Two Parties

 FOR NEXT TIME: Rosenfeld, introduction, and ch. 1-3

First writing assignment

Parliamentary parties in

• United Kingdom  (of course, a CMC connection)
• Canada

Party competition and local party monopolies

Nationalization of elections

• Even local and state legislative elections 
• Campaign money

Why only two parties?

Duverger's Law (Hershey, 39)

Why did the Framers not choose proportional representation?

The electoral college

Major parties coopt minor ones:

• Bryan Democrats and Populism
• Wilson Democrats and Progressivism
• FDR Democrats and socialism, then Long (start at 13:30)
• Nixon and the South
  
• Clinton

Structure of Congress and the legislatures forces members to choose one side or the other.

Campaign finance and debate rules

Ballot access

The doom loop:

On the Hill