Political Parties - Saunders

Question 1

Key differences between republican and democrats

Answer 1

Democrats tend to be more progressive on social and moral issues as well as issues relating to law and order - they favour greater govt intervention both in the economy of social welfare issues such as education and healthcare
Republicans tend to focus more on individualism with govt playing a limited role in the economy as well as in social and moral issues

Question 2

Geography of the parties

Answer 2

South = reliably republican
East and west = democrat
1976 was the last time the democrats won the south - bill Clinton only won a few states in the south in 1992/6 (him and his VP are southern)
Republicans have collapsed on the west coast and north east
Democrats last won Texas in 1976 - republicans in California 1988

Question 3

Demographics

Answer 3

Reps more likely to be white live in rural small towns and attend church regularly. Less likely to be educated to degree level +
Dems more likely in urban areas and from diverse backgrounds and culture and less likely to be religious and formal education
Dems portray reps as racist bigots and hostile to women’s rights
Reps portray dems as unpatriotic solcialist liberal and enemies of faith and who want to remove guns

Question 4

Cohesiveness

Answer 4

The party’s are far more united (not completely) in how they vote
Far less bipartisanship and major policies such as Obama care and trumps tax cuts were passed with little support from opposing party
By contrast when Johnson passed civil rights act and voting rights act he relied on republicans votes to pass it through
CRA more popular in senate with republicans 81% compared to 69% dems - such reliance on opposition party votes in congress is pretty much unthinkable in 21st century us politics
Impeachment - offers more examples of how parties have become more cohesive
(1974 the house began impeachment proceedings for Nixon were 17 reps on the house of judiciary committee broke party ranks and voted with dems to impeach him
However with trump in 2019 not one of the 195 reps sided with the dems

Question 5

Political values of the democrats

Answer 5

Church and state should be separate
Support judges who have a modern interpretation of the constitution
The USA should work internationally and cooperate with global projects e.g climate change
America needs a green new deal
Large govt programmes are needed to lift the poorest Americans out of poverty

Question 6

Economic values of democrats

Answer 6

Higher taxes on the wealthy to help fund govt programs

Question 7

Social values of democrats

Answer 7

Expansion of affordable healthcare - some like Bernie sanders would argue for universal healthcare others would prefer Obama care type policy
Civil rights should be expanded for lgbtq Americans
Generally pro choice
Increase gun control
Celebrate diversity
Humane policy on immigration- however Biden has recently introduced an executive order which is due to remove migrants quickly without processing their asylum requests
Increased police reform

Question 8

Political values of republicans

Answer 8

The second amendment should be upheld in principle and practice this is strongly linked to the fact the NRA are major investors
Reps support judges who have a more originalist view on the constitution
Growing dissatisfaction with global institutions such as UN and WHO which the us heavily subsidise but these organisations are not acting in American interests

Question 9

Economic values of republicans

Answer 9

Prefer small/limited govt involvement with the economy
Support low tax for all and believe in ‘trickle down economics’ (if people have more cash they’ll spend it which will trickle down to all Americans)

Question 10

SOCIAL VALUES OF REPUBLICANS

Answer 10

Healthcare provision should be a possible choice though most support existing Medicare laws for the elderly and younger people with certain disability’s
Civil rights have gone to fare and extensions are not necessary - measures such as affirmative action are patronising to minorities and only create more tension
Antipathy to lgbtq (they action same sex marriage because of obergefall case but do not want to see any further developments)
Pro life
Religion should play a greater role in peoples lives and support prayer in schools
Reps fear the us has become too multicultural and eroded national identity
Immigration needs to be tightly regulated

Question 11

Democrat faction - blue dog coalition

Answer 11

Support fiscal responsibility and adopts more neutral line on social issues such as gun control and gay rights
As moderate dems they are more likely to seek common cause with reps in congress
Leading members in 2020 include Stephanie Murphy and lou Correa
Many represent republicans leaning districts

Question 12

Democrats faction - new democrat coalition

Answer 12

Largest dem fraction with 104 members in 2020
Describe themself as committed to pro-economic growth pro innovation and fiscally responsible
Members come from a wide range of states and said you be centrist
There is an overlap with other factions eg Henry cellar belongs to both blue dogs and new democrats

Question 13

Democrat faction - congressional progressive caucus

Answer 13

Most liberal and progressive faction with 98 member in 2020
Policy stances largely align with pressure group justice democrats, promoting economic justice and security for all and advancing environmental protection
Bernie sanders in the groups most notable member - its members are typically from solid blue districts

