US Political Parties Flashcards
What do Democrats believe about the role of government?
Large government with extensive welfare programmes
What do Democrats believe about taxation?
High taxes on the wealthiest are necessary to fund social welfare programmes
Examples of a Democratic immigration policy
DREAM Act introduced by Obama would allow illegal immigrants to apply to become citizens
What do Republicans believe about the role of government?
Limited government to allow individual Americans to work for themselves
What do Republicans believe about taxation?
Lower taxes, instead believing in trickle-down economics
Organisation of US political parties
- Lack of clear leader
- Federal structure
- Pressure groups have significant roles in parties
Why do US political parties not have a clear leader?
Due to the separation of powers
Who is leader of the Democrats in the Senate?
Chuck Schumer
Who is leader of the Republicans in the Senate?
Mitch McConnell
Who is leader of the Democrats in the House?
Hakeem Jeffries
Who is leader of the Republicans in the House?
Kevin McCarthy
How do parties have a federal structure?
Each party has its own party in each state (e.g. California Democratic Party). These state parties often have different ideologies to each other.
What role do state parties play?
Organising primaries
What are the two national party organisations?
- Republican National Committee (RNC)
- Democratic National Committee (DNC)
Roles of national party organisations
- Organise national convention
- Formally nominate presidential candidate
- Draw up party’s national platform
What are the four ‘Hill Committees’?
Democratic:
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC)
Republican:
- National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)
- National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
Role of the four Hill committees
- Coordinate electoral campaigns
- Run ads (particularly attacking opponents)
Example of a group closely associated with the Democrats
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Membership: 50,000
Campaign to help progressive Democrats win seats
Examples of candidates the DSA has endorsed
- Rashida Tliab
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Example of a group closely associated with the Republicans
the Tea Party Movement
What is factionalism?
Different groups within the same party competing for power and influence
Main 4 ways parties have changed in the last 50 years
- Geography
- Ideology
- Demographics
- Cohesiveness
What geographical regions do each party currently hold
Democrats: East and West coasts
Republicans: The south
When was the last time a president won the South?
Jimmy Carter, 1976
When did the Republicans last win in California?
George HW Bush, 1988
How have the parties ideologically shifted?
Republicans become more conservative
Democrats become more liberal
What was the ‘Southern Strategy’?
In the 70s and 80s, Republican candidates deliberately targeted disillusioned white southerners who were ‘left behind’ following the expansion of Civil Rights
Examples of southern conservative Democrats who switched party in the late 1960s
- Jesse Helms
- Strom Thurmond
What characteristics would a typical Republican voter have?
White, rural, Church-going, less educated
What characteristics would a typical Democrat voter have?
Urban, diverse backgrounds, less religious, higher educated
How has the cohesiveness of parties changed over time?
- Less bipartisanship
- Increased internal party unity
How did parties vote on the 1965 Civil Rights Act in the Senate?
81% Republicans and 69% Democrats backed - introduced by a Democratic president, shows parties used to often work together
How many Republicans voted to impeach Trump in 2019?
0
Are the US parties united? - YES
- Congressmen nearly always vote with their party
- Parties are ideologically cohesive
- Congressmen rarely speak out against their party
Are the US parties united? - NO
- Bipartisan votes can occur
- Party rebellions can occur
- Separation of powers allows Congress to be independent from President
In 2018, what percentage of Congressmen voted with their party on average?
Republicans - 91%
Democrats - 89%
Example of a recent bipartisan bill
CARES Act (Covid response)
How many Republicans voted to impeach Trump in 2021?
Ten (in the house)
What is pork barrelling?
When elected officials use their influence to ensure their district receives extra funding to help their re-election chances
3 Democrat factions
- Blue Dog coalition
- New Democrat coalition
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
3 Republican factions
- Tuesday Group
- Republican Study Committee
- Freedom Caucus
Ideology of Blue Dog coalition
‘Fiscal responsibility’, neutral on social issues, willing to find common cause with Republicans
Examples of Blue Dog members
- Stephanie Murphy
- Lou Correa
Ideology of New Democrat coalition
Centre-left
How many members are there in the New Democrat coalition?
104 in 2020
Example of a member of both the New Democrat coalition and Blue Dog coalition
Henry Cuellar
How many members are in the Congressional Progressive caucus?
98 in 2020
Ideology of Congressional Progressive caucus
Progressive left
Ideology of the Tuesday Group
Moderate/centrist Republicans, willing to compromise with Democrats
How many House members does the Tuesday Group have?
15
Ideology of the Republican Study committee
Limited government, high defence spending, traditional values
How many Republicans are in the Republican Study committee?
147 (3/4 of all House Republicans)
Ideology of the Freedom Caucus
Far right social conservatism, small government
Who chairs the Freedom Caucus?
Scott Perry
What is party decline?
Argument that parties have become weaker over time
What is party renewal?
Argument that parties have grown in relevance and importance in recent years
Arguments that parties are in decline
- Growth of primaries (parties have less control over candidates)
- Campaigns focus on individuals over parties
- Split ticket voting is still common
Arguments that parties are in renewal
- Candidates’ ideologies usually closely align with their party
- Few independents elected
- Split ticket voting has significantly decreased
What was the only state in 2020 which split its Senate and presidential vote?
Maine
What are some weaknesses of American parties?
- Power is dispersed and messaging from different branches of a party can be contrasting
- Pressure groups and PACs are extremely influential
- Primaries give the party little power over their candidates
Who are the two independent senators?
- Angus King
- Bernie Sanders
Both caucus with the Democrats
When was the last time a third party/independent candidate won any votes in the Electoral College?
1968
In 2020 what percentage of people voted for the two main parties?
98%
Arguments that third parties are significant in the US
- Can ‘spoil’ election outcomes
- Independents can be elected to Congress
- Their policies can be adopted by major parties
Arguments that third parties are insignificant in the US
- They rarely make an impact on the final outcome of presidential elections
- FPTP is the electoral system in most of the US
- Lack media coverage and rarely invited to participate in televised debates
How did the Libertarian party impact the 2020 election?
Their candidate gained more votes in some states than Biden’s margin of victory
Example: In Georgia, the party received 62,000 votes whereas Biden only won by 8,000
Similarities of UK and US two party system
- Large ‘big tent’ parties with a range of ideologies
- Contrasting left-wing and right-wing parties
- Both benefit from the electoral system in place
Differences between UK and US two party system
- Conservatives are much more socially progressive than Republicans
- Party unity is generally lower in the US
- The UK has many parties in its legislature
Cultural comparison of third parties
- UK third parties have much stronger histories (e.g. Liberal Party prominent in 19th century)
- UK has prominent nationalist parties due to devolved nature
- Both countries struggle to take third parties seriously
Structural comparison of third parties
- FPTP limits third party chances
- US has much stricter requirements to get on the ballot making it harder for third parties
- Harder for third parties to get on televised debates in US
What year were the Libertarians founded?
1971
Requirements to get on the ballot in the US compared to UK
In US (Oklahoma):
- $35,000 upfront cost
In UK
- £500 refundable deposit
- 10 signatures
