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Ch. 1 (Intro to Political Parties) Political Parties and Democracy

Ch. 1 (Intro to Political Parties) Political Parties and Democracy A. Washington – “Let me warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party.” B. Public – consistently suspicious of parties

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Ch. 1 (Intro to Political Parties) Political Parties and Democracy

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  1. Ch. 1 (Intro to Political Parties) Political Parties and Democracy A. Washington – “Let me warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party.” B. Public – consistently suspicious of parties *Would we be better off w/o parties? How would elections be administered? Who will select candidates? Voter turnout? Basis of vote? Questions for course: A. What is the a political party? (IG, movement) B. Who belongs to a party? C. What effect do they have in politics? III. Definition of Parties

  2. A. Three parts 1. Party in the Electorate – parties are factions of like-minded citizens with common values (Burke). But so are interest groups. 2. Party in Government - Political Leaders with a common goal, control government. 3. Party Organization – organizations that have independent lives and independent rules. The interplay between these three parts presents conflicts and challenges for parties to attain their goal of electoral success.

  3. What Parties Do • Elect (select) Candidates – Party activity rises and falls with the timing of elections. Three parts of parties put aside differences for sake of winning. • Educating ________ 1. Inform them of party/candidate positions 2. Provide a “_____” for voters to make decisions (party id conveys something to voters). Example: Republicans seen as conservative, party of the affluent, small government.

  4. C. Governing (party role) 1. Basis of legislative organization (leadership, committee composition, etc.) 2. Legislator voting behavior (courts too) 3. Shape the balance of power in a ___________ system. *However, our system also features other influences (media, groups, voters) • Results of Party Activities A. Simplify elections, makes voting easier (increases turnout?) B. Helps organize and gather political power (voting coalitions) that are big enough to govern or oppose. Interest Groups try to attract supporters beyond their members like parties, but they remain ________ the group’s organization. But the Party in the electorate chooses candidates (semi-public).

  5. Recruit candidates and directs them to respective offices. Parties are _________ in our system, so leadership change is seen as stable here (unlike many other societies) • Bring unity to a very divided American political system. Helps overcome the institutional challenges, created by founders, of making the fragments worth together without tyranny. VII. Uniqueness of Political Parties (compared to groups) • Emphasis on elections • Full-time commitment to political activity (never apolitical)

  6. Large #’s – winning elections, not access, is the goal. Method: Big-tent, mass appeal, broad scope. • Endurance – size, ability to transcend candidates, issues, voting groups • Symbols – parties convey instant, widely understood political ___________; ballots typically have party denoted • History of Party Development • Founding of American Parties • Dominance of Party in Gov’t a. Limited voter participation; indirect elections (Senate) b. Caucuses of like-minded congress members. • Two factions in congress a. Hamilton’s ____________ – centralized control of economy

  7. b. Jefferson’s/Madison’s state’s rights advocates • Party Organizations – began out of a need for communication between national and state party leaders in gov’t. The elitist Federalists did not emphasize this grassroots effort; fell away by early 1800s. • Era of Good ___________ – Single party dominance of Democrat-Republicans. • Democratization of states and national politics laid foundation for the coming 2-party system. • Expansion of voting rights • Popular election of electors (not state legs) 2. Erosion of caucus nominations for president • Nomination/election chaos 1824 Caucus nominated Crawford. He finished fourth in the general election. No one got a majority of electors, house decided on _______ (although Jackson won the mos electors and popular votes).

  8. Foundation of the 2-party system • Dem-Rep divorce • Jacksonian Democrats – agrarian/rural interests • Clay supporters w/ Whigs (eventually, Republicans) • With more participation, parties focused energy on mass communication, outreach. Hence, more grassroots organization (shift from national leaders to general public). • Golden Age of Parties • European Immigration (5mill – 1880; 10mill 1914); found a home with Dems • American Party (or “________________”): anti-immigration.

  9. “City Machines” – Social Services for immigrants in industrial cities. • Golden Age: • Organization existence in all states and localities • Discipline high • Party activities high, visible • Control over candidate access to all offices • Sources of information for a largely illiterate population • Highest turnout in American history.

