Reading Guide: Chapter 8 – Political Parties

Student Learning Objectives:

8.1 Identify the functions that political parties perform in American democracy

8.2 Determine the significance of party identification in America today

8.3 Describe how political parties are organized in the United States

8.4 Evaluate how well political parties generally do in carrying out their promises

8.5 Differentiate the various party eras in American history

8.6 Assess both the impact of third parties on American politics and their limitations

8.7 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of responsible party government

United States Political Party. Using additional resources, choose a major political party and answer the following questions.

National Party Organization:(9 pts)

  1. Which party did you choose?
  2. Who is the national party chairman?
  3. Where and when did the party hold its most recent national convention?
  4. What are the national party’s top five issues?

Using your textbook and lecture notes answer the following questions.(67 pts)

Objective 8.1

  1. Define the term “political party.”(1 pt)
  1. Explain the concept of political parties as "three-headed political giants."(7 pts)
  1. What are the five tasks political parties should perform if they are to serve as an effective linkage institution?(5 pts)
  1. Down’s Rational Choice Model seeks to explain political processes and outcomes as consequences of purposive behavior. How do political parties attract the most votes? When do parties best work together? When might they differentiate? Do you feel Down’s theory is entirely valid? Why or why not? (4 pts)

Objectives 8.2

  1. Party image is the voter’s perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism. Do you believe this party image helps parties succeed with any of their major functions or tasks? Explain your answer. (2 pts.)
  1. What groups show the strongest support for Democrats? Republicans? (2 pts)
  1. Explain “ticket-splitting.”(1 pt)

Objectives 8.3

  1. What is meant by “party machine”?(1 pt)
  1. Briefly differentiate betweenclosed primaries and open primaries.(2 pts)
  1. How is the national party convention important for democracy in the United States? How has the convention changed over time?(2 pts)
  1. Explain the function of each of the following: (3 pts)
  2. National Party Convention:
  3. National Committee:
  4. National Chairperson:

Objectives 8.4

  1. Give your opinion about party promises vs. party performance.(2 pts)
  1. Based on what you know about American political parties, what are some incentives that parties have to carry out their campaign promises? Why might political parties fail to achieve their campaign promises? (2 pts)

Objectives 8.5

  1. Party platforms are the best source for what the parties believe. A brief summary of the Republican and Democrat platforms of 2012 are listed in your textbook, read over the various beliefs and explain which party you would have politically aligned with for the 2012 Election. (2 pts.)
  1. Which political era saw the longest period of Republican domination? Explain the origin and demise of party domination during this period.(2 pts)
  1. Describe how the New Deal coalition realigned American politics. (2 pts)
  1. Define political realignment and describe it using one particular period to illustrate your response.(2 pts)

Objectives 8.6

  1. What is the story behind third-party formation in American political history?(2 pts)
  1. Define winner-take-all and explain how third parties affect the results of elections in winner-take-all systems.(3 pts)
  1. What are the three basic varieties of third parties?(3 pts)
  1. Do you believe third parties can have an impact on American politics?(2 pts)
  1. What is the most important consequence of two-party governance in the United States?(1 pt)

Objectives 8.7

  1. Why are politicians not more responsible for adhering to their party’s platform and their own campaign promises? What explains this? (2 pts)
  2. How does the American party system affect the scope of government?(2 pts)
  1. What do you believe is the key problem of American political parties today?(2 pts)

Using your textbook or other resources answer the following questions.

  1. The national party convention serves several purposes. Examine its functions, assessing the importance of each. How has electoral participation, through political parties, changed over time? How has the convention process affected American democracy?(4 pts)
  1. In the 2012 election, both parties targeted this large segment of the Latino population. Some argue that the Republicans are slowly winning the support of Latinos. Others argue Latinos will remain a strong voting block in the Democratic Party. In your opinion, which is more likely to be the case in future elections, and why? Which issue positions do you believe each party will likely promote in order to appeal to Latinos?(4 pts)

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