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THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA American Political THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA American Political Parties as Transnational Parties A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Politics School of Arts and Sciences Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Michael Read Washington, D.C. 2011 American Political Parties as Transnational Parties Michael Read, Ph.D. Director: John Kenneth White, Ph.D. This dissertation examines the development and historical foundations of the transnational activities of American political parties. Although there has been a lack of study in this area, American political parties do now have permanent transnational activity. This activity follows two distinct tracks. First, beginning with the 1964 election, the parties launched their abroad committees to gather votes of eligible absentee voters overseas. For this track, special attention is paid to the 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections, particularly the overseas fundraising and campaigning in the 2008 cycle. Second, beginning in 1982, American parties began to conduct outreach with their like-minded colleagues. They joined, or aided in the creation of, party internationals. Congress created the National Endowment for Democracy that, in turn, funded party- themed institutes to provide democratic development assistance to counter the influence of another major transnational movement, Soviet-backed Communism. This dissertation argues these transnational activities are now permanent and, therefore, American political parties ought to be included in the literature on transnational political parties. Research was conducted by review of relevant literature and supplemented by first-person interviews with relevant actors. Interview subjects were identified through the literature or as leading professionals in their field or both. The argument takes a structural and historical approach. In addition to examining American party operations in and of themselves, associated actors are examined. The roles of American political consultants as agents of partisan outreach and 501(c)(3) organizations as support structures for transnational partisan networks are given particular attention. The historical approach is used to argue that the differences between traditional and American party transnationalism is a product of the time and place of the individual movements’ development. This dissertation by Michael Read fulfills the dissertation requirement for the doctoral degree in Politics approved by John Kenneth White, Ph.D., as Director, and by Phillip Henderson, Ph.D., and Matthew Green, Ph.D., as Readers. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– John Kenneth White, Ph.D., Director –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Phillip Henderson, Ph.D., Reader –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Matthew Green, Ph.D., Reader ii Acknowledgement There are several people without whom this project would not have been possible. First, my parents, Charles and Helen Read, provided unstinting emotional and financial support. Second, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, the Speaker of the Senate of Canada, has been more than a mentor since I walked into his Introduction to Human Rights class back in 1998. I have been uniquely privileged to work for such a distinguished Canadian for the last decade, save for those years while I pursued graduate studies. It was his suggestion that I take advantage of an academic business trip to Washington, DC, to scout out graduate schools in the area which inevitably led me to the Catholic University of America. My colleagues in the Speaker of the Senate’s office merit special mention for their patience during my lengthy absences in the conduct of this degree. Of particular mention is Janelle Feldstein, my Chief of Staff, for her unique brand of encouragement and Stephen Ball for his editorial prowess. iii Table of Contents Page Part I – The Lay of the Land Chapter 1 – Introduction 2 Chapter 2 – Barriers to transnational activity 33 Part II – The Trees Chapter 3 – Party Consultants: The Tip of the Spear? 46 Chapter 4 – The Party at Home Going Abroad 80 Chapter 5 - Party Foundations and Party Internationals 141 Chapter 6 – Other Organizations “Spreading the Message 175 Part III – The Forest Chapter 7 – What does it all mean? 187 Chapter 8 – Observations and Conclusions 208 Appendix A – Invitation to Obama Fundraiser, April 28, 2008, London 245 Bibliography 247 iv Part I The Lay of the Land 1 Chapter 1 – Introduction In 1964, two American expatriates living in London and Paris concerned about the popularity of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater form Democrats Abroad to support the election of Lyndon Johnson. They are unable to actually vote in the election as most states do not allow for non-military overseas absentee ballots to be cast. In 2008, they are given delegate status at the Democratic National Convention. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan addressed a joint session of Parliament in the United Kingdom and calls on political parties in western countries to support like-minded parties struggling in the Eastern Bloc. The following year, western centre-right parties form the International Democratic Union and the United States Congress authorizes the creation of the National Endowment of Democracy. The same year as Reagan’s speech, David Sawyer and Scott Miller formally create the Sawyer Miller Group, a political consulting firm specializing in international elections. In 2005, Jeremy Rosen attends the first Washington, DC, screening of Our Brand is Crisis, a documentary on the involvement of American political consultants, including Rosen’s employer Stanley Greenberg, in the 2 3 electoral defeat of Bolivia’s Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. In 2000, George W. Bush wins the state of Florida by 537 votes and becomes President of the United States. Approximately 15,000 ballots in the state of Florida were cast from outside the United States. In 2008, both presumptive candidates for their party’s respective nominations, John McCain for the Republicans and Barack Obama for the Democrats, travel outside the United States on politically motivated foreign tours and give major speeches before receptive audiences. These seeming unrelated events have a common element: they are major points in the transition of American political parties into transnational actors. Despite the examples listed above, the transition of American political parties from national to transnational actors has occurred under the cloak of public ignorance. Much has been written about the development, history, and activities of American political parties, but their transnational activities and the development of the same have been virtually ignored. This lack of visibility may be partly the fault of academia for concentrating on the lion’s share of party activity, campaigns and elections. The political parties, themselves, share some of the blame as they, for their own reasons, have done little to promote or draw attention to their activities abroad. Whether it is due to lack of advertising by the parties or lack of interest from the academy, the fact remains American parties have been conducting transnational activities since the 1960s. The motivations and forms of this activity may differ from traditional models, but they are permanent and institutional activities of the parties. As such, American political parties must be included in the literature on transnational political parties. 4 When discussing transnational political parties, one is typically discussing one of two things: a global movement made up of separate political parties in multiple countries or a single political party with members or representatives in more than one country. Of the latter, examples include the Irish nationalist Sinn Féin, which runs candidates in the Northern Ireland constituencies for the British House of Commons as well as the Republic of Ireland’s Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives) in that country’s Oireachtas (Parliament); and the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, which was founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq as Pan-Arab nationalist and socialist. The Ba’ath Party maintains branches in Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen and most notably, until it was banned in 2003, Iraq. The literature on the first form of transnational political parties focuses on five types: Communist, Socialist, Christian Democratic, Liberal internationals or transnationals and Green Party movements. Absent from the literature on transnational political party movements is mention of American parties. An absence of literature is just that, an absence of literature. It is not evidence of an absence of activity. The transnational activities of American parties have been documented, albeit in a haphazard way. There are three levels of American transnational activity: unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral. On the unilateral front, beginning in the 1960s, American political parties established their own international operations, their individual abroad 5 committees, to marshal the votes of overseas absentee voters for their party during the electoral cycle. Like the party movements traditionally included in the literature on transnational parties, American parties have durable and ongoing relationships with their like-minded counterparts in other countries at a variety of levels. Party leaders have often maintained bi-lateral relationships between their party and political allies abroad. Some of the more notable leaders in this regard include Kennedy’s
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