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Democracy and Participation Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 7 stages of an election?

A
  • invisible primary
  • primaries and caucuses
  • choosing VP candidates
  • National Party Conventions
  • General election campaign
  • election day
  • electoral college voting
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2
Q

What are the requirements do become president?

A
  • over 35
  • natural born US citizen
  • residency qualification of at least 14 years
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3
Q

What is the invisible primary?

A

the time between a candidate announcing they are running and the start of the primaries and caucuses

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4
Q

What is the significance of the invisible primary?

A
  • gaining name recognition
  • supports campaign organisation
  • allows for the public to see who is likely to win the election
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5
Q

Where is the invisible primary mostly played out?

A

the media

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6
Q

What was weird about Trump?

A

he filed his intention to run for a second term on his first day in office

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6
Q

What was weird about Trump?

A

he filed his intention to run for a second term on his first day in office

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7
Q

How manty democrat candidates ran for the 2020 nomination?

A

29

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8
Q

How manty democrat candidates ran for the 2020 nomination?

A

29

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9
Q

When did Biden announce he would run?

A

25th April 2019

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10
Q

Where is support for candidates mostly found?

A

in opinion polls

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11
Q

What can be exposed during the invisible primary stage?

A

party divisions and wide scopes of ideas. For example, the public quarrel between Warren and Sanders in 2019.

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12
Q

What did Warren accused Sander of?

A

the said he was a liar on national TV who made sexist comments

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13
Q

Who were the final two candidates for the Democrat nomination?

A

Sanders and Biden

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14
Q

Why is fundraising important in the invisible primary?

A

it brings about the ability to campaign and advertise which improves popularity and recognition.

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15
Q

Which candidates have self financed?

A

Trump and Bloomberg

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16
Q

How much did Biden spend in 2020?

A

$116 million

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17
Q

How much did Bloomberg spend in 2020?

A

$409 million to not even make the final two.

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18
Q

What is the conventional view about the invisible primary?

A

being the front runner at the end likely means you will get the nomination

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19
Q

In the 2016 election what was the situation with the frontrunners like?

A

Clinton had a 14 point lead over Sanders and got the candidacy
Trump had a 16 point lead over Cruz and won

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20
Q

Describe the frontrunner situation for the democrats in 2020.

A

Biden was ahead in nearly all the polls although Sanders had raised far more money than anyone/

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21
Q

What is a presidential primary?

A

a state-based election to choose a party candidate to become president

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22
Q

What is a presidential caucus?

A

a series of state-based meetings to choose the presidential candidate

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23
Q

Give examples of states that hold caucuses.

A

Usually geographically large but with a small popular. Iowa, Nevada and North Dakota

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24
Q

How many caucuses were held in 2016?

A

Democrat - 14
Republican - 10

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25
Q

Which type of candidate generally does well in caucuses?

A

ideologically based ones

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26
Q

What happened at the 2020 Iowa caucus?

A

results were delayed for 3 days due to issues with a new app and it was found that some votes were not counted

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27
Q

What are the 2 functions of the primaries?

A
  • showing popularity
  • choosing delegates for NPCs
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28
Q

Why do states want to be early on in the primaries?

A

this is the most important time and therefore they are likely to get more attention

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29
Q

Which state always goes early in the primaries?

A

New Hampshire

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30
Q

What is Super Tuesday?

A

a Tuesday in Feb or early March when many states coincide their primaries in order to gain influence

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31
Q

When was the first Super Tuesday?

A

1988

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32
Q

What are closed primaries?

A

only registered party members can vote in them

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33
Q

What are open primaries?

A

anyone can vote

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34
Q

What do open primaries allow?

A

cross-party voting. For example, a Republican can vote for the Democrat nominee

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35
Q

How do candidates win delegates?

A

it is done in relation to the proportion of votes they get at the primary

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36
Q

What happens with the primaries when there is an incumbent?

A

they have little to no coverage

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37
Q

What is a National Party Convention?

A

a meeting held every 4 years by the 2 major parties to selected P and VP candidates.

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38
Q

Why was the 2020 NPC difficult?

A

COVID

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39
Q

When are NPCs usually held?

A

the summer of the election year

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40
Q

What are the 3 formal functions of the NPC?

