Political Parties Flashcards
What are 4 key values of the democrcatic party
- expansion of affordable healthcare for all
- higher taxes on the wealthiest to fund social welfare
- gun control measures need to be tightened up
- pro-choice stance on abortion
What are 4 key values of the republican party
- preference for limited government in economic decisions
- healthcare provisions should reflect personal choice and ability to pay
- second amendment should be held up in principle and in practice
- pro-life position on abortion
organisation of main parties
leadership
US parties do not have a clear leader
The Inhabitant of the whitehouse is not the formal party leader
Both parties make thier own leader in each chamber of congress
based on personality mostly
organisation of main parties
State-based parties and weak central structures
Not 2 parties but 100
state parties play an important role in organising primaries but do not tend to endorse a primary candidate
The democratic national committee and teh republican national committee are national party organisations that organise the partys national conventions
4 ‘hill committees’ such as DCCC and NRCC aim to get members of party elected to congress or capitol Hill
organisation of main parties
Give an example of leadership
in 2021 Micth Mconnell was teh republican leader for the senate and Chuck Schumer for the democrats
organisation of main parties
Give an example of how the 4 ‘hill committes’ operate
In the lead up to the 2020 senate elections the NRSC ran a billboard campaign in several states with the same format, just changing the name of the candidate
organisation of main parties
Associated groups
share characteristics with pressure groups but are more overtly party political
example: Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) - independent of official democratic party structures but has a membership of 50,000 to get progressive democrats through primaries
in 2018 it secured tow victories with Rashida Tlaib and AOC
How has political parties changed in terms of geography
democrats used to have a ‘solid south’ up until the 1960s and the republicans used to dominate the west coast
Two largest states - Democrats last won Texas in 1976 with Jimmy Carter and the republicans last won california in 1988 with George H.W Bush
How has the democratic party changed in terms of ideology
become more liberal since president Johnson signed of the civil Rights Act 1964 - has become more radically diverse, and a cheerleader for cuases such as healthcare provisions, LQBTQ+ rights and gun control measures
which led to them picking up more moderate republican voters which can be seen in pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter defeat in 2009
How has the republican party changed in terms of ideology
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After civil righst act 1964 - RepublicanS such as Goldwater and Nixon have directly targeted disillusioned white southeners
mainly advanced by Nixon, reagan and Trump
which resulted in conservative democrats switching parties such as North Carolina’s ‘strom thurmond’
Now republican party has a huge stance towards a ‘big government’ and the protection of the second amendment
