How does the nature of the American party system limit the scope of government quizlet?

Local parties
Party machines - a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
• No longer active b/c progressive reforms that placed jobs under merit system, regulations concerning fair bidding, and ethnic integration
• To fill the void by decline of inner-city machines → party organization revitalized at country level

The 50 State Party Systems
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.
Open primaries - elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
Blanket primaries - elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republicans if they like.
In terms of headquarters and budgets, state parties are better organized than they used to be. Nevertheless, as John Bibby points out, they mostly serve to supplement the candidates' own personal campaign organizations; thus, state party organizations rarely manage campaigns. The job of the state party, writes Biggy, is merely "to provide technical services" within the context of a candidate-centered campaign.

The National Party Organizations
National convention - the meeting of party delegates every 4 years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.
National committee - one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.
National chairperson - is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee.

National most important because larger impact and also now more power and organization there.

Political parties start on the local level, move to state level, and then to national level. Due to progressive reforms, local party organizations are usually weak. State parties are better organized in terms of headquarters and budgets. In the national level: party members are elected to government, the party that controls the government has policy consequences, and they usually act on their campaign promises.

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Terms in this set (43)

Unlike interest groups, political parties seek to ______________.

a. shape public policy
b. influence supreme court decisions
c. influence elections
d. win elections

d. win elections

How can any individual become a member of a political party in the united states?

a. by voting in a party primary
b. by voting for candidates from that party in an election
c. by contributing money to a party's presidential nominee
d. by claiming to be a member of a party

d. by claiming to be a member of a party

What is the primary role of linkage institutions?

a. to coordinate the actions of elected officials across branches and levels of government
b. to translate inputs from policymakers into outputs from the public
c. to bring together teams of people to influence the governing apparatus
d. to translate inputs from the public to policymakers

d. to translate inputs from the public to policymakers

To win party nominations, politicians need _____________.

a. the support of the median voter within their own party
b. the support of independent swing voters
c. the support of their own party's most ideologically consistent supporters
d. the support of the median voter across the political spectrum

a. the support of the median voter within their own party

Party image consists of _____________.

a. a citizen's preference for one party over another
b. a political party's efforts to appeal to moderate voters
c. a political party's official policy positions
d. the voter's perception of what parties stand for

d. the voter's perception of what parties stand for

Since the 1950s, what trend has occurred in party identification in the united states?

a. the percentage of democrats has increased
b. the percentage of democrats has decreased
c. the percentage of independents has decreased
d. the percentage of republicans has increased

b. the percentage of democrats has decreased

One consequence of ticket splitting is that _________________.

a. the minority party has a chance of winning at least some offices
b. the two major political parties have more influence in elections
c. the main political parties are becoming more extreme
d. in some elections, no candidate wins a majority of the voters

a. the minority party has a chance of winning at least some offices

How is age related to party identification?

a. as people get older, they are more likely to identify as independent
b. as people get older, they are more likely to identify with one of the major political parties
c. as people get older, they are more likely to switch political parties
d. as people get older, they are more likely to identify with a minor party

b. as people get older, they are more likely to identify with one of the major political parties

A patronage job is awarded on the basis of _________.

a. educational background
b. politics
c. merit
d. seniority

b. politics

Who most contributed to the decline of party machines?

a. centralization of power in political parties
b. reforms that placed jobs under the merit system
c. increasing ethnic segregation in big cities
d. the increase in political polarization

b. reforms that placed jobs under the merit system

One advantage of open primaries is that they _______________.

a. encourage ideological purity
b. make it easier to run for office
c. help to prevent voter fraud
d. help to widen political participation

d. help to widen political participation

A major task of delegates at the national convention is to ___________.

a. develop a campaign strategy
b. select candidates for state offices
c. write the party's platform
d. raise money for party activities

c. write the party's platform

Which of the following statements best reflects research on presidential candidates' campaign promises?

a. they are mostly empty promises
b. they are generally too modest
c. they are often kept than broken
d. they are almost always highly exaggerated

c. they are often kept than broken

A diverse set of individuals and groups supporting a party is called its _______________.

a. coalition
b. organization
c. elite
d. patronage

a. coalition

Party platforms are best described as _____________.

a. a collection of rough principles, lacking in specifics
b. mainly ceremonial, with little in the way of principles or specifics
c. blueprints for specific actions
d. binding documents

c. blueprints for specific actions

How do republican and democratic parties differ on the issue of same sex marriage?

a. republicans and democrats do not differ substantially in their positions
b. republicans believe the issue should be handled at the federal level, while democrats believe it should be handled at the state level
c. republicans oppose the supreme court decision legalizing same sex marriage, while democrats support it
d. republicans have not taken a position on same sex marriage, while democrats support it

c. republicans oppose the supreme court decision legalizing same sex marriage, while democrats support it

A party era is a historical period in which ______________.

a. the two major parties have roughly equal power
b. a majority of voters identify with the party in power
c. several minor parties form a coalition to oppose the party in power
d. one party has control of congress, while the other party controls the presidency

b. a majority of voters identify with the party in power

The Whig Party coalition was held together by what common goal?

a. to promote agricultural interests
b. to support industrialism
c. to oppose slavery
d. to oppose the policies of the democratic party

d. to oppose the policies of the democratic party

The New Deal coalition counted on ______________ for substantial support.

a. the wealthy
b. labor unions
c. protestants
d. rural voters

b. labor unions

One likely consequence of party dealignment is that ____________.

a. parties are unable to govern effectively
b. republicans are advantaged
c. old issues now dominate american politics
d. one party controls all branches of government

a. parties are unable to govern effectively

Why are third parties important in american politics?

a. they often have a real chance of winning elections
b. they increase the stability of government
c. they encourage the major parties to take stances that are more moderate
d. they bring new groups into the electorate

d. they bring new groups into the electorate

George Wallace's american independent party in 1968 was a _____________.