A
  • choosing the presidential candidate
  • choosing the VP candidate
  • deciding the party platform
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41
Q

Outline the NPC function of choosing the presidential candidate.

A

it is done via a roll-call in which each state delegate announces the candidate they will vote for although it is almost always known who will win.

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42
Q

What happened with Biden’s nomination in 2020?

A

he had the support of 2687 delegates which far surpassed the 1991 he needed

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43
Q

For how long have NPCs not chosen the VP?

A

about 20 years

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44
Q

Outline the NPC function of deciding the party platform.

A

it contains the policies that will be pursued if they become president. In 2020, the Democrats created a 90 page document based on their key pledges including improvements to healthcare.

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45
Q

What are the informal functions of the NPCs?

A
  • promoting party unity
  • enthusing the party faithful
  • enthusing ordinary voters
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46
Q

How can NPCs promote party unity?

A

the primaries and time before it can create divisions in the party. this was seen by Biden and Harris who exchanged some nasty remarks. however, the NPC is a time to show strength together.

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47
Q

For which remark was Biden critisied?

A

when he was patronising to the 54 year old experienced Senator by saying ‘go easy on me kid.’

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48
Q

How can NPCs enthuse the party faithful?

A

it is vital that the party is motivated and therefore ready to campaign throughout the next 9 weeks before the election

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49
Q

How can the NPC enthuse normal voters?

A

can be done through TV, voters usually only begin to pay attention to the election after the candidates have been chosen and it is a good chance for them to see the party policy.

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50
Q

What is the post convention bounce?

A

often a candidate will enjoy a poll increase after their speech at the NPC. it is generally good publicity for the party. however, many people think that this is not a good indicator of who will win.

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51
Q

In which ways are NPCs still important?

A
  • only time parties meet together
  • promotes unity
  • enthuse members and activists
  • introduce candidates
  • voters start paying attention now
  • many decide who to vote for now
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52
Q

In which ways are NPCs not important?

A
  • VP candidate is already known
  • party platform has already mostly been agreed to
  • TV coverage is reducing
  • more for publicity
  • the absence in 2020 did not have much impact
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53
Q

What were the key battleground states in 2020?

A

Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan

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54
Q

What is the focus of the period between the NPC and the election day?

A

campaigning and trying to gain as much popularity and publicity as possible

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55
Q

When is election day?

A

the Tuesday after the first Monday of November

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56
Q

When do polls close on election day?

A

7pm

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57
Q

What is the electoral college?

A

the institution established by the founding fathers to elect the president and vice president indirectly

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58
Q

In 2020, how much of the popular vote did the candidates win?

A

Biden - 81 million
Trump - 74 million

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59
Q

How do you know how many electoral college votes a state is awarded?

A

it is equal to their number of reps in Congress. It will be their 2 Senators as well as the House reps.

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60
Q

In 2020, how many electoral college votes did California and Wyoming have?

A

California - 55 (2+53)
Wyoming - 3 (2+1)

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61
Q

How many electoral college votes are there?

A

538

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62
Q

How many votes do they need to win?

A

270

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63
Q

Which 2 states do not operate the winner takes all system?

A

Maine and Nebraska - done based on constituencies

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64
Q

How do the Electors cast their votes?

A

they meet in their state capitals in early Dec and send all their results to the VP who must announce them in early Jan.

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65
Q

Which moment happened when announcing the result of the 2020 election?

A

Jan 6th storming the Capitol

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66
Q

What would happen if the electoral college was split?

A

The HOR would pick the president - each state could have one vote
The Senate picks to VP
An absolute majority is needed in both.

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67
Q

When was the last time an electoral college did not get a winner?

A

1824

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68
Q

What does Trump think about the electoral college?

A

it is great for him when he wins by not getting the popular vote. however, it is terrible when he loses by getting fewer votes.

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69
Q

In California, how many votes did Biden need to secure one electoral college vote?

A

308,000

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70
Q

In Wyoming how many votes did Trump win to secure one electoral college vote?

A

120,000

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71
Q

Why are there different amounts of votes needed?

A

the system is not proportional and Republicans benefit from smaller states while Democrats lose out in larger states.

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72
Q

What is campaign finance?

A

the funds that a candidate requires to run their election campaign

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73
Q

What is soft money?

