Democracy and Participation Flashcards
Political Party
An organised group that shares common policy preferences that seek to have
What are the main roles of the political parties
Engagement: help engage the political interest of citizens and provide opportunities for political participation
Political Leaders: select political leaders
Education: educate people on political issues
Policy: Provide coherent packages of policies for the populations to choose from
Why political parties are often described as weak in the USA?
- The 4 party system argument suggests that both parties have their highly distinct ideological differences.
- US parties are highly decentralised - state and local parties - operate with high autonomy
- US parties struggle to enforce strict discipline
How are main parties structured at a national level?
- decentralised - local parties have large amounts of independence and autonomy
- parties are not seen as national institutions and there is no strong ideological unity
How has Parties’s influence changed over recent years? (6 points)
- Parties have lost control over presidential selections - 2016: Trump faced massive amounts of opposition, 2024: Trump’s nomination without attending republican debates
- Candidates have their own ways of communicating with the base: Trump’s use of Twitter, podcasts (Rogan) 2024 election
- PACS + super PACS, less reliance on parties for funding: Bloomberg 2020 financed his own campaign.
- Parties controlled by external factors: Tea Party, Trupism moving party further to the right
- Pressure groups mobilise electorate: 2020 - ‘move on’ + NRA endorsed Biden and Trump encouraging voters to vote for them as they align with the PG’s interests
What are some reasons as to why political parties have become more influential?
- CRA -117th congress, - party unity reached 90% in both house and senate - party polarization, more party control
- DNC + RNC more fundraising and campaign contributions - 2020: 2 billion raised by both
- Presidents shape parties and encourage unity behind flagship policies - Biden’s presidency encouraged democratic unity on issues like Climate change etc
- Nationalisation of elections - party identity, split-ticket voting has decreased in 2020, with only 16 districts split their vote
How did Broder define parties?
‘loose coalition of state and local parties’
What are some reasons why having strong parties might cause problems?
- legislative gridlock
- The influence of interest groups increase
- limits political choice - 2-party system
What is some evidence that shows the US is a two-party system?
- Till date, in every presidential election since 1968, the Democrats and Republicans won 80% of the vote.
- In the current Congress, there are no independent members serving in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.
- Every President since 1953 has been democrat or republician
What are some of the reasons why the two main parties dominate politics?
- Third parties only qualify for matching funds in Presidential elections by winning at least 5% of the vote, and full funding is only accessible to parties with at least 25%.
- state ballot laws disadvantage third parties
- not well-known candidates/ less media coverage
what are some examples of third/minor parties?
Libertarian party - gov intervention in the economy and personal life - Libertarians won a seat in Wyoming, 1,2% of the national total - 2020
what are some reasons why third parties struggle in the US?
- win 5% of the votes - facilitate matching funds and for full funding parties must gain 25% of the votes
- Limited media coverage as often less well-known candidate
- state ballot laws can limit candidates
What did Hofstadter argue in relation to third parties?
- Fueled by issues often ignored by the main 2 parties ignore
- third parties often fizzle out and are adopted by the main 2 parties
What are some minor parties that did well in the 2016 presidential election?
Johnson (libertarian) won 3.28% of the popular vote. Stein as the Green Party member won around 1.7% of the popular vote
What was the solid south?
Period of political dominance by the democratic party after the Civil War
What is an example of politicians switching parties?
in 2019, Drew democratic representative for New Jersey switched to the republican party
What is the solid northwest?
A key area of support for Democrats
What are some differences between the 2 main party manifestos in 2024?
Rep - Tax breaks for fossil fuel production vs Dem - tax breaks for renewable energy
Rep - abortion to states v Dem - overturn Jackson vs women’s health board
What are social conservative’s main ideas?
- prioritise traditional social structure
- conservative Christian beliefs
- example: Marco Rubio
- defend gun laws, oppose LGBTQ+, pro-life
What do fiscal conservatives stand for?
- prioritise limited government spending, low taxes and free-market principles, oppose excessive welfare programs
- (Rand Paul)
What are the differences between so-called Trump Republicians and traditional Republicans?
Trump - populism at the heart of the political appeal vs trad - focus on the existing political establishment, working within the system
Trump - America first vs Trad - more internationalist approach
What do the Blue Dog Democrats stand for?
- promote centrism - socially conservative
- limited government spending (Manchin)
- Bi-partisan compromises with moderate republicans
What do moderate democrats believe in ?
- liberal view on economic and social issues
- focus on issues like climate change and are against wealth inequality
What do progressive democrats believe in?
Expanding universal health care - Medicaid for all
