Responsible Party theory and Madison

		DISPERSE	POWER?
		ACCEPT (YES)	REJECT (NO)
SELF INTEREST	ACCEPT (YES)	MADISON
LEADS TO REPRESENTATION ?	REJECT (NO)	PLURALISTS	RESPONSIBLE PARTY THEORY

Political Parties' purpose is to monopolize power, to legitimate political authority. It is, thus, tyrannical by Madison's definition (rule by faction) but brings democracy, majority rule, which can endanger the protection of rights. A party is "an organization whose purpose is to win elections by nominating persons and get them elected; they seek a monopolization of governmental power."
1. Responsible Party Theorists
    a. Presume:
        i. neutrality of elections
            (1) communicates a mandate
                (a) an authoritative command, an authorization to act given to a representative.
        ii. competition
            (1) this alerts the populace to its interests; parties bear the costs.
        iii. accountability:
            (1) responsible parties can be held accountable.
        iv. Parties need to be strong, i.e., discipline of members
            (1) Party Theorists believe that when parties pursue their self-interest the public good results
                (a) elections are the corner stone of representative democracy.
    b. Values:
        i. political equality: they do not like resource bias, etc. They seek one man one vote.
        ii. electoral democracy: only in the electoral process are people equal. The people rule through elections.
        iii. responsibility: who is responsible for governmental actions, good or bad; collective responsibility.
    c. Goals:
        i. make parties the locus of elections.
        ii. Institute Party discipline

Madison: Self-Interest ------> Conflict ------> Representation
Party Theorists: Conflict ------> Self Interest ------>Representation in Parties

Assuming self-interest, participation is the way to take the conflict out of society and institutionalize it in government. Thus, elections are the proper area of conflict, they are instruments of conflict.
Elections:

This is an instrumental view of elections. Instrumental self-interest is to establish goals and pursue those goals. Symbolic elections are the idea that elections are not exercises of power.

Madison: Self-Interest —————> Conflict —————> Representation

Party Theorists: Conflict ————> Self Interest —————> Representation in unified parties

Pluralists: Self-Interest ———/———> Representation but Representation occurs

Values	Critique of Republic	Alternative Program Responsible Party Theory
Political Equality: All citizens are equal and should have equal influence over government.	Self Interest: Not automatic in politics. Theory must take into account costs of participation and paradox of collective action. Resource bias seriously distorts equality.	Strengthened party organization. If parties had control over the resources necessary to gain public office, they could use those resources to discipline members and promote party cohesion.
Electoral Democracy: Elections are designed to promote political equality because each citizen has one vote. Elections should be organized to approximate the instrumental model, whereby citizens use their votes to communicate their preferences and hold leaders accountable.	Representation: Problematic. Many interests are seriously under-represented because of non participation, bias, information costs. Interests with more resources are more likely to be heard and represented.	Concentration of power in winning party. Give winning party control over government. For some party theorists, this goal requires restructuring American government into a Parliamentary system.
Responsibility: Both individual officeholders and governmental institutions must be responsible for political outcomes and for the conduct of public affairs.	Conflict/dispersed power: problematic and inappropriate. Representation does not produce conflict. Dispersal of power undermines responsibility, especially collective responsibility, thereby subverting electoral democracy.	Party cooperation and provision of a clear choice. Electoral competition between parties gives voters a meaningful choice, thus putting people in control, as in the instrumental model. Elections determine who governs, thus promoting equality and electoral democracy.

I know of no safe repository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. Thomas Jefferson