national brand and investing in national programs ( outreach to voters, voting groups, etc.)
Local Party Roles : Electioneering (Doherty)
Activities include: voter registration, canvasing (basically making sure how active people are in terms of politics, getting a political/social feel of the community), phone banking, GOTV (get out the vote)
Party Activists (What Are They)
they have money (could be donors) and they want their party to win
Party Activists’ Influence: Types (General - 2)
- Professional
- Purist
Driven by Ideological Trajectory
Party Activists’ Influence: Professional
interested in jobs or patronage (hopes of getting exclusive opportunities in return for giving support) “doing it for a check”
-wants more private goods : politicians wanting a senate seat
Party Activists’ Influence: Purist
interested in policy, driven by ideology
- wants more public goods : what party would get, wants party to have majority so they can pass policy
Party Activists’ Influence: Factions
Factions represent attempts of less influential political groups to elevate their status in their parties (mini parties in parties)
EX: MAGA in the Republican Party
- Driven by policies
Party Activists’ Influence: Types of Factions (2)
- Particularistic
- Programmatic
Types of Factions: Particularistic
VERY specific demands ( want a different candidate or policy )
* disappears if demands become irrelevant
EX: Bernie Bros - 2016 Democrats who strictly wanted Bernie and were only going to vote if he won the democratic candidacy
Types of Factions: Programmatic / Two Types
want a different platform than the current (party as a whole)
- TWO types of Programmatic Factions:
1. Consociational
2. Insurgent
Types of Factions: Types of Programmatic Factions - Consociational
Cooperative, power sharing, makes agreements with host party -> “help you out so you can help me out”
Types of Factions: Types of Programmatic Factions - Insurgent
combative towards host party (radical), willing to leave party
Realignment: Hershey v. Sundquist
(What is Realignment)
How voters or groups align with parties after societal changes
* Both arguments between authors have the similarity that realignment is over a long period of time = it is ONLY realignment IF IT IS DURABLE
Realignment: Hershey + Ex
By looking at the close relationship between group and party stances, realignment will take place within groups due to a MAJOR societal/political event (a big shift in society)
* The interest of every member in the group will be the same
ex, As a result of the Civil Rights Movement, we saw a large realignment of Christians switching from the Democratic party to the Republican party in the South.
Realignment: Sundquist + Ex
If the intro of a new issue becomes more important than an old issue, voters will realign to a party that aligns most with the new issue
-It can be a result of a major AND / OR minor shift in society
* individual issues
ex, voting for women in FL
old issue: gender wage gap (rep)
new issue: abortion bans (dem)
- what do the women care about more? , will they make a switch to a different party?
