Parties and Elections in America

by Maisel, L. Sandy

• ISBN13: 9780742516274
• ISBN10: 074251627X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Altamira Pr

Summary

Parties and Elections in America is an established and well-respected text covering all aspects of the electoral process from historical roots through election year 2000. The Post-Election Update includes the 2000 election results, with 44 key data tables and figures updated and new chapter opening photos throughout. Chapter updates reflecting the events from the 2000 election include the presidential nomination process, the endless election, the role of Ralph Nader and the Greens, and media blunders on election night. The concluding chapter is updated to look ahead toward election reform measures certain to be proposed in the aftermath of Election 2000.

Author Biography

L. Sandy Maisel is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor and chair of the department of political science at Colby College.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	xvii
Preface to Post-Election Update	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxix
Credits	xxxii
Elections and Political Parties	1	(28)
An Examination of Elections in the United States	4	(6)
The Role of Elections in Democratic Theory	10	(3)
Modes of Elections	10	(1)
Direct Elections	10	(1)
Indirect Elections	11	(1)
Implications for Representation	11	(1)
Representatives' Perspectives	11	(1)
The Public's Perspective and the Role of Parties in Representation	11	(2)
Definitions of ``Political Party'' and ``Party Systems''	13	(9)
Politicians View the Party System	22	(7)
Websites	27	(1)
Key Concepts	27	(1)
Discussion Questions	27	(2)
The Development of American Political Parties	29	(36)
From Faction to Party	31	(2)
The First American Parties	33	(6)
Funding and Assumption	33	(1)
Continuing New Divisions	34	(1)
Organizing to Gain Supporters	35	(1)
The Elections of 1796 and 1800	36	(1)
Contributions of the First Party System	37	(1)
The Collapse of the First Party System	38	(1)
The Second Party System	39	(3)
The Election of 1824 and Its Aftermath	39	(1)
Electoral Phases in the Second Party Period	40	(1)
Innovations of the Second Party Period	41	(1)
The Collapse of the Second Party System	42	(4)
Third Party System: Industrialization over Politics	46	(2)
The Critical Election of 1896 and Republican Domination	48	(4)
The Critical Election of 1896	48	(1)
The Classification of Presidential Elections	49	(2)
The Progressive Era: A Systemic Change	51	(1)
The New Deal Coalition	52	(8)
Defining the New Deal Coalition	53	(1)
Changing Campaign Technology	54	(2)
The Shape of the Party System at the Century's End	56	(4)
Politicians View Political History	60	(5)
Websites	62	(1)
Key Concepts	63	(1)
Discussion Questions	63	(2)
Party Organization	65	(26)
The Organizational Framework	66	(2)
Local and County Organizations	68	(4)
State Party Organizations	72	(8)
The Age of Strong State Party Organizations	72	(2)
The Structure of State Committees	74	(1)
The Role of the State Party Chair	75	(2)
The Ascendancy of the State Party Headquarters	77	(3)
Party Organization at the National Level	80	(7)
The Structure of National Party Organizations	80	(1)
The National Committees	80	(3)
The ``Hill Committees''	83	(1)
The Enhanced Role of the National Party Organizations	83	(4)
Politicians View Party Organization	87	(4)
Websites	89	(1)
Key Concepts	89	(1)
Discussion Questions	89	(2)
Political Participation	91	(34)
Who Votes; Who Doesn't	93	(22)
Expansion of the Franchise	93	(1)
Property Requirements	94	(1)
Black Suffrage	94	(2)
Women's Suffrage	96	(3)
Lowering the Voting Age	99	(1)
Additional Regulations: Residency and Registration	100	(2)
Decline in Voter Participation	102	(3)
Voting by Blacks	105	(1)
Voting by Young Voters	106	(1)
Voting by Women	107	(1)
What Distinguishes Voters from Nonvoters?	108	(5)
Voters and Nonvoters Revisited	113	(2)
Participation in Politics in America	115	(4)
Politicians View Political Participants	119	(6)
Websites	122	(1)
Key Concepts	122	(1)
Discussion Questions	122	(3)
Theories of Voting Behavior	125	(32)
Voters in Presidential Elections	126	(14)
Models of Voting Behavior: The American Voter	126	(3)
Critics of The American Voter Model	129	(1)
Criticism	130	(4)
