POLS 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Secret Ballot, White Southerners, Party System
7 Dec 2015
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Basics: interest groups focus on more specific policy goals (single issue interest groups) Try to influence policy after election: lobbying: political parties are very large umbrella groups, only 2 parties really viable at any point in time, try to influence process on the front end, before elections. The constitution and political parties: constitution doesn"t talk about political parties. Weren"t in existence at time of writing/signing. Many framers saw parties as potential threats. Came about bc there were initiatives built into the constitution itself: electoral alliances, voter mobilization. We are constantly making decisions by having to form majority coalitions, easier to have a base than having to start from scratch every time. Durable alliance reduces transaction cost of coming to agreement every time. We vote for people in the govt, one of 2 parties, pretty much always. Organization pays off, organize voters/people running for office. Congress where first party convened after washington left. Federalists and democratic republicans(anti federalists)- first 2 parties.
