Democracy and Participation

Question 1

What are the roles of the National Committees?

Answer 1

They are supposed to organise the developing top down approach of US politics as prior to this parties had organised differently from state to state.

Question 2

When was the Democratic National Committee founded and who leads it?

Answer 2

It was founded in the 1848 in the Democratic National Convention and is currently led by Jaime Harrison.

Question 3

When was the Republican National Committee founded and who leads it?

Answer 3

It was founded in 1856 during the Republican National Convention and is currently lead by Michael Whatley.

Question 4

What is the RNC compromised of?

Answer 4

It is made up of a chair of each State Republican Party, plus two members from each state party one man or one women.

Question 5

What is the DNC compromised of?

Answer 5

It is made up of the chair and vice chair of each Democratic State Party as well as 200 more members of state parties chosen based on population.

All DNC members are also made into superdelegates at National Party Conventions.

Question 6

How does Separation of Powers effect Party Leadership in Congress?

Answer 6

Party leaders from congress hold little sway over the White House, even when the President is from the Same Party.

Question 7

Give an example of clashes between party leadership and the President?

Answer 7

In November 2023 Mike Johnson demanded that Joe Biden make the aid for Ukraine separate from the aid for Israel even challenging some members of his own party over the matter.

Question 8

How does Federalism effect Party leadership in congress?

Answer 8

Party Leaders in congress have very little sway over what happens across the 50 states.

Question 9

Give an example of party divide at state level?

Answer 9

In Michigan the Republican party is arise with internal issues as the Hillsdale County Republican Party clash with the America First Party with both sides holding their own respective conventions in November 2023.

Question 10

How does Bicameralism effect Party Leadership in Congress?

Answer 10

They operate within their own chamber and may agree with other chamber counterparts.

Question 11

Give an example of party leadership clashing?

Answer 11

In 2023 November Leader of the house Mike Johnson and Republican Minority Leader in the senate Mitch McConnel clashed over the issue of aid to Ukraine with him arguing that the US should not hesitate to prevent the expansion of Russia.

Question 12

What have recent Presidents described themselves as in an attempt to bridge the increasing polarisation of US society?

Answer 12

George W Bush described himself as a compassionate Conservative.

Biden and Obama have both described themselves as Third way new democrats being socially Liberal but fiscally Conservative although Biden is drifting more left economically with him describing himself as the most pro union president.

Trump however, has been all over the place politically showing his populistic viewpoints, his main ideal is now America First.

Question 13

Explain the Progressive Democrat Faction?

Answer 13

• They believe in racial and social justice, opposing mandatory life sentences and death sentences.
• LGBTQ+ rights, free university tuition fees, environmental issues and medicare for all.
• Key members include Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Occasio Cortez.
• They are associated with the Congressional Progressive Caucus which currently has 1 seat in the senate and 96 in the House.

Question 14

Give 2 important policy stances of the Progressive Democrat Faction?

Answer 14

• In regards to abortion rights Congresswoman Judy Chu introduced a Woman’s Protection Act which would expand abortion rights and codify Roe v Wade. But it was defeated in September 2022 in the Summer.
• There has been clashes over their stance on Israel with both Lois Frankel and Ritchie Torres.

Question 15

Explain the Moderate Democrat Faction?

Answer 15

• They believe in a public option for healthcare which would be government funded and compete with private companies.
• Believe in minority rights but are against wholesale reform of the police.
• Make college more affordable.
• Tax reform on the middle class.
• More investment to counter climate change.
• Fair and Humane immigration law.
• Key members include Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Terri Sewell.
• They are associated with the New Democrat Coalition Caucus.
• They Currently have 98 seats in the house making them the largest democrat faction.

Question 16

Give 2 important policy stances of the Moderate Democrat faction?

Answer 16

• They are made up of a spectrum of members and have in the passed gained some more Conservative members due to defections from the Blue Dog Coalition.
• Have engaged in some student loan forgiveness.

Question 17

Explain the Conservative Democrat Faction?

Answer 17

• They are socially Conservative, they are fiscally Neo - Conservative and believe in having a balanced budget and limiting the Government.
• Less supportive of LGBT rights and Gun Control legislation and they have no official stance on social legislation, some members are praised by the NRA.
• They are keen to meet Bipartisan compromises with moderate Republicans.
• They tend to represent Republican leaning states and voted against Obama Care.
• Key members include Joe Manchin and Jim Cooper and they are often members of the Blue Dog Coalition.

Question 18

What is the Squad?

Answer 18

• There name is derived from East Coast pop culture and was initially made up of Cortez, Pressley, Tlaib and Omar.
• They are the most left wing branch of the Democrat Party and campaign heavily in relation to social justice, they are now up to 9 members and all are elected under the age of 50.
• Some of the members are associated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
• They have frequently called out Islamophobia with Cortez stating that it is far too often tolerated in 2021.
• The group had suffered from some internal divisions over the handling of the Israeli - Palestine conflict with Tlaib calling Israel an apartheid state however, they now all call for ceasefire.

Question 19

Blue Dog Coalition?

