CHAPTER 5: POLITICAL PARTIES

• Political Party – Group with similar ideology with the goal of winning control of government

• Who was the first “Democrat” president?

• Who was the first “Republican” president?

• The Republican Party (G.O.P.) began as the anti-slavery party and the party of Big Business

• The Democratic Party began as the working class party and saw support among white South

I. Development of Political Parties

• Realignment:• 1932 election of Franklin D. Roosevelt

• New Deal programs brought African Americans into the Democratic Party

• 1960’s democratic party began to push for Civil Rights• Pres. L.B.J. predicted the democratic party would “lose the south for a generation”

• White southerners joined the Republican Party

• 1970’s response to the “hippie generation”• The Republican Party gains the “values voters” and

“religious right”

• Opposed Roe v. Wade

I. Development of Political Parties

• The two major political parties operate like large companies

• “Elites” vs. “Rank and file”

• The DNC & RNC help raise money & work to get out the vote

• Party chairperson – chief strategist and spokesperson✓Seek funding

✓Recruit/support candidates

✓Convey the party’s message

• 2016: Reince Priebus (RNC) & Debbie Wasserman Schultz (DNC)

II. The DNC and the RNC

• National Convention• Party delegates draft a platform and nominate candidates for president & vice president

• Early national conventions were often “brokered convention”

• Delegates vs. Superdelegates?

II. The DNC and the RNC

• The United States is a two-party system

• Third Parties can bring important issues to the public

• The role of the spoiler

• Why it’s difficult for the 3rd party to win:• Winner take all system

• Money

• Ballot Access

• Exposure – Not included in debates

III. Third Parties

Types of Elections

• Critical/Realigning Elections – A political parties coalition changes and the new patterns of voting will "persist for several succeeding elections."• Does not just deviate but marks the start of a new pattern

• Maintaining Elections - No disruption to electoral patterns

• Deviating Elections - Minority party wins the presidential election but no further disruption to electoral patterns exist

• Reinstating Elections - Result in a return to “normal” voting patterns and would occur after a deviating election. (Political Scientists have not identified one of these in the last century.)

Chapter 10: Campaigns and Elections

• Elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November on even years.

• Presidential every 4 years but there are midterm electionsbetween the president’s term

• Incumbents usually win• House incumbents win 90% of the time

Why?

1. Name Recognition

2. Money

3. Presence

• In midterm election the president’s party tends to lose seats in Congress.

I. Campaigning for votes

• Typical Campaign divided into 3 phases:• The Biography

• The Issues

• The Attack – lot of opposition research

• Most time spent competing for independent voters

I. Campaigning for votes

• These are elections between candidates all of the same political party

• Primary Elections:• Most state hold primaries

• Secret voting

• Closed Primary: Only members of that party may vote

• Open Primary: Open to any voter (You may not vote in both)

II. Primaries and Caucuses

• “Winner Take All” OR “Proportional”

• New Hampshire is the FIRST• For candidates it’s all about the domino effect

• Some states have begun moving their date sooner (front loading)

II. Primaries and Caucuses

• Caucuses• Much LONGER process (up to 2 hours) and NOT secret

• Voters meet together to discuss candidates and walk about convincing others

• Most are “winner take all” but some are “proportional”

• Some voters don’t feel comfortable with this type of voting

• Iowa is the FIRST and the state gets a lot of media attention

II. Primaries and Caucuses

• At the end of the primary/caucus season delegates from each states are determined (winner take all or proportional)

• Superdelegates (only Democratic side) can choose whatever candidate they want

II. Primaries and Caucuses

Need 1,237 out of 2,472

Trump: 1,543

Cruz: 559

2,383 delegates needed to winTotal: 4,765

Clinton: 2807

Sanders: 1894

• The two candidates and their VP’s make stops across the country • Focusing on “Swing States”

• Debates – can make or break a candidate

• Electoral College System• Framers created as a safe guard against the masses

• States have the number of electors as it has members of Congress

III. The General Election

• There are 538 Electors – 270 are needed to win!• If no one reaches 270 – House of Representatives decides

• Most states are “winner take all” - Only ME and NE are proportional

• 5 times the winner of the electoral votes has not won the popular vote

• Some have criticized the system

III. The General Election

Discussion Questions:

• Should political candidates be able to collect as much money as they can from their donors – with no limit?

• Should a person be able to give as much money to a campaign as they want to, with no limit?

• Should a person giving money to a campaign be able to do it anonymously?

• Should corporations and other large organizations be allowed to donate to candidates’ campaigns?

• Should taxpayers and the government pay for campaigns, as long as candidates agree to not collect any other donations and as long as all candidates get the same amount of money?

