Democracy and participation - parties and interest groups- examples

Question 1

What is an example of the Republican’s Conservative attitude on social issues?

Answer 1

Trump banned gay people from serving in the military

Question 2

What are two examples of legislation the Republicans rejected because of their stance of laissez-faire economics?

Answer 2

They rejected both the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009, which provided $787 billion government stimulus in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the Dodd Frank Wall street Reform Consumer Protection Act 2010, which regulated Wall street after the financial crisis

Question 3

What is an example of Republicans putting the environment before industry?

Answer 3

Trump opened up part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to an oil and gas development. Trump also withdrew from the Paris Agreement in 2017

Question 4

What is an example of state intervention from the Democrats recently to enable positive freedom

Answer 4

Instrumental in the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and economic security act (CARES), which provided $2.2 trillion for the Covid-19 ravaged economy

Question 5

Examples of Democrats championing LGBTQ+ rights?

Answer 5

Repealed the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’
The Hate Crime Prevention Act

Question 6

What are examples of liberal and moderate democrats disagreeing?

Answer 6

• Liberals want Medicare for all but moderates see this as too expensive and disruptive
• Biden wants to spend $640bn on affordable housing to solve homelessness whereas Sanders proposed $2.5tn

Question 7

What’s an example of Conservative democrats not agreeing with the party?

Answer 7

Joe Manchin voted against repealing ‘don’t show, don’t tell’, against the Dream Act, supported build a wall and was the only Democrat to support Kavanaugh’s nomination

Question 8

What’s an example of moderate Conservatives being squeezed out of their party?

Answer 8

In 2010, Mike Lee unseated Bob Bennett in Utah who was criticised for being not Conservative enough

Question 9

Example of policy from Fiscal Conservatives?

Answer 9

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 2017 and the 2020 election budget saw 4.4tn of tax cuts in areas like the environment and Medicaid

Question 10

x2 Examples of Republican factions disagreeing?

Answer 10

• Moderate Susan Collins said that Trump taking away the protection of Transgender people under the Affordable Care Act is simply wrong
• Trumpcare failed because it was too radical for some and not radical enough for others

Question 11

What shows hyper-partisanship?

Answer 11

In 2018, the overall congressional unity scores were 89% for the Democrats and 91% for Republicans

Question 12

Examples of policy which both parties agree on?

Answer 12

Support for Israel in the past

Question 13

How has the ideological gap changed between the two parties showing evidence of party polarisation?

Answer 13

In the HOR, the ideological gap climbed 150% between 1947 and 2011

Question 14

What are some examples of evidence for increasing affective political polarisation?

Answer 14

In 1960, only 4.5% of people would have been disappointed if their child married a supporter of the other party. This figure raised to 38% by 2020

1/4 Democrats and 1/3 Republicans see the opposition party as a ‘threat to the nation’s wellbeing

Question 15

Which states are the most Democrat?

Answer 15

Hawaii, California and Oregon

Question 16

Which states are the most Republican?

Answer 16

Alabama, Wyoming, Kansas and Texas

Question 17

Example that black people tend to vote Democrat?

Answer 17

Between 1980 and 2020, Black voters always gave at least 83% of support to the Democrats. They supported Obama with 93% in 2012

Question 18

Example that shows the Hispanic vote for the Democrats is not as strong as that of Black Americans?

Answer 18

Their Republican vote is increasing. Between 2016 and 2020, the Hispanic male vote for Trump went from 33 to 36% despite policies of his wall and a hate for immigration. They also gave 43% of their vote to Bush in 2004

Question 19

What’s an example of Evangelical Christians supporting the Republicans?

Answer 19

81% of them voted for Trump in 2016

Question 20

What’s an example that Christians don’t always support Republicans?

Answer 20

In 2020, Biden got the vote of 29% of evangelical Christians in Michigan

Question 21

What shows women have continued to support the Democrats over Republicans?

Answer 21

In 2020, 57% women backed Biden compared to 42% backing Trump. This is particularly high in suburban, college - educated women

Question 22

Why is the urban and rural divide misleading?

Answer 22

Trump won more votes in Americas 11 largest metropolitan areas than he did in all of Rural America combined - only 14% of Americans live in rural counties

Question 23

What is evidence is there to show age is an important factor among young people?

Answer 23

In the 18-24 age group, 65% voted Biden in 2020

Question 24

What evidence shows that age is a less pronounced among older people?

Answer 24

In the age group of 65+, 47% voted Biden and 52% Trump

Question 25

What’s an example of FPTP discriminating against a third party?

Answer 25

In 1992, Ross Perot of the Reform Party won 18.9% of the vote but no electoral college votes

Question 26

Examples of sectional interest groups?

Answer 26

National association of manufactures
US chamber of commerce
American bar association

Question 27

Examples of casual interest groups?

Answer 27

Single interest: NRA
Ideological: Sierra Club

Question 28

What’s an example of an interest group taking the government to court?

Answer 28

the ACLU took the first legal cases to court against Trump’s executive order planning a 90-dy ban on entry to the US from seven Muslim countries
The Case of Brown V Board of Education was brought about by NAACP (national association for the advancement of coloured people)

Question 29

Example of pressure groups with large levels of funding?

Answer 29

NRA: $412million and spent $9.2m on campaigning to get Trump re-elected
EMILY’s List have raised $600 million since it was founded in 1985

Question 30

Example of interest groups with large levels of members?

Answer 30

2016-2020: 60,000 women signed up to EMILY’s list
2018: NRA had a membership of 5m
2020: American Association of Retired Person - 37 million members

Question 31

Example of a interest group setting up a PAC?

Answer 31

Victory fund of the NRA

Question 32

Examples of an interest groups endorsing a candidate at the 2020 election?

Answer 32

National Right to Life endorsed Donald Trump
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence endorsed Joe Biden

Question 33

What’s an example of a pressure group providing congressmen with voting cues?

Answer 33

Conservative Republicans look to the American Conservative Union and US chamber of commerce, while liberal Democrats look to the AFL-CIO

Question 33

What was the total lobbying revenue in 2016?

Answer 33

$3.1bn

Question 34

Who are single issue group Susan Antony B list?

Answer 34

They aim to get pro-life legislators elected in response to success of EMILY’s list
They raised over $10million to support endorsed candidates in 2020

Success:
In 2020, 16 pro-life women were elected to congress
Overturning of Roe V Wade
Numbers of states have passed heartbeat bills restricting abortion
Appointment of Amy Coney Barrett

Question 35

Who are policy group Sierra’s club?

Answer 35

Look to forward environmental conservation. Present in nearly every state and have 3.8m members. They endorse candidates for political office who support its agenda- mostly Democrats including Biden.
-Success in campaigning for the preservation of USA’s Second National Park, Yosemite California

Question 36

Who are Professional groups National Association of Realtors?

Answer 36

Largest Trade association in the US with 1.4m members - for estate agents
- Has its own PAC which supports candidates who champion real estate issues. In 2020, it raised $13m which was divided almost evenly between the two parties (mostly went to incumbents)

Question 37

What are some of the successes of the NAR?

Answer 37

-Reauthorisation of the National flood insurance programme

Question 38

What’s an example of grassroots activities?

Answer 38

In 2016, 1,500 pressure groups representing labour and environmental issues wrote letters urging congress to oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership