ipl-logo

Party Strengths And Weaknesses

788 Words4 Pages

Some of this is not self-explanatory, so in the remainder of this chapter I will define the variables and start to explain why I included them in one or more of my models.
Dependent Variables Here, I focus on three different measures of party strength that will be the dependent variable in these analyses. Why focus on party strength? Party strength is a regional measure of two joint processes: (1) recruiting candidates; and (2) getting them elected. Both are important processes in causing an electoral realignment (Burnham 1970). These two processes are closely related. A candidate, particularly a quality candidate, is more likely to run if he/she believes he/she is likely to receive the votes needed to win. Voters are more likely to vote …show more content…

There is another simple reason to focus on party strength: policy. Not only does party strength mean different politicians going to Washington, D.C. to affect national policy, but party strength also represents politicians with differing issue positions representing their respective constituencies in state legislatures, the governor’s mansion, and county buildings. Party strength is a measure of the ability of a party to get people to vote for its candidates and the ability of the party to affect policy. The post-World War II shift in party strength was part of a …show more content…

First, there is Party strength (MPI.) This variable comes from the article “A New Measure of Party Strength” by James W. Ceasar and Robert P. Saldin. This score is based upon the two party vote totals for elections for President, Senators, the House of Representatives, and Governor, and accounts for the proportion of votes a party received in state legislative elections (2006) . This variable weights each type of election equally. Party strength is calculated for every two years (the election years) for each state using the current or most recent elections to make this measure. All observations are present for each state election year so no imputation is needed. Party strength ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 being total Democratic dominance and 1 being total Republican dominance. The mean for this measure is 0.399 with a maximum of 0.741 and a minimum of 0.001. I used this measure of party strength because it moves over time and it can be bifurcated to measure strength in elections for national and state offices. This makes it superior to other measures of party strength for my

Show More
Related

Mibc 104 Assignment

998 Words | 4 Pages

MIBC 104 – Political Science Unit 4 Assignment Research parties in the United States and share information from at least three parties. To my surprise, there are so many choices from which to pick. There are major and minor political parties, as well as regional political parties, historical parties, non- electoral organizations, and who knows how many more. With so many to choose from, most of which I have never heard of, I will choose three that sound remotely interesting.

Read More

What Role Did Jfk Play In American Political Campaigns

413 Words | 2 Pages

Party-centered campaigns consisted of party organizations providing much of the money and volunteers for campaigns. This is similar to many other democracies. The expanded role of parties in campaigns helps the campaign economically. Parties have a vast following of voters and

Read More

Psy 315 Week 3 Quiz Essay

230 Words | 1 Pages

What is the weakest component of the party system, as indicated by the percentage of American who adopt a party label? 8. What is the strongest influence

Read More

Congressional Activity Summary

813 Words | 4 Pages

The differentiators that account for the variation are the parties and Congress. Meinke then deduces from the information that the majority party in Congress exhibits a significant substantial number of members that advertise their partisan activity — “…majority party status—and possibly the strength of the party brand name—is associated with the choice.” (Meinke 860) Meinke also discovers that the stronger the partisan base (measured by same-party presidential vote), there is a more

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Gerrymandering

982 Words | 4 Pages

It allows them to use tactics such as packing and cracking which can have a tremendous impact on elections. Packing is when politicians draw out district maps for each party based on population. Packing can swing the vote because the population of one party could out weight the population of the minority party within the same district, causing the entire district to swing with the majority. Voters feel that the other tactic, cracking, gives them a disadvantage because the political parties are being spread out between multiple districts which causes one district to have the majority party in multiple areas (King, Elizabeth). When the politicians of the party in power have drawn out the voters’ map, they maintain power over the lines of the map.

Read More

Sentimental Values In George Washington's Farewell Address

778 Words | 4 Pages

The system of political parties serves to accurately sort Americans into categories based on political views, but this often serves to wage animosity between groups, especially when one group holds more political power than the

Read More

Explain The Strengths Of The Judicial Branch

1067 Words | 5 Pages

In fact, the Framers wanted to avoid political parties because the Constitution promotes unity while political parties promotes individual self-interests over what’s good for the country, but “free association, after all, meant that like-minded individuals could interact with one another,” (Fine & Levin-Waldman, 2016, Chapter 9, “What is a Political Party and What is its Purpose,” para. 1). Political parties play a huge role in America’s democracy because they get people out to vote and they organize the government. The purpose of a political party is to take positions on current issues by nominating the best candidates to represent what the party stands for. Democrats and Republicans are the two main parties that represent most of the citizens. Once a candidate takes office, they carry out and act on the solutions for the current public issues that the party believes in.

