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The Minor Parties

SacUOD Pravlaw OBJECTIVES WHY IT MATTERS POLITICAL DICTIONARY 1. Identify the types of minor parties that Many minor parties have been have been active in American politics. active in American politics. They * ideological parties 2. Understand why minor parties are provide alternatives to the positions * single-issue parties important despite the fact that none of the major parties, and sometimes * economic protest parties has ever won the presidency. have affected particular elections * splinter parties and shaped public policies.

".ibertarian, Reform, Socialist, , a single State, and some to one region of the L'" Natural Law, Communist, American country. Still others have tried to woo the entire Independent, Green, Constitution-these are nation. Most have been short-lived, but a few only some of the many parties that fielded presi- have existed for decades. And, while most have dential candidates for 2000. You know that none lived mothlike around the flame of a single idea, of these parties or their candidates had any real some have had a broader, more practical base. chance of winning. But this is not to say that Still, four distinct types of minor parties can minor parties are unimportant. The bright light be identified: created by the two major parties too often blinds 1. The ideological parties are those based on a us to the vital role several minor parties have particular set of beliefs-a comprehensive view played in American politics. of social, economic, and political matters. Most of these minor parties have been built on some shade of Marxist thought; examples include the Minor Parties in the Socialist, Socialist Labor, Socialist Worker, and Their number and variety make minor parties Communist parties. difficult to describe and classify. Some have lim- A few ideological parties have had a quite dif- ited their efforts to a particular locale, others to ferent approach, however-especially the Libertarian Party of today, which emphasizes individualism and calls for doing away with most of government's present functions and programs. The ideological parties have seldom been able to Ralph win many votes. As a rule, however, they have Nader 2000 been long-lived. 2. The single-issue parties focus on only one public-policy matter. Their names have usually NATURAL indicated their primary concern. For example, :*~** the opposed the spread of slavery LAW in the 1840s and 1850s; the , also called the "Know Nothings," opposed \ * ~ '~.** PARTY Irish-Catholic immigration in the 1850s; and the Leadership for the Right to Life Party opposes abortion today . Ne,,\<' Millellnium .•. These are just two of the active minor parties in Most of the single-issue parties have faded the United States, into history. They died away as events have t'Dl132 Chapter 5 Section 4 Four Types of Minor Parties

Ideological Party •.•.••.• Vote 1. Our Party 13e ieves ...

Interpreting Charts (a) According to the chart, which type of is the most closely related to a major party? (b) Which type is likely to be the most cohesive and united?

passed them by, as their themes have failed to companies, lower tariffs, and the adoption of attract voters, or as one or both of the major the initiative and referendum. parties have taken their key issues as their own. Each of these economic protest parties has dis- 3. The economic protest parties have been appeared as has climbed out of the dif- rooted in periods of economic discontent. Unlike ficult economic period in which that party arose. the socialist parties, these groups have not had 4. Splinter parties are those that have split any clear-cut ideological base. Rather, they have away from one of the major parties. Most of the proclaimed their disgust with the major parties more important minor parties in our politics and demanded better times, and have focused have been splinter parties. Among the leading their anger on such real or imagined enemies as groups that have split away from the the monetary system, "Wall Street bankers," Republicans are 's "Bull the railroads, or foreign imports. Moose" Progressive Party of 1912, and Robert Most often, they have been sectional parties, La Follette's Progressive Party of 1924. From the drawing their strength from the agricultural Democrats have come Henry Wallace's South and West. The , for Progressive Party and the States' Rights example, tried to take advantage of agrarian () Party, both of 1948, and George discontent from 1876 through 1884. It appealed Wallace's American Independent Party of 1968. to struggling farmers by calling for the free Most splinter parties have formed around a coinage of silver, federal regulation of the rail- strong personality-most often someone who roads, an income tax, and labor legislation. A has failed to win his major party's presidential descendant of the Greenbacks, the Populist nomination. These parties have faded or col- Party of the 1890s also demanded public own- lapsed when that leader has stepped aside. Thus, ership of railroads, telephone and telegraph the Bull Moose Progressive Party passed away

