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| | == What is next for the political parties? == | | == What is next for the political parties? == |
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| − | == [[Political parties|Political Parties]] (continued from last class) ==
| + | Remember that politics is a team sport, and the biggest teams are the political parties: Republicans and Democrats. |
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| − | [[Politics]] is like a team [[sport]] for many people. They put on their helmets and knee-pads, enlist people on their side, and then attack the other side. Or they defend against an initiative by the other side.
| + | The "smoke-filled room" is a term used to describe a few powerful people smoking cigars who make all the important political decisions within each political party. Then the orders go out to everyone else in the party to obey, or else lose support from the party for reelection. |
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| − | It is difficult for a solitary voice or one-person [[army]] to win alone. It would be like one man trying to be his own [[football]] team. He may be the greatest [[athlete]] in the world, but he would lose against a team of 11 every time. However, one person can always mean the difference between [[victory]] and defeat, no matter how large the [[team]]s are.
| + | At the top of the party structure is a national committee. For the Republicans, it is the Republican National Committee, which raises enormous sums of money and otherwise sets direction for the party. |
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| − | [[Political parties]] are the teams in [[government]]. Critics might call them “[[gang]]s”. The players work to help each other, and oppose players on the other team (the other political party). It is “us versus them.”
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| − | The benefits of [[teamwork]] are obvious. It is much easier to pass [[legislation]] when a [[party boss]] can call members of his [[party]] and tell them how to vote. When party members disobey the boss or “leadership”, then they are disciplined to set an example.
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| − | [[Phil Gramm]] was a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[congress]]man from Texas who disobeyed his leadership and voted in favor of [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Ronald Reagan]]’s [[economic]] [[legislation]] in the early 1980s. When the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] leadership disciplined him by removing him from a key committee position, he fought back.
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| − | [[Phil Gramm]] resigned his seat and called for a special election to fill his own vacancy. He then switched parties and ran as a [[Republican Party|Republican]]. Many voters do not like [[political parties]] and Phil Gramm won in a landslide for his courage. Later, he turned his popularity into winning a U.S. [[Senate]] seat for [[Texas]]. He even attracted support for the [[Republican Party|Republican]] nomination for president in 1996. (Ronald Reagan himself was once a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] who changed and became a [[Republican Party|Republican]].)
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| − | But Phil Gramm's experience is an exception. Not every state is like [[Texas]], and many candidates are unwilling to switch [[political parties]]. After all, they spent their entire life being a member of one [[party]]. It is not easy to change and admit error, and abandon lifelong [[friendship]]s. Not even [[Senator]] Jeffords of [[Vermont]] could switch from [[Republican Party|Republican]] to [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] when he rebelled against President Bush in 2001. Instead, [[Senator]] Jeffords switched from [[Republican Party|Republican]] to [[Independent]].
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| − | [[Political parties]], as big as they have become, are still controlled by only a handful of [[people]]. The “smoke-filled room” is a term used to describe a few powerful people smoking cigars who make all the important [[Politics|political]] decisions. [[President]] [[Truman]] made decisions about who would control [[Europe]] after [[World War II]] while playing [[cards]] with a few buddies.
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| − | Despite the mass [[media]], [[television]] and [[internet]], there is still a great deal of truth to this image of [[politics]]. On the [[Republican Party|Republican]] side, the [[Bush]] family and a few close advisors have made major decisions, such as invading [[Iraq]] and passing the education bill “[[No Child Left Behind]]”. On the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] side, [[Ted Kennedy]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] are thought to control many decisions. Some feel that they may even install [[Hillary Clinton]] as the presidential or nominee for the [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] in 2004, even though she has said she is not running.
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| − | So how much “[[teamwork]]” there really is in a [[political party]] is debatable. Perhaps an “[[army]]”, with a few [[general]]s and many [[soldier]]s, describes [[political parties]] better. After all, efforts to capture office are called “[[campaign]]s”. But as bad as [[political parties]] can be, they are the only thing stopping compete control of politics by the [[media]]. For that we can be grateful.
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| − | At the top of the [[party]] structure is the [[Republican National Committee]], which raises enormous sums of [[money]]. It then distributes that [[money]] to [[state]] parties, and it provides [[money]] to assist in [[Politics|political]] [[campaign]]s that it supports. (The same is true for the [[Democratic National Committee]].) [[Candidate]]s disfavored by those who control the [[Republican National Committee]] are unable to obtain financial support. Only individually wealthy candidates, such as [[Senator]] [[Peter Fitzgerald]] of [[Illinois]] in 1998, are able to run and be elected to statewide office over the opposition of the national [[party]] leadership. Nearly everyone is afraid to disobey the [[party]] leadership.
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| | == Voting == | | == Voting == |