PARTIES - Republican | party factions Flashcards
MODERATE REPS
What do they believe in?
Less socially conservative than other Republican factions.
Big government.
Don’t want to repeal Obamacare.
Sympathetic to immigration.
Higher spending on education.
Smallest grouping in Congress.
Pro-business + low taxation (so by UK standards, they aren’t like our lefties)
MODERATE REPS
Examples of politicians?
Senator Susan Collins
Senator Lisa Murkowksi
MODERATE REPS
What did Collins and Murkowski do that demonstrates their moderate beliefs?
Murkowski and Collins have both defended same-sex marriage.
2020 June - Susan Collins publicly criticised Trump administration after it announced that it would abandon Obama administration protections for non-discrimination for the LGBTQ+ community under the Affordable Care Act.
MODERATE REPS
What’s happening to the Mod Reps?
As of 2021, they are a dwindling breed because the party has become more ideologically homogeneous (alike)
FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
What do they believe?
They are keen to reduce government spending
Small govt
Tax cuts
Supporters of reducing deficit
In favour of repealing Obamacare and health spending
FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
Examples of politicians?
US Rand Paul
FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
What Caucus is this faction associated with?
Freedom Caucus - appx 44 members in 2022.
Members often represent areas in the South and Midwest of America.
Strongly unified - 80% vote within the group is binding on all members.
Originated in the Tea Party Movement.
Key member - Marjorie Taylor Greene was elected into Congress in Nov 2020.
She is a far-right, white supremacist, and anti-semitic conspiracy theorist. She compared Covid restrictions with the persecution of the Jews during the Holocaust. She also supported Trump’s claim that he won the 2020 election and she filed articles of impeachment against Biden the day after his inauguration.
FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
How does the Freedom Caucus influence policy?
Under Trump, by the 2020 election, the budget saw $4.4 trillion spending cuts in Medicare, environmental protection agency, and the centre of disease control and prevention.
Trump was sympathetic to the Freedom Caucus’ beliefs on reduction of tax.
FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
Are fiscal conservatives more socially conservative too?
Fiscal conservatives such as Rand Paul are libertarian so they are more socially liberal too - he’s soft in areas like soft drugs and prison populations.
FISCAL CONSERVATIVES
What are libertarians?
These guys emphasise the idea that individual liberty is of utmost importance and that federal government is infringing on this.
They are totally open to legislation of weed and supporting gay marriage.
Hence, they are very similar to Moderate Republicans, but very different to Social conservatives.
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
What do they believe?
Supporters of traditional heterosexual marriage
Pro-life; life starts at conception
Death penalty
Robust policing
Tough sentencing
Religious
White Conservative Evangelical Christianity
Second Amendment defenders
Opposed to legislation of recreational drugs
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
Examples of politicians
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas - strong tea party support and he was victorious in the 2012 primary race because of his appeal to the tea party group and its conservative factions.
Former VP and Indiana Governor, Mike Pence
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
What caucus is affiliated with this faction?
Republican Study Committee
158 seats in the House
Largest ideological caucus of both parties as of 2022 - it’s been growing steadily.
They like strong national defence, protection for individual and property rights
Fiscally AND socially conservative
They are alarmed by the increasing national debt
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
Abortion
Rand Paul has proposed giving full personhood to embryos
PRE-CHEWED POL
Main Street Partnership - is it a RINO?
This is also known as Tuesday Group.
It is fiscally conservative but socially moderate.
These Representatives are elected in liberal states.
Their willingness to cooperate with Democratic ideas proves they are not true conservatives.
