Parties Flashcards

1
Q

How is the term liberal used in America?

A

In America it refers to modern/social liberalism - welfare state and mixed economy

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2
Q

What policies do American liberals tend to support?

A

Big government, higher taxes to fund government spending.

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3
Q

What policies do American conservatives tend to support?

A

Small government, low taxes, limited regulation, limited welfare state, traditional values, anti abortion.

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4
Q

Why have the 2 parties been described a “big tent” parties?

A

Because they seek to attract voters with a wide range of political views. May have multiple factions and ideologies within the party

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5
Q

What quote did nelson W Polsby say about the US party system?

A

“Variations in the 50 polices cultures of the states wild considerable differences overall on what it means to be, or to vote, democratic or republican.”

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6
Q

What did George Bush do to taxes in 2001?

A

Reduced income tax brackets by 3-5%

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7
Q

What was Bush’s act called that increased funding for schools?

A

No child left behind act 2001

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8
Q

What was Bushes act called to do with Medicare and when?

A

Medicare modernisation act 2003 - expanded health coverage for the elderly.

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9
Q

What was Bushes act called in the response to the financial crisis?

A

Emergency economic stabilisation act 2008

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10
Q

What does TARP stand for? And what was it?

A

Troubled assets recovery program. Authorised the treasury to buy $700bn buying bad debts from struggling banks.

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11
Q

Between 2003-2004 how much was given in grants to religious charities?

A

$2bn

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12
Q

What and when was Bush’s act about abortion called?

A

Partial birth abortion ban act 2003

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13
Q

What was Bush’s first bill he vetoed?

A

Stem cell enhancement act 2006

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14
Q

What are congressional members organisations (CMOs)?

A

Groups that members of congress can join to pursue common legislation even goals.

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15
Q

What does RINO stand for?

A

Republican In Name Only

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16
Q

What policies do RINO’s support?

A

Fiscal conservatives but also socially moderate.

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17
Q

When did Olympia snow retire?

A

2013

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18
Q

Why did Olympia snow retire?

A

Because of the frustration by the partisanship in congress.

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19
Q

What does the republican study committee support?

A

It is dedicated to a limited and constitutional role for the federal government, strong national defence, the protection of individual and property rights.

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20
Q

What percentage of men voted a republican candidate in 2016?

A

52%

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21
Q

What percentage of women voted republican in 2016?

A

41%

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22
Q

What is the debt ceiling?

A

It is the debt limit that has been set by congress, the maximum amount that the county can borrow in order to pay its bills.

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23
Q

Since 1960 how many times has congress raised the debt ceiling?

A

78 times

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24
Q

How many times have republicans and democrats raised the debt ceiling?

A

Republicans - 49 times

Democrats - 29 times

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25
Q

Why did the government shutdown in 2013?

A

Congress failed to pass a continuing resolution to continue funding federal government after conservative republicans in the house included a provision to defund “Obama care”

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26
Q

What act ended the government shut down? What did it do?

A

Continuing appropriations act - raised the debt ceiling

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27
Q

On what sorts of issues have libertarian republicans in the liberty caucus worked with democrats?

A

They place huge emphasis on personal liberty and minimal governemnt - they are fiscally very conservative. They have often supported the democrats on social issues such as the repeal of the defence of marriage act

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28
Q

What did the progressive caucus influence?

A

The new deal in the 1930

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29
Q

What did the patient protection and affordable care act do?

A

It expanded Medicare coverage to million’s

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30
Q

What was the “public option” for health care?

A

The creation of a government health insurance agency that could compete with private insurers.

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31
Q

What did Elizebeth warren champion the creation of ?

A

Elizabeth Warren championed the creation of a new consumer finance protection bureau.

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32
Q

Why was he Dodd frank act supported?

A

Because of the 2008 financial crisis, democrats said the banks acted recklessly

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33
Q

Between 1992 and 2016 what % of the popular vote did democrats and republicans have combined?

