Party Politics in America

by Hershey, Marjorie R.

• ISBN13: 9780321414915
• ISBN10: 0321414918
• Edition: 12th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Party Politics in America analyzes three primary components of partiesparty organization, party in the electorate, party in governmentand the interaction of these components, especially during election campaigns. Originally written by Frank Sorauf and now AUTHORed by Majorie Hershey, the book integrates academic research with contemporary and historical examples to bring to life the fascinating story of how parties have helped to shape our political system.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xvii
John H. Aldrich
Preface	xxii
Part One Parties and Party Systems	1	(44)
What Are Political Parties?	5	(21)
A Three-Part Definition of Parties	6	(4)
The Party Organization	8	(1)
The Party in Government	8	(1)
The Party in the Electorate	9	(1)
What Parties Do	10	(1)
Electing Candidates	10	(1)
Educating (or Propagandizing) Citizens	10	(1)
Governing	10	(1)
The Effects of Party Activity	11	(1)
How Do Parties Differ from Other Political Groups?	12	(1)
Parties Are Paramount in Elections	12	(1)
They Have a Full-time Commitment to Political Activity	12	(1)
They Mobilize Large Numbers	12	(1)
They Endure	12	(1)
They Serve as Political Symbols	13	(1)
How the American Parties Developed	13	(4)
The Founding of American Parties	13	(4)
The Emergence of a National Two-Party System	17	(3)
The Golden Age of the Parties	18	(1)
The Progressive Reforms and Beyond	19	(1)
What Do the Parties Stand For?	20	(2)
Parties Are Shaped by Their Environment	22	(4)
Voters and Elections	22	(1)
Political Institutions	23	(1)
Laws Governing Parties	24	(1)
Political Culture	24	(1)
The Broader Environment	24	(2)
The American Two-Party System	26	(19)
The National Party System	27	(1)
The 50 State Party Systems	28	(3)
Measuring State Party Competition	28	(1)
Limits on Competitiveness: Incumbency	29	(1)
... and Other Reasons for Declining Competitiveness	30	(1)
What Causes a Two-Party System?	31	(4)
Institutional Forces	31	(2)
``Dualist'' Theories	33	(1)
Social Consensus Theories	34	(1)
Party Self-Protection (The Best Defense Is a Good Offense)	34	(1)
Exceptions to the Two-Party Pattern	35	(7)
Nonpartisan Elections	35	(1)
Pockets of One-Party Monopoly	36	(1)
Third Parties	37	(1)
Differences in Scope of Ideological Commitment	38	(2)
Difference of Origins	40	(1)
Differing Purposes	40	(1)
What Difference Do They Make?	40	(1)
The Rise of Independent Candidates	41	(1)
Will the Two-Party System Continue?	42	(3)
Part Two The Political Party as an Organization	45	(54)
The State and Local Party Organizations	47	(18)
What Is a ``Strong'' Party?	48	(1)
The Legal Environment of the Parties	48	(1)
Levels of Party Organization	49	(3)
Local Party Committees	50	(1)
State Central Committees	51	(1)
The Legendary Party Machines	52	(2)
How the Party Machines Developed	52	(1)
How Machines Held on to Power	53	(1)
Local Party Organizations Declined and Then Rebuilt	54	(4)
Local Parties in the 1970s	55	(1)
Local Parties Today: Richer and More Active	56	(2)
The State Parties: Newfound Prosperity	58	(5)
Traditional Weakness	58	(1)
Increasing Strength in Recent Years	59	(1)
Fund-raising	60	(1)
Campaign Services	61	(1)
Republican Advantage	61	(1)
Allied Groups	61	(1)
The Special Case of the South	62	(1)
National Party Money	63	(1)
Summing Up: How the State and Local Party Organizations Have Transformed	63	(2)
The Parties' National Organizations	65	(19)
The National Parties	66	(2)
The National Committees	66	(1)
National Party Officers	67	(1)
Presidents and Their National Parties	68	(1)
Other National Party Groups	68	(3)
Congressional Campaign (``Hill'') Committees	68	(1)
Women's and Youth Groups	69	(1)
Democratic and Republican Governors' Associations	69	(2)
Two Paths to Power	71	(6)
The Service Party Path	71	(1)
The Democrats' Procedural-Reform Path	72	(1)
Both Parties Take the Service Path	73	(2)
Rising to the Challenge of New Campaign Finance Rules	75	(2)
What Is the Impact of These Stronger National Parties?	77	(6)
