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Chapter 8
Political Parties
35
Political Studies
Undergraduate 2
02/02/2009

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Factions vs. Political Parties
Definition

Political Party: activists who organize to win elections, operate the govt. and determine public policy

 

Factions: group in a political party acting in pursuit of an interest/position; do not have a permanent organization

Term
Political Parties
Definition

1. Recruit candidates for public office

2. Organize and run elections

3. Present alternative policies to the electorate

4. Accept responsibility for operating the govt.

5.Act as the oganized opposition to the party in power 

Term
Two-Party System
Definition
political system in which only two parties have a resonable chance of winning
Term
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Definition

Federalists: John Adams; represented commercial interests and supported a strong national government

 

Anti-Federalists (Jeffersonian Republicans) : represented artisans and farmers; strongly supported states' rights  

Term

Era of the Good Feelings 

(Era of personal politics) 

Definition
No political opposition to the Republicans when James Monroe was president
Term
Democrats vs. Whigs
Definition

Whigs: stood for federal spending on "internal improvements"; first to split and northern Whigs united with antislavery Democrats and antislavery Free Soil Party to from modern Republican Party


Democrats: favored personal liberty and opportunity for the "common man"; thought that the govt. should promote business and economic growth but also wanted to impose Protestant moral values on society which was opposed by Democrats

 

Term

Republican Party

 

Definition
Term
Progressivism
Definition
spirit of political reform in both parties; compunded of a fear of the growing power of great corpoations and a belief that honest, impartial govt. could regulate the economy effectively
Term
Republican Party
Definition

upper-income voters; businesspersons

 

supportive of the private marketplace; believe more strongly in an ethic of self-reliance and limited govt. 

Term
Democrat Party
Definition

lower-income voters; Jewish electorate, hispanics, African Americans; women; city-dwellers

 

coalition of the labor movement and various racial and ethnic minorities are the core of Dem. Party

 

support social-welfare speding, to support govt. regulation of business, endorse measures to improve the situation of minorities and to support assisting the elderly with medical expenses 

Term
Reverse-Income effect
Definition

tendency for wealthier states or regions to favor Democrats and for less wealthy states/regions to favor Republicans

 

parodixical because it reverses traditional patterns of support 

Term
Party-in-the-Electorate
Definition
members of the general public who identify with a political party or prefer one over the other
Term
Party Organization
Definition
formal structure and leadership of a political party
Term
Party-in-the Government
Definition
all the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party
Term
National Convention
Definition
meeting held every four years by each major party to select presidential and vicepresidential candidates, to write a platform, to choose a national committee, and to conduct party business
Term
Party Platform
Definition
document drawn up at each national convention, outlining the policies, positions and principles of the party
Term
national committee
Definition
standing committee of a national political party established to direct and coordinate party activities between national party conventions
Term
State Central Committee
Definition

principal organized structure of each political party within each state; control over the use of part campaign funds during political campaigns

 

Term
Unit Rule
Definition
a rule by which all of a state's electoral votes are cast for the presidentional candidate receiving a plurality of the popular vote in that state
Term
Patronage
Definition

rewarding faithful party workers and followers with govt. employment and contracts

 

city machines are now dead, mostly because their function of providing social services has been taken over by state and national agencies 

Term
Divided Government
Definition

executive and legislative branches controlled by different parties

 

may indicate a lack of trust in govt. or the relative weakness of party identification among many voters 

Term
Ticket Splitting
Definition
Voting for candidates of two or more parties for different offices
Term
Safe Seat
Definition
district that returns the legislator with 55% of the vote or more
Term
Why the two-party system?
Definition

1. historical foundation of the system

2. political socialization and practical considerations

3. the winner-take-all electoral system

4. state and federal laws favoring 2 party system 

Term
Plurality
Definition
winner is the one who obtains most of the votes, even if that person does not get over 50% of the votes
Term
Electoral College
Definition

delegates/electors who are voted by each state;  committed to various presidential candidates

 

officially elects the president and the vice-pres 

Term
Duverger's Law
Definition
states that electoral systems based on single-member districts tend to produce two parties, while systems of proportional representation produce multiple parties
Term
Third party
Definition

part other than the two major parties

 

may be founded from scratch or may be split off from one of the major parties 

 

sometimes functioned as way stations for voters en route from one of the major parties to the other 

Term
Third Parties - Ideology 
Definition
  1. members of the minor party regard themselves as outsiders and look to one another for support
  2. the rewards of idelogical commitment are psychological, so parties do not think in terms of immediate electoral success
Term
Splinter party
Definition
new party formed by a faction within a major party
Term
Impact of Minor Parties
Definition
  1. third parties can influence one of the major parties to take up one or more issues
  2. third parties can determine the outcome by pulling votes from one of the major-party candidates (called spoiler effect)
Term
Realignment
Definition

process in which enough voters switch part allegiance, producing a long-term change

 

a newly dominant party has to replace the previously dominant party 

 

myth: occur about every 36 years

 

substantial body of citizens have to believe that their party can no longer represent their interests/values 

Term
dealignment
Definition
decline in party loyalties that reduces long-term party committment
Term

straight-ticket voting

vs. 

swing votes 

Definition

voting exclusively for candidates of one party

 

voters who frequently swing their support from one party to another 

Term
tipping
Definition
a group that becomes more numerous over times, grows enough to change political balance
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