• Raising money is a high priority for candidates

• In the 1970’s → Focus on fighting abuse of $$ in politics

• Federal Elections Commission (FEC)• Limited the amount individuals can give to a candidate

• Limited the amount Political Action Committees (PACs) can give to a candidate• PACs are committees within a corporation that accepts donations for

political causes

• Corporations are not allowed to spend their own money

• Capped the amount a candidate could spend on own campaign

• All campaign donations reported to FEC –This information provided to public

IV. Campaign Finance Reform

• Buckley v. Valeo (1976)• Do these campaign finance restrictions violate free speech?

• Court upheld the limits on individuals and PACs

• Congress can NOT limit a candidate spending on his own campaign

• The FEC rules only addressed “Hard Money”

• Soft Money – Donations not directly to a candidate

• McCain/Feingold Act (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002)

• Banned soft money

• Required candidates to say “I am ____ and I approve this message”

• Limit PACs ads 30 days before an election

IV. Campaign Finance Reform

• Citizens United made “Hillary: the Movie”

• Did this violate McCain-Feingold?

• Citizens United v FEC (2010)• Corporations have a right to free speech

• Can buy ads anytime

• Now corporations can give of their own money (SuperPACs)

• Creation of the “SuperPAC” • Can raise & spend unlimited amount• Must not “coordinate with candidates or campaign”

• Stephen Colbert proved how easy to make a SuperPAC

• Some argue for a ban on these SuperPACs• Clinton & Sanders said that they would have fought to

overturn Citizens United

• Money available to presidential candidates from gov’t• If you accept the $$ you have to abide by spending limits

IV. Campaign Finance Reform

The Media

• Zenger Case• Established idea of “free press” during Colonial America

• Media• Gatekeeper

• Media decides what is “newsworthy”

• This can cause government to act

• Scorekeeper• Media judges successes & failures of government officials

• Watchdog• Media exposes what government may want to keep hidden

I. Free Press

• “Big Three Networks” – NBC, CBS, ABC• Republican – FOX vs. Democrat – MSNBC

• Vietnam War & Watergate Scandal → Adversarial Press

• C-SPAN• Cameras display action in Congress without commentary

II. Growth of Media

• The President & the Press

• Press Secretary (Currently Sarah Huckabee Sanders)

• “Bully Pulpit” – Take message directly to the people

• FDR used radio “fireside chats”

II. Growth of Media

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates media

• Fairness Doctrine • Attempt to balance coverage

• Conservative argued it violated free press (Removed in 80’s)

• Nancy Pelosi has argued for its return

• Limits on malicious lies • Libel – Printed falsehoods against a person

• Slander - Spoken falsehoods against a person

III. Limits of the Press

• Can a president limit what is printed due to “national security”?

• New York Times v. United States• Pentagon Papers printed in the NY Times

• Court ruled that government can not use “prior restraint”

• The leaker was prosecuted, however, under the Espionage Act

• “Trial Balloons” – Sometimes a president will intentionally “leak” information

III. Limits of the Press

• Telecommunications Act (1996) allowed media corporations to merge • Ex: Viacom owns CBS, MTV, Paramount Pictures and book publishing groups

• Creates a corporate conflict of interest?

• Birth of Cable News = All day news cycle

• CNN, FoxNews and MSNBC

• “Selective Attention” – Consuming news that adheres to your beliefs

• Internet – Preferred source for those under 30

IV. Media Influence

• Media losing the public’s trust• 2015 Brian Williams

• Media Bias?

• Prominent journalists tend to vote Democrat

• Journalism schools (Columbia and UC) overwhelming liberal

• Talk Radio – Dominated by Conservatives

• http://factitious.augamestudio.com/#/

IV. Media Influence

Chapter 7: Interest Groups

• Multitude of views competing for attention

• Interest groups protected under 1st Amendment (Free Speech, Free Association and Petition)

• Formed based on common concerns• Charge member fees

• “Free Rider”

I. Influencing Government

• Lobbying – Influence peddling✓Monitor Congress members’ votes

✓Target those undecided

✓Provide research on issues

✓Provide endorsements of candidates

✓“Grade” government officials (A to F)

I. Influencing Government

• Laws in place to limit gifts & ban bribery

• Churches and religious institutions that are tax exempt cannot lobby or donate to campaigns

• Lobbyists often have a negative reputation• K Street in Washington DC

• Revolving Door – Many former Congress members turn to lobbying

I. Influencing Government

• Congress• Encourage members to write/call Congress members

• President• Gain access to set agenda

• Martin Luther King, Jr. (NAACP) met with President LBJ

• Courts• Interest groups employ expert attorneys

• Represent clients whose case represents their cause• NAACP’s legal defense fund

• ACLU

• Amicus curiae briefs

II. Targets of Interest Groups