Parties Flashcards
Democrats v Republican - Tax
Democrats -
- Progressive taxation where high income earners should be taxed at a higher rate, not opposed to raising taxes in order to fund the govt.
Republicans -
- Tend to favour a ‘flat tax’ (Same tax rate regardless of income) Generally opposed to raising taxes.
Democrats v Republican - Spending
Democrats -
- Increasing the deficit in order to help the economy.
- Obama and the democrats were inspired by the idea of Keynesian deficit spending, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 $787 billion stimulus package into the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
CARES ACT 2.2 trillion dollar stimulant, COVID -19 recovery.
Republicans -
- Laissez-faire economics and limited government spending
Republicans rejected the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 and the Dodd-Frank Act 2010
Republicans v Democrats - Financial regulation
Democrats -
- More likely to intervene and regulate the free market, minimal state regulation of the economy had led to excessive risk taking by financial industry that led to the near collapse of the US economy.
Dodd-Frank wall street reform consumer protection Act 2010 brought in significant regulatory control of the financial industry in an attempt to prevent another financial crisis.
Republicans -
- They argue that such regulation is simply ‘an excuse to establish unprecedented government control over the nations financial markets’ , they opposed the Dodd-Frank Act 2010.
- Republicans are more in agreement with free market ideas.
Republicans v Democrats - Foreign trade
Democrats -
- Relative agreement on the principle and importance of free trade within the democrat party, lower tariffs on imports result in lower prices for consumers, increased exports and a stronger economy.
Clinton signed North Atlantic Free trade agreement .
Republicans -
- Nation state, Protectionism policy to protect US interests.
- Presidents Trumps ‘America first’ policy is a example of this, for example placing a number of tariffs on Chinese goods.
- They have used such policies in order to blunt globalisation and protect US jobs. In 2016 this was a central part of trumps election pledge.
Republicans v Democrats - Healthcare policy
Democrats -
- Generally support state intervention and reform in healthcare, attempting to remove Americas Private healthcare system.
- They did this through the ACA, including a ‘individual mandate’ for health insurance and requiring a certain standard of health coverage from insurance companies, and banning them from preventing anyone recieiving health insurance. All but 34 HoR and 4 democrats voted for the affordable care act.
Republicans -
- Strongly opposed ‘obamacare’, multiple attempts to overturn it, ‘trumpcare’.
- No Republicans voted for the ACA.
- 48 of the 49 Republican senators currently in office voted in 2015 for repeal of several ACA provisions
- Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2017 in an effort to repeal Obamacare. (Revoked by Biden)
Democrats v Republicans - Military action and Diplomacy
Democrats -
- Generally more sceptical about taking military action abroad, and economic sanctions and diplomacy should be favoured.
- Obama said he wanted to ‘renew American diplomacy’ and in 2009 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for creating a ‘new climate’ in international relations’.
- In 2010 Obama signed the New Start treaty with Russia, reducing the number of each nations strategic missile launchers.
- Became the first president to visit Cuba in over 80 years.
- Obama negotiated the joint comprehensive plan of action in 2015 where Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of economic sanctions.
- Biden halted the Trump policy that gave military personnel more discretion to launch counter-terrorism attacks.
Republicans -
- Defence spending is vital, strong imilitary prescene around the world is essential to upholding order.
- Supportive of wars in Iraq and Afgahnistan.
- In 2012 they criticised lack of military action in Syria even after the alleged use of chemical weapons.
- Senator McCain was pleased when Trump approved a strike on Syrian Airbase in 2017 after their use of chemical weapons.
- Republicans in the senate attempted to prevent the Iran Nuclear Deal and wanted cosistent economic sanctions.
Democrats v Republicans - LGBTQ+
Democrats -
- Supportive of LGBTQ+ rights
- Obama in 2011 said ‘Every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law’
- In 2010 Obama’s administration was able to pass the repealing of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell so that LGBTQ+ Americans are able to serve in the armed forces.
- Hate Crime Prevention Act (2010) introduced by Democrat Jason Altmire gave the justice department the power to investigate and prosecute bias- motivated violence that had been motivated by the victim’s gender identity, sexual orientation, race, sex or disability.
- Obama annouced his support for same-sex marriage in 2012.
Republicans -
- Not as supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, more socialy conservative.
- Republican 2016 platform; “Our laws and government regulations should recognise marriage as the union between a Man and a woman”
- Focused on religion and traditional family values - religious rights.
- Lots of unrest among republicans over the ruling in obergefell v hodges 2015.
Democrats v Republicans - Immigration
Democrats -
- DREAM Act tried to provide certain illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship. Originally created in 2001 by Democratic representative Luis Gutiérrez. Voted down again in 2010. 55-41 down party lines.
