How well do parties operate? 289How Well Do Parties Operate?
We have argued throughout this chapter that political parties can make democracy
operate more smoothly by simplifying and improving the choices that citizens face
in elections, and by providing mechanisms that make it easier for elected officials to
formulate and enact compromise proposals. However, these arguments are about
what parties can do, not what they actually do. There is no assurance that party leaders,
activists, candidates, and citizens who identify with parties will take the actions
needed to turn these possibilities into reality. The problem is that the people who make
up American political parties are not primarily interested in democracy; they are
interested in their own careers, policy goals, and winning political office. These goals
often lead them away from actions that would improve American democracy. In this
section, we consider when and why American political parties might fall short of our
highest expectations for them.Recruiting Good Candidates
One of the most important things that American political parties can do for democracy
is to recruit candidates who can run effective campaigns and uphold their elected
positions. After all, a voter’s choices are limited to the people on the ballot. If good
candidates decide against running or are prevented from doing so, citizens will be
dissatisfied no matter who wins the election.
However, parties have limited influence over candidacy decisions: the potential
candidates have to decide for themselves whether their chances of winning justify the
enormous investment of time and money needed to run a campaign. When a party is
unpopular, the best potential candidates may decide to wait until the next election to
run, leaving the already disadvantaged party with a less competitive set of candidates.^36
Even when recruitment is not a problem, party leaders have only limited control over
the nomination process—in some states, they cannot even restrict voting in primaries
to citizens who are registered with the party. As Donald Trump’s candidacy illustrates,
party leaders could not prevent Trump from running, from dominating press coverage
at the expense of other, more viable candidates, and from saying things that drove
some important groups away from the party and its candidates. Of course, Trump
won the election, indicating that party leaders underestimated his electability. Even
so, insofar as party leaders are experienced politicians with deep knowledge of public
opinion and political institutions, their lack of control over the nomination process can
lead to unfavorable outcomes.Working Together in Campaigns
Parties can improve the working of democracy by simplifying the choices voters face,
most notably by getting their candidates to emphasize the same issues or to take similar
issue positions. That way, citizens know that when they vote for, say, a Democrat, they
are getting someone whose policy positions are likely to differ from those held by a
Republican. As we’ve noted, however, even in modern America, where the differences
between the parties are quite large, there are often disagreements within the party,
among elected officials or in the party organization. Suppose, for example, you want to
vote in an election for the candidate who comes closest to your position on immigration
policy. It’s relatively easy to place Democratic candidates on the spectrum of positionsEVALUATE WHETHER THE
AMERICAN PARTY SYSTEM
ENHANCES OR HINDERS
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