I. Parties help to:
 

A. maintain links between the American people and their government

B. provide a mechanism for sounding out and organizing public opinion

C. mobilize large coalitions to compete in elections

D. they possess the skill and experience to manage campaigns and elections

E. fill the personnel needs of government.

F. organize the operation of the legislature and its relations with other branches.
 

A. direct primaries and expansion of primary system obviate the nominating convention.

B. parties thus lost control over public officials who took command of their own campaigns

C. this necessitated the growth of campaign managers
 

1. these marketing specialists were not politically or ideologically knowledgeable.

2. their loyalty is to the candidate not the party or constituency.
 

D. this necessitated the increase in campaign costs leading to the main task of politicians: the need to raise large amounts of money constantly.
 
1. this is driven by
 
a. an enlarged electorate

b. increased television costs

c. campaign consultants

d. polling costs
 

2. campaign finance laws lead to independent sources of money not party (soft) money.

A. Creates a vacuum of power which has been filled by:
 
1. special interest groups

2. public interest groups

3. trade associations

4. political action committees
 

B. This disconnects citizens from their leaders and institutions
 
1. loyalty becomes concentrated in the 'correct' candidate not necessarily winning the election.

2. arguments are over tactics not policy.
 

A. Collective action is no longer possible.

B. "Political parties, with all their well known human and structural shortcomings, are the only devices thus far invented by the wit of Western man which with some effectiveness can generate countervailing collective power on behalf of the many individually powerless against the relatively few who are individually--or organizationally--powerful." W.D.Burnham
 

A. It prevents America from confronting and solving its worst problems
 
1. e.g., the national debt, health care, race.
B. It encourages policy inertia
 
a. We continue to do what we've been doing.

b. The status quo takes on a life of its own
 

(1) the space program has no adherents at the national political level yet continues

(2) price subsidies and supports
 

(a) sugar, honey, mohair.

VI. The loss of programmatic policy has cost America
 

A. Presidents are no longer able to lead or succeed

B. Congress is more a confederation of independent sovereigns
 

1. legislation is particularistic not universal.