- Obama introducing DACA and DAPA as a way to try to recover some reforms for illegal immigrants already within the United States after the DREAM Act failed.
- In favour of immigration reform, immigrants are harworking, taxpayers that conribute to the economy.
Republicans -
- More likely to see immigration as a threat to Americans, whereas Democrats do not see it as such. 78% of Republicans view immigration as a critical threat compared to 19% of Democrats.
- Trump administration attempted to recind DACA in 2017 but failed and was blocked by DHLS V Regents of the University of california.
- Trump v Hawaii
- Dapa was challanged by 26 republicans and overturned in a high court decision, SCOTUS agreed.
Democrats v Republicans - Abortion
Democrats -
- All hold a similiar stance of prochoice regarding abortion
- They oppose any attempts to weaken access to it.
- The 2016 position of the democrats was “every woman should have access to quality reproductive healthcare services” – showing unity over the issue.
- In support of Roe v Wade 2022
Republicans -
- Less pro abortion and more pro life, with family values and neo-conservative religious right to life being the focus.
- The 2016 republican position was that an unborn child has “a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed”
- President Donald trump was the first sitting president to attend an anti-abortion rally in January 2020
- In 1984, President Ronald Regan instigated the Mexico City policy in which non-government organisations received US global health assistance if they agreed to not provide abortion services, discuss options or advocate for pro-choice – this was reinstated by George w. Bush and Trump – showing a degree of consistency between Republican administrations on this issue.
Democrats v Republicans - Gun rights
Democrats -
- Obama attempted to place heavier gun restrictions following the Sandy Hook Shooting in 2012, they were defeated by republicans in the senate.
- 2022 Safer Communities Act: first gun control bill passed in decades (passed 65-33 in Senate)
Republicans -
- Agreements that even very minor restrictions on gun control is a violation of the 2nd amendment.
- 2013 bill that introduced universal background checks on those purchasing a weapon was defeated in the senate by republicans.
Disagreements within the DEMOCRATS on the economy
- Progressive faction favour greater state intervention , Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez argued for universal state sponsored health care, free college education and more afforable housing.
- Progressives feel like state has to be more radical in remodeling the economy to make for a fairer society – criticize middle ground approach and diluting of liberal policies, they believed that the stimulus in the American recovery and reinvestment Act was not large enough.
- More fiscal conservative Blue dog conservatives were reluctant to invest more and 11 actually voted against the bill.
- Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders (Moderate and Progressive) advocated policies to increase the deficit, Clinton by just over 700 billion and Sander by over 18 trillion.
Disagreements within the republicans on the economy
- Fiscal conservatives emerged out of the Tea Party movement, pressured congressional leaders in 2013 to reject all increased in the dept cieling and approprations bills.
- This caused a government shutdown due to a standoff between democrats and fiscal conservative republicans who attempted to force spending cuts.
- The standoff ended when more moderate republicans conceded and supported a continued resolution funding the government and suspending the debt cieling.
Disagreements between the DEMOCRATS over Healthcare policy
- The most left-wing progressive faction of democrats favoured a ‘universal healthcare system’ much like the NHS.
- Blue dogs did not support the pubic option of the affordable care act and this led to the Obama admistration being forced to drop this provision, making the bill les radical then he would have wanted.
- Blue dog ‘Conservatives’ criticed these plans.
- The parties 2016 presidential primary showed these different views, Sanders the more progressive democrat wanted to introduce universal healthcare, and moderate Clinton believed it was finacially unachievable and pledged support for the ACA and making health care afforable for all.
Disagreements between the REPUBLICANS over Healthcare policy
- Tea party republicans or fiscal conservatives worry about the growing size role and cost of the federal government and want to curb health spending.
- The American Health Care act was a way of reversing the measures of Obamacare with provisons such as scrapping the individual mandate.
- The bill was so devisive amongst republicans that the leader of the house didnt even put it up for vote.
- Moderate Republicans such as Susan Collins argued that it went to far.
- The Freedom Caucus, a fiscal conservative faction, claimed the bill hadnt gone far enough and many of the provisions in Obamacare remained.
Disagreements between the DEMOCRATS over military action anf foreign policy
- Progressive democrats tend to critice military intervention, Sanders criticised an overly broad application of AUMF, opposed Obama’s 2015 request for a new authorisation for a military campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
- Biden (moderate) - 5% increase in defence budget for 2023 (more pro foreign military intervention than progressives).
- Obama: US military forces were at war for all 8 years of his term. Airstrikes or military action in at least 7 countries, decreased military personnel abroad (150,000-14,000) but increased elite commando units, tech, drones and cyber weapons