A

More than 80% on every occasion and 4 out of 7 elections combined vote exceeded 95%

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34
Q

Following the 2016 elections how many members of the senate weren’t members of the democrats and republicans?

A

2 - Bernie sanders and Angus King

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35
Q

Since 1853 how many presidents have been members of the two main parties?

A

All of them - 42

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36
Q

What are the reasons for a two party system?

A
  • Electoral system
  • Broad party ideologies
  • primary elections
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37
Q

Why are primary elections a good reason for a two party system?

A

Primary elections helps to make the major parties more responsive to the electorate, minimising the need for protest votes.

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38
Q

What are the arguments saying that the US does have a two party system?

A
  • all presidents since 1853 have been either democrat or republicans
  • democrats and republicans combined regularly win over 95% of the vote in presidential election
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39
Q

In 2017 how many members of the House of Representatives were members of the main two parties?

A

All 435 of them

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40
Q

What is a two party system?

A

Where two major parties regularly win the vast majority of votes, capture nearly all seats in the legislature and alternately control the executive

41
Q

What are the arguments arguing that the USA does NOT have a two party system?

A
  • individual state parties being autonomous and ideologically varied
  • some sates are virtually one party states
  • third parties have played a significant role in some elections
  • many voters join movements like the TEA party
  • manny Americans are independents
42
Q

What is work fare?

A

Is where the recipients have to search for work before receiving the benefits.

43
Q

How did New Democrats change welfare?

A

Clinton said work fare would “break the cycle of dependency that has existed for millions and million of our fellow citizens, exiling them from the world of work”

44
Q

How many democrats opposed NAFTA?

A

156 democrats in the house opposed NAFTA

45
Q

In 2016 what was the gender gap for trump?

A

11 points - 52% of men and 41% of women voted for trump

46
Q

In 2016 what was the gender gap for clinton?

A

13 points - 54% of women and 41% of men

47
Q

Between 1980 and 2016 what was the least support Hispanics have given to democrats?

A

Hispanics have never gone below 83% support to the democrats

48
Q

What % of the black vote did democrats have in 2008?

A

95%

49
Q

What % of the Hispanic vote did bush have in 2004?

A

43%

50
Q

What are Reagan democrats?

A

White working class men, mostly living in northwest, who had been democratic voters but supported republican Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984

51
Q

In the rust belt states how many of them had trump won?

A

7

52
Q

How many electoral college votes that came from rust belt states had trump won?

A

86

53
Q

What % of white men voted for trump?

A

62%

54
Q

What % of men who hadn’t gone to college voted for trump and clinton?

A

71% - trump

23% - clinton

55
Q

What % of white non college women voted trump?

A

61%

56
Q

In 2000 how many of the southern states did the republicans win?

A

All of them

57
Q

Who do urban areas tend to vote for?

A

Democrats

58
Q

What % of rural areas did Trump win in 2016?

A

61%

59
Q

In Wayne county Iowa what % voted trump?

A

71%

60
Q

What % of white evangelicals voted for the republicans in 2016?

A

81%

61
Q

What % of Protestants voted for the republicans in 2016?

A

58%

62
Q

What does a two party system mean?

A

Where two major parties regularly win the vast majority of votes.

63
Q

What are the best known third parties in the US?

A
  • libertarian

- Green Party

64
Q

What was the combined vote for third parties in 2016 and 2012?

A

6% - 2016

Less than 2% - 2012

65
Q

What % of the vote did Green Party’s Nader get in 2000?

A

2.7% costing al gore the presidency

66
Q

What % of the vote did the Libertarian party receive?

A

3.27%

67
Q

What are the difficulties third parties face in attempts to win votes?

A
  • Electoral system
  • ballot access laws
  • lack of resources
  • lack of media coverage
  • co-optation-main parties can copy policies
68
Q

In 1968 how many electoral college votes to the % of votes did George Wallace get?

A

He won 45 electoral college votes to 13% of the vote

69
Q

What is the ballot access law in New York?

