US Political Parties: Formation and Evolution

• Political parties are organized groups sharing beliefs to elect like-minded individuals.
• The Era of Good Feelings was a time of political unity and economic prosperity.
• A corrupt bargain in 1824 led to a lack of trust and support in the establishment.
• This situation created the Democratic Party.
• Andrew Jackson won the 1828 election, which had more voters.
• The Democratic Party began to grow, found support in the South, and supported slavery.
• The Whig party collapsed due to competing industries of slavery and business.
• The Republican Party was created in 1852.
• The Civil War occurred in 1860.
• From 1860 to 1932, party politics saw the party being more important than the candidate.
• Clear political lines existed, with the North being Republican and the South being Democratic.
• Stability in parties came from political machines and they built loyalty and support through jobs.

The Modern Era (1932-present)

• The political process is controlled by the government through referendums, recalls, and direct election of senators.
• Candidate-led elections allow candidates to direct the party.
• Voters may ignore issues if they like the candidate.
• Suburbs experienced growth.
• Party realignment involves dramatic shifts in voting patterns and preferences.

Critical Elections

• 1800 saw one-party politics.
• 1828 marked the rise of populism.
• 1860 was defined by the Civil War/sectionalism.
• 1932 brought the Depression and the rise of "big" government.
• 1968 involved the Southern Strategy.
• 2012 saw Tea Party politics.
• Secular realignment involves smaller, local changes.

Organization of Political Parties

• Includes the National Party and state and local levels.
• The chairperson is the primary spokesperson for the party.
• The committee (DNC and RNC) oversees the convention and distributes funds.
• The national convention happens every four years to select presidents and VPs and sets the party platform.
• Delegates support the candidate who won the primary, and superdelegates are free agents.
• State and local levels of political parties include:
• State central committees
• Congressional district committees
• City and county committees
• Precinct and ward committees
• Activists and volunteers
• Voters

Activities of Political Parties

• Aim to get political power by selecting candidates, raising money, and mobilizing support.
• Parties formulate policy every four years.
• Parties organize by: Congress, Presidency, Courts and States.
• Party identification is affiliation with a political party, shown through voting.
• Political socialization includes factors that influence beliefs like parents, friends, marriage, children, job, and economic status.

Group Affiliations

• Geography (coasts are more liberal, middle America more conservative)
• Gender, race/ethnicity, age, social and economic status, religion, and marital status are affiliations.
• Minor parties focus on specific issues, proportional voting, and ranked choice voting.
• Polarization is a division that drives political ideas apart, with fewer liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats.

Polarization Causes and Consequences

• Caused by:
• Decline in good citizenship
• 24-hour news cycle/social media
• Homogenous communities
• More polarized candidates
• Clear articulation.
• Consequences of it include Less productive government, increase in biased information, lack of government integrity, and lack of strong policies.
• Minor/third parties struggle to get election traction, but they can still steal from the larger parties.
• They usually have a narrow focus and are composed of compelling candidates or ideas.

Parties

• The Libertarian party supports individual liberty and limited government through a free market, non-interference in private lives, and privatizing most services outside of foreign affairs.
• The Green Party focuses on environmental issues (green economy) such as: renewable energy, living wage, affordable housing, non-interventionism, demilitarization and sustainable society.
• Public opinion can influence parties thoughts on key issues or policy.
• Public opinion polls are: surveys or interviews aimed at determining public's stance.
• A straw poll is an informal survey to get quick feelings on issues, but it can misconstrue who is sampled, the timing of polls, and self-selection.

How to create polls

• Determine the content and phrasing; questions can be created to form bias, and push polls push people to feel a certain way.
• Sample selection involves deciding who will be asked; random sampling may not reflect the actual population, and stratified sampling divides into subgroups and weighs against national averages.
• Phone calls are used for basic, daily tracking, and protected speech.
• In-person interviewing is the most accurate and detailed method but the hardest to execute as it can create bias.
• Internet polls are the most popular and easiest but can lead to extreme results and be taken over by bots.
• Analyzing data requires breaking down information to inform decision-making.

Shortcomings of Polling

• Survey error (aka margin of error)
• Limited response choices (a good poll has 5-7)
• Lack of information (no knowledge on the topic)
• Measures intensity
• Lack of interest.
• Polls are useful because there is still good polling through random and diverse samples.
• Polls influence policy and action through competitive seats and can be used to overcome outside influences like lobbying.