Political Parties~ Guided Reading Questions
Chapter 7
~ Intro - What are Political Parties- History of Political Parties
1. Using pages 221-226, Create a flowchart illustrating the historical evolution of our political parties (Given day in class to complete- taking for points)
2. What is realignment?
3. Why and when has realignment occurred?
4. What does it mean when it says and issue must be “crosscutting” to cause realignment?
~ Modern American Political Parties
5. Who does the “party in organization” consist of and what is their role?
6. What do the Democratic constituency groups and Republican constituency teams do?
7. How do PACs, 527s, labor unions and interest groups assist political parties?
NOTE: Political parties are NOT hierarchies! Very fragmented & decentralized!
8. How did the national government “punish” states that chose to move their primaries earlier?
9. What is a party machine and how did they impact parties?
10. What is patronage and honest graft?
11. What ended this practice to decline?
12. Who does the “party in government” consist of and why are they considered independent of the party organization?
13. What does the Democratic caucus and Republican conference do in their meetings?
NOTE: Today’s Congress is polarized~ more than the public.
14. Who does the “party in the electorate” consist of?
15. What is dealignment?
16. Does dealignment show that voters are smarter?
NOTE: independent voters are more sensitive to things that happen during political campaigns.
17. What is the #1 clue in predicting how someone will vote?
Please look at the charts and tables in this section as they reflect the demographics covered in last unit J
~ The Role of Political Parties in American Politics
18. Contesting Elections:
Recruiting and Nominating Candidates~
a. Give an example of how the Democrats attempted to recruit candidates in 2004 and why?
b. What is the difference between a primary and caucus?
c. If voters aren’t directly selecting the parties’ nominees for the president’s race in primaries and caucuses, where do their votes determine?
Campaigning Assistance~
a. Be aware of the amount of $ parties raise for candidates.
b. What is GOTV?
Party Platforms~
a. What are party platforms and how do they impact citizens’ vote?
b. Are candidates obligated to support party platforms?
19. Cooperation in the Government~
Developing Agendas~
a. Read and summarize
Coordination~
a. Briefly describe the “coordination” between the president and party leaders in Congress. How do they influence each other?
Accountability~
a. Know the difference between unified and divided government.
b. How do citizens reward or punish parties?
c. Would our govt. be more efficient if we had “responsible parties?”
~ Minor Parties~
20. How did Ralph Nader’s Green Party impact the election of 2000?
21. In comparison to 121 million votes in 2008 for Reps/Dems, how many did 3 parties get?
22. Libertarians boast 600 office holders- but what is the reality of this figure?
NOTE: Most minor parties lack “party in government” and “party organization”
23. What is Duverger’s Law? Explain how this works.
24. Why do people vote for minor parties?
25. Why is it so difficult for minor parties to get on the ballot?
~ What Kind of Democracy do American Political Parties Create?
26. Read p.249-253 and summarize
~Nuts & Bolts: 7.1Types of Primaries and Caucuses
NOTE: This is will be VERY important next chapter to please review now
~ You Decide-Should Parties Choose Their Candidates? P. 242
NOTE: We will discuss in class- please read to participate.