US Political parties Flashcards
What are the key values, principles and policies of the Democratic party?
Large government programmes are necessary to lift the poorest out of poverty and despair
Higher taxes on the wealthy are acceptable to fund social welfare programmes (2020 tax policy)
Expansion of affordable healthcare- it is a disgrace millions remain uninsured
Civil rights for minorities should be extended, including LGBTQ+
Pro-choice
Separation between church and state
Gun-control measures
SC justices who favour a living constitution and judicial activism
Diverse multicultural and multi-religion USA
Humane and sensible reforms to the immigration system - measures such as.DACA and a DREAM Act
Reforms to policing especially after George Floyd 2020
Work with other nations to combat climate change and nuclear proliferation
Environmentalism ‘New Green Deal’
What are the key values, principles and policies of the Republican Party?
Major government programmes are wasteful and inefficient - best way to reduce poverty is to incentivise Americans to get jobs and help themselves- don’t like government intervention
Limited government involvement in economic decisions and regulations- economy does best when left alone
Want to lower taxes especially for the richest
Healthcare provisions should reflect personal choice and the ability to pay - they support the existing Medicare programme for older Americans and younger people with disabilities
Civil rights have gone far enough - oppose affirmation and are against LGBTQ+ rights - some Rep states have passed ‘bathroom bills’
Pro-life - Roe v Wade
Religion should have a place in public life
Support the 2nd amendment + ties with the NRA
SC justices favour originalism and strict constructionism + judicial restraint
Reps fear the USA has become too diverse culturally and racially - they promote patriotism
Immigration needs to be tightly regulated - Trump’s border wall
Less well disposed recently towards international organisations such as the UN, NATO and WHO - they put ‘America first’ instead of
Many Reps are sceptical of the science behind climate change
What are the 3 organisational features of US parties?
- Lack of a clear identifiable leader
- They remain largely state-based with weak central bodies
- A plethora of associated organisations and interest groups play a significant role in the parties, but are not necessarily institutionally affiliated or formally part of them
What does the lack of a party leader reflect?
The separation of powers
Who is the majority and minority leader in the House 2024?
Steve Scalise (Rep)
Hakeem Jeffries (Dem)
Who is the speaker of the House 2024?
Mike Johnson
Who is the majority and minority leaders in the Senate 2024?
Chuck Schumer (Dem)
Mitch McConnell (Rep)
Who were the Senate majority leader and minority leader in 2021?
Majority was McConnell
Minority was Schumer
Who was the speaker of the House in 2021? (resigned 2023)
Nancy Pelosi
Who was House Republican leader in 2021?
Kevin McCarthy
Does the president have control over their party?
No! Much negotiation and persuasion takes place
There is a lack of party discipline
Explains why Trump was unable to pass his own healthcare reforms during his first 100 days and following 2 years in office despite the Reps having control of both chambers
However why did legislators remain loyal to Trump for the most of the time?
Out of fear of being ‘primaried’ (when an incumbent faces a strong primary challenge from within their own party)
Republican grassroots were very supportive of Trump
Why is it said there are really 50 Democratic parties and 50 Republican parties?
Because state parties have much autonomy and independence
Give an example of how state parties have much power:
They play an important role in organising primaries and have their own structures (open or closed, for example)
BUT they have a minimal direct role in candidate selection - leading local party officials may however endorse individuals
What are the 2 core national party organisations, and what do they do?
DNC (Dem National Committee)
RNC (Rep National Committee)
They organise the national convention that formally nominates the party’s presidential candidate
Yet they are not the sole central party bodies. What are the 4 ‘Hill Committees’, and what do they do?
- DCCC
- NRCC
- DSCC
- NRSC
They aim to get members of their party elected to Congress on Capitol Hill
They coordinate campaigns and donors - helping to target seats or support incumbents
What does DCCC stand for?
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
NRCC?
National Republican Congressional Committee
DSCC?
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
NRSC?
National Republican Senatorial Committee
What are associated groups?
