GOV CH 5-5 PARTY STRUCTURE

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

The Decentralized Nature of the Parties
The two major parties are often described as though they were highly organized, close-knit, well-disciplined groups. However, neither party is anything of the kind. Rather, both are highly decentralized, fragmented, disjointed, and often beset by factions and internal squabbling.
Neither party has a chain of command running from the national through the State to the local level. Each of the State party organizations is only loosely tied to the party ’s national structure. By the same token, local party organizations are often quite independent of their parent State organizations. These various party units usually cooperate with one another, of course —but that is not always the case.
The Role of the Presidency
The President ’s party is usually more solidly united and more cohesively organized than the opposing party. The President is automatically the party leader. He asserts that leadership with such tools as his access to the media, his popularity, and his power to make appointments to federal office and to dispense other favors.
The other party has no one in an even faintly comparable position. Indeed, in the American party system, there is seldom any one person in the opposition party who can truly be called its leader. Rather, a number of personalities, frequently in competition with one another, form a loosely identifiable leadership group in the party out of power.7

Which statement is true?

a.	The parties are highly organized at the national level but not the state level	c.	The parties are somewhat organized at the national level and the state level but not the local level
b.	The parties are disorganized at the national, state and local levels.	d.	The parties are organized much like the United States Military chain of comment

Why is the President’s party more organized than the opposition party?

a.	The President’s party and the opposition party are organized about the same	c.	The president is the leader of his party the opposition party usually has no leader
b.	The President represents a superior branch of the government.	d.	The opposition party has less money and that is why they lost the election

Taking the Public Pulse
“When I die, I want to come back with real power —I want to come back as a member of a focus group, ” a powerful campaign strategist once said. Joking aside, the strategist was attesting to the growing influence of focus groups on who gets elected in this country, and who doesn ’t.

Focus groups were first used by businesses to test consumer products. Used as part of a political campaign, these groups can vary in number from 10 to as many as 30 or more people, typically members of the general public. They usually meet in two-to-three-hour sessions. Guided by trained monitors, their discussions help candidates identify issues that are important to voters. Focus groups are also used to test reactions to political commercials, speeches, and debates. They can be employed to probe opponents for weaknesses, as well.
Focus groups have had an important place in presidential campaigns since at least 1988. That year, they helped the Republican candidate George H. W. Bush defeat his Democratic opponent, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, by identifying several weaknesses in the Dukakis campaign

What is the purpose of focus groups?

a.	It is a way to raise focus money for the campaigns	c.	They help the candidates to find out what is important to voters
b.	They help to focus the attention of the media on party organization	d.	It is a way for the candidates to relax during stressful campaigns

The Impact of Federalism (Power shared between U.S. and State governments)
Federalism is one reason for the decentralized nature of the two major political parties. Remember, the basic goal of the major parties is to gain control of government by winning elective offices.
Today there are more than half a million elective offices in the United States. In the American federal system, those offices are widely distributed at the national, the State, and the local levels. In short, because the governmental system is highly decentralized, so too are the major parties that serve it.
The Role of the Nominating Process (choosing candidates to run in elections)
The nominating process is also a major cause of party decentralization. Recall, from page 117, that the nominating process has a central role in the life of political parties. You will consider the selection of candidates at some length in Chapter 7, but, for now, look at two related aspects of that process.
First, candidate selection is an intraparty process. That is, nominations are made within the party. Second, the nominating process can be, and often is, a divisive one. Where there is a fight over a nomination, that contest pits members of the same party against one another: Republicans fight Republicans; Democrats battle Democrats. In short, the prime function of the major parties? —the making of nominations? —is also a prime cause of their highly fragmented character

What is federalism?

a.	Sharing power between the United States government and the state governments	c.	Having a single federal police force and no local police forces
b.	Having only one level of government called the federal level	d.	Another name for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

How does federalism work against a strong top-down organization and structure of the party?

a.	The federalists favored strong local governments and a weak national government	c.	The Federalists favored a strong central government and weak local governments
b.	The anti-federalists do not like to work with the federalists	d.	There are too many political offices and organizations from the national to the local level in American politics

Which statement is true about party decentralization.

a.	Primary elections have no effect on party structure	c.	All of the candidates running in primaries have the same beliefs
b.	Because candidates from the same party have to run against each other to get the nomination, the parties are more centralized	d.	Because candidates from the same party have to run against each other to get the nomination, the parties often become fragmented.

National Party Machinery
The structure of both major parties at the national level has four basic elements. These elements are the national convention, the national committee, the national chairperson, and the congressional campaign committees.
The National Convention
The national convention, often described as the party ’s national voice, meets in the summer of every presidential election year to pick the party ’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates. It also performs some other functions, including the adoption of the party ’s rules and the writing of its platform.
Beyond that, the convention has little authority. It has no control over the selection of the party ’s candidates for other offices nor over the policy stands those nominees take. You will take a longer look at both parties ’ national nominating conventions in Chapter 13.

