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Impact on Government
Impact on Government
Political parties impact policies through electing candidates that have specific preferences for legislation.
The majority political party fills leadership roles in the House & Senate. For example, the current Speaker of the House is Paul Ryan (R.) following Trump's ascension to President. Nancy Pelosi had been the Speaker under Obama's presidency. This allows the party to push for legislation to be approved through the House and Senate. The President also hopes to be able to appoint judges for life. President Trump has appointed TWO justices-- Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Parties also have an impact through the redistricting process though they have to be careful with this process as it can lead to federal courts determining that their redistricting was unconstitutional, see Shaw v Reno.
Party Structures:
- Democratic National Committee (DNC)
- Republican National Commitee (RNC)
- Meet every FOUR years to discuss party initiatives
- Hundreds of employees within each structure
National Chairs:
- The party chairperson is meant to create strategies for campaigns and party decisions. They typically appear on TV, guide the daily operations, conduct fundraising, promote membership,and focus on recruiting.
- There are often subcommittees to help handle communications.
Hill Committees:
- Non-law making committees with the goal of winning seats in Congress in order to push more legislation through. Four committees (per party, per house).
- The committees conduct polls, help with fundraising, and purchase time for television ads. They also often serve in leadership positions.
State and Local Parties:
- State parties often are engaged in the same mannerisms of the national party through promotion, campaign ads, building membership, etc.
- Typically local level parties are volunteer positions.
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