Political Parties: Crash Course Government and Politics #40

Summary

This Crash Course Government and Politics episode delves into the significance of political parties in the American political landscape. It outlines their primary function as winning elections and controlling government, distinguishing them from interest groups. The script explores the reasons for their existence, including facilitating collective action in elections, aiding policy-making among elected officials, and managing politicians' ambitions. It also details their roles, such as recruiting and nominating candidates, mobilizing voters, providing electoral choices, and influencing the national government. The video highlights the primary system's democratic nature and its potential to contribute to political polarization.

Takeaways

• 🎉 Political parties aim to win control of the government, not primarily to influence policies.
• 🗳️ Parties help facilitate collective action in elections by making it easier for voters to form groups.
• 🤝 Political parties allow politicians to work together more easily, helping them form alliances and facilitate policymaking.
• ⚖️ Parties help regulate political ambition by providing a structure that prevents politicians with similar views from competing against each other.
• 👥 The main functions of political parties include recruiting candidates, nominating candidates, getting out the vote, facilitating electoral choice, and influencing national government.
• 📋 Parties play a key role in the nomination process, especially for presidential candidates, through conventions and primaries.
• ✅ Primaries, either open or closed, determine which candidate will represent the party in the general election, with closed primaries being more common.
• 💡 Parties help voters by acting as a brand, providing a shorthand for what candidates stand for without voters needing to know each candidate in-depth.
• 📣 Political parties also mobilize voters through mail, ads, and voter registration drives, helping to increase voter turnout.
• 🏛️ In Congress, party membership influences the selection of leadership positions like the Speaker, committee compositions, and the overall legislative agenda.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of a political party?

The primary goal of a political party is to win control of government by electing people who agree with and are usually members of the party.

How do political parties facilitate collective action in the electoral process?

Political parties facilitate collective action by making it easier for voters to form groups that will vote in certain ways, often aligning with the party's platform.

What is the role of political parties in policy making?

Political parties facilitate policy making by allowing politicians to work together through alliances and shared party ideologies, which can help in crafting legislation.

Why do political parties exist according to the transcript?

Political parties exist to facilitate collective action in elections, assist in policy making, and deal with the problem of politicians' ambition by providing a structure and career path.

What are the five main functions of political parties in the U.S.?

The five main functions of political parties in the U.S. are to recruit candidates, nominate candidates, get out the vote, facilitate electoral choice, and influence national government.

How do political parties recruit and nominate candidates?

Political parties recruit candidates by sifting through those who want to run and picking those with the best chance of winning. Nominations are then decided through a formal process, often involving primaries.

What are the different types of primary elections?

Primary elections can be either open, where any party member can vote, or closed, where only registered voters of a particular party can vote.

How do delegates play a role in the nomination process for presidential candidates?

Delegates are non-elected party members who nominate candidates at the convention. They are usually pledged to vote for the candidate who won the primary in their state, and the candidate with a majority of delegates becomes the nominee.

What is the significance of getting out the vote for political parties?

Getting out the vote is crucial for political parties as it involves mobilizing voters through direct mail, email, advertisements, and volunteer coordination to ensure people go out to vote for their candidates.

How do political parties help facilitate electoral choice for voters?

Political parties act like brands, providing voters with a shorthand way to understand a candidate's stance based on their party affiliation, thus narrowing down political choices and making decisions easier.

What is the relationship between the president and their political party?

The president is the leader of their party, and their character and popularity can shape the party's brand. Conversely, the party supports the president's initiatives and helps elect candidates that align with the president's policies.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Introduction to Political Parties

The paragraph introduces the topic of political parties, distinguishing them from social gatherings and emphasizing their role in American politics. It defines a political party as a group aiming to control government through elections. The main goal of parties is to win elections, not primarily to influence policies, which is more the role of interest groups. The paragraph humorously lists three reasons for having political parties but promises to reveal them later. It then explains the first reason: parties facilitate collective action in elections by helping voters form groups that vote in predictable ways, using the example of business-friendly Republican policies attracting businessmen.

05:01

📊 Functions and Structure of Political Parties

This paragraph delves into the functions of political parties, listing five main roles: recruiting candidates, nominating candidates, getting out the vote, facilitating electoral choice, and influencing national government. It discusses the process of candidate recruitment and nomination, including the historical context of conventions and caucuses, and the modern primary system. The paragraph explains how primaries function, the difference between open and closed primaries, and the strategic voting that can occur in open primaries. It also touches on the delegate system and how it contributes to the nomination process. The paragraph concludes by discussing how parties mobilize voters and facilitate electoral choice by acting as a brand that helps voters make decisions based on party affiliation.