V. O. Key Jr.
Criticism from Successors in the Michigan School	134	(5)
Presidential Voting Reviewed	139	(1)
Voters in Congressional and Senatorial Elections	140	(6)
Voting Behavior Theory Revisited	146	(4)
Politicians View Political Behavior Theory	150	(7)
Websites	153	(1)
Key Concepts	154	(1)
Discussion Questions	154	(3)
Organized Groups in the Political Process	157	(30)
Organized Groups in American Politics	160	(6)
Political and Nonpolitical Associations	160	(2)
Politically Active Groups	162	(1)
Economic or Noneconomic Interests	162	(2)
Multipurpose or Single-Purpose Groups	164	(1)
Federal or National Groups	165	(1)
Electoral Activities of Organized Groups	166	(12)
Working within the Party	167	(2)
Group Ratings	169	(3)
Political Action Committees	172	(6)
Interest Groups' Influence on Their Members	178	(3)
Politicians View Interest Groups	181	(6)
Websites	184	(1)
Key Concepts	184	(1)
Discussion Questions	184	(3)
State and Local Nominations	187	(32)
Political Context and Politicians' Decisions to Run	189	(2)
Common Views of the Nominating Process	191	(1)
Development of the Direct Primary System	192	(2)
Primaries as a Response to One-Party Domination	193	(1)
Primaries as an Item on the Progressive Agenda	193	(1)
Varieties of Primaries	194	(16)
Who May Run	195	(1)
Party Membership and Petition Requirements	195	(1)
The Role of Parties	196	(2)
Louisiana: An Exception	198	(1)
Cross-Filing: Another Exception to Party Allegiance	198	(1)
Who May Vote	199	(1)
Closed, Open, and Blanket Primaries	199	(2)
Theoretical Arguments Regarding Primary Voter Eligibility	201	(1)
Pragmatic Considerations Regarding Primary Voter Eligibility	202	(1)
Strategic Consequences of Different Primary Rules	202	(1)
Crossover Voting	203	(1)
Who Wins	204	(1)
Plurality Rule	204	(1)
Variations from Plurality Rule: Runoff Primaries	205	(5)
The Politics of Nominations	210	(4)
Uncontested Nominations	210	(1)
Contested Nominations	211	(1)
Incumbent Advantage	211	(1)
Contests without Incumbents	212	(2)
Politicians View the Nominating Process	214	(5)
Websites	216	(1)
Key Concepts	216	(1)
Discussion Questions	217	(2)
State and Local Elections	219	(46)
The Conventional Wisdom: Old versus New Politics	221	(1)
The New Politics: Campaigning in a Media Age	222	(19)
The Role of Political Parties	224	(3)
The Role of Organized Groups	227	(1)
Media Politics	228	(3)
The Candidate's Organization	231	(2)
The Structure of a Modern Campaign	233	(1)
Public Opinion Polling	234	(1)
Media Consultants	235	(1)
Fund-Raisers	236	(1)
Scheduling and Advance Work	237	(1)
Press Relations	238	(1)
Liaison to Party Organization and Organized Groups	239	(1)
Field Organizations	240	(1)
Old-Style Politics: A More Prominent Role for Parties	241	(3)
Reexamination of the Role of Political Parties	243	(1)
Local Campaigns in the Absence of Party	244	(1)
Do Campaigns Determine Who Win Elections?	244	(8)
Lack of Competition in American Elections	245	(1)
Incumbent Advantage in U.S. House and State Legislative Races	245	(2)
Competition in U.S. Senate and Gubernatorial Races	247	(1)
Credible Competition in American Elections	248	(4)
Third Parties in State and Local Elections	252	(4)
Politicians View the General Election	256	(9)
Websites	262	(1)
Key Concepts	262	(1)
Discussion Questions	262	(3)
Presidential Nominations	265	(58)
The Post-1968 Reforms	266	(14)
The McGovern-Fraser Commission	267	(2)