a. major party
b. party that served as an extension of a popular individual
c. splinter party
d. single issue party

c. splinter party

Suppose Democratic, Republican, and Green Party candidates all run for the U.S. House of Representatives. In the general election, the Democrat earns 51 percent of the vote, the Republican earns 41 percent of the vote, and the Green Party candidate wins 8 percent of the vote. What is the outcome?

a. the democrat wins
b. all three parties win seats proportional to their share of the vote
c. the democratic and republican parties win seats, but the green party does not
d. the democratic and republican candidates advance to another round of voting

a. the democrat wins

Which of the following is a key difference between the multiparty systems of europe and the united states' two party system?

a. multiparty systems are more stable
b. multiparty systems lead to lower voter turnout
c. multiparty systems are more fluid
d. multiparty systems lead to less ideological consistency within parties

c. multiparty systems are more fluid

What is required of political parties under the responsible party model?

a. parties must allow all candidates to run on their own individual platforms
b. the majority party must work cooperatively with the minority party
c. there must be more than two parties for voters to choose from
d. they must have the internal cohesion and discipline to carry out their program

d. they must have the internal cohesion and discipline to carry out their program

The ___________ nature of American political parties makes it difficult for them to fulfill the terms of the responsible party model.

a. narrow based
b. hierarchical
c. polarized
d. decentralized

d. decentralized

Which statement summarizes the relationship between congressional democrats and the obama administration?

a. congressional democrats always supported the positions taken by president obama
b. they usually agreed with one another, but many congressional democrats disagreed with president obama on the issues of obamacare and the economic stimulus bill
c. they usually agreed with one another, but congressional democrats disagreed with president obama on some issues
d. congressional democrats usually sought to distance themselves from president obama

c. they usually agreed with one another, but congressional democrats disagreed with president obama on some issues

How does the nature of the american party system limit the scope of government?

a. neither party offers a comprehensible program for governing
b. the lack of disciplined, cohesive parties makes it difficult to pass major legislation
c. both parties have taken positions against big government
d. with numerous parties is difficult to form a coalition government

b. the lack of disciplined, cohesive parties makes it difficult to pass major legislation

The largest component of the American political parties is _____________.

a. the party machine
b. the party in government
c. the party in the electorate
d. the party as an organization

c. the party in the electorate

Rational-choice theory assumes that a political party will select positions that are ___________.

a. ambiguous
b. conservative
c. shared by the opposing party
d. widely favored

d. widely favored

A democratic party state chairperson is part of the party ______________.

a. in government
b. in coalition
c. in the electorate
d. as an organization

d. as an organization

In 2016, the most frequent response to the american national election study's party identification question was ____________.

a. libertarian
b. independent
c. republican
d. democrat

b. independent

Which factor often influences people's decision to identify as independent?

a. once a voter has registered with one party, it is difficult to switch
b. calling oneself a political independent is considered socially desirable
c. party members are required to pay dues
d. the democrats and republicans have failed to create distinct party images

b. calling oneself a political independent is considered socially desirable

The organization of American political parties is best described as _______________.

a. decentralized and fragmented
b. fluid and eficent
c. rigid and complex
d. centralized and ineficent

a. decentralized and fragmented

The main role of state party organizations is usually to __________.

a. manage campaigns
b. support county-level party organizations
c. supplement candidates' own campaign organizations
d. place a check on the national party organization

c. supplement candidates' own campaign organizations

Why do party organizations favor closed primaries?

a. they enable parties to collect information about voters' party identification
b. they encourage widespread voter participation
c. they enable more accurate predictions about election outcomes
d. they are less expensive than open primaries

a. they enable parties to collect information about voters' party identification

How do the Republican and Democratic parties differ on the issue of immigration?

a. republicans support creating a path to citizenship for law-abiding families, while democrats oppose it
b. republicans support expanding legal immigration, while democrats oppose it
c. republicans generally oppose the deferred action for childhood arrivals program, while democrats support it
d. republicans generally support the deferred action for childhood arrivals program, while democrats oppose it

c. republicans generally oppose the deferred action for childhood arrivals program, while democrats support it

Which presidential election could be classified as a critical election?

a. the election of 1964
b. the election of 1896
c. the election of 2000
d. the election of 1936

b. the election of 1896

What issue led to the formation of the republican party?

a. the great depression
b. immigration
c. women's rights
d. slavery

d. slavery

Which of the following was a major consequence of the party realignment in the south?

a. it contributed to the popularity of minor party candidates in the 1992 and 2000 elections
b. it enable democrats to win the presidency in the 1990s
c. it enabled the republicans to control congress for the majority of the period from 1995 to 2000
d. it led to an increase in voters identifying as independent

c. it enabled the republicans to control congress for the majority of the period from 1995 to 2000

Why does proportional representation lead to multiparty systems?

a. more parties can appear on the ballot
b. candidates can affiliate with more than one party
c. parties can win seats with a relatively small percentage of the vote
d. candidates can win on their own, without the support of a major party

c. parties can win seats with a relatively small percentage of the vote

Which of the following, if true, would violate the responsible party model?

a. citizens base their voting decisions on what the majority party accomplished or failed to accomplish
b. the republicans seek to repeal the affordable care act, a policy enacted by the democrats
c. political candidates for each party are selected by national party leaders
d. the democrats and republicans take similar positions on trade policy

d. the democrats and republicans take similar positions on trade policy

A critic of the responsible party model would likely observe that __________.

a. the model is too simple to account for the diversity of american society
b. american politics is too centralized for the model to work
c. the model focuses too much on parties and not enough on voters
d. the model is too complex and fails to offer clear guidelines

a. the model is too simple to account for the diversity of american society

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