Keywords

💡Political Party

A political party is defined in the script as a team of politicians, activists, and voters whose goal is to win control of government. This is central to the video's theme as it sets the stage for discussing the role of parties in American politics. The script uses the example of U.S. political parties, which aim to elect individuals who align with and are often members of the party.

💡Collective Action

Collective action in the electoral process refers to parties making it easier for voters to form groups that will vote in certain ways. The video explains this as the main reason for the existence of political parties, facilitating the organization of voters around common interests, as illustrated by the example of Republican candidates typically supporting business-friendly policies.

💡Policy Making

Policy making is mentioned as a reason for forming political parties, specifically in relation to elected members. The script suggests that party membership allows politicians to work together more effectively, forming alliances that can strengthen the party and facilitate the creation of legislation, such as how common Republicanness can help legislators from different regions collaborate.

💡Ambition

The concept of ambition is discussed as a reason for political parties to exist, providing a structure that channels politicians' ambitions in ways that are beneficial to the party rather than purely self-serving. The script humorously points out that this prevents multiple candidates with similar views from competing against each other, as it would be chaotic.

💡Recruit Candidates

Recruiting candidates is one of the five main functions of political parties outlined in the video. It involves finding individuals who have the potential to win elections, which is crucial for a party's goal of controlling government. The script notes the importance of an unblemished personal record or the ability to give heartfelt apologies, and the necessity of fundraising skills.

💡Nominate Candidates

Nominating candidates is the process of choosing a potential candidate to represent a party in an election. This is a critical step in the electoral process as it determines who will be the party's representative. The script discusses how nominations in the U.S. are largely determined through primaries rather than conventions.

💡Get Out the Vote

Getting out the vote is a key strategy used by parties to mobilize voters and ensure their candidates' success. The video emphasizes the importance of this function, as it is necessary to get people to the polls to vote for the party's candidates. The script mentions various methods such as direct mail, email, advertisements, and volunteer coordination.

💡Electoral Choice

Electoral choice refers to the process by which voters select between different candidates in an election. Political parties facilitate this by acting as brands that represent certain values and policies. The script uses the analogy of a Netflix logo to explain how knowing a candidate's party affiliation can quickly inform voters about their stance on issues.

💡Influence National Government

Influencing the national government is a significant function of political parties, particularly in Congress. The script explains how party membership determines key roles such as the Speaker of the House, committee compositions, and the agenda of Congress. It also discusses the reciprocal relationship between the president and their party, where the president's popularity can impact the party's image and vice versa.

💡Primaries

Primaries are elections held to choose candidates who will run in the general election. The video script explains that primaries can be open or closed and are crucial for determining the party's nominee. It also touches on the potential for strategic voting in open primaries and the impact of primaries on political polarization due to the tendency of more ideologically extreme voters to participate.

💡Independent Candidate

An independent candidate is someone who runs for office without the backing of a major political party. The script mentions that this path is less common and requires gathering a significant number of signatures on a petition. It is presented as a more individualistic approach to running for office, distinct from the party system.

Highlights

Political parties aim to control government by electing members who agree with the party.

Political parties and interest groups are not the same; parties focus on winning elections.

Political parties facilitate collective action in the electoral process.

Political parties help form alliances among politicians to facilitate policy making.

Parties provide a structure for politicians' ambitions, preventing self-interested competition.

Political parties have five main functions: recruit candidates, nominate candidates, get out the vote, facilitate electoral choice, influence national government.

Parties recruit candidates by sifting through potential candidates to find those with the best chance of winning.

The nomination process involves conventions, caucuses, and primaries to choose party representatives.

Primaries are elections where party members choose their candidate for the general election.

Primaries can be open or closed, affecting voter participation and potential for strategic voting.

Delegates, chosen in primaries, nominate candidates at conventions.

The primary system is more democratic but can lead to low voter participation and polarized candidates.

Independent candidates can run with enough petition signatures, though it's less common.

Parties mobilize voters through direct mail, email, advertisements, and voter registration drives.

Political parties act as brands to facilitate electoral choice for voters.

Party membership in Congress is crucial for determining leadership roles and shaping the legislative agenda.

The president and their party have a reciprocal relationship, influencing each other's agenda and support.

Political parties exist to elect candidates and gain control of the government, providing clear electoral preferences for voters.

