Chapter 5 Section 5 Outline

The Organization of Political Parties

 

 

Section Objective: To understand the organizational structure and composition of the two major parties

 

A.     The reality of Political Parties

    1. The Role of the Presidency

�        The President is the automatic leader of his or her party.

�        The party not in power has no comparable leader.

    1. The Impact of Federalism�Because American government is decentralized, with offices available at local, State, and federal levels, party organization is decentralized as well.
    2. The role of the Nominating Process�The process of candidate selection is a divisive one that pits one party faction against another.

B.     National Party Machinery

    1. The National Convention�National conventions meet in the summer of each presidential election year to nominate the party�s presidential and vice-presidential candidates and write its rules and platform.
    2. The National Committee�The national committee stages the national convention and handles the party�s affairs between conventions.
    3. The National Chairperson�The national chairperson, who is chosen by the party�s nominee, works with the committee to promote party unity, raise money, and recruit voter support between presidential elections.
    4. The Congressional Campaign Committees�Congressional campaign committees work to increase their party�s congressional seats.

C.     State and Local Party Machinery

1.      The State Organization�the job of the State chairperson and committee is to further the party�s interests in that state.

    1. Local Organization�Local party organizations vary widely, generally following the State�s electoral map, with a party unit for each district in which elective offices are to be filled.

D.    The Three Elements of the Party

    1. One element of each party is the party organization�leaders, activists, and hangers-on that control the party machinery.
    2. Another is the segment of the electorate that regularly votes for that regularly votes for that party�s candidates.
    3. The third is the elected officials who are members of the party.

E.     The Future of the Major Parties

    1. Political parties have been in a state of decline since the late1960s.
    2. Parties are unlikely to disappear as long as they continue to perform necessary functions.