Party Decline vs Party Renewal Theory
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?- Created by: CharlotteCollins4
- Created on: 27-02-16 13:12
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- Party Decline vs Party Renewal Thesis
- Party Decline Thesis
- "The Party's over" by David Broder argues for the Party Delcine Theory
- Nomination
- Now is carried out mostly by the public not the party in primaries
- For example the Iowa primary 2016 which voted in favour of Ted Cruz for the Republican Party and Hilary Clinton for the Democrats
- Primaries lead to disunity among the parties as they don't work in a collegiate manner to elect a candidate
- E.g reported Republican Party split over current candidacy according to the New York Times
- Can select mavericks that upset the party
- E.g Ron Paul who is never invited to the presidential debate because he is seen as too much of a maverick
- Now is carried out mostly by the public not the party in primaries
- Campaigning
- Carried out by individual campaign teams not the party as a whole
- E.g CREEP or Obama's team with campaign leader David Axelrod and the use of Sam Power
- Carried out by individual campaign teams not the party as a whole
- Fundraising
- Most money for candidates now does not come from the party it comes from individuals
- Obama raised $750m in 2008 from small donations and Bernie Sanders has raised nearly $95m in individual contributions (Feb 2016)
- Most money for candidates now does not come from the party it comes from individuals
- Communication
- Role of media has taken away the power of the parties
- Obama spent $288 million on 504,623 ads (to end of Oct), 82% spent on negative ads.
- Role of media has taken away the power of the parties
- Party Renewal Thesis
- Superdelegates/ unpledged delegates
- In 2008, 800 Democrat delegates were superdelegates (20 % of all delegates)
- In 2000 nearly all superdelegates backed Bush helping him beat McCain to the candidacy
- Legal rulings
- Have strengthened the role of parties
- For instance, US supreme court Cousins v Wigoda (1975) favoured national parties over regional ones
- Pro-active leadership
- Greater fundraising programmes and direct mail programmes
- Soft Money
- Money donated to the party in a way in which it cannot be regulated
- Because
soft money is not regulated by election laws, companies, unions and individuals
may give donations in any amount to a
political party
for the purpose of
"party
building."
- However since the McCain-Feingold act there has been a growing decline of soft money. For example the DNC has lost roughly $50m in soft money donations in the election after the act
- Party Decline Thesis
- "The Party's over" by David Broder argues for the Party Delcine Theory
- Nomination
- Now is carried out mostly by the public not the party in primaries
- For example the Iowa primary 2016 which voted in favour of Ted Cruz for the Republican Party and Hilary Clinton for the Democrats
- Primaries lead to disunity among the parties as they don't work in a collegiate manner to elect a candidate
- E.g reported Republican Party split over current candidacy according to the New York Times
- Can select mavericks that upset the party
- E.g Ron Paul who is never invited to the presidential debate because he is seen as too much of a maverick
- Now is carried out mostly by the public not the party in primaries
- Campaigning
- Carried out by individual campaign teams not the party as a whole
- E.g CREEP or Obama's team with campaign leader David Axelrod and the use of Sam Power
- Carried out by individual campaign teams not the party as a whole
- Fundraising
- Most money for candidates now does not come from the party it comes from individuals
- Obama raised $750m in 2008 from small donations and Bernie Sanders has raised nearly $95m in individual contributions (Feb 2016)
- Most money for candidates now does not come from the party it comes from individuals
- Communication
- Role of media has taken away the power of the parties
- Obama spent $288 million on 504,623 ads (to end of Oct), 82% spent on negative ads.
- Role of media has taken away the power of the parties
- Party Decline Thesis
- However since the McCain-Feingold act there has been a growing decline of soft money. For example the DNC has lost roughly $50m in soft money donations in the election after the act
- Microsoft gave $1,890,000 of soft money to the Republicans in 2002
- Polarisation
- Since the 1960s there has been a growing partisanship
- The pew research recorded a record breaking 8 point difference between parties
- In 1994, 49% of Americans had mixed political views whereas in 2014 only 39% of Americans held mixed political views
- But those holding mixed political views are less likely to vote
- In 2014 36% of Republicans viewed the Democrats as dangerous to the nation's well being
- The arguments over planned parenthood, Obamacare and the Economic Stimulus Package highlight this
- Shows growing Party politics
- Partisanship
- Means loyalty to party
- John Kerry has a 97% voting record of voting in line with the party
- Party support in Congress
- No support from Republicans in the house over Oamacare
- Superdelegates/ unpledged delegates
- Party Decline Thesis
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