A

money donated indirectly to parties therefore it is less regulated

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74
Q

What is hard money?

A

money donated directly with tighter restrictions

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75
Q

Why is campaign finance so controversial?

A

some people believe that the more money a candidate raises, the more successful they are.

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76
Q

What happened in 1974?

A

The Federal Election Campaign Act limited the amount of money that individuals and groups could give to candidates.

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77
Q

What was ruled in 1976?

A

in Buckley v Valeo it was ruled that limiting donations violated the 1st amendment

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78
Q

What was increasingly allowed after 1979?

A

soft money

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79
Q

What are matching funds?

A

federal money given out by the FEC for candidates who meet certain criteria.

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80
Q

What happened in 2008?

A

Obama rejected matching funds and was still able to outraise his opponent who took $84 million in matching funds.

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81
Q

What was the situation with matching funds in 2012?

A

neither candidates took it

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82
Q

What was the McCain-Feingold Act 2002?

A
  • national party committees were banned from raising or spending soft money
  • set individual contributions to a max of $2300 to go up with inflation
  • banned foreign contributions
  • Stand By Your Ad
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83
Q

What happened in Citizens United v FEC 2010?

A

The SC ruled 5-4 that the McCain-Feingold Act violated freedoms in the 1st amendment. They allowed for PACs and Super PACs to donate money still.

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84
Q

What is a PAC?

A

a political community that raises limited amounts of money for a candidate

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85
Q

What is a Super Pac?

A

a political committee that makes independent expenditures

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86
Q

What happened in McCutcheon v FEC 2014?

A

It meant that the cap was higher and individuals could now donate $2800 to as many candidates as they want.

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87
Q

How many Super PACs were registered in 2020?

A

2197

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88
Q

What did the House Majority PAC do in 2020?

A

spent $138 million on attacking Republicans and $5 million on supporting Democrats

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89
Q

What did the Senate Leadership Fund PAC do in 2020?

A

raised $309 million and most of this was spent attacking Democrat candidates.

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90
Q

How much did Bloomberg spend?

A

about $1 billion backing himself and other Democrat candidates

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91
Q

How much did Trump raise for the 2016 election?

A

$340 million

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92
Q

How much did Clinton raise in 2016?

A

$581 million

93
Q

What does the difference in amounts from Clinton and Trump show?

A

finance doesn’t equate to a win

94
Q

How much was spent in total on the 2018 midterms?

A

$5.2 bllion

95
Q

What was interesting about the 2020 election?

A

it broke all campaign finance records

96
Q

What is dark money?

A

money where the source is secret. Only 30% of donations were fully disclosed.

97
Q

What are the arguments to suggest that money influences election outcomes?

A
  • Biden outraised Trump
  • In 2020, the Republican for Arizona, McSally was outraised by $30 million and lost
  • all candidates highlight the importance of funding
  • superior funding allows for a better campaign
98
Q

Which arguments suggest that money does not influence election outcomes?

A
  • Clinton outraised Trump and lost
  • the ability to raise large funds often indicates a good candidate
  • a larger war chest is only one factor in the final outcome
99
Q

Which 3 places does campaign money go?

A
  • organisation - salaries consumed 10% of what Biden raised
  • campaigning - travel and advert expenditure
  • media - 80% of Biden’s money on ads
100
Q

Which percentage of incumbent president’s who ran for re-election have won?

A

69%

101
Q

How many of the last 12 elections have had an incumbent?

A

8

102
Q

What are the 6 advantages of being an incumbent president?

A
  • name recognition
  • fundraising - more likely to win so get more money
  • single candidate - face little primary challenge
  • executive position
  • experience
  • risk aversion - usually works
103
Q

What are the limits to incumbency?

A
  • if you are a failing president with a divided govt, it does not look good
  • unforeseen events don’t help - Trump and COVID-19, it highlighted that he was not a good president
104
Q

What was the highest and lowest incumbency rate in the House?

A

highest - 2000: 97.8%
lowest - 2010: 85.4%

105
Q

How does fundraising change as an incumbent?

A

it is far higher - often over 7 or 8 times as much

106
Q

What is is coattails effect?