Answer 19

• It was founded in 1994 and was designed to Represent Democrats in Conservative leaning districts, they are more rebellious usually and tend to try and seek compromise between Democrats and Republicans.
• They now have 10 members including Mary Peltola who is a representative from Alaska.
• Under Biden they have caused some problems as they forced him to reduce funding for the his inflation reduction bill.
• Joe Manchin recently broke away leaving them with even less relevance.

Question 20

Explain the Moderate Republican Faction?

Answer 20

• They are less socially Conservative than the other Republican Party members and they advocate for a bigger role for the state in society and the economy.
• Unwilling to repeal Obamacare in it’s entirety which led to major problems with Trump.
• They are more sympathetic towards immigration and are willing to spend more on things like education.
• It includes key names such as Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and congress John Kato.
• They are often associated with the Tuesday Group.

Question 21

Explain the Fiscal Conservative Republican Faction?

Answer 21

• They are keen to reduce Government spending in most areas and curb Government waste as they perceive it.
• They want to reduce taxation heavily and believe that the Government should roll back regulations on things such as the environment.
• They want to receive a balanced budget and repeal various things such as Obamacare.
• They include key members such as Rand Paul and are associated with the House Freedom caucus and emerged out of the Tea Party.

Question 22

Explain the Social Conservative Republican Faction?

Answer 22

• They are Pro - Life and are opposed to non heterosexual marriage.
• Tend to favour robust policy, death penalty and strict policing, they have strong links with the religious right and they support support prayer in public school.
• Oppose recreational drugs and are staunch defenders of the second amendment.
• It includes Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz and they are the largest Republican caucus, they are associated with the Republican Study Committee.

Question 23

Tuesday Group?

Answer 23

• It is now known as the Republican Governance group following a name change in 2020.
• It is a more moderate group and aims to representing Republicans who are on the centre right of the spectrum.
• They have frequently clashed with Trump and a number of his members such as John Kato voted to impeach Trump and they opposed the American Healthcare Act.
• They currently have 40 members in the House.
• It was founded to challenge the rise of Conservatism in the party which it continues to do so, Trump describes them as Rhinos.

Question 24

Freedom Caucus?

Answer 24

• It was founded in 2015 by members of the Tea Party and Republicans who wanted to shift the party more to the right economically.
• They are generally deemed to be the most right wing group in the Republican Party.
• Although the Freedom Caucus were very much in favour of Trump they did oopose him as they believe that the American Healthcare Act didn’t go far enough.
• They currently have 41 seats in the House and are perceived to be more populistic and nationalistic although some are seen as Liberterians.

Question 25

Republican Study Committee?

Answer 25

• They are currently made up of 179 members and they are by far the largest republican group in congress.
• Their current chair is Kevin Hern from Oklahoma and they mainly campaign for significant cuts to none defence spending.
• They believe in balancing the budget and the government should not spend more than tax provides, taxpayers have the right to a simple fair tax code and efforts to balance the budget should not be carried out through tax hikes.

Question 26

What does it mean to say that Parties are coalitions of interest?

Answer 26

In order to achieve electoral success in the United States it is beneficial to bring multiple groups of people together to create a voting block.

Question 27

Give examples of Coalitions of interest?

Answer 27

Ethnicity - Black and Hispanic voters tend to support the democrats with 83% supporting the Democrats in the last 11 elections.

Religion - The religious right is linked heavily with social Conservatism and the bible belt, they tend to support the Republicans.

Gender - Women tend to lean more towards the Democrats with 58% of Women voting Democrat in 2020.

Education - People without college degrees tend to vote Republican with 67% of none college degree holders doing so in 2020.

Question 28

What has the so called culture wars led to regarding partisanship?

Answer 28

Democrats and Republicans appear to actively dislike each other rather than just disagreeing on policy. A Yougov poll revealed in 2020 that 24% of Democrats aren’t friends with people who hold different political beliefs.

Despite Credible evidence 73% of Republicans blame the Democrats for October 6th showing increasing separation in US society.

Question 29

Why is difficult for a party to control it’s elected members?

Answer 29

• Each member generally raises their own campaign finance meaning that they are not reliant on the central party for funding. For example Angus King and Bernie Sanders tend to align with the Democrats but remain independent.
• Career progression is less available than it is in the UK making the whipping system far less effective.
• Members can be more inclined to vote along state lines rather than party lines.

Question 30

Give an example of a senator clashing with their own Party?

Answer 30

Joe Manchin who was a Democrat senator for West Virginia frequently clashed with the Democrats over climate and social issues and has now become an independent whilst decrying partisan extremism.

Question 31

What do the two theories say about interest groups?

Answer 31

Plurality theory suggests that argues that they promote democracy and participation.

Elitism theory complains about this suggesting that it straddles good governance and allows for corruption.

Question 32

What is the Sierra Club?

Answer 32

• They are an environmental group with chapters in every state of the United States.
• They are very much progressive leaning and they are one of the oldest environmental protection groups ever founded.
• They lobby politicians to get them to vote in favour of limiting the use of coal and promotion of sustainable energy.
• They have successfully managed to retire 380 coal plants and establish 440 parks and monuments.

