Parties,+Campaigns,+Money,+and+the+Media

=__Political__ __Parties __=

__**Readings:**__
__**Parties:**__ **For Class on:**

**Monday 3/30**

//The Founders' Opinion of Political Parties//




**Tuesday 3/31** **436-437 & 440-444**

**Wednesday 4/1** **445-448 & 449**

**Thursday 4/2** <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15.6000003814697px;">**476-481**

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 20.2800006866455px;">[[file:What is a political party.pptx]]
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">__**Helpful Hints:**__
<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Themes and Questions - Political Parties**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Purposes of parties/ What do they do? Be aware of the role of the parties in politics and their role in government; what does it mean to say parties are linkage institutions?

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Factors that contribute to the continuation of the two-party electoral system

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Trends in party identification: demographic groups that lean to one party or the other, geographic areas, rural/urban, ideological

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Coalitions for each party

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Trend towards ticket-splitting and increase in independents

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Organization of the parties: Decentralized party structure: __local__, state, and national party organizations

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">National committee, national chairman, national convention, congressional campaign committees

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Party machines

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Reforms that weakened parties: civil service reform, ballot reform, primaries, campaign finance reform

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Party eras in American history – don’t worry about the details – just have a general idea

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Party dealignment and realignment

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Changes that have led to a weakening of political parties and consequences of having weakened parties <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">3rd or Minor Parties <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">o Types of 3rd parties <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">o Why 3rd parties have trouble breaking through <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">o What roles 3rd parties play in our system <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">o Consequences of two-party system

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Candidates distancing themselves from party – candidate-centered elections <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How political parties can help and present obstacles to racial minorities

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">__**Other Important Information:**__
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">//Journalist David Brooks addresses the nature of two parties in his piece about Red States vs. Blue States.// <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">//Read the article, and complete the chart and written reaction for class on Tuesday,. Include your own handwritten written reaction to the article on another sheet of paper. Do you feel Mr. Brooks has accurately described America? Is the divide significant? Do two parties adequately meet the needs of the groups Mr. Brooks describes? In what ways might people be critical of the theory put forth in the work?//