Effects on Candidates' Campaigns	77	(2)
Effects on State and Local Parties	79	(2)
Effects on the Presidency	81	(1)
Effects on Congress	81	(1)
Relationships within the National Party	81	(2)
The Limits of Party Organization	83	(1)
Party Activists	84	(15)
What Draws People into Party Activity?	84	(7)
Material Incentives	85	(1)
Patronage	85	(1)
Elected Office	86	(1)
Preferments	87	(1)
Solidary (Social) Incentives	87	(1)
Purposive (Issue-Based) Incentives	88	(2)
Mixed Incentives	90	(1)
Professional and Amateurs	90	(1)
How Do Parties Recruit Activists?	91	(3)
Finding Volunteers: Is Anybody Home?	92	(1)
Means, Motive, and Opportunity	93	(1)
What Kinds of People Become Party Activists?	94	(2)
People from ``Political Families''	94	(1)
Better Educated and Wealthier Than Average	95	(1)
Different Agendas	95	(1)
More Extreme Views	96	(1)
Party Activists and Democracy	96	(3)
The Problem of Representation	97	(1)
Amateurs and Pressure for Internal Party Democracy	97	(1)
Activists and Party Strength	98	(1)
Part Three The Political Party in the Electorate	99	(56)
Party Identification	101	(17)
How People Develop Party Identifications	102	(2)
Childhood Influences	102	(1)
Influences in Adulthood	103	(1)
Patterns of Partisanship Over Time	104	(3)
Has There Been a Decline in Partisanship?	106	(1)
Party Identification and Political Views	107	(1)
Party Identification and Voting	108	(3)
Party Voting	108	(2)
Party Versus Candidates and Issues	110	(1)
Partisanship as a Two-Way Street	111	(1)
Party Identification and Political Activity	111	(1)
Party Identification and Attitudes Toward the Parties	112	(1)
The Myth of the Independent	113	(2)
Attitudinal Independents	114	(1)
Behavioral Independents	114	(1)
Are Independents a Likely Source of Support for Third-Party Candidates?	115	(1)
Change in the Impact of Party ID	115	(3)
A More Candidate-Centered Politics	115	(1)
The Continuing Significance of Party	116	(2)
Party Coalitions and Party Change	118	(19)
The American Party Systems	119	(4)
The First Party System	119	(2)
The Second Party System	121	(1)
The Third Party System	121	(1)
The Fourth Party System	122	(1)
The Fifth Party System	122	(1)
The Social Bases of Party Coalitions	123	(5)
Socioeconomic Status Divisions	123	(2)
Sectional (Regional) Divisions	125	(1)
Religious Divisions	126	(1)
Racial Divisions	127	(1)
Ethnic Divisions	127	(1)
Gender Divisions	127	(1)
Issues Are Central to the Parties' Coalitions	128	(2)
The Development of the Sixth Party System	130	(7)
Major Changes in the Parties' Supporting Coalitions	131	(2)
From Democratic Majority to Party Parity	133	(1)
How Can We Characterize These Changes: Realignment, Dealignment, or What?	134	(1)
Problems with the Idea of Realignment	135	(2)
Who Votes---and Why It Matters	137	(18)
The Low Turnout in American Elections	138	(1)
The Expanding Right to Vote	139	(1)
Legal Barriers to Voting	140	(1)
Citizenship	140	(1)
Residence	140	(1)
Registration	141	(1)
The Special Case of Voting Rights for African Americans	141	(3)
The Long Struggle for Voting Rights	141	(1)
The Growth of Black Registration in the South	142	(1)
From Voting Rights to Representation	143	(1)
Getting Blacks' Votes Counted	144	(1)
Political Influences on Turnout	144	(2)
The Excitement of the Election	145	(1)
Close Competition	145	(1)
The Representativeness of the Party System	146	(1)
Organized Efforts to Mobilize Voters	146	(1)
Turnout: Individual Differences	146	(4)
Socioeconomic Status	147	(1)
Youth	148	(1)
Gender and Race	149	(1)
Social Connectedness	149	(1)
Political Attitudes	149	(1)
Personal Costs of Voting	150	(1)
Why Isn't Voter Turnout Even Higher?	150	(2)
The Puzzle of Low Turnouts	151	(1)
What Could Stimulate More Participation?	151	(1)
Why Do These Changes in Turnout Matter?	152	(1)
Long-Range Effects	152	(1)
Effects on Particular Elections	153	(1)
The Challenge to the Parties	153	(2)
Part Four Parties, Nominations, and Elections	155	(90)
How Parties Choose Candidates	157	(17)
How the Nomination Process Evolved	157	(2)
Nominations by Caucus	158	(1)
Nominations by Convention	158	(1)
Nominations by Direct Primaries	158	(1)
