Political Science 1100, Introduction to American Politics, March 2, 2015

 

Current Events 

Political Parties


        it favors lower taxes, less government spending, balanced budgets, and less government regulation

 

 

5. WHO CARES about the political parties?

To Become President, Or Governor, Or A Legislator,

    You Still Have To Win Elections

    -- But Without Strong Parties To Help,

       Your Tactics For Winning Have To Include
 
 

1). The "Candidate-Centered" Campaign

You Have To Rely On Yourself To Win Nominations and Elections
 
  Because American voters are so divided by geography and ideology,
  to win a nomination in the primary in your state or Congressional district
    –you have to win the votes of a lot of conservative Republicans or liberal Democrats

 

 

2). If You Go It Alone And Rely On Yourself,

You Have To Advertise Yourself To Potential Voters

 

You have to run your own campaign and find a lot of donors

 

And many donors will only give you big money if you are very ideological and very partisan – like they are

 

And if you are rewarded for being very ideological and partisan, you may be punished if you compromise 

   

BUT ...  the Constitution requires compromise to make government work

 

Presidential Elections

1. WINNING THE PRESIDENCY

    You have to win two games: the nomination, and the general election

    These games have two different sets of rules
 
 

A. To Win The Nomination,
    You Have To Win A Majority of The Delegates
    To The Party's Nomination Convention
    in the Summer before the general election

 

To Win delegates, you have to do very well in the
  Primaries and Caucuses

 

Turnout In the Primaries Is Low

    - about 20% of voters
 

 Turnout In Caucuses (like Iowa) is even lower.

 

 

Consequence: In Order To Win The Nomination, You Have To Win The Support Of Those Who Show Up in primaries and caucuses
 

These people tend To Be More Active In Their Party &
These tend to be people with very strong views - these tend to be "wingers" - that is, the more conservative Republicans, and the more liberal Democrats

 

Keys To Winning The Nomination:

- Organization,

        Money

            and "Momentum"

- Win Early And Often To Drive Out The Opposition

 

Key contests: Iowa, the first caucus

                        New Hampshire, the first primary

 

 

B. To win the General Election, you have to win 270 electoral votes

 

    What are electoral votes?

 

    How are a state's electoral votes determined? By the popular vote in the state

 

    How do you win a state's electoral votes? Winning a Plurality of the popular vote in the state

 

    Can you win a majority of the popular vote and lose the election? Yes