Question 14

Republican faction - Tuesday group

Answer 14

Moderate republicans who support a pragmatic approach to govt and committed to solution oriented approach similar to blue dogs
Keen to find bipartisanship
In 2020 there were only 15 members including John katko and Elsie stefanik
Members often represent swing districts

Question 15

Republican party faction - republican study committee

Answer 15

Promote limited govt, high defence spending, preserving traditional value and the 2nd amendment
147 members in 2020 and led by mike Johnson

Question 16

Republicans faction - freedom caucus

Answer 16

Most right wing republican group was created in 2013, shares members with RSC
Blends a mixture of social conservatism in areas such as abortion and lgbtq with a passion for small govt and libertarianism
Roughly 30 members - chaired by bob good
Andy Biggs is another member who and was one of the two reps who voted against 8.3b emergancy covid 19 fund which included vaccination funds
Represent solid red districts

Question 17

What are political factions

Answer 17

Us parties are not one united front as it may appear on the surface within the parties there are factions formally known as caucus’s with a range of political beliefs

Question 18

Explain and analyse 3 key values of the democrat party - 9 marks

Answer 18

Political- large govt programmes are needed to lift the poorest Americans out of poverty e.g climate change

Economic- higher taxes on the wealthy to help fund govt programmes e.g Obama care (more for the working class)

Social- generally pro choice on abortion e.g Biden state of union address he threaten to veto any legislation bannning legalisation of abortion

Question 19

Explain and analyse three policy differences between republican and democrat - 9 marks

Answer 19

Social - reps there is strong antipathy to much of LGBTQ agenda (they action same same marriage due to the obergfell case but do not want to see anymore developmetns whereas dems say civil rights should be expanded for LGBTQ Americans e.g stone wall

Social- reps=pro life e.g. trying to pass legislation to prohibit late term/partial birth abortion whereas dems=pro choice e.g Biden SOUA

Political- reps say 2nd amendment should be upheld e.g NRA fund every democrat member whereas dems want to increase gun control but keep falling due to NRA
Analysis- hard to change due to being codified

Question 20

Examples of party unity

Answer 20

-many political commentators have referred to trumps effective takeover of Republican Party despite starting off as an outsider - very few republican legislators showed much enthusiasm for openly criticising the president despite trump being an unpredictable and controversial figure

• There is growing emphasis on a unified party platform. Arguably this was first seen with the Republicans in 1994 ‘ccontract with America but the trend has continued since then. For the 2018 midterms, the Democrats campaigned under the ‘better deal’ programme which focused on better jobs better wages better future
• In terms of policy both parties are increasingly cohesive on controversial policy issues such as abortion and gun control it is increasingly difficult for example to find pro-life Democrats or pro-choice Republicans
• Many key congressional votes reflect high levels of party unity in 2018 in the house, Republicans stuck with their party an average of 91% of the time and Democrats 89%
• The trend towards growing party unity votes in Congress is relentless and consistent far fewer legislators break with their party compared with previous decades. Trump’s victory in 2016 intensified this partisan divided.
• There are policy areas such as financial regulation of Wall Street on lowering prescription charges where there is common ground. The same is sometimes true of criminal justice issues even if the motives might differ. Republicans want to cut gaol numbers to save money whereas Democrats because they favour More emphasis on rehabilitation.

Question 21

Examples of no party unity

Answer 21

• The congressional quarterly on your vote study for 20/18 showed that in the Senate the total number of party unity votes defined as those with each party’s majority on opposing sides fell from 69% in 2017 to just under 50% in 2018 the second lowest figure since 2002
• Some of Trump’s less conventional policies have led to unease in some republican quarters this includes areas such as foreign policy and US commitment to NATO and the introduction of tariffs
• • bipartisan votes and party rebellions still occur in February 2020 the Senate passed a resolution to limit trump’s power to order military action against Iran without first seeking congresses permission. 8 Republicans joined Democrats senators to pass the measure in March 2020 the house passed a bipartisan bill (cares act) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic 10 House Republicans voted to impeach trump in January 2021
• There is no real compulsion for a party’s candidates to subscribe to the party’s entire policy platform. As candidates secure their candidate nominations by campaigning and winning their own primary races they can afford to be selective in their campaign pledges.