The 1972 Nomination	269	(2)
Continuing Reform of the Process	271	(1)
The Mikulski Commission	271	(1)
The 1976 Nomination: Strategies under the New Rules	271	(1)
The Winograd Commission	272	(2)
The 1980 Nomination and the Hunt Commission	274	(2)
The Fairness Commission and the 1988 Nominating Process	276	(2)
The Reform Movement: An Assessment	278	(2)
Nominations under the Current System: 1992 and 1996	280	(7)
The 1992 Nominations	280	(2)
The 1996 Nominations	282	(2)
The 2000 Nominations	284	(3)
Strategic Considerations in the Contests for Nominations	287	(21)
The Political Calendar	287	(1)
Front-loading the System	288	(1)
Super Tuesday	289	(1)
Filing Deadlines	289	(1)
Strategic Implications of the Political Calendar	290	(1)
The Rules of the Game	290	(1)
Proportional Representation versus Winner-Take-All Systems	291	(1)
Superdelegates versus Influential Party Leaders	292	(1)
Strategic Use of Campaign Resources	293	(1)
Office	294	(4)
Money	298	(3)
The Media	301	(6)
Evaluating Nominating Campaigns	307	(1)
The Conventions	308	(10)
Credentials Challenges	309	(1)
Rules Disputes	310	(2)
Party Platforms	312	(2)
Vice Presidential Nominations	314	(3)
An Evaluation of the Conventions	317	(1)
Politicians View the Nominating Process	318	(5)
Websites	319	(1)
Key Concepts	320	(1)
Discussion Questions	320	(3)
Presidential Elections	323	(56)
From the Convention to the General Election	324	(2)
Organizing for the General Election	326	(20)
Structuring the Campaign Organization	326	(1)
The Campaign Headquarters	326	(1)
The National Committee	327	(3)
The Mobile Headquarters	330	(1)
Division and Integration of Authority and Responsibility	330	(2)
Functions of a Presidential Campaign Organization	332	(1)
Grassroots Politics	332	(2)
Staffing the Candidate's Plane	334	(1)
Staffing the Campaign Headquarters	335	(5)
Directing the Campaign Organization	340	(1)
The Inner Core	340	(3)
Expanding the Core	343	(1)
Co-opting the Losers	344	(2)
Setting a Campaign Strategy	346	(1)
Strategies for the General Election	346	(15)
Geographic Determinations	347	(4)
Coalition Strategies	351	(2)
Issue Strategies	353	(1)
Campaign Themes	353	(2)
Character as a Campaign Issue	355	(2)
The Issues Raised during a Campaign	357	(1)
The Strategic Use of Incumbency	358	(3)
Tactics for the General Election	361	(6)
Tactical Considerations of Where to Go	361	(1)
Tactical Considerations of Media Use	362	(1)
Tactical Considerations of Which Issues to Discuss	363	(1)
The Tactics of Presidential Debates	364	(3)
Third-Party Candidates in Presidential Elections	367	(6)
Politicians View the Campaigns	373	(6)
Websites	376	(1)
Key Concepts	376	(1)
Discussion Questions	377	(2)
Campaign Finance	379	(44)
The Climate for Reform	383	(1)
Campaign Finance Reforms of the 1970s	384	(5)
Historical Background	384	(1)
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971	385	(1)
The 1974 Amendments to the FECA	386	(1)
Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976)	386	(1)
The 1976 FECA Amendments	387	(1)
Current Status of Key Issues	388	(1)
The Costs of Democracy	389	(5)
Federal Elections	389	(4)
State and Local Elections	393	(1)
Sources of Campaign Funds	394	(24)
Sources of Campaign Contributions	394	(6)
Individual Contributions	400	(4)
Political Action Committees	404	(2)
The Influence of PACs on Electoral Outcomes	406	(2)
The Influence of PACs on Legislative Outcomes	408	(1)
