AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Zyderra Abreu
CHAPTERS 7 QUESTIONS
9/27/2018
1. Discuss what is meant by political party. What is meant by “the party as the electorate”, “the party as an organization” and “the party in government”?
· The party-in-the-electorate are individuals who perceive themselves as party members; many voters have a party identification that guides and influences their votes. No dues or membership cards; one needs only to claim to be a member
· The party as an organization has a national office, a full-time staff, rules and bylaws, and budgets. American parties are loosely organized at the national, state, and local levels. The party organization pursues electoral victory.
· The party-in-government consists of elected officials who call themselves members of the party (such as President and Congress). These leaders do not always agree on policy; but they are the main
spokespersons of the party.
2. Discuss the functions of political parties.
Political Parties is a group of persons who seek to control govt. through the winning of elections and the holding of public office
· Nominating function - parties recruit and choose candidates and then work to help those nominees win elections (solid base of support)
· The informer stimulator function - parties inform, inspire, and activate interest in public affairs with news media and interest groups ("education")
· The bonding agent function - ensures the good performance of its candidates and elected office holders and then makes sure candidates are not unqualified for the public office they seek
· Governmental function - both state and federal public officials are regularly appointed on a partisan basis; the executive and legislative branches much cooperate
· The watchdog function - particularly true of the party out of power because it criticizes the policies and behavior of the party in power; makes party in control be more responsive to the public
3. Discuss the link between party image and party identification.
· Party Identification- a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.
· Party Image- the voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.
4. What is meant by ticket-splitting?
· Ticket Splitting voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.
5. What is the purpose of a primary election? What is a closed primary? ...