Text Book - Political Parties Flashcards
1
Q
introduction to political parties
A
- there is a trend towards a much greater ideological polarisation of the two main parties
- there has been a resurgence in the importance, and power, of political parties within the US political system
- growing centralisation of political parties
- evidence of rising party power: soft money financing and the increasing powers of party leaders to effectively chair congressional committee chairs
- IN CONTRAST, the role and functions of political parties has been undermined by other bodies such as pressure groups
- powers of US party leaders are constrained by both the candidate-centred, regional nature of the US political system and by they relate inability to influence candidate selection due to the proliferation of party primaries since the 1970s
2
Q
New Deal Coalition
A
- support base of the Democrat Party traditionally came from the solid south
- but following the establishment of the New Deal by President F. D. Roosevelt in the 1930s , the Democratic Party widened its support base to include a number of new groups
- it appealed to blue collar workers and minority groups who benefited from the range of government-funded programmes and the protections it introduced for trade unions, increasing benefits and jobs created by the programme
3
Q
breaking the solid south
A
- 1960s saw a realignment of the party positions following the Democratic support for the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s
4
Q
recent ideological partisanship
A
- historical events have arguably produced a more polarised party system
- highly partisan nature led to a loss of a spirit to compromise
- e.g. heated negotiations between the GOP and Dems over the 2013 fiscal cliff, which would have seen budget sequestration and wide ranging tax increases, shows this lack of conciliation
- hyper pluralism led moderate republican Olympia Snowe not to stand for re-election in 2012, claiming her decision was driven by the ‘atmosphere of polarisation’ which now pervades Congress
5
Q
Conservative Republicans
A
- GOP has moved further to the right in recents years
- republican resurgence in the 1994 midterm elections, in which the GOP promoted their Contract with America which made the party more cohesive as it was a nationally agreed manifesto committing party members to vote on a series of conservative issues, such as cutting taxes and balancing the budget
- this was further entrenched by the activities of Newt Gingrich, then House speaker, to enforce a greater degree of party discipline in Congress through the actions of Party Whip Tom ‘The Hammer’ DeLay; and the implementation of conservative PACs and lobbyists in Washington
6
Q
further evidence of dominance of conservatives within the GOP
A
- Bush restricted access to federally funded abortion series and blocked attempts to introduce stem cell research in the USA
- GOP opposition to Obama’s policies: 2009 fiscal package and the 2010 Healthcare Act
- recent partisan voting the the GOP-dominated House has seen both the passage of fiscally conservative Paul Ryan Budget, which was supported by all but ten republicans, and measure to ban abortions after 22 weeks, which gained the support of all but six republicans
- further primary challenges to moderate Republicans in 2012 e.g. Tea Party backed candidates Richard Murdock who unseated six-term Republican senator Dick Lugar in Indiana, and Ted Cruz, who defeated the more moderate David Dewhurst in the Texas Senate primary
- hyper pluralism led moderate republican Olympia Snowe not to stand for re-election in 2012, claiming her decision was driven by the ‘atmosphere of polarisation’ which now pervades Congress
- in 2010 the GOP national committee ran for office on a conservative ‘Pledge to America’, requiring GOP candidates to support a ‘purity’ resolution, which required them to adhere to a conservative ideological platform, in order to secure party funding.
- In the 113th Congress 93% of House Republicans have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, laid down by the fiscally conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist which binds them ‘to oppose any and all tax increases’ q
7
Q
liberal Democrats
A
- The Democrats have adopted a more liberal agenda and policy position on many economic and social issues, such as those regarding government intervention and same-sex marriage
8
Q
evidence of dominance of liberals within the Democrat party
A
- in 2006 the Democrats wrested control of the House and Senate from the GOP with a clearly liberal 100-Hour Plan
- Democrats have supported a range of bailout, fiscal stimulus, and job creation measures, including: the 2009 economic stimulus plan, which gained the support of all but 11 House Democrats; the $85 billion taxpayer bailout for car manufacturers; and Obama’s 2011 job creation plan, which would have spent $447 billion on stimulating employment in the USA
- Democrats have consistently called for increased taxes on the wealthy in order to pay off the national deficit (debt). This has been seen by Obama’s continual calls for tax rises on individuals earning over $200,000 and his 2014 budget propels, which allied for Congress to enact legislation in which the rich would pay no less than 30% of their income in taxes
- every single Democrat senator voted for the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy in 2010 in the Democrat-controlled Congress, which prohibited openly gay persons from serving in the military
- following the recent massacres in Aurora and Newtown the Democratic Party has led the way in trying to introduce gun control measures. This has seen the passage of strict laws through the Democratic-controlled state legislature of Colorado which limit the availability of certain ammunition magazines and require strict background checks on those purchasing fire arms in the state
9
Q
party factions and bipartisanship
A
- despite increasing partisanship, both parties still have a number of core factions which serve to influence and shape the policy directions of the party in some way
- both parties include a range of factions, which compete for influence within the party
10
Q
Conservative Interest Groups
A
Heritage Foundation:
- limited government, traditional american values, strong national defence
- most influential conservative interest group in shaping US public policy
- 2013 the group warned republicans who voted in favour of bipartisan compromise on the government shutdown that they would fund primary challenges against them
- strong affiliation with the Republican Study Committee
Tea Party Express:
- founded in 2009
- protest against Obamacare
- group had successful short-term influence
- funded successful primary challenges against GOP moderates
- e.g. 2010 helped Christine O’Donnell defeat moderate Michael Castle
- influence has declined in recent years
- Tea Party candidates often have success in primaries but get defeated by Democrat opponent
- declining influence shown by Sarah Palin’s decline
11
Q
Republican Party Factions:
Republican Study Committee
A
- social conservatives
- 170 members (House of Representatives)
- referred to as ‘religious right’
- encompasses a range of christian political groups which advocate a set of deeply conservative social policies
- including opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell research
- supports right to keep and bear arms
- recently planned to balance the budget without increasing taxes
- strong on national defines and traditional family values
- success: filibustered background checks amendment with 54-46 vote in Senate
INFLUENCE:
- increasing influence is demonstrated by Senator Arlen Spector defection to the Democratic Party who said ‘Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right’. - Many members of the party have been forced to adopt a more orthodox conservative stance on theses issues in a bid to secure the party’s nomination for president, most notably Mitt Romney in 2012 and John McCain in 2008
- leading members of this faction include:
1. Former Senator Rick Santorum: supports constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and complete ban on abortions, even in cases of rape
2. Senator Tom Coburn: most conservative voting records of 112th Congress, opposes abortion, sponsors bills which limit abortion coverage and Defence of Marriage Act 1996
12
Q
Republican Party Factions:
Republican Mainstreet Partnership
A
- Moderates
- centrist, pragmatic Republican agenda
- accommodates bipartisan legislation
- have declined in recent years
- evidenced by the fact that the last two presidential candidates, despite being seen as previously moderate individuals were forced to adopt more conservative positions in order to secure the party’s nomination. In 2008, McCain’s stronger position on immigration, and his choice of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential candidate, were crucial in galvanising Republican grassroots supporters and key conservative donors to his presidential bid.
