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Political Parties
Chapter 8 of Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry
26
Civics
12th Grade
10/30/2012

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Term
party competition
Definition
  • the battle of the parties for control of public offices
  • ups and downs of the two major parties are one of the most important elements in American politics
Term
political party
Definition
according to Anthony Downs, a "team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election"
Term
linkage institutions
Definition
  • the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda
  • include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
Term
rational-choice theory
Definition
  • a popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians
  • assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives
Term
party image
Definition
the voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for
Term
party identification
Definition
a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
Term
ticket splitting
Definition
  • voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices
  • the norm for American voting behavior
Term
party machines
Definition
a type of political party organization that relies heavily o material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern
Term
patronage
Definition
  • one of the key iducements used by party machines
  • a patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone
Term
closed primaries
Definition
elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty
Term
open primaries
Definition
electoins to select part nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests
Term
blanket primaries
Definition
  • elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties
  • voters can select some Democrats and some Republicans
Term
national convention
Definition
the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform
Term
national committee
Definition
  • one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions
  • composed of representatives from the states and territories
Term
national chairperson
Definition
person responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee
Term
coalition
Definition
a group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends
Term
party eras
Definition
historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections
Term
critical election
Definition
  • an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party
  • sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era
Term
party realignment
Definition
the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period
Term
New Deal coalition
Definition
  • a coalition formed by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s
  • basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals
Term
party dealignment
Definition
the gradual disengagement of people and politicans from the parties, as seen in party by shrinking party identification
Term
third parties
Definition
  • electoral contenders other than the two major parties
  • not unusual but rarely win elections in America
Term
winner-take-all system
Definition
  • an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies
  • in American presidential elections, the system in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state
Term
proportional representation
Definition
an electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election
Term
coalition government
Definition
when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature
Term
responsible party model
Definition
  • a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work
  • according to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates
  • once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises
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