The Ideological Imbalance of Present and Future PACs	409	(1)
The Lack of Accountability for PAC Decision Making	410	(2)
PAC Influence: A Summary	412	(1)
Political Parties	413	(1)
Soft Money: The Newest Loophole to Be Closed	414	(1)
The Debate over Public Financing	415	(3)
Politicians View Campaign Financing	418	(5)
Websites	421	(1)
Key Concepts	421	(1)
Discussion Questions	422	(1)
The Media and the Electoral Process	423	(28)
The Media in the Contemporary Context	424	(2)
Free Media: Journalists' Presentations of Candidates and Campaigns	426	(14)
The Varieties of Free Media	426	(3)
The Role of the Free Media	429	(1)
Informed Consent of the Governed	429	(1)
Window on the Candidates	430	(1)
Referee between Candidates	431	(1)
The Actual Role That the Media Play	431	(1)
The Great Mentioner	432	(1)
Image Creator	432	(1)
Expectation Setter	433	(1)
Issue Identifier	434	(1)
Field Narrower	434	(1)
Campaign Critic	435	(1)
Documentor of Elections	435	(2)
Purveyor of Results	437	(1)
An Assessment of the Role of Free Media	438	(1)
Why Do the Media Play the Roles They Do?	438	(1)
How Should We Evaluate That Role?	439	(1)
Paid Media: The Candidate Provides the Message	440	(8)
Types of Paid Media	440	(2)
Controversies Caused by the Use of Paid Media	442	(1)
Negative Advertising	443	(2)
Issue Advocacy Advertisements	445	(1)
Impact of Paid Media on Election Campaigns	446	(1)
Intended Consequences of Paid Media Campaigns	446	(1)
Unintended Consequences of Paid Media Campaigns	447	(1)
Politicians View the Media	448	(3)
Websites	449	(1)
Key Concepts	449	(1)
Discussion Questions	450	(1)
The Party in Government	451	(38)
The Concept of Party in Government	453	(3)
Party as the Organizing Element of the U.S. Congress	456	(20)
Organization of the House of Representatives	457	(1)
Republican Organization under Gingrich	457	(8)
The Democrats in the Minority	465	(5)
Party Leadership in the Senate	470	(1)
The Senate Republicans	471	(1)
The Senate Democrats	472	(3)
The Muted Role of Party Leaders	475	(1)
The Impact of Party on Congressional Behavior	476	(4)
The President as a Leader of Party in Government	480	(5)
The President as Leader of His Party in Congress	480	(1)
The Presidential Role in Setting the Parties' Agendas	480	(2)
Presidential Means of Working with Congress	482	(1)
The President as Party Leader in Congress: A Summary	483	(1)
The Role of Party in the President's Administration	484	(1)
Politicians View the Party in Government	485	(4)
Websites	486	(1)
Key Concepts	487	(1)
Discussion Questions	487	(2)
Conclusions: The Role of Political Parties at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century	489	(18)
The Role of Elections	490	(9)
The Context of Federalism	490	(1)
Presidential Elections	491	(1)
Congressional Elections	492	(2)
State and Local Elections	494	(1)
Nonpartisan Politics	494	(1)
Voters and Elections	495	(1)
Television as a Source of Political Information	496	(1)
Television as a Source for Information about State and Local Issues	497	(1)
An Evaluation of the Electoral Process as a Means of Choosing Those Who Govern	498	(1)
The Role of Political Parties	499	(6)
The Parties in the Modern Election	499	(2)
Parties' Appeal to the Electorate	501	(3)
The Tone of Twenty-First-Century Politics	504	(1)
Concluding Remarks	505	(2)
Notes	507	(20)
References	527	(44)
Index	571	(20)
About the Author	591