- Similarly, Mitt Romney was forced to abandon his previous commitments to ‘preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose’ and to defend his Massachusetts healthcare law, labelled ‘Romneycare’
- Moderates include:
1. Maine Senator Susan Collins supports gay rights and legalised abortions. She was one of the only eight Republican senators to vote in favour of the repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy - “last surviving moderal northeastern republican”
- influential player in the Senate
- endorsed by Human Rights Campaign
13
Q
Democratic Party factions: Liberal activists
A
- Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)
- committed to a more progressive liberal agenda
- defend rights which are threatened by conservatives
- advocate wider healthcare provision, rights for gays and lesbians, racial minorities and women, specifically abortion
- influence of liberals dates back to the success of the liberal 100-Hour Plan and the 6 for ‘06 agenda
- CPC remains the largest faction within the Democratic party with 71 members
- prominent members include:
1. Nancy Pelosi - House minority leader, who was a founding member of the CPC and key instigator of the 6 for ‘06 agenda. She has been instrumental in the passage of the 2007 Fair Minimum Wage Act, the 2009 Economic Stimulus package and the 2010 Healthcare Act
2. Barack Obama was reported as being the most liberal senator of 2007. Since being president he has made clear his support for gay marriage, overseen attempts to introduce comprehensive immigration reform which would provide a ‘pathway to citizenship’ for illegal immigrants, and has proposed a range of job stimulus programmes
14
Q
Democratic Party factions: Moderates
A
- New Democrat Coalition (NDC)
- they adopt a more pragmatic approach to policy development, which attempts to appeal to both conservative and liberals
- 51 members
- lost influence following Al Gore’s lose in the 2000 presidential election and the subsequent rise of progressives within the party
- but they still have moderating influence on the party, especially since the loss of the House in the midterms in 2010 and the subsequent need for greater compromise and bipartisanship
- prominent members include:
1. Hillary Clinton - Former secretary of state who’s positioning herself for a run at the party’s candidacy for presidency
2. Chairman of the NDC Ron King - pushed for legislation supporting moves towards bipartisan immigration reform
3. Colorado Representative Jared Polis - co-chair of the LGBT caucus. He advocates a moderate position on fiscal matters which would reduce the deficit through a package of reductions in both spending and entitlements, as well as increases in taxes
15
Q
Democratic Party factions: Conservative
A
- Blue Dog Coalition
- right wing faction
- in favour of reducing taxes and adopting a conservative approach to social policies, which respects traditional Christian values
- number grew massively following the 2006 Democrat electoral victories
- success: watered down 2010 Healthcare Act through securing withdrawal of proposals for a government public insurance option and by obtaining a commitment from Obama to introduce an executive rode banning federal funding of abortions in return for their support
- BUT many key Blue Dog members have retired including Ben Nelson of Nebraska, resulting in a lesser degree of influence
- recent commentators have suggested that they are a dying breed
- they have reduced in size from 54 in 2008 to just 14 members in the 113th Congress
- prominent members include:
1. Georgia Representative John Barrow - one of the 34 representatives who votes against the 2010 Healthcare Act and is a strong advocate for gun rights (?), having achieved an endorsement by the NRA in his 2012 Senate race. He got 83% rating from U.S. Border Control, indicating a “sealed-border stance”
2. North Carolina Representative Mike McIntyre who was rated by the American Conservative Union as one of the ‘most conservative Democrats’ in 2012. He was one of the only three Democrats to vote for Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act in 2011
16
Q
Evidence of Party Decline: Primaries
A
- less power is given to party leadership in shaping the direction of the party due to primaries
- this causes the direction of the party to be led by conservatives in the GOP and liberals in the Democrats
- this can best be seen by the Tea Party infiltration of some Republican target seats in 2010 which were eventually lost to Democrats (?)
- the blue dog democrats have also faced challenges from more liberal opponents, such as the defeat of Pennsylvanian representatives Jason Altmire and Tim Holden who were criticised by liberal activists for their opposition to healthcare reform
- furthermore, the divisive nature of primaries encourages inter-party rivalry, as seen by the battle between both Clinton and Obama and Romney and Santorum during the presidential primaries of 2008 and 2012 respectively
