Pre-chewed Politics
Chapter 4
Video 6 Political Parties
Why as America been
described as a 100 party
system? Why is power so
decentralised?
What are the national
committees? How have they
conflicted with state parties
recently?
What are the Hill
committees?
Why is it that national and
state party platforms can
differ on policy?
How have party leaders lost
influence over candidate
selection in the last century?
Why have America’s
elections become more
candidate and issue centred?
How does this influence the
parties?
How has the organisation of
political campaigns changed
since the 1970s?
Why have campaign finance
reforms reduced the
influence of political
parties?
- America can be described as a 100 party system because:
the federal system of government consists of national, state and local elections
due to America’s size and diversity, parties have to meet the needs of each state
the separation of powers means that presidential and congressional elections occur
- Power is so decentralised as each level of organisation runs their own campaigns and
forms their own party platforms.
- There are 2 national committees: RNC and DNC (republican and democratic).
- They help raise funds for presidential elections, set the rules for presidential primaries
and organise the National Conventions.
- In 2008, the Republican National Committee rules that states must hold their contests
after 5th February or face losing half their delegates.
- Florida, Wyoming, Michigan, South Carolina, and New Hampshire still went ahead
and broke the rules.
- The DNC rules that only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina could
hold their contests before 5th February, Florida and Michigan broke this rule so DNC
said they would lose all of delegates, but eventually allowed them to sit at the
convention with half-votes.
- National Republican Congressional Committee and Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee raise funds for house elections.
- National Republican Senatorial Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee raise funds for senate elections.
- The platforms are not binding on federal candidates or the state parties.
- Nominations
- Communication
- Organisation
- Finance
- Candidate selection used to be dominated by party bosses.
- They would have influence over which delegates from the district party organisations
would go to the state conventions, which would nominate congressional candidates and
candidates for state elections and would decide who would go to the national
convention to nominate the president.
- However, following the 1968 Democratic Convention, the McGovern-Fraser
Commission recommended that the candidate selection process should be more
transparent on how states choose their delegates, giving all members and the public, a
say in the selection.
- Led to the widespread use of primary elections to select presidential and congressional
candidates.
- Before, it would be the candidates who would attend large rallies organised by the
party leadership.
- Leadership had more control of the party’s messaging in the print media.
- TV and the internet has revolutionised communication, allowing candidates to take
control of their own campaign.
- Due to primaries and television, it has led to political consultants who are professionals
who are hired to advise and assist candidates running for the election.
- Political consultants write speeches, policy advice, conduct polls, organise volunteers,
GOTV drives and finances and donations – all the support had previously come from
the parties.
- The Federal Election Campaign Act (1974) limited donations to political parties to
$32,400.
- Limited party donations to candidates to $5000.
- Expanded public financing for presidential elections to include the primaries.
- Federal government matches the first $250 of an individual’s donation to an eligible
candidate.
 Pre-chewed Politics
Chapter 4
Video 6 Political Parties
- Candidates now had to work harder to raise their own donations – reducing their
indebtedness to the party.
- Soft money donations were banned by the Bi-Partisan Campaign Finance Reform Act
(2002).
Are America’s political parties really in a state of decline?