Political Parties
Government in America
Terms : Hide Images
| 655332050 | political party | a team of people seeking to control public policy by winning elections to gain public office | |
| 655332051 | party in the electorate | a political party as it exists with voters that identify themselves as members of a party | |
| 655332052 | party as organization | a political party as it exists with leaders, offices, staff, and budget; keeps the party running | |
| 655332053 | party in government | a political party as it exists with government officials that identify themselves as members of the party | |
| 655332054 | Five main tasks of political parties | 1. pick candidates 2. run campaigns 3. cue voters 4. articulate policies 5. coordinate policymaking | |
| 655332055 | rational-choice theory | popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians; assumes that individuals acti in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of alternatives when they vote; explains the tendency to vote as a centrist | |
| 655332056 | ticket-splitting | the practice of voting for different parties on the same ballot; norm in American voting behavior; independents most likely to engage in this behavior | |
| 655332057 | party machines | politcal party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and govern | |
| 655332058 | closed primaries | elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty | |
| 655332059 | open primaries | elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in Democratic or Republican contests | |
| 655332060 | blanket primaries | elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the aprties; voters may select candidates from either party on the same ballot | |
| 655332061 | national convention | meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform | |
| 655332062 | national committee | institution that keeps the party operating between conventions; composed of representatives from the states and territories | |
| 655332063 | national chairperson | responsible for day to day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee | |
| 655332064 | critical election | election in which new issues emerge; new coalitions replace old ones; majority party is often displaced; sometimes marked by a national crisis | |
| 655332065 | Federalist | first party era in the U.S. ; led by Hamilton; John Adams was its last president | |
| 655332066 | Democrats | party era started with the election of Andrew Jackson; dominated by Westerners and Southerners | |
| 655332067 | Republicans | party era started with the election of Lincoln; started as anti-slavery party; dominated by Northerners | |
| 655332068 | (New Deal) Democrats | party era started with the election of FDR | |
| 655332069 | divided government | situation in which the White House and Congress are controlled by different parties | |
| 655332070 | minor parties | AKA third parties; typically do not win major elections but often bring more voters into the electorate; often spoil elections for a major party; may bring issues that the major parties will adopt | |
| 655332071 | coalition | group of individuals with a common interest on which every party depends | |
| 655332072 | linkage institutions | channels through which people's concerns become government policy; includes parties, elections, interest groups, and media | |
| 655332073 | New Deal Coalition | forged by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s; basic elements included urban working class, Catholics, Jews, Southerners, African-Americans, intellectuals | |
| 655332074 | party era | historical period in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power | |
| 655332075 | party identification | a person's self-proclaimed preference for one party over the other | |
| 655332076 | party image | a person's perception of the what a party stands for, such as conservatism or liberalism | |
| 655332077 | party realignment | displacement of the majority party, usually during a critical election period; in the U.S. the last party realignment flipped the Solid South from Democrat to Republican | |
| 655332078 | patronage | key inducement used by parties; included a job, promotion, or contract given for political reasons rather than merit | |
| 655332079 | proportional represenation | electoral system dominant in Europe in which legislative seats are awarded on a proportional basis rather than winner-takes-all; favors a multi-party system | |
| 655332080 | responsible party model | asserts that parties should offer clear choices to voters; once in office, parties would carry out campaign promises | |
| 655332081 | winner-take-all system | legislative seats are awarded only to candidates who come in first in their constituencies; used in the American electoral college system; favors a two-party system and hinders the rise of third parties; tied to single-member districts |