  10. Progressive Reforms and Beyond • Concern – corruption and gov’t inefficiency • Replaced “___________” (party leaders selecting candidates), with direct primaries (voters select candidates) • Won legislation limiting party organization strength of recruitment/nomination/election process. • Does NOT mean that party politics is now in the hands of party in the _________________. • Voter PID attachment still weak • With reforms, candidates now stronger too (self-recruitment, campaign independence)

  11. Chapter 2 American Two-Party System I. Facts: Dominated by two parties since 1830; same two parties since 1860s. II. Questions • Why just two parties? • Why the same two parties? • What happens to third-parties? (e.g., Greens, Reform, Libertarians, Dixiecrats) • Two Party System – National • Presidential Elections • _____ presidential elections, 6 decided by more than 20% pop vote. 50% decided by < 7% • Getting more competitive – most competitive races = last forty years.

  12. Congressional • Since 1932, never an overall vote margin greater than _____%. Most less than 10%. • Description of 2PS nationally • Competitive • Responsive – able to overcome failures • State level- difficult to describe. • Competitiveness depends on the office. President, Senate, state legislative, statewide, governor? • Which office do we look at? Is ______________ or winning % the measure of competitiveness? • Measuring Competitiveness • Ranney Index (p. 27 & Fig 2.2)

  13. 1=complete Dem success; 0=complete Rep success. • How would we classify Mississippi? • Does NOT mean that opposing parties are defeating ____________ in congressional races. Incumbency advantage (probability of winning) has been growing the last several decades. • So, party competition is up at all levels, but congressional incumbents still have big advantages. What must be going on? • Parties don’t ______ seats as they turnover in C, incumbents do. • Why Two-Parties? A. Institutional Theories

  14. 1. Duverger’s Law – single-member districts with ___________ elections result in 2-party systems. Why? • Minor parties see no reason to participate if second place finishers get nothing. • Compare to multi-member/proportional systems: (p. 30) 2. Direct Primary – disputes that normally lead to third parties are resolved without them because disgruntled party voters can influence the ____________ process. B. Dualist Theory • Democracies are characterized by tension between two competing factions (e.g., commercial/agrarian interests; status quo/change; ___________/______________; orthodox/progressives) • Two parties expand appeal to exhaust interests

  15. C. Social ____________ Theory 1. There is not significant disagreement over basic/fundamental values. There is widespread acceptance of social, economic, and political institutions (i.e., Constitution, capitalism, social class and status patterns) 2. Britain and Canada also two-party (Anglo-American tradition) • Exceptions to the Rule A. Nonpartisan Elections – race with candidate party affiliation not denoted. • _______ local elections nonpartisan. Many judgeships too. (__________ state legislature).

  16. One party monopolies • Regions (South; VT, ME, NH) • Areas with no ___________ diversity (income, ed, job status) • Redistricting • Third-parties • Little success - only ____ pres elections w/ a minor party carrying a state - 10% vote, highest ever (Perot: 1996) -Congress, only 7 elections with minor parties winning 10 seats or more (fig. 2.1: decline) • Practical Limitations (p. 37) – typically must demonstrate _________ before getting on ballot or getting money (public or private). Catch-22.

  17. Part 2 (Party Organization) Chapter 3 (State and Local) • Consequences of organizational strength A. Endurance – despite changing cultures, candidates, officeholders B. Keepers of party symbols – keeps party affiliation meaningful to voters (shortcuts for candidates and voters) • State Laws – Basis for regulation? __________ • Generally, states fall into three categories of regulation: tight (17), medium (18), and light (15; MS). • Tight would include telling the state party when to meet and procedures for constructing local organizations. • National parties are not likewise regulated

  18. Levels of Party Organization • A cake, not a pyramid (Fig. 3.1). Not a ____________. • Committeemen – typically chosen by local party caucuses or primary elections (some appointed by higher party authorities) • Local Committees – city, county, and congressional district. Most important usually is the __________. These too are often regulated by state (“public utilities”). • State Central Committees • Composition - Most state legislatures select these members • Powers – calling/organizing conventions; drafting platforms; spending campaign funds; selecting presidential electors; reps to the national committee; selection of some nat’l convention delegates/alternatives.