The Current Mix of Primaries and Conventions	159	(1)
Types of Primaries	159	(2)
Closed Primaries	160	(1)
Open Primaries	160	(1)
Blanket Primaries	160	(1)
Why Does the Type of Primary Matter?	161	(1)
How Candidates Qualify	162	(1)
How Do Candidates Get on the Ballot?	162	(1)
Runoffs: When Too Many Candidates Get on the Ballot	162	(1)
What Parties Don't Like About Primaries	163	(4)
Difficulties in Recruiting Candidates	163	(1)
The Risk of Unattractive Nominees	164	(1)
Divisive Primaries	164	(2)
Problems in Holding Candidates Accountable	166	(1)
The Party Organization Fights Back	167	(1)
Persuading Candidates to Run (or Not to Run)	167	(1)
Endorsing Candidates	167	(1)
Providing Tangible Support	168	(1)
Candidates and Voters in the Primaries	168	(3)
Many Candidates Run Without Competition	169	(1)
... And Voters Are in Short Supply	169	(2)
The Impact of the Direct Primary	171	(3)
Has It Made Elections More Democratic?	171	(1)
How Badly Has It Harmed the Parties?	172	(1)
Is the Primary Worth the Cost?	172	(2)
Choosing the Presidential Nominees	174	(21)
The Move to Presidential Primaries	174	(4)
Turbulence in the Democratic Party	175	(1)
Presidential Primaries Today	176	(2)
Some States Use Party Caucuses	178	(1)
The Race to Win Delegate Votes	178	(5)
The ``Invisible Primary''	178	(1)
Candidates' Strategic Choices	179	(2)
Win Early or Die	181	(1)
What Is the Party's Role?	181	(2)
Voters' Choices in Presidential Nominations	183	(2)
Who Votes?	183	(1)
Are Primary Voters Typical?	183	(1)
Do Voters Make Informed Choices?	184	(1)
Do Primaries Produce Good Candidates?	184	(1)
On to the National Conventions	185	(3)
Roots of the Conventions	185	(1)
What Conventions Do	185	(1)
Approving the Platform	186	(1)
Formalizing the Presidential Nomination	187	(1)
Approving the Vice-Presidential Nominee	187	(1)
Launching the Presidential Campaign	187	(1)
Who Are the Delegates?	188	(4)
Apportioning Delegates Among the States	188	(1)
How Representative Are the Delegates?	188	(1)
Demographics	188	(1)
Political Experience	188	(1)
Issues	189	(2)
Amateurs or Professionals?	191	(1)
Who Controls the Delegates?	191	(1)
How Media Cover Conventions	192	(1)
Do Conventions Still Have a Purpose?	193	(1)
Should We Reform the Reforms?	193	(2)
What Could Be Done?	193	(2)
The General Election	195	(21)
Elections: The Rules Affect the Results	196	(5)
The Secret Ballot	196	(1)
The Format of the Ballot	196	(1)
The Order of Candidates' Names	196	(1)
The Long Ballot	197	(1)
Voting Systems	197	(2)
Legislative Redistricting	199	(2)
Campaign Strategy	201	(1)
How Campaigning Has Changed	202	(7)
Professional Consultants	202	(1)
Sources of Information	203	(1)
Computers	203	(1)
Polls	203	(1)
Methods of Persuasion: The Air War	204	(1)
Television	204	(1)
The Internet	205	(1)
The Ground War: ``Under the Radar''	205	(1)
Direct Mail	205	(1)
E-Mail	206	(1)
Canvassing and Phone Banks	206	(1)
Negative Campaigning	207	(1)
The 2002 and 2004 Campaigns	207	(2)
Do Campaigns Make a Difference?	209	(3)
The Argument That Campaigns Matter	210	(1)
The Argument That They Don't	211	(1)
Some Tentative Answers	211	(1)
Candidate-Centered or Party-Centered Campaigns?	212	(4)
Party Influence in Competitive Campaigns	213	(1)
The Continuing Struggle Between Candidates and Party Organizations	213	(3)
Financing the Campaigns	216	(29)
How Much Money Is Spent on Campaigns?	217	(6)
Presidential Campaigns	217	(3)
Congressional Campaigns	220	(3)
State and Local Campaigns	223	(1)
What Is the Impact of Campaign Spending?	223	(2)
Where Does the Money Come From?	225	(5)
Individual Contributors	225	(1)
Political Action Committees	226	(2)
Parties	228	(1)
The Candidates Themselves	229	(1)
Public Funding	229	(1)
Money in State and Local Campaigns	230	(1)
Reform of the Campaign Finance Rules	230	(3)
Contribution Limits	231	(1)
Spending Limits	231	(1)
Public Disclosure	232	(1)
Public Funding of Presidential Campaigns	232	(1)
The Loopholes That Ate the Reforms	233	(5)
Independent Spending	233	(1)
Soft Money	233	(1)
Issue Advocacy Ads	234	(3)
``527'' Advocacy Groups	237	(1)
What Did the 1970s Reforms Accomplish?	238	(5)
