Term
| political party realignment |
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Definition
a new coalition; replacing an old dominant coalition party
-Franklin Roosevelt
-democrats went from 37% to 72% of seats in 2 elections
-new deal policies developed b/c of great depressions
-formed the New Deal Democratic Coalition |
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Term
| New Deal Democratic coalition |
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Definition
| an electoral alliance; consisted of Catholics, Jews, racial minorities, urban residents, organized labor, and white southerners. |
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Term
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Definition
| issues that touch on general principles such as democracy and human rights, good governance, children's rights..etc. |
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Term
why do we have political parties?
(democratic theory-based) |
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Definition
| -individuals citizens are "deficient" but prehaps intermediary institutions (parties and interest groups) can bridge the gap between citizens and the government=pluralist theory of democracy (citizens-pool parties, interest groups-government-policy) |
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Term
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Definition
parties fulfill numerous functions in a rep. democracy
-recruit leaders
-help conduct campaigns
-nominate candidates for office-list of general election candidates
-voting cues
-channels for participation
-propose policy programs
-overcome fragmentation and organize government
-watchdog function
-aggregate interests to win elections |
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Term
how to define "party"
3 part conceptualzation |
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Definition
1. party in the electorate
2. party as organization
3. party in government
-on balance parties have been resurgent in the past decades, not declining
-as organizations parties are stronger than ever-national party committees raise huge amounts of money, large staff, etc.
-intra-party unity in congress quite high (disappearance of conservative coalition) |
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Term
why a 2-party system?
Duverger's Law |
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Definition
winner takes all, plurality elections creates a two party system
-third parties have basically no chance of electing anyone to office
-futhermore, according to spatial, proximity theory of voting, voters vote for a candidate "closest" to them ideologically
-it follows that two major parties tend to be centrist/moderate-"converge on the median voter" |
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