  19. Conclusions about state organizations and regulations • Structures correspond to ______________; state law regarding party structure designed to facilitate elections • State laws treat party organizations as a mixture of public and private. Not totally public (organization still has much autonomy) and not totally private (committee members typically selected by voters; mostly primaries). • Stratarchy, not hierarchy • Party Machines – Chicago (p. 56); Characteristics A. Typically local B. Total control over nominations; everyone in the party follows orders from top of the machine. • Based on “mutually beneficial exchange” i.e., votes for jobs (patronage system) and

  20. Campaign money for government favors (businesses) D. Started with Immigrants E. Typically Democrats F. Nonideological – based on material needs, not ideas/values. • In decline, why? • Economic expansion/progress • Political reform – protection of city jobs (civil service) and federal ____________ programs • Local Party Revitalization • Local parties have improved organizationally since 1980 in distributing literature, arranging campaign events, raising funds, publicizing candidates, and ____________ voters.

  21. The growth has especially occurred at the __________ organization level. Why? Money. Self-generated and transferred. • State Parties • Traditionally, local parties and national parties were the centers of party power, not states. Why? • Decentralization – state parties composed of competing factions among strong local parties (liberal – conservative, rural-urban, local leader loyalties) • Progressive Reforms – direct primaries undercut state party control over nominations and elections. _________ also hurts party control • Single party dominance – diverse forces produce intraparty factions; less unity than with an opposing party.

  22. Recent Increase in Strength • 1960, 50% of state orgs had permanent state hq’s. Now, practically all do. Most with full-time chairs, staffs, and so on. • Fund-raising – By 1999, _____% held fund-raising events and had direct mail fund-raising programs. This money and help with raising it has enhanced state party ability to recruit candidates (p. 63; Table 3.2). • Campaign Services – parties have become significant resources to candidates via training, polling, advertising, voter-mobilization. • Republican Advantage – __________; why? • Bigger budgets; specialized staffs; polling; more likely to transfer money from state to local and from national to states ($250m - R and $114.6m – D)

  23. Conclusions • Party organizations at state and local level have become ___________ thanks to more resources, fund-raising, professionalization, selling themselves to candidates. • Still, less impact on parties than they once had in the 19th century. Why? • More competition for attention of voters, candidates, and media (campaign consultants and interest groups compete with parties). • Although more money for campaigns, still holds small percentage of most candidates’ spending (5-____% of $ for state legislative races). C. State and locals have recaptured “a” role in candidate campaigns and elections, but NOT a _________ role like before.

  24. Chapter 4 – National Party Organizations • Intro • HQs in D.C. • Republicans started ________ and built more effective NPOs (i.e., National Party Organizations) • Historically – real power at the bottom (i.e., decentralization). State and Local experienced little interference from NPOs. Why? 1. patronage system 2. public officials largely chosen through state elections with state regulations. • Growth in impact/role of NPOs. Why? 1. Mass media nationalizing politics 2. Federal Gov’t expansion

  25. 3. voters responding and thinking more in terms of national issues/politics 4. National party in government (Pres and Congress) becoming principle ____________ for parties. • National party Committees and Officers • National Committees (DNC/RNC) – main governing institutions of two major parties. Meets rarely, primarily at _________ ____________, and thus can’t effectively supervise whole party 1. Traditionally – arranged confederally, with committee representation equal among states. 2. Currently – Dems changed. Population of state greatly determines # of members. Also, loyal groups (minorities, women) receive especial/independent representation on the committee. 3. Selection Method matters – if members chosen by state party committee or conventions, then…

  26. …state party organization control selection. If members chosen by primaries or national convention delegates, SPOs _____ influential. • Officers – National chair, vice chair, secretaries, treasurers, members of the executive committee • In-party (party of current pres) – chair typically chosen by _________. • Out-party (party out of White House) – chair chosen by national committee • Committee/Presidential Power – Committee more powerful after a Presidential election _____. Victorious committees defer to Presidential authority. -In-party – chair must look/act/be loyal to President. Ideologically similar to Pres. -Out-party – chair must be ________, don’t identify with any candidate. Ideologically neutral. IV. Supporting Cast of National Groups – formal role…

  27. …for supportive groups • Special Groups 1. Women’s Divisions – formal organizations among both parties. Diminished in influence as parties allow more women to lead 2. Young People – (i.e., Young Republicans National Federation and Young Democrats of America). Nat’l committees have little control and sometimes are embarrassed by their typical _____________. • Officeholders in States • State governors have full-time Washington office with financial help from NCs. Influential only among out-parties. • State legislators – not very influential for long. Exception: Democratic Leadership Council (1985) – seeks to promote _____________ among Dems with moderate candidates who can win the South. Clinton’s baby. Who will it push in 2004?