Transcripts

Hi, I'm Craig and this is Crash Course Government and Politics and today we're gonna talk about

parties. Woo! Yeah! No, not those kind of parties. We're talking about political parties,

which can be a lot less fun. Woo.

[Theme Music]

So, today we're talking about why we have political parties and the role of parties

in American politics. But before we dive into the pool - some would say a cesspool - that

is political parties, let's have a definition. Political party: a team of politicians, activists

and voters whose goal is to win control of government. So kind of an important point:

the goal of a party is to control government and in the U.S. that means electing people

who agree with and usually are members of the party. So above everything else, parties

exist to win elections. Parties don't mainly focus on influencing policies, although particular

policies are often associated with particular parties. Influencing elected officials is

mainly the job of interest groups, who we'll talk about soon. For now, let's keep in mind

that political parties and interest groups are not the same thing.

So let's look at three reasons why we have political parties. One: I dunno. Two: I dunno.

Three: I dunno. I do know, I'll tell you in a second. First, we create political parties

to facilitate collective action in the electoral process. Given that parties exist to win elections,

this is probably the main reason we have them. But what does facilitate collective action

in the electoral process mean exactly? Basically, it means that parties make it easier for voters

to form groups that will vote in certain ways. Here's an example, albeit one that overgeneralizes

a little bit. Just come on, just go with it. In general, republican candidates support

policies that are more friendly to business, so if you're a businessman, you know that

affiliating yourself with the republican party is probably going to benefit you.

The second reason given for forming political parties is that they facilitate policy making.

This reasoning applies to elected members who being to political parties, not to voters.

So membership in a party allows politicians to work together. It's easier for democrats

to form alliances with other democrats and sometimes these alliances have the added benefit

of strengthening the party. Party affiliation can help legislators from different places

work together. For example, common republicanness should make it easier for a republican from

rural Kansas to work with another republican from suburban Florida. Sometimes though, party

ideology can prevent even members of the same party from working together as happened in

2008 when republicans couldn't agree on whether the government should bail out struggling banks.

A third, and I must say not altogether convincing reason why we have political parties is to

deal with the problem of politicians' ambition. According to this idea, parties provide a

structure, maybe even a career ladder for politicians so that they're not always acting

in their own self interest. The fact that the party provides different leadership possibilities

and some sense of discipline prevents ambitious politicians with largely similar views from

competing against each other, like say 16 candidates running for president all in the

same party. Just wouldn't happen. Ever.

So that's why political parties exist, but what do they do? Well, they have five main

functions in the U.S. and I'll leave it up to you to decide which - if any - is the most important.

Eagle doesn't get to decide. Eagle doesn't get to decide anything.

So here's the list: 1. Recruit candidates; 2. Nominate candidates; 3. Get out the vote;

4. Facilitate electoral choice; 5. Influence national government.

The first thing that parties have to do if they want to win elections is find candidates.

This is a two-step process involving recruiting and nominating. We've already mentioned that

in order to be a good candidate for office, you generally have to have an unblemished

personal record - like me - or at least be really good at heartfelt apologies. I don't

have an unblemished record and I'm very sorry about that. Also, you need the ability to

raise money. Of course, in order to avoid any problems with campaign financing, it's

helpful to have money yourself, but why spend your own money if you can convince people

to give money to your campaign? Maybe print out some hats. Merch works, merch helps raise money.

There are lots of people who want to run for office, although there's some debate about

whether we're really getting the best candidates. The pay isn't great and neither is the prestige

anymore, and then there's the scrutiny that a run for office puts you and your family

through. Parties play an important role in sifting through all the people who want to

run and picking those who have the best chance of winning. Nomination is the process through

which a potential candidate is actually chosen to represent a particular party in an election.

When we talk about nominations in the US, we're mostly talking about the presidency

because that's the only office that goes through the formal nomination process. But technically

congressman and senators are nominated by their parties to run as well. There are three

ways that a candidate for president can be nominated. In the old days, presidential candidates

were nominated at a convention or caucus, which are gatherings of party members governed

by rules. Conventions still occur every four years but they're largely ceremonial these days

because presidential candidates are actually nominated during the primaries. Let's go to the Thought Bubble.

Primary elections are held to choose candidates who will then run in the later general election.

Political parties decide when and how primaries will be held and who the candidates will be.

