US Political Parties Flashcards
How does the appointment of Eisenhower as president show that party politics in America has changes?
-Eisenhower as a WW2 hero was approached by both Democrats and Republicans to run on their party’s ticket
-Henry Cobt Lodge Jr successfully persuaded Eisenhower to run for president in 1952
What are the key principles and values of the Democrat party?
-large government is needed to left the poorest out of poverty
-higher taxes on the wealthiest are accepted to fund social welfare (2020 tax policy pledge to ‘make sure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes’)
-expansion of affordable healthcare
-civil rights for minorities extended
-pro choice
-separation between church and state
-Second Amendment is not sacrosanct
-Supreme Court judges who take a judicial activist position and favour a ‘living constitution’
-humane and sensible immigration systems (DACA and a DREAM Act)
-reforms to policing post George Floyd
-USA to work with international organisations
-the USA needs a ‘Green New Deal’
What are the key principles and values of the Republican Party?
-strong suspicion of too much government interference and intervention
-preference for limited government involvement in economic decisions and regulations
-lowering taxes for the richest: ‘trickle down economics’
-civil rights have gone far enough and don’t need extending (affirmative action is patronising to minority groups)
-strong antipathy for the LGBTQ+ rights agenda (Republican controlled states have sought to pass bathroom bills to slow down the LGBTQ+ rights agenda)
-pro life
-believe religion should have a place in public life
-Second Amendment should be upheld
-favour judges with judicial restrain and an originality view of the constitution
-fear the US has become too diverse (immigration needs to be more tightly regulated)
-less well disposed towards international organisations (‘America First’ under Trump)
-sceptical of climate change
What are the key organisational features of political parties in the USA?
-lack of a clearly identifiable leader
-largely state-based, with relatively weak central bodies
-plethora of associated organisations and interest groups that play a significant role in the parties
Who was the leader of the Republicans in the Senate in 2021?
Mitch McConnell
Who was the leader of the Democratic in the Senate in 2021?
Chuck Schumer
Who led House Democrats in 2021?
Nancy Pelosi
Who led House Republicans in 2021?
Kevin McCarthy
Example of the President’s views on legislation not aligning with that of their party:
-Trump was unable to pass his own healthcare reforms during his first 2yrs in office despite Republican majorities in both chambers
How does Trump exert his power over the Republican Party?
-through his strong personal following at a grassroots level
-Republican lawmakers remain loyal to him out of the fear of being primaried
What is the role of state parties?
organising primaries- they have minimal direct role in candidate selection
What are the 2 national party organisations?
-Democrat National Committee (DNC)
-the Republican National Committee (RNC)
What are the roles of the national party organisations?
-organise the national convention
-formally nominate the party’s presidential candidate
-draw up the party’s national platform (no power over candidate selection)
Who was the chair of the Democrats National Committee in 2021?
Jamie Harrison
Who was the chair of the Republican National Committee in 2021?
Ronna McDaniel
What are the ‘Four Hill Committees’?
they aim to get the members of their party elected to congress on Capitol Hill
-Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
-National Republican Congressional Committee
-Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
-The National Republican Senatorial Committee
What are the role of the ‘Four Hill Committees’?
-co-ordinate campaigns and donors
-direct supporters financial donations to target seats
-sometimes run their own ads and campaigns
Give an example of a group affiliated to the Democrat Party:
The Democratic Socialists of America Organisation
-membership of 50,000 and works to secure the victory of progressive democrats in primaries
In 2018, which of the two candidates endorsed by the DSA elected to the House?
-Rashida Tlaib
-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
What are the main ways political parties in the USA have changed?
-geography
-ideology
-demographics
-cohesiveness
When was the last time Democrat’s won Texas?
1976 with Jimmy Carter
When was the last time Republicans won California?
1988 with George H.W.Bush
Who did the ‘Solid South’ belong to until the 1960s?
Democrats before it flipped to the Republicans
What happened after Johnson singed the Civil Rights Act in 1964?
the South flipped to Republicans
-Republicans like Goldwater and Nixon deliberately targeted disillusioned white southerners
Policy areas that formed the Republican ideological transformation:
-they were against the urban riots in 1967 and 1968, often with racial overtones, Republicans adopted a strong law and order platform
-fallout from desegregation
-many Republicans aligned themselves against forced educational integration
-strong conservative stance against liberal ideas of sexual morality and abortion
Examples of conservative southern Democratic swapping party labels
-Jesse Helms (North Carolina)
-Strom Thurmond (South Carolina)
What are the demographics of Republican voters?
-more likely to be white
-live in rural/small town America
-attend church regularly
-less likely to be educated to degree level or above
What are the demographics of Democrat voters?
-more likely to be found in urban areas
-diverse range of backgrounds and cultures
-less likely to be religious
-disproportionately more likely to have higher levels of formal education
What percentage of the House and Senate backed Johnson’s Civil Rights Act 1964?
81%
In Nixon’s impeachment proceedings how many Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee broke party ranks and voted to impeach Nixon?