A

when a strong candidate helps another candidate get elected

107
Q

Give an example of a coattails effect

A

Reagan helped Republicans get 33 seats in the House and 12 in the Senate

108
Q

What were Trump’s coattails?

A

Pat Toomey and Ron Johnson

109
Q

What happened in 2020?

A

Trump did less well but Republican candidates frequently outperformed him.

110
Q

What happened in Maine in 2020?

A

43.5% voted for Trump but 50.6% voted for their Republican Senator, Susan Collins. This is likely due to the strength of her local position.

111
Q

In 2020, which % of voters from both parties said that climate change was important to their vote?

A

D - 88
R -23

112
Q

Which 2 ideas are Republicans a mix of?

A

neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism

113
Q

What do Republicans want to preserve?

A

the organic society that develops slowly with time

114
Q

What are some current Republican beliefs?

A
  • nuclear family is the best
  • guns should be allowed
  • anti-abortion
  • anti-immigrants
  • strong Christian beliefs
  • ant-transgender
115
Q

What do the Republican party current favour?

A

protection of US jobs but getting rid of high taxes and state intervention

116
Q

What was Trump’s position on climate change?

A

he did not believe in it. this was shown by his withdrawal from the Paris agreement in 2017. they also wanted to increase oil production in Alaska

117
Q

What did the Republican party reject?

A

The American Recovery and reinvestment Act 2009 that aimed to help with bouncing back from the financial crisis.

118
Q

Who are Patricia and Mark McCloskey?

A

2 Republicans who brandished their weapons on their front lawn against protestors.

119
Q

How did the Republicans approach foreign policy.

A

With an America First attitude which saw them adopting several policies to boost the position of the US.

120
Q

Which recent legislation was not in line with traditional Republican policy?

A

CARES Act 2020

121
Q

How did Trump impact upon the Republicans?

A
  • he adopted his America First FP
  • was willing to start a tariff war with China
  • prioritised immigration
  • cut taxes
121
Q

How did Trump impact upon the Republicans?

A
  • he adopted his America First FP
  • was willing to start a tariff war with China
  • prioritised immigration
  • cut taxes
122
Q

What are key Democrat ideas?

A
  • climate change activists
  • support LGBTQ+
  • more welcoming to immigrants
  • softer FP
  • better healthcare and welfare
123
Q

Give some examples of the Democrats being progressive.

A

Voting Rights Act 1965
support Black Lives Matter
Repealing ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’
Reversing trans military ban
Fighting against abortion ban

124
Q

What type of state do Democrats support?

A

enabling

125
Q

Give some recent Democrat economic policies.

A
  • $787 billion stimulus after the financial crash
  • bipartisanship on CARES act
  • favour increased taxes
126
Q

How do Democrats view welfare?

A

essential - they supported Obamacare and a ‘war on poverty’. they do not believe in excessive inequality

127
Q

Which policies do Democrats generally support?

A
  • abortion rights
  • gun control
  • taxes
  • welfare
  • environment
128
Q

Which policies do Republicans generally support?

A
  • tough on crime
  • limit abortion
  • gun access
  • death penalty
129
Q

What are the key values of the Democrat liberal faction?

A
  • social and racial justice
  • LGBTQ+ rights
  • free college education
  • environmental rights
  • medicare
130
Q

What are the key names of the Democrat liberal faction?

A

Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

131
Q

What are the key values of the Democrat moderate faction?

A
  • a public option for healthcare
  • making college affordable
  • boosting minority rights
  • tax reforms
  • climate change
132
Q

Who are they key names of the Democrat moderate faction?

A

Biden and the Clintons

133
Q

What are the key features of the Democrat conservative faction?

A
  • socially conservative
  • less keen on social progression
  • keen to reach compromise with Republicans
  • many voted against Obamacare
134
Q

Who are the key members of the Democrat conservative faction?

A

Joe Manchin and Jim Cooper

135
Q

What are the key features of the Republican moderate faction?

A
  • less socially conservative
  • advocate for a bigger role of the economy
  • unwilling to repeal Obamacare
  • more sympathetic to immigrants
136
Q

Who are the key members of the moderate Republican faction?

A

Susan Collins and John Katko

137
Q

What are the key features of the Republican fiscal conservative faction?