  28. Congressional Campaign Committees (Hill Committees) – DCCC and NRCC/DSCC and NRSC. Goal – reelection of members and success of parties candidates in challenges and open seats. 1. Rising in prominence through fund-raising (see Table 4.2). 2. Pose __________ to influence of national party committees’ (competition). • Impact of National Parties • On state and local parties 1. no shift in power, still at __________. But Dems more receptive to shift. 2. NPs could use its new money to discourage resistance from state and local parties. • On Presidency 1. More resources means more ______________ from Pres, but Presidents keep them subordinate

  29. 2. Out-party – more independent, but concentrates on leaders in Congress (see ya Gore!). • On Congress – National Committee less influential than Congressional Campaign Committees. CCCs may influence compliance of its members with its _________ (party loyalty). • Limits on Nat’l Party Organization • Still in hands of part-timers and nonprofessionals • Americans still uncomfortable with strong parties • Strength implies ___________. Not compatible with system where winning is everything; need to be flexible and accommodating. More compatible with parties of unchanging principles. D. Elections: Candidate centered; so ___________ will be.

  30. Chapter 5 Political Party Activists • Activists Motivations – millions of workers, very few _________. Why join up? • Material Incentives • Patronage – for campaign help via money or sweat. Yet, these have _____________ because of civil service and merit system expansion (party loyalty less a basis for gov’t jobs). • Elected office – first step in office-seeking (____% county chairs hope to run one day) • Preferments – (i.e., political favoritism). Rewarding activists with gov’t goodies (contracts, subsidies, tax breaks) B. Social Incentives – reward of social contact (social life self-rewarding)

  31. __________ Incentives – the issue or ideological goals are reward enough. (e.g., pro-abortion activists may join the Democrats as the vehicle). • Mixed Incentives? – Purposive mostly cited as motivation. But, as they begin to work in the party, motivation shifts to _________ incentives (make relationships; p. 89 Robin Vuke). • What kinds of People? • Common Characteristics • Family history of activism • High SES (income, ed, occupation status). For instance, people with incomes > $____k are 4 times more likely to work on a campaign. • Social Characteristics: Dems draw from blacks, union members, and Catholics (nonorthodox). Layman (orthodox-progressive/secularist divide). • Extremists are more likely to join up.

  32. Professionals and Amateurs • Professional – first love, the party (especially the paid workers). • Amateurs – first love, issues/ideology; party only the means Table 5.1 Comparing their values/goals/priorities • Activists’ Motives and Party Strength • Internal Party Democracy 1. Begun to demand louder voice. Amateurs and professionals differ on party __________ & democracy. Activists want openness to obtain ideological goals. 2. Helped or hurt party strength? Hurts ________ (org. answering to workers not leaders), but may help activist recruiting and work ethic.

  33. ‘Stratarchy’ Rules (p. 103) – why has it not become ruled from the top (more uniform)? • Activists grown to _______ influence • Lower party levels/leaders (e.g., county chairs) have considerable control over higher levels • Internal competition and fragmentation. Parties composed of competing groups/factions preventing domination. • Officeholders independence – officeholders today do not rely on party org for nomination or election as much, so they create their own power base in party and compete with party _________ for influence.

  34. Religion and the Party Activists – Layman lecture Composition of Party Convention Delegates FullTextServer (Laymand and Party Activists).pdf (Figure 1; Table 1; Figure 2; Figure 4)

  35. Part 3 (Party in the Electorate) Chapter 6 (Party Identification) • Introductory Questions – How do we develop partisan attachments? Is partisan attachment ________? What effect does PID (party identification) have on political parties or American politics? • Identification – attachment/affiliation with political party. Strong-R, weak-R, independent-leaning R, pure independent, ind-leaning D, weak D, strong D • Popular – 55% have either “strong” or weaker partisan attachments. • Convenient – PID gives individuals an __________ way to vote w/o having to do all the research necessary to make informed decisions on candidates or issues.