Political Parties 133 r.'ED when Theodore Roosevelt returned to the For example, it was a minor party, the Anti- Republican fold after the election of 1912. Masons, that first used a national convention to Similarly, the American Independent Party lost nominate a presidential candidate in 1831. The nearly all of its brief strength when Governor Whigs and then the Democrats followed suit ih rejoined the Democrats after his 1832. Ever since, national conventions have strong showing in the 1968 election. been used by both the Democrats and the The Green Party, founded in 1996, points Republicans to pick their presidential tickets. up the difficulties of classifying minor parties in Minor parties can have an impact in another American politics. The Greens began as a clas- way. A strong third-party candidacy can playa sic single-issue party but, as the party has decisive role-often a "spoiler role"-in an evolved, it simply will not fit into any of the election. Even if a minor party does not win categories set out here. The Green Party came any electoral votes, it can pull votes from one to prominence in 2000, when it picked Ralph of the major parties, as the Green Party did in Nader as its presidential nominee. Nader's 2000. This spoiler effect can be felt in national, campaign was built around a smorgasbord of State, or local contests, especially where the two issues-, of course, major parties compete on roughly equal terms. but also universal health care, gay and lesbian The 1912 election dramatically illustrated this rights, restraints on corporate power, campaign point. A split in the Republican Party and finance reform, opposition to global free trade, Roosevelt's resulting third-party candidacy pro- and much more. duced the results shown below. Almost certainly, had Roosevelt not quit the Republican Party, Taft would have enjoyed a better showing, and Wilson Why Minor Parties Are Important would not have become President. Even though most Americans do not support Historically, however, the minor parties have them, minor parties have still had an impact on been most important in their roles of critic and American politics and on the major parties. innovator. Unlike the major parties, the minor

The 1912 Presidential Election

Popular Vote The nickname for 6,296,547 the Progressives 41.87% was the Bull Moose Party.

Popular Vote 3,486,720 23.19% Popular Vote 900,672 Electoral Electoral 5.9% Popular Vote Vote Vote =..., 206,275 1.37% Electoral 88 8 .•..•'C•.""~.'. Electoral •..•• ..•. Vote . ~ V~te ~.••.•. '. 0 William H. Taft Eugene V. Debs Eugene Chafin Republican Socialist Prohibition

Interpreting Graphs This bar graph shows the votes received by the major and the minor parties in 1912. (a) Which party "came in second"? (b) Even though the Bull Moose Progressives were a minor party, how did they help determine which major party won the election?

'a'fl134 Chapter 5 Section 4 parties have been ready, willing, and - -- able to take quite clear-cut stands on Significant Minor Parties in Presidential controversial issues. Minor-party Elections, 1880-2000* stands have often drawn attention to Year Party Candidate % Popular Electoral some issue that the major parties have Vote Vote preferred to ignore or straddle. 1880 Greenback James B. Weaver 3.36 Over the years, many of the more 1888 Prohibition Clinton B. Fisk 2.19 important issues of American politics 1892 Populist James B. Weaver 8.54 22 were first brought to the public's Prohibition John Bidwell 2.19 attention by a minor party. Examples 1904 Socialist Eugene V. Debs 2.98 include income tax, 1908 Socialist Eugene V. Debs 2.82 woman suffrage, railroad and bank- 1912 Progressive (Bull Moose) Theodore Roosevelt 27.39 88 ing regulation, and old-age pensions. Socialist Eugene V.Debs 5.99 Oddly enough, this very important 1916 Socialist Allan L. Benson 3.17 innovator role of the minor parties has 1920 Socialist Eugene V. Debs 3.45 also been a major source of their frus- 1924 Progressive Robert M. La Follette 16.61 13 tration. When their proposals have 1932 Socialist Norman M. Thomas 2.22 gained any real degree of popular sup- 1948 States' Rights (Dixiecrat) 2.41 39 port, one and sometimes both of the Progressive Henry A. Wallace 2.37 major parties have taken over these 1968 American Independent George C.Wallace 13.53 46 ideas and then presented the policies as 1996 Reform 8.5 their own. The late , 2000 Green 3.0 who was the 's candi- 'Includes all minor parties that polled at least 2% of the popular vote Source: Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970; the Gallup Organization date for President six times, com- plained that "the major parties are Interpreting Tables (a) Which minor party received the most electoral votes in stealing from my platform." an election? (b) Which other parties received enough support to influence an election? Explain. Minor parties continue to be active today. The presidential nominees of more than 20 minor parties made it to the Libertarian, Natural Law, Constitution, ballots of at least one State in 2000. At least Socialist, Prohibition, and Green parties. More that many will likely do so in the year 2004. than a thousand candidates from a wide variety In 2000 the most visible minor-party presi- of minor parties also sought seats in Congress dential campaigns were those of the Reform, or ran for various State and local offices.