Question 33

What is the NRA?

Answer 33

• They were founded in 1871 and are prominent in lobbying for gun rights, they influence policy and usually promote various candidates across different levels.
• In 2018 they had a total income of $412 million and an estimated membership of around 5 million, they even spent $9.2 million campaigning for Trump in 2020 and have recently endorsed him again for 2024.
• They recently won a supreme court case against a former New York Legislator when he suggested that banks should cut ties with the NRA, the Court said this undermined the NRA’s first amendment rights.

Question 34

What is NOW?

Answer 34

• It was founded in 1966 by Betty Friedan and has 550 chapters across the United States with 500’000 members.
• They campaign for gender equal legislation, ending violence against Women, LBGTQ rights and reproductive rights.
• They are currently running a campaign to encourage people to tell their senators that they demand equal pay-checks now. They are also endorsing the democrats and hold regular protests over the ruling in Roe v Wade.

Question 35

What is the Chamber of Commerce?

Answer 35

• It is the largest lobbying group in the United States and represents over 3 million businesses and organisations.
• They tend to be on the right and usually agree with Republicans for example they denied climate change until 2019.
• Their lobbying power is immense and in 2020 alone they spend $82 billion on lobbying activities.

Question 36

What is Emily’s List?

Answer 36

• It funds the election campaigns of Democrat female candidates in favour of abortion rights.
• During it’s existence it has raised $600 million in donations. 60’000 Women have joined it from 2016 to 2020.
• They are closely affiliated with the group Women vote which spent $126 million in the 2020 campaign with $5.4 million going to Joe Biden alone.

Question 37

What is ABA?

Answer 37

• The American Bar Association is an organisation for lawyers and law students.
• They want immigration reform, electoral integrity, a truly neutral judiciary which is more effective in it’s role of oversight.
• They engage extensively in the federal nomination of judges by vetting them and deciding whether they are qualified or not including for Supreme Court Judges.
• They spend about $1 million on lobbying every year.

Question 38

How do interest groups provide representation?

Answer 38

They can help serve as a conduit between the people and politicians, they can have their views represented and their grievances voiced.

Question 39

How do interest groups provide Citizen participation?

Answer 39

It provides citizens with far more opportunities for them to engage in the political system outside of elections. This can include issues such as abortion and gun control.

Question 40

How do interest groups provide Agenda building?

Answer 40

They can influence policy arrangements, and arrange discussion between different groups and members of the federal government in turn allowing them to influence policy.

Question 41

How do interest groups provide Programme Monitoring?

Answer 41

They can scrutinise and hold the government to account over their implementation of policy and platform promises.

Question 42

How many estimated lobbyists are working in Washington DC at any time?

Answer 42

There are around 12’000 at any time.

Question 43

How much did financial lobbyists spend on influencing the 2016 Election?

Answer 43

Many of them came from Wall Street and they spend a record $2 billion in 2016 trying to influence the election.

Question 44

How do Interest Groups use Electioneering and Endorsement?

Answer 44

Reforms in the 1970s placed restrictions on the amount of funding individuals could receive so it instead now goes to PACs.

For example Marco Rubio has received $3.3 million throughout his political career from the NRA.

Question 45

How do interest groups make use of Lobbyists?

Answer 45

Interest Groups make use of specialist Lobbyists to present their cause to state and federal legislatures.

Question 46

How do Interest Groups make use of voting cues and scorecards?

Answer 46

They use them to ensure that legislators will vote alongside what the group believes in for example Joe Manchin receives donations from numerous fossil fuel groups and therefore, votes against legislation cracking down on them.

Question 47

How do interest groups make use of Grassroots activities?

Answer 47

This includes things such as protests, marches and utilising social media.

For example in 2018 March in Our Lives held a number of marches across the United states to call for further gun controls due to the shootings of students. 1.2 million people participated.

Question 47

How do interest groups utilise the legal system?

Answer 47

They can support and finance legal cases which have a direct impact on their area of interest therefore, they can assert influence through the court.

Question 48

What are the Arguments for interest groups?

Answer 48

• They provide legislators with useful information and act as a sounding board for legislators in the policy creation stage.
• They bring order to policy debate by channelling the views of their clients into the debates and in turn help create legislation.
• They broaden the opportunities for democratic participation which is especially important for minority groups when the system is so dominated by two parties.
• They can also help increase levels of accountability both in the executive and the legislature and failures to support key legislation can be picked up on by groups.
• They strengthen the freedom of speech and freedom of association.

Question 49

What are the arguments against interest groups?

Answer 49

• They have their own agenda meaning that research and advice is usually one sided.
• There is the revolving door syndrome in which interest groups hire lobbyists who are former members of congress.
• There is the Iron Triangle Syndrome in which some interest groups are so powerful that they can pressure congress and executive committees.
• Some groups are so powerful that they can even dictate the writing of legislation.
• Some only focus on minority groups rather than what is best for the nation.
• Some interest groups mainly outsider ones take direct action which some deem as inappropriate.