US Democracy and Participation Flashcards
When and what were the McGovern-Fraser reforms to US primaries
1968 - established open procedures and affirmative action guidelines for selecting delegates.
How many faithless electors have voted ever
157 (including 7 in 2016)
How much did Obama raise in 2012 for his campaign (as an incumbent)
Over $700 million
Give an example of how the primary elections process is not democratic
The DNC were found to play dirty in ensuring that Clinton was made the nominee (not Sanders)
What was significant about campaign finance in 2020
Biden - the challenge - raised more money than Trump (over $1bn).
Give an example of the spoiler effect
Green candidate Ralph Nader won 97,000 votes in Florida where Al Gore only needed 537 to win.
What are the 3 Democratic Factions
Moderates, Liberals and Conservatives
What did Clinton propose in 2016 which reveals her economic Democratic tendencies.
A rise in the top rate of income tax.
Give an example of the Democratic Party’s views on social and moral issues.
In 2016, Democratic congressman Sean Maloney proposed an amendment to legislation which suggested that if a company did not comply with Obama’s EO banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers, it would not receive federal funds.
AND the Democratic party believe that people should be able to use bathrooms of the gender that they identify with.
What was the Trans Pacific Partnership and why were Liberals opposed to it.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (a leading liberal Democrat) criticised Obama on issues including TTP, which she believed was strengthening a system rigged to favour corporations over workers.
Give an example of “blue dog” Democrat policy
In 2015, 47 House Democrats voted in favour of a Republican led measure to have additional screening of Iraqi and Syrian refugees.
Give an example of Republican social conservatism
The 2003 ban on partial-birth abortion.
Give an example of Republican opposition to larger welfare services
Paul Ryan’s 2016 poverty review which proposed a $27bn cut in food stamps over 10 years.
What are the 3 factions of the Republican Party
Social conservatives, fiscal conservatives and moderates
Which SC case struck down limits on individual campaign contributions
McCutcheon v FEC 2014
What did Thomas P. O’Neill say about the parties in the US
That the Democratic Party, if placed in another country, would resemble five distinct parties.
Give an example of how Trump has managed to takeover the Republican party
March 2024 : Donald Trump cemented his grip on the Republican National Committee after his daughter-in-law and another ally assumed top leadership posts.
(Lara Trump resigned in Dec 2024, but still…)
Why did Liz Cheney lose her congressional seat in 2022
Liz Cheney’s staunch opposition to Donald Trump’s assault on American democracy lost her seat to a challenger backed by the former president.
How much did Donald Trump spend on his own campaign in 2016
$66 million
What was Buckley v Valeo
1976 SC case which ruled that a candidate can spend as much as they would like on their own campaign (rejecting a part of the Federal Election Campaign Act 1974.
How much money was raised by the RNC in 2000 (demonstrating the significance of loopholes in the FECA)
$224 million
What are 527 organisations and give and example
Groups which are tax exempt and not regulated by the BCRA, e.g. 2020 the Lincoln project spent $67million attacking Trump and endorsing Biden.
How much money did the America First Action group spend on the Trump campaign in 2020
$200 mill
What are superdelegates and how many are there
Democratic party delegates who are seated automatically, there are 712, around 15% of the delegate population.
Who was Ross Perot
A presidential candidate in the 1992 and 1996 elections whose economic ideas were taken on by the Republicans.
Give a statistic on the overrepresentation of smaller states in the EC system
Wyoming has 1 ECV per 200k while California has 1 EVC per 700k.
What are the 3 different types of pressure groups and give examples
Policy groups (League of conservation voters), single-issue groups (NFL) and professional groups (American Medical Associations).
Give an example (and detail) of a case the ACLU was successful in
Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), the ACLU was part of the legal team who challenged the introduction of intelligent design being taught alongside Darwinism in biology.
This is a result of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment which prohibits the government from establishing or favoring any religion, ensuring a separation of church and state
Give 3 ways in which new ideas can be brought into the 2 party system
Spoiler effect, influencing policy and infiltrating (e.g. Trump 2016).
What is the rose garden strategy
A re-election strategy for the president which refers to staying inside or on the grounds of the white house.
What percentage of the 112th Congress who weren’t reelected went into lobbying roles in 2012
64%
How much did the NRA spend on the 2016 Campaign
The NRA gave 54 million in 2016 to electoral campaigns, including $30 million to the Trump
campaign.