Loosely affiliated groups
They share many characteristics with PGs but are more overtly party political
Give an example of an associated group:
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) - while independent of official party structures it has a membership of 50,000 and works to secure the victory of progressive democrats
Successfully endorsed Alex Ocasio Cortez and Rashida Tlaib in 2018 to the House
Rep one = Tea Party movement
Give an example of a time where Mitch McConnell, the leader of the House, was the cause of someone losing a primary in 2020:
McConnell had commented that Steve King was ‘unworthy of his elected position’ after making racist comments
He lost in a safe Republican district
All these groups, committees and organisations exemplify the ‘unity…
within diversity’ model of the modern US party
What are the 3 main factions in the Demcratic party?
- Blue Dog Coalition - willing to compromise with Republicans, moderate Democrats, support ‘fiscal responsibility’ and are more neutral on social issues such as gun control and gay rights - Henry Cuellar
- New Democrat Coalition - now the 2nd largest Dem caucus with 94 members 2024 - committed to economic growth, pro-innovation and fiscally responsible policies- members come from a wide range of states - centrist - Henry Cuellar
- Congressional Progressive Caucus -
now the largest faction with 104 members - Chair is Pramila Jayapal - Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is part of it - align with the PG Justice Democrats promoting economic justice for all and advancing environmental protection - represent blue districts
What are the Justice Democrats, who did they endorse and what do they fight for?
A progressive PAC
In 2020 they endorsed 16 Democrat candidates in House races
Successful candidates were Cortez and Omar
They fight for the Green New Deal, Medicare for all, free college, ending mass incarceration and deportation, and rejecting all corporate PAC money
What are the 3 main Republican factions?
- Tuesday Group - moderate/centrist Reps - pragmatic approach to government - similar to Dem Blue Dogs want to find bipartisan approaches to issues - 15 House members
- Republican Study Committee - 147 conservative Reps is the largest caucus in the whole of the house comprising of 3/4 of House Reps - limited govt, high defence spending, preserving traditional values, defend 2nd amendment and balancing the federal budget
- Freedom caucus - most right wing, despite being termed ‘freedom’ !! - 30 members - blends social conservatism on areas such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights with a passion for small government and libertarianism - chair in 2019 Andy Biggs was one of the 2 Reps who voted AGAINST the $8.3 billion emergency COVID measure including funds for a vaccine - Rep districts
What 4 changes have parties undergone in the last 50-60 years?
- Geography
- Ideology
- Demographics
- Cohesiveness
Geography: what have been the 2 most dramatic shifts?
South went from Dem to Rep
East and West Coast went from Rep to Dem
What 2 presidential elections highlighted this change?
1976 and 2016
California used to be ___ but is now ___
Rep now Dem
Texas used to be __ but is now ___
Dem but is now Rep
When did this officially start, especially for the Democrats?
When LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act 1964 he said ‘We have lost the South for a generation’
Although the South didn’t immediately flip, Goldwater and Nixon targeted disillusioned Southerners
What was the ‘Southern strategy’ tactics used by Reps?
Driving out black Reps from state party leaderships, covert racist language, emphasis on states’ rights, tough line on law and order.
Political commentators view it as dog whistle politics (messages that appear to mean one thing for the population and another for a particular group)
Give one conservative Democrat that swapped labels and became republican:
Storm Thurmond - who filibustered the CRA 1957
Who did the Democrats pick up support from when they became more liberal, racially diverse, cheerleading gun control, pro-choice, LGBTQ rights and universal healthcare provisions?
Moderate republicans
Who said the Republican party used to be more progressive than the Demcorats?
Senator Edward Brooke
What 3 stances did the Reps take under Nixon to now under Trump?
- Strong law and order platform
- Fallout from desegregation continued - opposed ‘busing’ where schools were forced to become more racially diverse
- Growth in liberal opposition led to conservative stances on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights
Demographics: What is the support base for the Reps vs the Dems?
Reps - white evangelicals living in rural small-town America, also less likely to be educated to a degree level or above
Dems - urban, diverse backgrounds including African Americans and Hispanic, also less likely to be religious and more likely to be degree educated
What do Democratic ads portray Reps as, and vice versa?
Dems portray them as racists, bigots and hostile to women’s rights
Reps portray them as unpatriotic, subversive socialists, enemies of faith-based values and wish to take away the rights of gun owners
What is cohesiveness?