A
  • reduce govt spending
  • advocates for small govt
  • supports balances budget
  • repeal Obamacare
138
Q

Who is in the Republican fiscal conservative faction?

A

Rand Paul and Andy Briggs

139
Q

What are the key features of the Republican socially conservative faction?

A
  • pro-life
  • prayers in school
  • gun rights
140
Q

Who is the in republican socially conservative faction?

A

Ted Cruz and Mike Pence

141
Q

In 2020, what % of men voted for Trump or Biden?

A

Trump - 53%
Biden -47%

142
Q

In 2020, what % of women voted for Trump or Biden?

A

Trump - 42%
Biden - 57%

143
Q

In 2020, what % of white people voted for Trump or Biden?

A

trump -58%
Biden - 41%

144
Q

In 2020, what % of black people voted for Trump or Biden?

A

Trump - 12%
Biden - 87%

145
Q

In 2020, what % of white evangelicals voted for Trump or Biden?

A

Trump - 76%
Biden - 24%

146
Q

What is the trend with ethnicity and voting behaviour?

A

-Black people almost always vote for Democrats - over 80%
- Bush tried to gain some of the Hispanic vote. Although, they usually opt for the Democrats.

147
Q

How did Trump’s leadership impact the Hispanic vote?

A

he was totally anti-Mexico and called Mexicans rapists but more than a quarter of Hispanic men voted for Trump.

148
Q

Which area is linked mostly with voting and religion?

A

the bible belt

149
Q

What is especially important for white evangelicals?

A

that strict constructionist get appts on the SC.

150
Q

How did Donald Trump get the support of the white evangelicals?

A

by promising the right SC appts and brandishing a bible at a rally to show his support

151
Q

How did Democrat support from evangelicals change?

A

from 5% in Georgia for Clinton to 14% for Biden

152
Q

Why do Catholics no longer offer much support to Democrats?

A

their support for abortion

153
Q

Why did most Muslims vote for Biden?

A

they have a traditional bias towards the democrats but also Trump was very anti-Islam,

154
Q

Which percentage of Atheists voted for Biden?

A

72%

155
Q

What is the trend with gender and voting?

A

women are far more likely to vote democrat

156
Q

Why is it thought that women support the Democrats?

A

their position on female equality, abortion access and Trump’s disgusting comments about women

157
Q

What did Trump say about women?

A

‘when you’re a star, they let you do anything.’

158
Q

What is the correlation between education or voting?

A

those who never attended college are more likely to vote Republican

159
Q

Which percentage of white, non-college educated men voted for trump in 2020?

A

70%

160
Q

What is the difference between red and blue America?

A

red America is the Republicans and blue is the Democrats.

161
Q

What is changing in red and blue states?

A

it is not so polarised - Biden won in both Georgia and Arizona - both traditionally red states

162
Q

What are interest groups?

A

an organised body whose members hold similar beliefs and actively pursue influecing govt.

163
Q

What are access points?

A

places or institutions where interest groups can go to get their views heard. these include federal govt and congressional committees

164
Q

What is pluarlism?

A

a theory that political power is distributed amongst everyone

165
Q

What is elitism?

A

a theory that political power rests with a small number

166
Q

What is a sectional group?

A

a group who represents a section of society. for example, American Business Conference. it also includes professional groups such as American Bar Association

167
Q

What are casual groups?

A

campaigning for a certain issue. this would be something like the NRA or Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

168
Q

How do Americans feel about interest groups?

A

they participate in them much more than those from most other nations

169
Q

Which other groups are similar to American interest groups?

A

think tanks

170
Q

What are the 4 main functions of interest groups?

A
  • representation
  • citizen partnership
  • agenda building
  • programme monitoring
171
Q

Outline how interest groups support representation

A
  • represent grievances and problems
  • link between politicians and public
  • narrower interests than parties
172
Q

Outline how interest groups support citizen participation.

A
  • increases political participation
  • many Americans enjoy participation
  • interest groups allow for involvement in areas they value often
173
Q

Outline how interest groups support agenda building.

A
  • bring together different parts of US society
  • attempt to influence policy
  • between 2010 and 2018, over 400 abortion bills introduced in 41 states were largely copied from interest groups.
174
Q

Outline how interest groups support programme monitoring.

