unit iii – mass media, political parties and interest groups chapter 8 – political parties pp....

UNIT III – MASS MEDIA, POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPSChapter 8 – Political Parties pp. 238-246

Party Competition

Battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of public office.

Without this competition there would be no choice, and without choice there would be no democracy.

The Meaning of Party

Political parties endorse candidates for public office and try to win elections.

Party leaders often disagree about policy, and between elections the parties are nearly invisible.

Three-Headed Political Giants Party-in-the-Electorate: individuals who

perceive themselves as party members – many voters have a party identification that guides and influences their vote.

Party as an Organization: has national office, a full-time staff, rules and bylaws and budgets.

Party-in-Government: consists of elected officials who call themselves members of the party (such as the president and Congress)

Linkage Institutions

Translates inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers.

Tasks in linkage institutions Nomination of candidates Run campaigns Cues to the voters (party image) Articulate policies Coordinate policymaking

The Downs Model

Anthony Downs – working model of the relationship among citizens, parties and policy, employing a rational-choice perspective.

Rational-Choice Theory – assumes that parties and political actors have goals (such as winning elections) that are more important to the party than ideology.

The Party in the Electorate

The party in the electorate consists largely of symbolic images.

There is no formal “membership” in American parties.

For most people, the party is a psychological label.

Party identification – self proclaimed preference for one of the parties

Ticket-splitting Divided government

Party Organizations: Grassroots to Washington

American political parties are decentralized and fragmented.

Party Machines – a party organization that depends on material inducements such as patronage, in which jobs were awarded for political reasons rather than for merit or competence.