Read More

Demographic Differences Between The Republicans And The Democrats

304 Words | 2 Pages

While Republicans are voted mostly by white men, Democrats are voted by other minority races like Blacks and Hispanics, along with higher number of women. Of these, the younger adults tend to be toward Democrats, while middle-aged adults tend to favor the Republicans. This could also be linked to the income and education level, where higher income and education favors the Republican side and the lower, the Democratic side. Marital status has an influence too, where married couples are more toward the Republicans, and singles more toward the Democrats. The regions are distinct too, where Republicans are strongest in the South and Midwest of U.S. apart from Democrat’s power in the Northeast and California.

Read More

Essay On Sectional Tensions

734 Words | 3 Pages

As the foundations of a successful government system, political parties help keep balance of power and uphold the Democratic ideals of the United States. These parties have origins that can trace back to the early sectional tensions in America. These sectional tensions were the primary reasons for the development and progression of political parties in the United States. As early as 1800, signs of deviation would appear.

Read More

Two Party System Essay

941 Words | 4 Pages

The election of 1796, John Adams versus Thomas Jefferson. The former won by only 3 single electoral college votes. In a highly competitive, controversial race filled with fake smiles and harsh glares, those votes made all the difference in the world to these two men and their running mates. Because George Washington refused a second term, political parties took root when election time came around. No one knew that this election in the early stages of Americas development would define the future of the United States of America.

Read More

Republican Party Strengths

381 Words | 2 Pages

Party strength is a measure of the ability of a party to get people to vote for its candidates. The post-World War II shift in party strength was part of a massive shift in policy over time. Scholars saw Republican politicians increasingly excel at getting elected at the local level (Lublin 2006), to offices in the state (Hayes and McKee 2007), and federal governments (Black and Black 2002, 1992; Shafer and Johnston 2006). It is difficult to see how the Republican Party would have become the majority in Congress in 1994 without the increased voting strength in the South. This marked a dramatic shift in national policy.

Read More

Do Political Parties Succeed In The Past?

156 Words | 1 Pages

Is there a way to predict the country’s achievement in the next few years by looking at how political parties have succeeded in the past? My studies use data from 1948 to show the association between the political party in power and their effects on improving the country’s economy. I decided that, a good, practical way of measuring a country’s economy improvement is by observing how employment rate and inflation is affected over time. In this study, I took a closer look at how these two factors are affected by the most important political representatives. These political representatives being; highest national ranked (president) and the highest at state level (governors).

Read More

A Compare And Contrast Essay On Political Party

712 Words | 3 Pages

A political party is an alliance of like-minded individuals who work together in an effort to win elections and control the government in their favor. They compete against each other for political power and the ability to put their ideologies into affect. There are two major parties in the United States, the Democrats and the Republicans. Their philosophies and political platforms are very different. Democrats believe in a strong federal government that has an active role in citizens lives while republicans believe in a small government that should have little to no role.

Read More

Advantages Of The Two Party System

2506 Words | 11 Pages

Finally, it will be argued that the modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since 1856. The Democratic Party generally positions itself as centre-left in American politics and supports a modern American liberal platform, while the Republican Party generally positions itself as centre-right and supports a modern American conservative platform. (Nichols, 1967)

Read More

Argumentative Essay About Political Parties

491 Words | 2 Pages

Political parties serve countless roles in America’s government. Foremost, it needs to be said they are crucial to America’s political system. The political parties are the heart and brain of our government's body, urging people to conceive and feel different ways on different topics whether the controversy is over how money is distributed or the way immigrants should be treated or dealt with. With each party having a biased view it shows how a group can be increasingly powerful with bountiful amounts of support, names and divisions can be heard. Democrats are widely known to be liberal rather than conservative.

Read More

More about Party Strengths And Weaknesses

Related Topics

Open Document