1. Political Parties Continued

2. Functions of Political Parties • Nominate Candidates • Inform Voters • Ensure candidates are qualified • Help govern in Congress and State Legislatures • Act as watchdogs especially of officials of other parties

3. Democrats vs. Republicans • Commonly portrayed as a donkey • First used by Pres. Jackson in early 1800s • People said he was “stubborn like a donkey” • Cartoonist Thomas Nast is credited with designing the donkey

4. Democrats vs. Republicans • Cartoonist Thomas Nast is also credited with designing the elephant • Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion’s skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo • One of the animals was an elephant, labeled “the Republican vote”

5. Third Parties • Ideological parties: set of beliefs on social, economic, political issues (Socialist, Communist) • Single –Issue parties: one public-policy matter; usually short-lived. “Free-Soil Party”, “Right to Life” Party, “Prohibition Party” • Economic protest parties – economic discontent • Populists, “Green Back” Party • Splinter Parties: split from a major party • “Bull Moose” Progressive • Dixie-crat Party • Green Party • Reform Party

6. Party Organization • National Conventions • Serve to nominate candidates for President • Party Platform • ideas, beliefs, programs of the party (voted on at the Nat’l Convention) • Party Plank • Individual statements (beliefs) in the party platform

7. Comparing Platforms • Comparing Party Platforms • use the ARTICLES to complete the chart comparing the Democratic and Republican platforms / planks on major issues • The Republicans, Then and Now • Use the article to complete the chart that looks at how the Republican party planks have changed since 1980

8. Political Party Project • Review the Project Calendar with your group members • Carefully read the PLATFORM rubric • Begin working on your Party Platforms with your group