WISCONSIN POLITICAL PARTIES

POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION IN WISCONSIN
Why Should I Join a Political Party?
We have all at one time or another learned the ringing words of the
American's Creed which tell us that our form of government is "a demo-
cracy in a republic." Unfortunately, however-while we are all proud to
declaim this creed as our own-there are comparatively few who have
actually come to grips with the citizenship responsibilities involved in this
statement. "A domocracy in a republic": We govern ourselves indirectly
through the selection of representatives who do the governing for us and
at our direction. Political parties help us to select these representatives;
they also help us to develop a consensus of public opinion which can give
direction to the process of government.
Political parties can be of 2 major types. They can closely reflect a
defined ideology, as is the case with the communist parties throughout
the world which are based on Marxist ideology and leave no room for
political disagreement with the ranks, or they can be loosely organized
groups reflecting a broad spectrtim of political interest. Our American
political parties are of the second type. Within them, there is room for
"right wing Republicans" or "liberal Republicans," "left wing Democrats"
or "conservative Democrats." Depending on what part of the nation we livb
in, and depending also on what political label at a particular time happens
to be in control of the state,' federal, or local government, the terms
"Democrat" or "Republican" can have widely different meanings.
Throughout its history, the United States has had a 2-party system;
few "third parties" have gained national prominence. In Wisconsin, the
Socialist Party regularly sent one or more Assemblymen from Milwaukee
to the Legislature between 1911 and 1937; and the Progressive Party was
strong between 1933 and 1947, capturing in 1937 a plurality of both
houses of the Wisconsin Legislature.
Our political parties help us to formulate the policies which, if the party
is successful at the polls, become the policies of our government. Our
political parties help us to select the candidates who, if the party is suc-
cessful at the polls, become our government. But: Our political parties are
voluntary organizations and entirely separate from the government itself.
Our American political parties are truly popular partie.s in the sense that
these parties, as they exist today, formulate their policies at the grass roots
level. In Wisconsin this is done through the local Democratic or Republican
"clubs" in each community. It is in these local clubs that the issues are
discussed; based on the results of local discussions, delegates from the
local clubs can take a stand on the issues at regional meetings, and so on
to the top. Every 2 years in Wisconsin the delegates from the local clubs
meet in state convention and draw up their parties' platforms for the suc-
ceeding 2 years; every 4 years the delegates from throughout the United
States (in Wisconsin they are chosen in the presidential delegate election
in April) meet together in national convention and formulate the national
platforms expressing the parties' aims for the succeeding 4 years.
In contrast to the ideological parties in other parts of the world-which
start out with established and closely defined ideologies and programs, and
then recruit their members on the basis of these-our parties are thus in-
Sources: Sections 8.17 and 8.18 of the Wisconsin Statutes: Democratic Party of Wis-
consin, Constitution; Republican Party of Wisconsin, Constitution; informa-
tion obtained from the Wisconsin state headquarters of the 2 parties.

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