Intended and Unintended Effects	239	(1)
Effects on the Parties	239	(1)
Another Try: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)	240	(2)
State Regulation and Financing	242	(1)
Money in American Politics	243	(2)
Part Five The Party in Government	245	(72)
Parties in Congress and State Legislatures	248	(22)
How the Parties Are Organized in Congress	249	(6)
Changes in the Power of House Party Leaders	250	(1)
The Revolt Against ``Czar'' Cannon	250	(1)
Growing Party Coordination	250	(1)
Policy Leadership	251	(1)
The Gingrich Revolution	252	(1)
... and Its Aftermath	253	(1)
Parties in the ``Individualist'' Senate	253	(1)
Parties in the State Legislatures	254	(1)
Methods of Party Influence	255	(2)
Carrots and Sticks	255	(2)
Party Influence on Legislative Voting	257	(10)
How Unified Is Each Legislative Party?	257	(1)
Party Voting	257	(3)
Party Support	260	(2)
Greater Polarization of the Congressional Parties	262	(1)
When Are the Parties Most Unified?	262	(1)
Issues That Touch the Interests of the Legislative Parties	263	(1)
The Executive's Proposals	263	(2)
Policies Central to the Party System	265	(1)
Does Party Competition Promote Party Unity?	266	(1)
Comparing Party Power in Congress and State Legislatures	267	(1)
Party Polarization and Cohesion	267	(1)
Greater Interparty Competition	267	(1)
No Competing Centers of Power	267	(1)
Other Needed Resources	267	(1)
Lesser Legislative Professionalism	268	(1)
Styles of Individual Leaders	268	(1)
The Power of Legislative Parties	268	(2)
The Party in the Executive and the Courts	270	(16)
President and Governor as Party Leaders	271	(3)
The President as Campaigner-in-Chief	271	(1)
The President as the ``Top of the Ticket''	272	(1)
Coattail Effects	272	(1)
Coattails Even Without the Coat	273	(1)
President's Impact	274	(1)
Party Leadership and Legislative Relations	274	(2)
Legislative Support for Executives	274	(1)
Divided Control of Government	275	(1)
Party Influence in Executive Agencies	276	(3)
Bureaucrats Have Constituents Too	276	(1)
Holding Bureaucrats Accountable	277	(1)
Changing Political Outlooks in the Federal Bureaucracy	278	(1)
Traces of Party in the Courts	279	(6)
Judicial Voting Along Party Lines	279	(1)
What Causes Partisan Behavior on the Courts?	280	(1)
Party and Judicial Appointments	281	(1)
Federal Judges	281	(2)
State Court Judges	283	(2)
The Party Within the Executive and the Judge	285	(1)
The Semi-Responsible Parties	286	(17)
The Case for Responsible Party Government	287	(1)
How Would Party Government (Responsible Parties) Work?	287	(1)
The Case Against Party Government	288	(3)
It Would Increase Conflict	288	(1)
It Wouldn't Work in American Politics	289	(1)
The Gingrich Experiment: A Temporarily Responsible Party	290	(1)
Party Cohesion and Ideology	291	(5)
Are the American Parties Ideological?	292	(1)
Do They at Least Offer Clear Choices?	292	(1)
But Internal Divisions Remain	293	(3)
Ideology and the American Voter	296	(4)
How Ideological Is the American Public?	296	(2)
Differences Among Voters, Activists, and Candidates	298	(2)
When Is Party Government Most Likely?	300	(1)
When There Is Strong Presidential Leadership	300	(1)
In Times of Crisis	300	(1)
When the Parties' Supporting Coalitions Realign	300	(1)
Party Government and Popular Control	301	(2)
The Place of Parties in American Politics	303	(14)
Parties and Their Environment	303	(2)
The Nature of the Electorate	304	(1)
Political Institutions and Rules	305	(1)
Societal Forces	305	(1)
Party Decline in the 1960s and 1970s	305	(3)
The Parties in the Electorate	306	(1)
Party Organizations	306	(1)
The Party in Government	307	(1)
Shifting Power Centers Within the Parties	308	(1)
Party Renewal	308	(3)
Change in the Parties' Electoral Coalitions	309	(1)
The Rise of More Cohesive Parties in Government	310	(1)
The New ``Service Parties''	311	(1)
The Future of Party Politics in America	311	(4)
A Changing Intermediary Role	311	(1)
The Need for Strong Parties	312	(2)
How to Make the Parties Stronger	314	(1)
Conclusion: The Parties' Prospects	315	(2)
Party Politics on the Internet	317	(8)
Appendix	325	(3)
Endnotes	328	(25)
Index	353