Question 22

What is the role of the national committee

Answer 22

Raise money, hire staff, coordinate election strategy for their party’s candidates for local, state and national office

Question 23

What is the composition of the RNC

Answer 23

Chair of each state rep party, 2 committee members from each state party - 1man/1woman

Question 24

Composition of DNC

Answer 24

Chair and vice chair of each of the state dem party’s + 200 elected members

Question 25

Explain and analyse 3 theory’s of party decline - 9 marks

Answer 25

1- Candidate selection- the parties have lost control over presidential candidate selection whereas until the late 1960s candidates were largely selected by party bosses in smoke filled rooms and and now widely chosen by ordinary voters in presidential primaries

2- Communication with voters- the communication rule has been cut out because politicians communicate their message largely through TV while voters speak back to the politicians through opinion polls

3- Emergence of ‘movements’- Americans seem to influence the parties more from without- this means people are more prone to join a movement than a political party which is sought to exert political influence on the party’s retrospectively

Question 26

Three theories of party renewal

Answer 26

1- theories of party decline were exaggerated - both parties died (reps after watergate and dems after the shift left in the 60’s) but they resurrected and have controlled White House through all 21st century

2- nationalisation of campaigns - reps campaigned around a 10 point policy programme called contract with America (promised under a rep-ruled congress votes would be held in first 100 days on 10 policy issues of reps interest

3- increased partisanship is congress - if party’s bio longer matter why should their memebrs disagree?

Question 27

Significance of 3rd parties

Answer 27

In certain close elections third parties can act as spoilers the most prominent example was the presidential election of 2000 when Bush/Gore race came down to Florida the Green Party candidate Ralph Nader secured more votes than Bush’s winning margin

Congressional elections can occasionally be influenced by the presence of a 3rd candidate this was true in 2018 for Maine second district where the republican winner in the first round failed to win the seat when the illuminated independent second preference votes were redistributed

When third parties/ independents have policies that prove attractive to voters these are often Co opted by one or both main parties e.g the green new deal found favour with many progressive Democrats in the 2018 and 2020 elections

Question 28

Non significant factors of 3rd parties

Answer 28

In most presidential elections 3rd party and independent candidates failed to make any impact on the final outcome this was the case in 2012 and 2016

Maine is the only state currently using anything over than FPTP for congressional elections the prevalence of FPTP is a major reason for two party dominance

Third parties and independence like a high profile media presence and are rarely able to participate in televised debates they are often labelled extremist and have very few opportunities to rebuke those allegations

Question 29

Evidence us parties are in decline

Answer 29

The growth of primaries has rendered the candidate selection role of the parties largely redundant this simply reinforces a sense of party weakness and intra party divisions

Many US voters have traditionally split their tickets suggesting that parties have less important than individual candidates several states in 2020 voted for candidates from different parties in governor and Senate races EG New Hampshire re elected its incumbent Democrat senator and it’s incumbent republican governor

Parties play a small role in political communicatioNs most rallies and ads are created by the candidate

Parties remain broad under often comprised of conflicting outlooks and parties e.g the Democrats and its approach to immigration

Question 30

Evidence of us party renewal

Answer 30

Primaries reinforce the party brand as nearly all aspiring candidates choose to align themselves with one of two parties when primaries are concluded the parties usually support the winner

The hill committees and other associated groups run adverts direct donor funding and seek to promote candidates especially those seen as strong and who were fighting close races

Polarisation and hyper partisanship has meant that the parties have distinct values that voters can identify with

Split ticket voting has seen a decline in recent years in 2016 every state holding a Senate election also voted for a presidential candidate from the same party

Nearly all candidates will reiterate values held by their respective parties

Question 31

Difficulties faced by 3rd parties

Answer 31

• electoral system
• ballot access laws
• lack of resources
• lack of media coverage
• co-optation (adapting)

Question 32

How is the usa still a two party system while the uk is arguably moving toward a multi party system
- culture

Answer 32

UK third parties have far deeper historical roots than its US counterparts E.g Lib Dems origin but to the beginning of modern parliamentary govt and were one of the two dominant parties until early decades of the 21st century whereas US third parties are far more recent e.g greens 1980s - they rise then quickly disappear (George Wallace and the American independent party)

Regional and cultural diversity have different effects in each country there is more cultural ethnic and regional diversity in the US the US is larger and consists of two national parties with distinct regional characteristics

Question 33

How the usa is still a 2 party system while the uk is arguably moving towards a multi party system
- structural

Answer 33

Both use FPTP

laws concerning bullet access often make it hard for the third parties to even get on the ballot – The US require extreme numbers of signatures or a filling fee ($35,000 for Oklahoma in 2020) Whereas the requirements for the UK a far lower/ simpler (£500 deposit)

Smaller obstacles also do not get enough TV coverage

Question 34

USA = two party whereas uk is moving towards a multi party system - rational

Answer 34

In the US independence logically choose to run for either republican or Democrat E.g trump whereas in the UK it’s more common for candidates to seek election for parties other than labour and conservatives

Both systems make it rational to vote for the two main parties in order to not waste one’s vote – tactical voting