How united a party is when it comes to voting
This means there is far less…
bipartisanship - Obamacare and Trump tax cuts passed with very little support from the opposing party
How was this different with the Civil Rights Act (1964)?
LBJ relied on Reps to get the bill through
The Act was even more popular with Reps in the Senate! 81% Reps vs 69% Democrats
Impeachment has also become much more based upon ____ grounds
partisan
How united are parties today? Very united:
Many key congressional votes reflect high levels of party unity (2018 Reps stuck with their party 91% of time vs 89% of time for Dems)
Far fewer legislators break with their party compared to precious decades - Trump’s victory enhanced this divide
In terms of policy, both parties are increasingly cohesive on controversial issues such as abortion and gun rights
Many political commentators have referred to Trump’s effective takeover of the Republican party despite starting as an outsider - many were unwilling to criticise Trump
There is a growing emphasis on a unified party platform - 2018 Democrats campaigned under the ‘Better Deal’ programme which focused on ‘better jobs, better wages and a better future’
How united are US parties today? Very divided:
Bipartisan votes and party rebellions still occur - March 2020 CARES Act was passed with bipartisan support, and 10 House Reps voted to impeach Trump in 2021, as well as 7 senators
Senate party unity votes fell from 69% in 2017 to under 50% in 2018
There are policy areas, such as financial regulation of Wall Street and lowering prescription charges, where there is common ground - CJS Reps want to cut jail numbers to save money while Dems the same because they emphasise rehabilitation (parties are internally divided but united with the other main party)
Some of Trump’s less conventional policies have led to unease in some Rep quarters - e.g. Trump wanting to cut ties with NATO and WHO
There is no real compulsion for a party’s candidate to subscribe to the party’s entire platform - can be selective in their campaign pledges
When are party’s at their most united?
When seeking their party’s nomination
To prove to the people they can ‘govern and deliver’
During presidential election
When is party loyalty at its weakest?
End of the 2-year term - lame duck period
Ending of pork barrelling (officially at least) has reduced some of the direct incentives for party loyalty
What is party decline?
The argument that parties have become weak and enfeebled, with little real power or grip on US politics
What is party renewal?
The argument that parties remain central to US political life and have grown in importance and relevance in recent times
What was traditionally argued in the ‘American Commonwealth’?
That the US party system meant very little in practice
The parties are ‘Two bottles, each having a label denoting the type of liquor it contains, but each being empty’
In 1972 what percentage of people said there was no real difference between the two main parties?
44% (46% said yes) - however this could not be said now ! Yet this doesn’t mean the parties are necessarily alive and well
What are the main Broder thesis arguments for party decline?
‘The Party’s over’ - it argued that the party system was not working and had contributed to a dysfunctionality in US politics
Are US parties merely ‘badges without a meaning’?
Parties had largely abdicated their role in formulating policy and had left much to ‘experts’ (the Walt Rostows and Henry Kissingers)
Congressional leadership was too weak as leaders have little real power - leadership ought to be held to accountable for bringing legislation to the floor and provide opportunity for opposing party alternatives
He also argued to end the Senate filibuster and Electoral College
President has become too powerful with powers centralised in the White House
Broder also argues for restrictions on campaign finance
He argued ‘the cure for the ills of democracy truly is…
more democracy; our parties are weak principally because we do not use them. To be strong and responsible, our parties must be representative. Millions more of us need to get into partisan political activity’
Are US parties in decline or enjoying renewal? Parties in decline:
Growth in primaries at all levels of US politics has rendered the candidate selection role of parties largely redundant
Most political campaigns are candidate rather than party focused (Trump as an example) Quality of the candidate is emphasised most
Parties play a small role in political communication- aside from the national nominating convention, most rallies and ads are created by individual candidates - social media has accelerated this - parties are doing less and less and instead leaving it to the individual
Many US voters have traditionally split their ticket suggesting that parties have less importance than individual candidates (New Hampshire in 2020 had an incumbent Dem senator and incumbent Rep governor)
Voter turnout has decreased in recent times suggesting wider disenchantment with US politics and its party system
US parties remain broad ‘big tent’ and often comprised of conflicting outlooks and policies - much division within parties (e.g. Democrat division to the ICE agency) as well as factions
Are US parties in decline or enjoying renewal? Parties in renewal:
Primaries reinforce the ‘party brand’s nearly all aspiring candidates choose to align themselves with one of the 2 main parties - when primaries end the party usually comes together around the winners
Although campaigns are heavily focused on individuals, in nearly all cases their personal message reflects commonly held values and policies within their party
The Hill committees and other associated groups run adverts, direct donor funding and seek to promote candidates - especially those seen as strong and fighting close races
Split ticket voting has shown a marked decreased in recent years (in 2016 every state holding a senate election that year also voted for the presidential candidate from the same party) - in 2020 only Maine was the exception
Voter turnout has not fallen consistently (2020 saw an increase to 66.1%)
US parties have become increasingly narrow and homogenous in terms of both policy platform and support base - polarisation and hyper-partisanship in Congress and among the public now dominate the political scene
To sum up, perhaps one should talk instead of ‘distinct parties…
…but disparate structures’ - parties are clearly being renewed in terms of ideological depth and content, but not as centralised structures
The party is FAR from over, it has just moved into several different venues
What are the 6 main weaknesses of US parties?