  36. Party Identification: Development A. Youthful Influences 1. Primary source: parents (blind PID) 2. Middle/High school begin to attach ____________ to their PID. 3. PID is sustained in young adulthood because friends, associates, and relatives typically hold their parent’s PID too. Same is true of ___________ factors like religious institutions (which may add or strengthen). B. Adulthood Influences • Longer PID is held, more firm it gets. • Older adults more ______ than younger • On some occasions, committed Ds/Rs change PID. Sometimes temporarily and others permanent (realignments). Young people are considered the “__________” of realignment since they are more open to change.

  37. IV. Patterns of Partisanship over time • PID is fairly _________, but changes in PID in response to political conditions (e.g., especially economic evaluations of parties) has grown in the ____s & early 90s. • Table 6.1 shows _______ since 1952. Usually, change from year to year does not exceed 2% (never more than 7%). • 1970s – drop in proportion of party identifiers; increase in independent identifiers. Independents went from quarter to ______ of respondents. PID fading? • Decline in PID (fig. 6.1)? • Party Decline Thesis – more independents, weaker affiliations. • Other democracies saw the following:

  38. More independents; decline in confidence in parties; increase in “_________” voting. Why? • Education levels rise (cues less needed) • Candidate independence from parties • Media ________ and ignorance of parties • Party rebound – since 70s, PID has largely reversed to match 1950s.

  39. Party Identification and Voting • Party Voting • A ________ in pres and congressional elections vote for their party’s candidate. In presidential races, Republicans more loyal. In Congressional races, Dems held Congress due to Dem loyalty in congressional races. _________ in 90s (Reps were more loyal). • Straight-ticket voting – most likely among strong partisans. • What about candidates and issues • Voting depends on short and long term forces. • Long-term – ______ • Short-term – particular candidates, issues

  40. Short-term forces sometimes cause split-ticket voting. • Economic retrospections/prospections • Conscious desire to ______ the government on part of moderates (Fiorina: your book denies this). • Issues (south, evangelicals), crises, scandals, charisma… • Party Identification and Participation • Partisans are more politically ______ than weaker partisans/independents. How? Voting (80-90% claim to), persuasion, actively support candidates (display, money). But, caused by _______ SES also.

  41. The Politically Independent • Attitudinal Independents – “I do not identify with any party” • More likely to _______ their tickets & late deciders in campaigns. • Leaning and pure independents (big difference) Leaning independents are actually MORE partisan in some ways than weak partisans (tables 6.2-4: more politically active, more partisan in voting for president). But pure independents are politically ___________, less active, and truly less partisan than all categories. 2. Conclusion on independents: diverse group with the most inactive/uninformed but also sometimes exhibit more political _______________ than many other categories.

  42. Chapter 7 (Party Support/Realignments) • Intro • Party coalition: groups (SES and demographic) that make up a party’s support through good times and bad. • Realignments: big enduring changes in those coalitions • This chapter: (1) nature and history of realignment (2) description of current coalitions (3) coalitional change in the last ____ years (new realignment?). • Realignments – change in coalitions and change in majority party: The 5 Party Systems (long term, not short term “_________” elections such as we have had often since 1952; (e.g., Dems more identifiers; Reps more pres election victories) A. First Party System (1801-1828) – Cause: opposing groups within the Washington administration. Feds vs. Anti-Feds. Issue: size and power of nat’l gov’t. Produced one party ____________ (Jefferson Dems).

  43. Second Party System (1829-1860) Democratic party became too diverse to sustain intraparty differences. Issues: national gov’t economic power, how to expand the Union, slavery. Two factions emerged: Western faction led by Jackson (Democrats). Eastern faction led by JQ Adams (Whigs). Jackson was denied presidency by HR in ______ (though he won the pop vote). 1828, he won. The split was on. Class based: wealthier = Whigs. But, cross-cutting issues and minor parties fractured the Whigs. • Third Party System (1861-1896) Republicans emerged as anti-slavery party and replaced Whigs in the North and NE. Clear coalitional patterns, with North mostly Republican and South mostly Democratic.