A

Must gain a certain number of signatures in every county of the state

70
Q

What 3 factors suggest that parties are in decline?

A
  • how candidates are selected
  • how candidates communicate with voters
  • the emergence of “movements” e.g. tea party movement.
71
Q

What theories are there to suggest party’s are renewing?

A
  • theories of decline were exaggerated
  • nationalisation of campaigns
  • increase partisanship in congress
72
Q

How many seats in the senate did the democrats have under Obama?

A

58 seats

73
Q

How many state legislature seats did the democrats have in 2009 and 2017?

A

2009 - 56%

2017 - 43%

74
Q

What % of labours donations came from trade unions in 2014?

A

85%

75
Q

What are state fundings called in the UK and US?

A

UK - short money and cranbourne money

US - Matching funds

76
Q

In 2010 what % of the vote senate elections did the Green Party win in South Carolina?

A

9.4%

77
Q

What candidate lost Gore the presidency?

A

Nader from 2000

78
Q

What % of the vote did Green Party candidate Nader win? In 1996

A

2.7%

79
Q

What % of the vote did the Libertarian party win in the senate elections in 2010 Indiana?

A

5.4%

80
Q

What percentage of the vote was registered to Ross Perot in 1992 and how many electoral college votes did he get?

A

19% - no electoral college votes

81
Q

What policy did the republicans steal from Ross Perot?

A

The federal budget deficit

82
Q

What type of electoral system does the US use?

A

FPTP winner takes all

83
Q

What are the arguments for state funding for political parties?

A
  • end parties dependence on wealthy donors
  • enable parties to better perform at their important functions e.g. representing people
  • fill the gap created by the decline in party membership
  • level the playing field
84
Q

What are the arguments against state funding of parties?

A
  • it would reinforce the financial advantage of the two major parties, especially under FPTP?
  • increase the disconnect between parties and ordinary voters
  • political bias
  • move parties away from people and more towards an apparatus of the state
  • allows parties to have an income without the need to pursue policies more in tune with the needs and wishes of voters
85
Q

In 1955 UK what % of the vote did labour and conservatives gain?

A

96%

86
Q

What was the combined vote for labour and conservatives?

A

67%

87
Q

What are the reasons for a decline in the major parties votes?

A

Rise of nationalist parties

88
Q

How many parties were there in parliament in 2015 compared to 1955?

A

11 in 2015

4 in 1955

89
Q

What are the aims for party factions?

A
  • accentuate certain policies
  • focus on a particular aspect of ideology
  • reflect geographic, ethnic or religious groups within the party
  • wider voter appeal
  • offer diversity within a party that stresses unity
  • challenge party establishment
90
Q

In 1992 what divided the Republican Party?

A

The paleo conservatives of the party that were more socially conservative than bush such as Pat Buchanan

91
Q

What divided the democrats in 2016?

A

Clinton and leftist Bernie sanders

92
Q

What factions are there in the labour and conservative parties?

A

Conservatives - corner stone, one nation, Thatcherite, bright blue
Labour - new labour, momentum, compass and blue labour

93
Q

What is an effect of factions on elections?

A

If factions are destructive and the party as a whole appears disunited then this may have a negative impact on voting intentions of that party

94
Q

What is an effect of factions on party membership and principles? And an example from the US.

A

The existence of factions keep people within the party who other wise might leave the party. Blue dog faction within the democrats kept conservatives within the party.

95
Q

What are the policy differences between the two main parties in the US and UK?

A

The British Labour Party has always been a truly socialist party, the democratic has never been a socialist party, the Conservative party came out of the British aristocracy, however the republicans were born out of the civil war

96
Q

What is a pressure group?

A

An organised interest group in which members hold similar beliefs and actively pursue ways to influence the government

97
Q

What was the % share of the votes in house elections to third parties in 2016?

A

2.9%

98
Q

What was the % of the vote in the presidential elections to third parties in 2016?

A

6.1%