Political Science 161

Questions for Bardes, et al., Ch. 8

1. Discuss some of the implications of having parties supported by public funding.

2. Define a political party. What are the functions political parties perform for the political system? What is a cadre party? What is a mass membership party? Which type are the American political parties?

3. What are the seven political party periods outlined by the authors? Briefly characterize each period. Which of these periods is considered a transition rather than a party era by most political scientists? What partisan trends do the authors identify in the 2006 Election?

4. What groups tend to identify with each of the political parties? Discuss the economic beliefs of the two parties in recent times. How have cultural factors recently changed American politics? What do the authors mean by the Reverse Income Effect? What do the authors say about cultural influences on the 2004 election campaign?

5. What are the three faces of a party? Describe the national committees of the two political parties. Who picks the party’s national chairperson? What is the unit rule of the Electoral College? What is patronage? What is ticket splitting?

6. What are the four major reasons given for the U.S. having a two party system? Discuss.

7. Discuss the various types of minor parties that have existed in American history. What have been some of the impacts of minor parties on the American political system? What is a splinter party? What is party identification?

8. What is party realignment? What factors are associated with a party realignment? What is party dealignment? What is tipping? What are some speculations of the authors about the future of the American parties?