7/17
How many Republicans voted to impeach Trump in the House in 2019?
0/195
Argument that the US parties today are very untied:
-congressional votes reflect high levels of party unity, in 2019 in the House Republicans stuck with their party and average 91% of the time
-both Parties are cohesive on controversial issues like gun rights and abortion
-few Republican legislators openly criticised Trump showing the party uniting around a controversial figure
-growing emphasis on a unified party platform, in the 2018 midterms the Democrats campaigned under the ‘Better Deal’ programme
Argument that US parties today are very divided:
-party rebellions still occur (10 House Republicans voted to impeach Trump in January 2012)
-policy areas such as financial regulation of Wall Street and lowering prescription charges where there is common ground (e.g for Criminal Justice Republican want to cut jail numbers to save money, Democrats favour more emphasis on rehabilitation)
-candidates secure their nominations by campaigning their own primary races, so they can afford to be selective in their campaign pledges
Examples of factions in the Democrats:
-the Blue Dog Coalition
-the New Democrats Coalition
-the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Examples of Republican Factions:
-Tuesday Group
-Republican Study Committee
-Freedom Caucus
The New Democrats Coalition:
-largest Democrat caucus with 104 members in 2020
-describe themselves as pro-economic growth, pro-innovation and fiscally responsible policies
The Blue Dog Coalition:
-adopts a more neutral line on social issues
-led members include Stephanie Murphy and Lou Correa (many represent Republican leaning districts)
The Congressional Progressive Caucus:
-most liberal and progressive caucus
-Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is closely aligned with it
-promote economic justice and advancing environmental protection
The Tuesday Group:
-group of centrist Republicans
-similar to Democrat Blue Dogs
-in 2020 they had 15 house members (often representing swing districts)
The Republican Study Committee:
-group of 147 Conservative Republican’s
-largest caucus in the house in 2020
-stand for limited government and preserving traditional values
-represents the main bulk of the party
Freedom Caucus:
-most right-wing Democratic grouping
-supports social conservatism + small government and libertarianism
Who are the Justice Democrats?
-progressive political action committee
-in 2020 they endorsed 16 Democrat candidates in House races
Examples of the Justice Democrats mounting a primary challenge
Jessica Cinsero an immigration attorney whose 2020 t challenge they endorsed against Henry Cuellar (Trumps favourite democrat)- 8 term blue dog incumbent.
When was Broders argument for party decline written?
at the time of the Vietnam War, but before the Watergate crisis broke
What were Broder’s main observations about party decline:
-parties had abdicated their role of forming policy and too much had been left to ‘experts’
-parties need to be reinvigorated and their congressional leadership given greater powers
-argued for the end of the Senate filibuster and the Electoral College
-restrictions on campaign finance
Party Decline:
-approach argues that parties have become weak and enfeebled with little real power or grip on US politics
Party Renewal:
approach argues that parties remain central to US political life and have grown in importance and relevance in recent times
Argument that parties in America are in decline:
-growth of primaries has meant the candidate selection role of parties is redundant
-most political campaigns are candidate and not party focussed
-parties play a small role in political communication
-many US voters have traditionally split their ticket, suggesting that the parties have less important than individual candidates
-voter turnout has decreased
-US parties remain broad and there are divisions within the parties
Argument that parties are in renewal:
-primaries reinforce the party brand (all candidates align themselves with one of the 2 dominant parties)
-personal message of individuals reflects the commonly held values and policies within the party
-split ticket voting has shown a marked decrease in recent decades (2016 every state holding a senate election also vote for the presidential candidate from the same party)
-voter turnout has not fallen consistently (went up in 2020)
-polarisation and hyper-partisanship in congress and in the public dominate American politics
Reasons for the main weaknesses of American parties:
-US parties lack a single leader
-most political campaigns focus on an individual not the party
-power within parties is dispersed and not concentrated
-federal nature and size of America exacerbates the issue
-the rise of direct primaries makes parties weaker
-absence of effective sanctions over rebel legislatures
Evidence of 2-party domination of American politics:
-there is not tradition of 3rd parties or independents
-no 3rd party or independent candidate has directly won any electoral college votes since George Wallace in 1968
-most 3rd parties in the USA have a short-lived existence
-high profile independents have close associations with one of the major parties (Bernie Sanders caucuses with the Democrats)
Argument that 3rd parties and independents are significant:
-in certain close elections and 3rd parties/independents can influence the final outcome (2000 Bush v Gore race came down to winning Florida, Green Campaigning Candidate Ralph Nader secured more seats than Bush’s final winning margin)
-congressional elections can be directly influenced by the presence of a 3rd party candidate
-3rd parties/independents that have policies that are attractive to voters are co-opted by on or both of the main parties (e.g Ross Perot’s pledge for a balanced budget)
Argument that 3rd parties and independents are not significant:
-in most presidential elections, 3rd party and independent candidates fail to make any impact on the final outcome
-Maine is the only state using anything other than FPTP for congressional elections
-3rd parties and independents lack a high-profile media presence and are unable to participate in televised debates
