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Chapter 8: Political Parties

Terms in this set (44)

An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization's name
Political Party
Designation as an official candidate of a political party
Nomination
A set of interrelated institutions that link people with government
Political System
A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president
Electoral College
A closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the selection of candidates for office
Caucus
A gathering of delegates of a single political party from across the country to choose candidates for president and vice president and to adopt a party platform
National Convention
The statement of policies of a national political party
Party Platform
An election that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters
Critical Election
The change in voting patterns that occurs after a critical election
Electoral Realignment
A political system in which two major political parties compete for control of the government. Candidates from a third party have little chance of winning office.
Two-party System
A lessening of the importance of party loyalties in voting decisions
Electoral Dealignment
The system by which one office, contested by two or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most vote
Majority Representation
The system by which legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the vote that party wins in an election
Proportional Representation
A voter's sense of psychological attachment to a party
Party Identification
A committee of a political party composed of party chairpersons and party officials from every state
National Committee
A meeting to select party leaders and decide committee assignments, held at the beginning of a session of Congress by Republicans or Democrats in each chamber
Party Conference
An organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support its own candidates in congressional elections
Congressional Campaign Committee
A centralized party organization that dominates local politics by controlling elections
Party Machine
A set of principles formalizing the ideal role of parties in a majoritarian democracy
Responsible Party Government
Democratic theory says the primary means by which citizens control their government is through

a. voting in free elections.
b. writing to their representatives.
c. protesting and demonstrating.
d. volunteering for campaigns.
a. voting in free elections.
Which type of organization sponsors candidates for political office, specifically under the organization's name?

a. focus group
b. special interest group
c. political party
d. super PAC
c. political party
A(n) ________ is a set of interrelated institutions that link people with government.

a. social welfare organization
b. political system
c. electoral college
d. national committee
b. political system
The Democratic Party has a strong claim to being the

a. oldest political party in existence.
b. first political party to establish a national convention.
c. only minor party to ever have evolved into a major political party.
d. world's fastest growing political party.
a. oldest political party in existence.
How many American political parties existed when the Constitution was written?

a. five
b. two
c. none
d. one
c. none
At the time the Constitution was written, groups that pursued some common political position were called ________ , and they were considered ________ .

a. political parties; patriotic
b. caucuses; frivolous
c. factions; dangerous
d. electorates; necessary
c. factions; dangerous
In the early days of the nation, members of political parties met in a small, secret meeting called a(n) ________ to decide questions of policy and propose candidates for office.

a. referendum
b. convention
c. initiative
d. caucus
d. caucus
What criteria can be used to classify President George Washington as a Federalist?

a. He was the head of his political party.
b. He supported the Constitution.
c. He was narrowly elected after a bitter fight with Antifederalists.
d. He was a factional leader.
b. He supported the Constitution.
Who was the first person to lead the Republicans, also nicknamed the Democratic Republicans?

a. John Quincy Adams
b. Alexander Hamilton
c. Teddy Roosevelt
d. Thomas Jefferson
d. Thomas Jefferson
As the American population grew and the electorate expanded by the 1820s, political parties invented a new way to nominate presidential candidates, the first of which was held in 1831.

a. the open primary
b. the national convention
c. the electoral college
d. the critical election
b. the national convention
The four parties named below all played a part in the critical election of 1860. Which one nominated and backed Abraham Lincoln?

a. Northern Democratic Party
b. Southern Democratic Party
c. Constitutional Union Party
d. Republican Party
d. Republican Party
Some elections stand out in history due to a sharp change in the existing party voting patterns. What situation then occurs that persists for subsequent elections?

a. electoral dealignment
b. electoral realignment
c. party activism
d. critical party system
b. electoral realignment
Which type of minor party, formed by disgruntled leaders, has had no impact on presidential outcomes, other than the Progressive Party in 1912 and possibly the American Independent Party in 1968?

a. farm-labor party
b. single-issue party
c. ideological protest party
d. bolter party
d. bolter party
The Socialist Party has been the most successful party of ideological protest in American history. How many states have been won by Socialist Party candidates for president?

a. none
b. thirteen
c. thirty-three
d. three
a. none
The most long-lasting single-issue party is the ________ , which was founded for one reason, but has recently shifted its platform toward other conservative positions.

a. Progressive Party
b. Libertarian Party
c. Tea Party
d. Prohibition Party
d. Prohibition Party
Probably the most important function of minor parties is that they

a. act as safety valves.
b. eliminate factions.
c. provide patronage.
d. maintain the status quo.
a. act as safety valves.
What factors represent the two most convincing reasons why the United States has only two political parties?

a. national conventions and national committees
b. majority representation and proportional representation
c. electoral system and political socialization
d. party preference and party loyalty
c. electoral system and political socialization
What term is used to describe a person's psychological attachment to a party, or state of mind about a party?

a. party identification
b. party ideology
c. party platform
d. party alignment
a. party identification
One key difference between the two parties is that Republicans tend to approve of ________ , while Democrats tend to approve of ________ .

a. national defense spending; social welfare spending
b. a free market economy; a planned or socialist economy
c. party activists; party voters
d. procedural reforms; organizational reforms
a. national defense spending; social welfare spending
In analyzing the platforms expressed by the two parties at their 2012 conventions, it was found that Republicans mentioned the words ________ more than three times as often as Democrats, and Democrats mentioned the words ________ more than four times as often as Republicans.

a. welfare or assistance; defense or the military/military leaders
b. health care or insurance; order or crime/criminals
c. poverty or the poor; spending or taxes/tax cuts
d. free or freedom; equal or equality/inequality
d. free or freedom; equal or equality/inequality
The RNC and the DNC do not really direct presidential campaigns, do not control members of Congress, and may at times seem powerless. Nevertheless, they are the ________ of the nation's two major parties.

a. congressional campaign committees
b. congressional party conferences
c. national committees
d. national conventions
c. national committees
At one time, both major parties were closely aligned with ________ , the centralized organizations that dominated local politics by controlling elections and providing jobs and services in return for votes.

a. party conferences
b. minor parties
c. single-issue parties
d. party machines
d. party machines
The most distinguishing characteristic of American political parties has always been the

a. decentralization of power.
b. nomination process.
c. separation of powers.
d. responsible party government.
a. decentralization of power.
The majoritarian model of democracy says that political parties are essential to making the government responsive to

a. private enterprise.
b. special interest groups and lobbyists.
c. global interests.
d. public opinion.
d. public opinion.
Based on the four principles of "responsible party government," the winning party is expected to

a. carry out its program once in office.
b. re-explain its positions and policies to voters.
c. go well beyond its platform and promises to advance its ideology.
d. adapt parts of the opposition's platform in a display of unity.
a. carry out its program once in office.
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