  44. Fourth Party System (1897-1932) Civil War party system faded as agrarian and industrial interests produced new coalitions. Eastern economic sector (industrial base) against Western and Southern economic sectors (agrarian). Republicans dominated ________ politics. Progressive Party and 1928 Democrat Al ______ (1st nominated Catholic) brought changes to coalitions (driving Protestant Southerners to the Republicans). • Fifth Party System (1933-present?) Great Depression 1929. Response: New Deal programs. By 1936, Dems were party of industrial workers and _______ members, poor farmers, Catholics and Jews, blacks; plus the South (loyalty = “genetic” or blind).

  45. Social Bases of Party Coalitions (7.2, p. 124) Divisions are typically class based. Madison pointed this out about “factions.” SES differences established the New Deal system and is still evident today. • SES: Lower SES is usually associated with Dem PID. But today, high SES does not necessarily mean Rep PID; it is roughly even. Same true of education and occupation. SES is less a basis of PID in US than other Western democracies. Parties are less likely to make class based appeals here than elsewhere (Dems more than Reps because of more loyal lower class?). • Sectional Divisions: Most enduring and clear = South. 11 southern states have voted together with few exceptions in most presidential elections and have traditionally been solidly Democratic in PID. Civil Rights movement began the process of change. By 2000, not solidly Dem in PID (not distinctive from North in national elections).

  46. Debate: Is the South in transit? That is, is it in between Democratic dominance and Republic dominance? • Religious Divisions New Deal Coalition saw Jews and Catholics overwhelmingly loyal to the Dems. Still strong for Jews, but less true today of Catholics (7.2). Protestants: Pre-1970 Protestant PID was driven by SES. Faith mattered less politically as Protestants, even conservative ones, emphasized “otherworldliness.” As government has expanded, secularization and modernism has emerged, Protestants, especially conservative ones, have been more motivated by faith despite SES and have developed a public faith that emphasizes this world. Protestants: No PID change since 1970s, but misleading • Evangelical Protestants (2004 % GOP): 56% • Committed: 65-70% • Non-committed: 40-47% • Mainline Protestants: 44% • Committed: 50-59% • Non-committed: 26-35%

  47. Religious Group and PID Change (1964-1996) Source: Kohut, Green, Keeter, and Toth (2000: 76)

  48. Racial Divisions Between 1930-1960, black Americans, originally loyal to the party of ________, have changed loyalties under the New Deal coalition. Black Americans = most loyal partisan group (regardless of SES, region; 7.2=84%) E. Ethnic Divisions Hispanics – typically ___________, but their diversity in terms of nationalities differ. Cuban Americans (FL) more conservative/Republican, anti-communist. Larger Mexican-American (CA) group more Democratic. Republicans see an opportunity. • Gender Divisions – 2 decades, Gender ______. Women differ with men on “use of force” issues and some social programs. 6-7% more women favor Dem PID. Due more to men becoming Republican than women becoming Democratic.

  49. Issue Preferences and PID (Table 7.3) • Welfare State (Panels A-B: big difference) Not just a function of SES (poor people favoring welfare state. • Civil Rights, Defense Spending, Abortion (panels C-E) Abortion and other “culture war” issues (religiously based issues) used to be a “cross-cutting issue” (i.e., did not affect PID). It has moved from cross-cutting to _________ reinforcing. Many suspect that parties and party identifiers are changing and becoming more ___________ ideologically (panel F) and perhaps religiously. (Read, 135) • Sixth Party System? 70 years, longest intermission. A. Yes: If Realignment means that coalitions have changed ___________, then yes. SES differences are no longer sufficiently predictive over PID.

  50. White Southerners and blacks have gone in ____________ directions; with white Southerners increasingly Republican and blacks almost exclusively Democratic compared to 1960. Parties themselves have changed rhetoric, commitments, and platforms to take on more polarized positions than _______ (R-more conservative; D-more liberal; e.g. aff-action). B. No: No new majority party. Democratic edge in PID eroded in 1964. 1964-1980 = even. 1980s, Republican surge in PID. Young voters more Rep first time since polling. 1994, Republican victories in the South unprecedented. But after 1992, Rep PID stopped surging. Dem PID up a little since. With rise in the # of independents (40% of some sort), can’t say a ______ majority has emerged.

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