SectiDn "4" Assess•• nt , Key Tenns and Main Ideas 6. Predicting Consequences Minor parties usually are willing 1. Why do single-issue parties tend to be short -lived? to take definite stands on controversial issues. How might 2. (a) What are economic protest parties? (b) Why are they voters react to this tendency? formed in times of economic distress? 3. Most of the more important minor parties in our history have Take It to the Net been of which type? Explain the effect of one such party. la~ 4. Why is the innovator role a source of frustration to minor 7. Locate the Web site for one of the following minor parties: parties? Reform, Libertarian, Natural Law, Constitution, Socialist, Critical Thinking Prohibition, Green. Make an outline of the major issues on which the party ran in the most recent presidential elec- 5. Expressing Problems Clearly Suppose you are considering tion or in a previous election. Use the links provided in the voting for a presidential candidate from a minor party. Explain Social Studies area at the following Web site for help in the benefits and drawbacks of casting your vote that way. completing this activity. www.phschool.com

Political Parties 135tlm ~=~~ CLOSEUP FOUNDATION Green Party Goals

Ralph Nader accepted the presidential nomination of the Green Party on June 25, 2000. In his speech that day he laid out the goals of his party and encouraged all citizens who desire change to support his campaign.

n behalf of all Americans who achieve healthier environments, seek a new direction, who healthier communities, and healthier Oyearn for a new birth of free- people .... dom to build the just society, who To the youth of America, I say, see justice as the great work of beware of being trivialized by the human beings on Earth, who under- commercial culture that tempts you stand that community and human daily. I hear you saying often that fulfillment are mutually reinforcing, you're not turned on to politics. The who respect the urgent necessity to lessons of history are clear and por- wage peace, to protect the environ- tentous. If you do not turn on to ment, to end poverty and to pre- Ralph Nader politics, politics will turn on you. serve values of the spirit for future The fact that we have so many generations, who wish to build a deep democracy inequalities demonstrates this point. Democracy by working hard for a regenerative progressive responds to hands-on participation. And to ener- politics, as if people mattered-to all these citizens gized imagination. That's its essence. We need the and the Green vanguard, I welcome and am hon- young people of America to move into leadership ored to accept the Green Party nomination for positions to shape their future as part of this cam- President of the United States. paign for a just society. Let's prepare to take the The Green Party stands for a nation and a world politicians and the lobbyists on a tour of the that consciously advances the practice of deep People's America .... democracy. A deep democracy facilitates people's With a new progressive movement, we the peo- best efforts to achieve social justice, a sustainable ple have the ability to vastly improve our lives and and bountiful environment and an end to systemic to help shape the world's course to one of justice bigotry and discrimination against law-abiding and peace for years to come. people merely because they are different. Green goals place community and self-reliance over dependency on ever larger absentee corporations and their media, their technology, their capital, and Analyzing Primary Sources their politicians. Green goals aim at preserving the 1. What are the goals of the Green Party? commonwealth of assets that the people of the 2. Do you think that a like the Green Party United States already own so that the people, not could win the presidency? Why or why not? 3. Would you label this speech propaganda? Why or big business, control what they own, and using why not? these vast resources of the public lands, the public airwaves, and trillions of worker pension dollars to

Imrl136 Chapter 5