What does the national convention do?

a.	pick a candidate to run for president	c.	Has workshops so party members can learn about politics
b.	decide who will be defined as a Democrat or Republican	d.	Provide party workers with a vacation time to relax and socialize

How often do the national conventions meet?

a.	Every 2 years	c.	Every 6 years
b.	Every 4 years	d.	Every other odd numbered year

The National Committee
Between conventions, the party ’s affairs are handled, at least in theory, by the national committee and by the national chairperson. For years, each party ’s national committee was composed of a committeeman and a committeewoman from each State and several of the territories. They were chosen by the State ’s party organization. However, in recent years, both parties have expanded the committee ’s membership.
Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) also seats the party chairperson from each State in which the GOP has recently had a winning record and members from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Representatives of such GOP-related groups as the National Federation of Republican Women also serve on the RNC.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is an even larger body. In addition to the committeeman and -woman from each State, it now includes the party ’s chairperson and vice-chairperson from every State and the several territories. It also includes additional members from the party organizations of the larger States, and up to 75 at-large members chosen by the DNC itself. Several members of Congress, as well as governors, mayors, and Young Democrats, also have seats.
On paper, the national committee appears to be a powerful organization loaded with many of the party ’s leading figures. In fact, it does not have a great deal of clout. Most of its work centers on staging the party ’s national convention every four years.

How much power does the DNC and the RNC have over the affairs of the political parties?

a.	very little	c.	the power to pick candidates to run for president and vice president
b.	complete authority	d.	the power to propose and pass laws

The National Chairperson
In each party, the national chairperson is the leader of the national committee. In form, he or she is chosen to a four-year term by the national committee, at a meeting held right after the national convention. In fact, the choice is made by the just-nominated presidential candidate and is then ratified by the national committee.
Only two women have ever held that top party post. Jean Westwood of Utah chaired the DNC from her party ’s 1972 convention until early 1973; and Mary Louise Smith of Iowa headed the RNC from 1974 until early 1977. Each lost her post soon after her party lost a presidential election. Ron Brown, the Democrats ’ National Chairman from 1989 to 1993, is the only African American ever to have held the office of national chairperson in either major party.
The national chairperson directs the work of the party ’s headquarters and its small staff in Washington. In presidential election years, the committee ’s attention is focused on the national convention and then the campaign. In between presidential elections, the chairperson and the committee work to strengthen the party and its fortunes. They do so by promoting party unity, raising money, recruiting new voters, and otherwise preparing for the next presidential season.
The Congressional Campaign Committees
Each party also has a campaign committee in each house of Congress.8 These committees work to reelect incumbents and to make sure that seats given up by retiring party members remain in the party. The committees also take a hand in selected campaigns to unseat incumbents in the other party, at least in those House or Senate races where the chances for success seem to justify such efforts.
In both parties and in both houses, the members of these campaign committees are chosen by their colleagues. They serve for two years —that is, for a term of Congress.

10.

In reality, who picks the national chairpersons for the DNC and the RNC

a.	the platform committee	c.	the Congress
b.	the presidential candidates	d.	the Senate

11.

What is the job of the congressional campaign committees?

a.	appoint people to committees in congress	c.	advise the president on matters of national defense
b.	help their party members to get elected to congress	d.	propose amendments to the constitution

State and Local Party Machinery
National party organization is largely the product of custom and of the rules adopted by the national conventions. At the State and local levels, however, party structure is largely set by State law

12.

At the state and local level, who is responsible for party organization?

a.	the U.S. Congress	c.	the President
b.	the states	d.	the Supreme Court

13.

What is the order of state party organization?

a.	apartments, wards, precincts, congressional districts	c.	wards, congressional districts, precincts, apartments
b.	states, congressional districts, precincts, wards, apartments	d.	congressional districts, wards, precincts, apartments

The State Organization
At the State level, party machinery is built around a State central committee, headed by a State chairperson.
The chairperson may be an important political figure in his or her own right. More often than not, however, the chairperson fronts for the governor, a U.S. senator, or some other powerful leader or group in the politics of the State.
Together, the chairperson and the central committee work to further the party ’s interests in the State. Most of the time, they attempt to do this by building an effective organization and party unity, finding candidates and campaign funds, and so on. Remember, however, both major parties are highly decentralized, fragmented, and sometimes torn by struggles for power. This can complicate the chairperson ’s and the committee ’s job.
Local Organization
Local party structures vary so widely that they nearly defy even a brief description. Generally, they follow the electoral map of the State, with a party unit for each district in which elective offices are to be filled: congressional and legislative districts, counties, cities and towns, wards, and precincts. A ward is a unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members. A precinct is the smallest unit of election administration; the voters in each precinct report to one polling place.
In most larger cities, a party ’s organization is further broken down by residential blocks and sometimes even by apartment buildings. In some places, local party organizations are active year-round, but most often they are inactive except for those few hectic months before an election.

