American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

THE ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN AMERICAN POLITICS| 175

The Republican and Democratic party coalitions diff er systematically in terms of
their policy preferences—what they want government to do—as shown in Table  6.3
The second and third columns give the percentages of Republican and Democratic
identifi ers who considered each item a priority. The fourth column shows the dif-
ferences between the Republican and Democratic party coalitions, which disagree
about the relative importance of issues such as providing health insurance to the
uninsured, addressing global warming, and strengthening the military. These data
demonstrate that party labels are meaningful: if you know someone is a Republican
(or a Democrat), this information tells you something about what that person prob-
ably wants government to do, and how he or she will likely vote in the next election.

The Role of Political Parties in American Politics

Political parties play an important dual role in American politics, based on con-
testing elections yet also building consensus across branches of government.
However, these activities are not necessarily coordinated. Candidates and groups
at diff erent levels of a party organization may work together, refuse to cooperate,
or even actively oppose one another’s eff orts.

EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANT

FUNCTIONS THAT PARTIES

PERFORM IN THE

POLITICAL SYSTEM

Source: CNN Exit Poll, http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/race/president#exit-polls (accessed 11/7/12).

THE IMPACT OF PARTY IDENTIFICATION ON VOTE DECISIONS IN

THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Americans are much more likely to vote for candidates who share their party
affi liation. What does this relationship tell us about the impact of campaign events
(including speeches, debates, and gaff es) on vote decisions?

FIGURE » 6.3

20

8

92

50

45

93

7

40

60

80

100%

Democrat

(38%)

Independent

(32%)

Republican

(29%)

Voted for Romney Voted for Obama