A
  • scrutinise and hold to account the govt
  • NRA was hugely influential in Trump’s presidency.
175
Q

What was the income of the IRA in 2018?

A

$412 million

176
Q

How much did the IRA give to Trump in 2020?

A

almost $10 million

177
Q

How has EMILY’s List impacted the Democrats?

A

raised about $600 million since 1985

178
Q

What is the membership of the NRA?

A

5 million

179
Q

How much did the membership of EMILY’s list change?

A

increased 60,000 2016-20

180
Q

How do interest groups use electioneering and endorsement?

A
  • affiliating themselves to PACS and SUPER PACS to make donations.
  • actively supporting or opposing candidates
181
Q

How do interest groups use voting cues and scorecards?

A
  • they provide voters and legislators with advice to make sure that they vote the correct way on an issue.
182
Q

How do interest groups use organising grassroots activities?

A
  • demonstrations that draw attention to them
  • send out things to their phones and emails
  • can be aimed it the WH too
183
Q

How do interest groups use legal challenges?

A

Brown v Topeka was a good example of this

184
Q

What was the total federal lobbying income in 2016?

A

$3.1 billion

185
Q

Which other methods do pressure groups use?

A

protests and sit-ins

186
Q

What are the advantages of the invisible primary?

A

visibility and support for candidates
allows for a wide range of candidates
scrutiny

187
Q

What are the disadvantages of the invisible primary?

A

lack of serious debate
dependent of funds
voter apathy
hidden scandals

188
Q

What is the advantage of primaries and caucuses?

A

supports federalism

189
Q

What are the disadvantages of primaries and caucuses?

A

voter apathy
undemocratic

190
Q

What are the advantages of NPCs?

A

set the narrative
publicise the candidate

191
Q

What are the negatives of the NPCs?

A

few major decisions taken
soundbite coverage

192
Q

What are the strengths of the electoral college?

A

preserves the voice of smaller states
reflects the federal nature of the USA
promotes a two horse races
other alternatives may not work

193
Q

What are the weaknesses of the electoral college?

A

small states are over represented
winner takes all system is disproportionate
unfair to third parties
could get a P and VP from different parties
rogue voters

194
Q

What is a rogue voter?

A

an electoral college member who does not vote with their constituency

195
Q

Give an example of a disproportionate election outcome

A

trump got 3 million votes fewer than Clinton

196
Q

What would be the replacement for the EC?

A
  • direct election. 72% of Washington Post readers agreed this was a good idea.
  • congressional district system that removes the winner takes all approach in states - still not proportional
  • proportional system - would abolish the current system which would never happen
197
Q

Why has the electoral college not been changed?

A
  • no good replacement
  • would increase 3rd party support
  • current system shows federalism
  • other reforms are currently more pressing
198
Q

Which arguments suggest that PACs and Super PACs are not benefitting democracy?

A
  • the amounts are spiralling out of control. Super PACs raised $1.2 billion in 2020
  • race is now focused on money
  • organisations are linked with powerful interest groups
199
Q

What arguments suggest that PACs and Super PACs are benefitting democracy?

A
  • the Citizens United vs FEC 2010 ruling said that is it good for democracy and freedom of speech
  • they increase electoral competition
  • often, the most popular candidate has the most money
  • finance does not directly correlate to a winner.
200
Q

What was the situation with finance in 2020?

A

Democrats - $6.9 billion
Republicans - $3.8 billion

201
Q

Why has campaign finance hardly been reformed?

A
  • 1st amendment
  • SC rulings
  • regulation is in the hands of Congress - who benefit from these funds
  • reform would require bipartisan cooperation
202
Q

How do interest groups impact Congress?

A
  • lobbying members
  • lobbying congressional committees
  • organising constituents
  • publicising voting records of candidates
203
Q

How do interest groups impact the executive?

A
  • seek ties with relevant departments
  • influence policy
  • access regulatory work
204
Q

How do interest groups impact the judiciary?

A
  • take interest in the nomination
  • bring relevant cases before the court eg NRA and DC vs Heller 2008
205
Q

In which ways are interest groups positive for democracy?

A
  • provide legislators with info
  • bring about policy debate
  • provide representation
  • broaden participation
  • increase accountability
  • enhances freedom of speech and association
206
Q

In which ways are interest groups negative for democracy?

