Question 1

A bill passes the House by a vote of 230-205, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans voting against. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Party discipline refers to the tendency of members of a political party to vote together on legislation, even when their personal views may differ. In this case, all Democrats voted in favor of the bill and all Republicans voted against it, indicating a high level of party discipline.

Question 2

Which explains the relative success of the New Deal coalition?

Accepted Answer

The New Deal coalition was successful because it included new blocs of voters, such as African Americans, labor unions, and urban dwellers, into the Democratic Party. This broadened the party's base of support and helped to create a winning electoral coalition.

Question 3

What is the New Deal Party System? Why and how did it emerge? What groups were included in it? To what extent has it survived over time? In what ways does the New Deal Party System still structure and influence American national politics?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the New Deal Party System?...

Question 4

Which group was part of the New Deal coalition?

Accepted Answer

The New Deal coalition was made up of various groups, including labor unions, African Americans, farmers, Southern Democrats, and urban progressives. Latinos were also part of this coalition, primarily in the Southwest where they supported the Democratic Party and New Deal policies. Business owners and Northern Republicans were not typically part of this coalition. Legal aliens may have benefited from some New Deal policies, but were not considered a distinct group within the coalition.

Question 5

What is a political party? What are the major functions of parties in government, parties in the electorate, and parties as organizations? How do these three party roles relate to one another? What kind of oversight or organization ensures the effective integration of various components of American political parties?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a political party? What are...

Question 6

What is the greatest threat to contemporary political parties?

Accepted Answer

Internal splits within political parties can lead to a loss of support and credibility among voters, as well as weakened decision-making and coordination within the party. This can ultimately threaten the party's ability to win elections and maintain political power.

Question 7

Which is a manifesto or explanation of the policies a party plans to pursue once in office?

Accepted Answer

A party platform is a manifesto or explanation of the policies a party plans to pursue once in office.

Question 8

Largely due to the parties' positions on civil rights, ____________ switched their support from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

Accepted Answer

Southern whites switched their support from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party largely due to the parties' positions on civil rights. The Democratic Party pushed for stronger civil rights legislation and integration, while the Republican Party was seen as more favorable to segregation and states' rights. This shift was seen particularly in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Question 9

Duverger's law predicts that single-member, plurality electoral systems are associated with the presence of ________ principal political party/parties.

Accepted Answer

Duverger's law predicts that single-member, plurality electoral systems are associated with the presence of two principal political parties. This is because such systems tend to favor the formation of large, catch-all parties that can appeal to a wide swath of voters and win a plurality of votes in each district. Smaller parties are typically crowded out and struggle to win seats under such a system.

Question 10

Identify and explain three major theories of partisan identification. How does each theory conceptualize individual identification with a political party? To what extent does each theory represent partisanship as a psychological identity versus the product of rational judgment? In your opinion, which model most clearly represents your own association (or lack thereof) with a political party?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify and explain three major theories of...

Question 11

The political parties have become more reliant on ________ organization(s) and less reliant on ________ organization(s) in the last 40 years.

Accepted Answer

Over the last 40 years, political parties have become more reliant on national organizations and less reliant on state organizations due to increased centralization and the influence of national-level fundraising and media strategies.

Question 12

In the current party system, Republican votes tend to come from multiple groups, including ____________.

Accepted Answer

Republican votes tend to come from wealthy retirees as they often prioritize economic issues such as tax cuts and small government. White rural residents also tend to lean Republican due to shared cultural and social values, as well as economic concerns such as job opportunities in rural areas. Conservatives as a whole tend to align with the Republican Party due to shared values on issues such as limited government and individual rights.

Question 13

Since the 1960s, the percentage of party identifiers who would be upset if their children married members of the opposite political party has ________ and is higher among _______ than _________.

Accepted Answer

Since the 1960s, the percentage of party identifiers who would be upset if their children married members of the opposite political party has increased, reflecting growing political polarization in the United States. This increase is higher among Republicans than Democrats, indicating a stronger partisan antipathy within the Republican party towards Democrats than the reverse.

Question 14

How can election laws limit the viability of third parties?

Accepted Answer

Requiring third-party candidates to gather a certain number of signatures in order to be added to the ballot makes it difficult for smaller parties to gain traction, as they may not have the resources or funding to gather the necessary signatures. This limits their viability in elections. Other options listed in the choices are not accurate or relevant to how election laws limit third parties.

Question 15

What is Duverger's law? What relationship does it assert between electoral systems and the number of competitive political parties? Why does this relationship exist?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is Duverger's law? What relationship does...

Question 16

Why does the opinion of other potential voters matter to a single voter's opinion of a candidate's chances to win election?

Accepted Answer

If other potential voters also hold a negative opinion of a candidate's chances to win, a single voter may be less likely to want to waste their vote on an unsuccessful candidate. This is because they know their candidate is less likely to win, given that the majority of voters do not support them.

Quiz 12: Political Parties