Parties and Party Leadership

PS 426

March 25-27, 2008

Approaches to studying parties in Congress

lResponsible party government

–policy commitments to the electorate: candidates run on a unified national platform.

–willingness and ability to implement promises (unified government is implied).

–strong opposition party to allow accountability when necessary.

–sufficient differences between the parties to provide meaningful choices.

lIs the 1994 “Contract with America” an example? Is this possible given today’s candidate-centered politics?

Party cartels (Cox and McCubbins)

l“Name brand” theory of parties – party members benefit from having a shared name brand. Parties help solve collective action problems by providing the basis for passing legislation (members would not be able to do it on their own).

lParty cartels usurp the power to make rules governing the structure and process of legislation. There are two main consequences:

–the legislative process is stacked in favor of majority party interests.

–because the majority party has all the structural advantages, the key players in most legislative deals are members of that party and the majority party's central agreements are facilitated by cartel rules and policed by the cartel's leadership.

Conditional party government

lparty polarization -- that is, homogeneity within the party and heterogeneity across parties (party conflict), is a necessary condition for strong leadership.

lIf party polarization holds, members are more willing to give power to party leaders; if parties are more internally divided, they will not.

lContrast recent Republicans to Democrats of the 1950s and 1960s.

Challenges to the party-centered view

lPreference-based theory: the median voter is pivotal (parties don’t add much to understanding congressional decision making).

lHowever, there are preference-based spatial theories that do include parties. Downs: Parties “formulate policies to win elections rather than winning elections to promulgate policies.” Parties seek to win elections by sticking closely to the policy preferences of the “median voter.” However, this doesn’t mean that parties in the legislature don’t matter.

Challenges, continued

lBipartisanship: political tactic or moral principle? What does it really mean? Does it require compromise? Clinton vs. Bush model. Large support from both parties, or pick off a few extreme members? Chait, “The presence or absence of cooperation between parties tells us nothing about whether government is acting in the public interest.”

lTom DeLay response. Which approach does he come closest to?

The two-party system

lHistorical evolution. Straight party ticket, party-centered elections. Progressive reforms (Australian ballot, primaries), candidate centered election.

lDuverger’s law for elections and other institutional factors, such as the committee system, promote the two-party system. Makes it hard for third parties to get into office and then they have to caucus with one of the major parties if they want to have any power.

lAre third parties possible? Desirable? Joe Lieberman, Bernie Sanders, a few others, but not a real party.

Party leaders in the House and Senate

lHouse – Speaker is the only Constitutionally mandated position. Extensive leadership system. Regional balance in the system – “Austin/Boston” connection. Extensive whip system: at-large and regional whips.

lSenate – President pro tem and Vice President are mentioned in the Constitution, but are largely ceremonial. Leadership in the Senate like “herding cats.”

lLeadership styles

lMiddle-person hypothesis

House leadership

Democrats

lSpeaker—Nancy Pelosi

lMajority Leader—Steny Hoyer

lMajority Whip—James Clyburn

lCaucus Chair—Rahm Emanuel

Republicans

lMinority Leader – John Boehner

lMinority Whip – Roy Blunt

lConference Chair – Adam Putnam

Senate leadership

Duties of parties leaders

lorganize the chamber – appoint task forces, oversee committee nominations.

lschedule floor business

linfluence colleagues

lConsult and negotiate with the president

lspokespersons for the party (on national television news and talk shows)

lcampaigning and fundraising for party members

Measuring the strength of parties

lRoll call vote measures

–Party Voting: at least 50% D v. 50% R.

–Index of cohesion--absolute difference between proportion voting yes and proportion voting no. 80/20. Score would be 60.

–Party unity--% of the party voting together on party votes. Can be an individual-level score, or aggregated for the party.

lDistinguishing between parties and preferences

–close and lopsided votes

–agenda control: only 4 cases in 30 years of a bill being reported from a committee without the support of the majority party.

–Roll rates (who wins roll call votes, the majority party or minority party)?

–Party switchers

–Shift in policy direction

Leadership tools

lSanctions

lRewards

lSetting the Agenda

–Negative power: party cartel theory argues that it is most important for leaders to prevent bills from coming to the floor that would divide the party. The “Hastert rule.”

–Positive power.

lShaping legislation: direct negotiation, multiple referral, omnibus legislation.

lInfluencing outcomes--persuasion, control of the Rules committee, suspension of the rules. Rayburn and insurance votes. “Black Thursday” and the prescription drug vote.

Limits of Leadership

lParties are not zero-sum institutions. Do not shut out the minority party. “Shadow of the future.” Fear that the minority party will become the majority party and treat you the same way you treated them.

lNo ultimate sanctions – can’t hire and fire members, the voters have that power. Therefore must operate through persuasion and incentives.

The minority party

lFactionalism within the Republican party

–Traditional conservatives (Bob Michel, Hastert)

–New Conservatives (Gingrich/DeLay/Boehner)

–Moral Conservatives (Brownback, Hatch, etc.)

–Moderates (Chris Shays, Snowe, Collins).

lWhen the Democrats were in the minority, they had problems with factions as well:

–Traditional liberals (esp. the CBC and ADA)

–Blue Dog Democrats (DLC)

lDifferences in strategies and tactics: go along, compromise, try to make policy? Or try to become the majority party again?