A
  • provide one-sided info
  • not all equal
  • can have too much power
  • only represent a narrow interest
  • use inappropriate action
207
Q

How is the party system in the UK and US similar/ different?

A
  • both dominated by 2 parties
  • US is solely a one party system
  • UK is a multiple party system with 2 main parties - this is due to a large amount of recent political change and devolution
208
Q

How is the party unity in the UK and US similar/ different?

A
  • both main parties have factions
  • both main parties have a large spectrum of beliefs
  • factions can be positive and negative in both
  • party unity is culturally more significant in the UK.
209
Q

Which areas of policy do the Republicans and Conservatives agree on?

A
  • dislike of big govt
  • lower tax
  • strong law and order
  • immigration
  • high defence spending
210
Q

Which policy area do Labour and Democrats agree on?

A
  • stress on rights of minorities
  • environment
  • equality
  • progressive
  • more tax
211
Q

What are the policy differences between the Republicans and Conservatives?

A
  • abortion
  • same sex marriage
  • national healthcare
  • death penalty
212
Q

Which 2 parties are closest aligned?

A

Democrats and Labour.

213
Q

How is the party funding in the UK and US similar/ different?

A
  • both have scandals
  • amounts is way more in the US
  • UK has had no huge laws or rulings on finance
  • both have tried state funding - the US in the 1970s and the UK with short money
214
Q

How is the pressure group system in the UK and US similar/ different?

A
  • UK they are more restricted
  • US has more access points
  • UK they have no influence over any candidates
  • they are formal links between groups and parties in both
  • lobbying for both - with varied focus
  • both have grassroots activities
215
Q

What influences the success of an interest group?

A
  • size
  • funds
  • govt position
  • public opinion
  • counter position
216
Q

How can the rational approach be use for party systems?

A
  • US diversity creates the polarisation and broad parties
  • to win national office in the US you need wide support
  • both countries have parties with reason to resist electoral change
  • neither country has voters who want to cast a wasted vote
217
Q

How can the cultural approach be used for party systems?

A
  • the culture of nationalism in the UK
  • growing UK Euroscepticism
  • the UK with its own distinct cultures
  • north-south divides
  • the USA is far more diverse
218
Q

How can the rational approach be used for party systems?

A

-the FPTP encourages a two party system
- the UK uses different systems
- both of the US chambers are elected
- the president is elected separately
- US has more focus on personal rather than national politics

219
Q

How can the rational approach be used for party factions?

A
  • makes sense to accommodate tension so to seem united
  • want to appeal to many voters
  • the huge dominance of the parties in the US keeps them together
220
Q

How can the cultural approach be used for party factions?

A
  • main parties have always had divides
  • Brexit in the UK
221
Q

How can the structural approach be use for party factions?

A
  • US parties are less centralised and organised
  • UK is far smaller
  • many parties have leading figure within their own party
  • it makes more structural sense to stay in your faction than to try to dominate
222
Q

How can the rational approach be used for party policy?

A
  • both want to adopt a policy that appeals to a wide range fo voters
223
Q

How can the cultural approach be used for party factions?

A
  • they reflect the background and history of the party
  • resemble to cultural landscape of their country
  • for example, the 2nd amendment and Republicans
224
Q

How can the structural approach be used for party factions?

A
  • centralised in the UK but not in the US.
225
Q

How can the rational approach be used for party funding?

A
  • incentive in both countries to make donations
226
Q

How can the cultural approach be used for party funding?

A
  • neither has a long tradition of crazy funds
  • free democracy and speech emphasised
  • the increase is making it harder for new parties
227
Q

How can the structural approach be used for party funding?

A
  • both have laws against it
  • the US has the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002 and the UK has the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
228
Q

How can the rational approach be used for interest groups?

A
  • rational to recruit lobbyists
  • in pursuit of their interests
  • target legislators or members of the exec
  • align their interests with an important message
229
Q

How can the cultural approach be used for interest groups?

A
  • history of trade unions
  • increasing participation
  • feeling their interests are heard
  • standing up for rights
230
Q

How can the structural approach be used for interest groups?

A
  • varied access points
  • centralisation vs larger nation
  • insider and outsider
  • both require certain factors for success.

US Politics (5 decks)

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