14.

Who controls the political parties at the state levels?

a.	the State Central Committee	c.	the Congressional Campaign Committee
b.	the National Central Committee	d.	the National Committee Chairperson

15.

Which statement is true about local organization?

a.	all of the states are organized the same	c.	city organizations the same in every state
b.	the states employ a wide variety of organization types at the local level.	d.	congressional districts are different for Republicans and Democrats

Multiple Response
Identify one or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

16.

What are the four elements or groups that make up the national party structure? National means for the entire United States. (click all that apply)

17.

What are some of the things the national chairpersons for the DNC and RNC do? (pick all that apply)

a.	raise money for the party	c.	approve presidential appointments to the Cabinet and Supreme Court
b.	promote the party	d.	organize the conventions

The Three Components of the Party
You have just looked at the makeup of the Republican and Democratic parties from an organizational standpoint. The two major parties can also be examined from a social standpoint —that is, in terms of the various roles played by their members. From this perspective, the two major parties are composed of three basic and closely interrelated components.
1. The party organization. These are the party ’s leaders, its activists, and its hangers-on — “all those who give their time, money, and skills to the party, whether as leaders or followers.
2. The party in the electorate. This component includes the party ’s loyalists who regularly vote the straight party ticket, and those other voters who call themselves party members and who usually vote for its candidates.
3. The party in government. These are the party ’s officeholders, those who hold elective and appointive offices in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches at the federal, State, and local levels of government.
You have taken a quick look at the party as an organization here. You will consider the party in the electorate in the next chapter, and the party in government in several later chapters.

18.

What are the three types of party members? (pick all that apply)

a.	party independents	c.	party voters
b.	party workers	d.	party office holders

Matching

Section 5 Party Organization
Objectives

Understand why the major parties have a decentralized structure
Describe the national party machinery and how parties are organized at the state and local levels
Identify the three components of the parties
Examine the future of the major parties

Why It Matters
The major parties of the United States have a decentralized structure, and the different parts and elements work together primarily during national elections. The parties themselves have been in decline, or losing influence, since the 1960s.
Political Dictionary
Ward A unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members
Precinct The smallest unit of election administration; a voting district.
Split-ticket voting Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

a.	Precinct	d.	Ward
b.	Electorate	e.	Split-ticket voting
c.	Electoral College

19.

Members of the city council in cities are elected from these.

20.

Voting for Republicans and Democrats in the same election

21.

The smallest election unit in a city or state

Short Answer

The Future of the Major Parties
Political parties have never been very popular in this country. Rather, over time, most Americans have had very mixed feelings about them. Most of us have accepted parties as necessary institutions, but, at the same time, we have felt that they should be closely watched and controlled. To many, political parties have seemed little better than necessary evils.
Political parties have been in a period of decline since at least the late 1960s. Their decline has led some analysts to conclude that the parties not only are in serious trouble, but that the party system itself may be on the point of collapse.
The present, weakened state of the parties can be traced to several factors. They include:
1. sharp drop in the number of voters willing to identify themselves as Republicans or Democrats, and a growing number who regard themselves as independents.
2. A big increase in split-ticket voting —voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election.
3. Various structural changes and reforms that have made the parties more “open, ” but have also led to greater internal conflict and disorganization. These changes range from the introduction of the direct primary in the early 1900s to the more recent and far-reaching changes in campaign finance laws.
4. Changes in the technology of campaigning for office —especially the heavy use of television and of the Internet, professional campaign managers, and direct-mail advertising. These changes in campaign technology have made candidates much less dependent on party organizations since, in many cases, they can now “speak ” directly to the electorate
5. The growth, in both numbers and impact, of single-issue organizations in our politics. These groups support (or more often, oppose) candidates on the basis of the group ’s own closely defined views in some specific area of public policy —for example, the environment, gun control, or abortion —rather than on a candidate ’s stands on the full range of public policy questions.
You will look at these and several other matters affecting the condition of the parties over the next four chapters. As you do so, remember these points: Political parties are indispensable to democratic government —and so, then, to American government. Our two major parties have existed far longer than has any other party anywhere in the world. And, as you have seen, they perform a number of quite necessary functions. In short, the reports of their passing may not only be premature, they might in fact be quite farfetched.

22.

Why do you believe the political parties are important?
Do you believe the parties are in decline? Explain.

(Worth 0 to 5 points)