- No party leader - National nominating conventions select candidates not leaders
- Most campaigns focus on the individual rather than the party label
- Power within parties is dispersed not concentrated (100 state parties, associated groups, chamber leaders, speaker, chairs to the DNC and RNC, as well as PGs)
- The federal nature and size of the USA exacerbates this problem - state parties retain significant control (for example over primary elections)
- Above all perhaps is the rise of direct primaries as opposed to old-style machine politics to select candidates- most elected politicians are independent political operators whose main concerns are to not upset wealthy donors, interest groups and their strong core ideological voters (however Trump was a paradox here)
- Absence of effective sanctions especially over rebel legislators (departure of Steve King was down to voters in the primary rather than party leader Mitch McConnell)
Give 3 third parties.
Green party (Jill Stein)
Libertarian party (Angela McArdle)
American Independent Party (George Wallace)
Who are the 3 independent senators currently sitting in the Senate?
Bernie Sanders (Vermont)
Angus King (Maine)
Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona)
Sanders and King caucus with the Democrats
Have any third party or independent candidate won an Electoral College vote since George Wallace in 1968?
No
Who was the last significant independent presidential contender in 1992, and what percentage of the vote did he win?
Ross Perot
19%
What was the two-party percentage share of the vote in 2020?
98%
Which House of Representatives candidate who served between 2017-21 was first elected as a Republican but switched to an independent in 2020?
Paul Mitchell
When did the Libertarian party begin?Green party?
1971
1980s
Which successful independent-like president chose to run as a rep rather than independent?
Trump
What is the only counterpoint to a two-party system?
There is arguably 100 state parties
Is there significance of third parties and independents?
In certain close elections third parties/independents can influence the final outcome, often acting as ‘spoilers’ (Had Ralph Nader from the Green party not stood it would be accurate to assume most of his votes would have gone to Gore, who would have then became the president
Congressional elections can occasionally be directly influenced by the presence of independents/third party candidates (true in 2018 for Maine’s 2nd district - Rep winner in the first round failed to win when independent votes were redistributed)
When 3rd parties/independents have policies that prove attractive to voters, these are often co-opted by one of the 2 main parties (Ross Perot’s pledge for a balanced budget adopted by both parties, and the ‘Green New Deal’ by progressive Democrats)
Are third parties/independents significant? No
In most presidential elections, third-party and independent candidates fail to make any impact on the final outcome
Maine is the only state currently using anything other than FPTP for congressional elections - means many wasted votes
Third party candidates and independents lack a high-profile media presence and are rarely able to participate in TV debates (Jill Stein was arrested trying to do so!)
They are often labelled as extremist and/or irrelevant
2 independent senators caucus with the Democrats so are effectively Democrats
What did Ralph Nader, who failed when running for President in 2000,2004 and 2008 say about the role of independents/third parties?
‘In this rigged two-party system third parties almost never win a national election. Our function is to push hitherto taboo issues onto the public stage and to keep the progressive agenda alive’