Question 35

Caucus

Answer 35

Political meeting of party members
The choice of delegates tended to be dominated by the state party bosses
In 2010, Oregon was the first state to establish a presidential preference primary election

Question 36

Primaries

Answer 36

Elections run by state and local govt to select candidates for an upcoming election
Presidential primaries are funded by the state and run under state law

Question 37

Republican voting

Answer 37

Voters cast a secret bullet to indicate preferred choice results reported to media

Voters can leave or stay to vote on other businesses E.g electing delegates to county convention

For 2016 the Republican Party had a new rule binding national delegates to the result of the initial statewide presidential preference vote

Question 38

Democrats voting

Answer 38

Can vote with their feet- they gather in preference groups in separate parts of the room

Any candidate with less than 15% of votes is illuminated- their supporters can move and join other groups

When all candidates are viable final numbers are tallied and delegates are proportionately chosen to represent the votes at county convention

Question 39

What is party crashing

Answer 39

Supporters of one party vote in a rivals p/c in order to support a controversial or divisive candidate that is easy to defeat

Question 40

How was delegate’s rewarded

Answer 40

Democrats = proportional
They need 15% to proportionally allocate
Depending on the state, delegates can be awarded based on statewide vote and/or the result in each Congressional District.

Republicans = proportional/ winner takes all/ hybrid
States have freedom to choose
In 2016 any states holding P/c’s before March 15th needed to be proportional

Question 41

Invisible primary

Answer 41

Invisible primary (when candidates announce their candidacy to voting at primary election)

Primaries and caucuses - feb-June

National party conventions - July

General election campaigns - July-November

Election day - November

Question 42

How to win the invisible primary

Answer 42

Endorsements - Clinton secured nearly all democrat endorsements
Democrats doe Iowa caucus - governor = 10pts senators = 5pts representatives = 1pts

Fundraising - vital for hiring campaign staff, opening offices and tv/ads

Polls/name recognition - tv debates e.g rep Rick Perry vowed to close 3 govt agencies if elected but could not remember the 3rd agency - went viral

Question 43

comparing two party systems - cultural

Answer 43

-historical roots - uk 3rd parties and nationalists in Scotland/wales/NI have deep historical foundations dating back to 19th century whereas us 3rd parties such as green are recent in the 70/80s

-regional and cultural diversity - uk plaid cymru and sin fein are distinct regional identities whereas in the usa greater diversity results in two national parties with regional variations rather than proliferation of regional parties

-succession and independence - uk nationalists focus on indepdence vital goal within the context of devolved govt whereas in us succession is unthinkable due to historical unity enforced after the civil war

Question 44

comparing two party systems - structural

Answer 44

-ballot access - in us stringent laws for third party ballot access such as high signature thresholds e.g $35,000 in oaklahoma whereas in uk = £500 deposit and 10 signatures

-televised debate barriers - us 3rd parties face exclusio from presidential debates unless they meet high polling thresholds

-decentralized election systems - the fragmented and state specific nature of the us system further hinders smaller parties compared to uks more centralized and uniformed electoral requirements

Question 45

comparing two party systems - rational

Answer 45

-us two party dominance - two party system rienfroces itself as high profile candidates e.g trump run with reps not indepednet this forces candidates to align with mega party

-fragmentation of us parties -us parties often resemble loose coalitions of independents with separate doner bases, campaigns and messages - despite rising hyperpartisanship, weaker unity persists demonstrated by occasional defections e.g jeff van drew = dem to rep

-uk multi party opportunities- in uk absence of primaries encourages candidates to stand for smaller parties or as independent e.g frankfield = independent however these moves often result in electoral defeats suggesting harsh electorate realities for those outside labour/conservative

Question 46

policies that torys/reps agree on

Answer 46

-low tax for business and individuals e.g trumps tax from 35-21%
-strong armed forces e.g trumps $700b military budget and tories renewed trident
-strong nation state e.g ‘america first’/’brexit’
-small state - thatcher/reagan - roll back the frontiers and 9 words in english language

Question 47

policies that labour/dem agree on

Answer 47

-reducing economic gap - labour tax the wealthiest and bernie no one should be a billionaire
-better public service e.g nhs/obamacare
-international cooperation - pro eu and obama rejected axil of evil and signed the paris accords
-multiculturalism

Question 48

differences between us/uk

Answer 48

reps are more conservative on social issues e.g guns/abortion
-reps are more anti govt whereas uk focus more on challenging international interference (cons)

-uk s more ideological e.g labour and marx and conservative burke
whereas us party labels are meaningless they both support the notion of republic and democracy

typicaaly reps = more right than cons and dems more right than labour