These are the elections that pit democrat against democrat and republican against republican

to see who will face off in November. Primaries can either be open or closed. Most states

have closed primaries, which means that only registered voters of a particular party can

vote in that election. So, in a state with closed primaries, like New York, only democrats

can vote in the democratic primary. And since in many districts one party is overwhelmingly

dominant, the primary winner is very likely to win the general election too. In states

with open primaries, members of any party can vote in the primary, which sounds great

because it encourages more participation but it also opens up opportunities for mischief

*evil laughter*. For example, if there's a strong republican candidate up against a weak

republican candidate in a state with open primaries, democrats can turn up and vote

for the weak republican in the hopes that if he wins he will have less of a chance in

the general election running against a democrat. Sneaky.

In presidential elections, the winner of a primary election will be assigned a certain

number of party delegates. Delegates are non-elected party members who actually nominate the candidates

at the convention. The delegates are usually pledged to vote for the candidate who won

the primary in their state, at least on the first ballot, and majority rules in nominating.

This is why we see so much election coverage of primaries and why some states like New

Hampshire try so hard to have their primaries early. Once a candidate has sewn up enough

delegates, he or she becomes the nominee, and the convention serves largely as a formality.

Although the primary system is more democratic than the convention, it still has problems.

Even though there's more opportunity for participation, that doesn't mean people actually participate.

In fact, only about 25% of those eligible to vote in primary elections actually do,

and these tend to be the more ideologically extreme members of the parties. Because to

them, winning elections matters most. So, if only partisan voters show up, we tend to

get uber-partisan candidates. And because they have to win bruising primaries before

they even get to the general election, these candidates tend to be aggressive and uncompromising.

That's good when you're competing in an election but not so good when you're trying to work

with other people to craft policies or, in very rare cases, legislation. This is why

many people think that primaries add to political polarization in the US.

Thanks, Thought Bubble - you got my vote.

There's a third way that a person can become a candidate, but it's a long and dangerous path.

Hey, Stan, zoom the camera in as I say that. It's a long and dangerous path *evil laughter*.

A person can run as an independent and if they get enough signatures on a petition,

they can become a candidate. You're more likely to see this in congressional races but even

then it's not super common. It's also really not that long and dangerous as we implied in that last shot.

The third thing that parties do is mobilize voters, also known as getting out the vote.

This is pretty obvious because you can't elect a candidate if you don't get people out to

vote for them - duh! Parties get out the vote through direct mail, email and advertisements,

and they can also help with voter registration drives. The main thing the party does in terms

of getting out the vote is coordinate volunteers to help encourage voting. If you want to help

on a campaign or with an election effort, your local party office is a good place to start.

Another good place to start is getting out of bed. Getting out the bed is a campaign we should have.

Parties also help to facilitate electoral choice. Basically, a political party acts

sort of like a brand. So, knowing which party a candidate represents acts as a kind of shorthand

for voters in the same way that seeing, say, a Netflix logo lets you know that you're about

to chill. I'm not going to go into what each party stands for right now but let's just

say that knowing that a candidate is a republican or a democrat allows you to figure out pretty

much what they stand for even if you don't know anything about the candidate. Political

parties even help non-partisan voters by narrowing down political choices and making things easier.

If you want to, you can choose a candidate by answering two relatively simple questions:

which party better represents my interests and values, and which candidate belongs to that party?

Finally, believe it or not, political parties have a role in the way the national government

actually works. Party membership is really important in Congress. Parties determine who

the Speaker is since he or she always comes from the majority party and is chosen by a

vote of members of that party. Parties also determine the composition of the committees

and party leaders assign members to those committees. And parties help determine who

the chairs of the committees are and they, along with the Speaker and the majority leader

in the Senate, largely shape Congress' agenda. The president and his party have a reciprocal

relationship - that's the best kind of relationship and the most fun to say. Reciprocal. The president

is the leader of his party and his personal character and popularity helps to shape the

party's brand - for better or worse - and can be used to raise money. On the other side, the party

throws its support behind the president's initiatives and helps to elect candidates that support him in Congress.

So, at their most basic level, parties exist to elect political candidates and thus gain

control of the government. In order for them to do this well, they need to provide voters

with clear electoral preferences and encourage them to act on those preferences. In a way,

this branding function - helping voters to choose between Candidate A and Candidate B

- is what parties are all about. But you're free to disagree and if you do, go form your

own party and do whatever you want. It's a party! Woo! Thanks for watching, see you next time.

Crash Course Government and Politics is produced in association with PBS Digital Studios. Support

for Crash Course US Government comes from Voqal. Voqal supports non-profits that use

technology and media to advance social equity. Learn more about their mission and initiatives

at voqal.org. Crash Course is made with the help of all these hard-line partiers. Thanks for watching.