US Politics - Political Parties

Question 1

History of the Republican party

Answer 1

• The Republican party is known for favouring small federal government and conservative policies - not always the case
• Founded in 1854 by Northerners who favoured a stronger federal government and opposed the expansion of slavery in the Western states
• The party’s second ever candidate for president, Abraham Lincoln won in 1860 and went on to preserve the union and abolish slavery
• After the North’s win of the Civil War, the Republican Party dominates the nations politics for the next 70 years - championed expansion of federal government, with state universities, national currency, railroads and the 15th amendment was also backed to guarantee vote for African Americans
• The Great Depression saw the downfall of the party’s dominance, as Democrats blamed the economic collapse on Republican pro-business policies
• Over the next 50 years, Democrats mostly control national politics with only one Republican president getting power
• This caused the development of a conservative response to the federal government the Democrats started in the Great Depression - the changing policies of the parties led to a demographic change with many African Americans moving to the Democratic Party and many Southern Whites becoming Republican
• In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan wins over a majority of the country with his policies of smaller federal governments, conservative social values and anti-communist narratives
• In recent decades, control over the presidency has traded between the two parties (Bush and Trump are recent Republican Presidents, Clinton, Obama and Biden, recent Democratic Presidents)
• Recent Republican Presidents Bush and Trump implemented a smaller role for the federal government and moved social policies further right
• Trump is widely criticised for inciting racial tensions in 2016 - elephant symbol

Question 2

History of the Republican Party - expanded

Answer 2

• Before its formation, the only two parties were the Whigs and the Democrats, and the Democratic Party had become increasingly pro-slavery due to its strong Southern Support but the Whigs were divided on the issue, with Northern Supporters afraid that the growing amount of slave states would have too much political influence, which could hurt free white workers economically
• The party collapsed because of it, and the former Northern Whigs created a party to oppose the Democratic agenda, called the Republican party - by 1860, they became so powerful in the North Lincoln won the presidency, and despite promising not to touch Southern slavery he tried to introduce anti-slavery laws nationwide
• This led to the formation of the Confederate states of America with the 11 Southern States which left the union, and the Northern states decided to fight in order to retain the union; as a result, the Civil War ensued - the result was victory and abolition of slavery nationwide
• The party continued to fight for the rights of those in the Southern states who have been recently freed, passing the 1866 Civil Rights Act, 14th and 15th Amendment, fighting to ensure that black men have the right to vote, with new laws and constitutional amendments
• The Civil War did however cause a change in young Republican Party; government spending made many Northern businessman quite rich, and these wealthy groups took more of a leadership role in the Republican party - they wished to stay in power, and fighting for black rights in mostly white countries was not seen as the best way to do that
• Meanwhile, the South is resisting these new racial reforms often violently and most white Republican voters and leaders now feel that they’ve done enough for Black citizens in the South and that it was time to emphasise other issues and so the party basically gives up on reforming the South, deciding instead to leave it to its own devices with a right to vote, and politically dominated by White Democrats

Question 3

History of the Republican Party - expanded cont.

Answer 3

• By the 1920s, the Republican Party has become the party of big business and so saw massive popularity with a booming 1920s economy, but with the Great Depression and Wall Street Crash in 1929 their popularity dropped again
• The Democrats swept into power and began dramatically expanding the size and role of the federal government, and the Republicans oppose the rapid expansion, defining themselves as a party of smaller government
• With the 50s and 60s seeing a reemergence of racial tensions, the Republican nominee Barry Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act 1964 and Lyndon B Johnson of the Democrats signed it into law - Black voters convert almost entirely to the Democratic party and the white voters transferred to the GOP
• By the 1980s, with the election of Reagan, we see the modern Republican party focused on business
• A demographic change with the increase in Hispanic immigrants both legal and illegal sees another divide, with Democrats supporting the reform of immigration laws so that the 10 million unauthorised migrants would get legal status
• However, the Republicans introduced ‘tough on immigration’ policies and the rhetoric of anti-immigration became popular - however, this costs the Republicans as the Democrats gain the main Hispanic support
• This makes the Republican party look like a party for white voters in an increasingly non-white country - in order to combat this and possibly increase chances of winning the presidency, Republican Senators including Marco Rubio collaborate with Democrats on an immigration reform bill to give unauthorised immigrants a path to legal status
• However, there is hit back from the white voter base as they viewed the bill as ‘amnesty’ for immigrants who broke the rules causing more distrust to build up in their own party leaders
• This made the political landscape fertile for Trump’s policies on immigration, as despite not being a traditional conservative he appealed to the primary voters of the GOP as he was not one of their mistrusted party elites as well as their strong opposition to immigration
• Although he was disliked by party leaders, he won enough support in primaries to become the nominee for President - the party is now again at a crossroads, trying to meet the growing tensions and challenges of the 21st century

Question 4

Democratic Party history

Answer 4

• Thomas Jefferson was the first notable leader of the Democratic-Republican party, creating a basis for its values along with James Madison and James Monroe
• However, as the 1824 presidential election approached, there was much disagreement over who would succeed James Monroe; some supported Quincy Adams and others supported Jackson, with the former winning in 1824 and the latter in 1828
• Since this time, they have been a powerful force in politics, with the official name being chosen in 1844 - the use of a donkey to represent them as it was an animal used by the ‘common man’ despite originally being used as an insult; the rooster has also been used as well
• Throughout the 1850s, Democrats became divided over issues of slavery, with Northern Democrats being opposed to slavery and some even joining the Republicans, the anti-slavery party, with Southern Democrats working in favour of slavery led by a radical pro-slavery group called the Fire Eaters, Southern Democrats and nominated their own presidential nominee, and this led to the formation of the Confederate United States and eventually the Civil War
• Following the Civil War, only two Democratic Presidents were in power between 1869 and 1932 and only controlled the Senate for 10 years, and holding a majority in the House for 22 years
• The Southern states became a well known Democratic stronghold in this time period, becoming known as the ‘Solid South’ as they would always vote Democrat
• Democrats of this period were opposed to imperialism and overseas expansion, fighting government corruption and high taxes, supporting the Free Silver movement (currency backed by gold and silver not just gold)
• William Jennings Bryan became an important figure in this debate, as a nominee for President in both 1896 and 1900
• With the Republicans being blamed for the Great Depression, FDR was elected and this saw Democratic control of the White House and both houses of Congress, with constant democratic dominance until the 1970s with Kennedy and Johnson
• They both attracted young voters to the party, being strong civil rights advocates and this saw a shift in loyalty to the Democrats from African Americans, and LBJ’s Great Society Programme saw a growth in support from working class voters
• They had a Senate majority for 52 years and for 58 years in the House - this ended in 1994 - however, they have had recent success with Obama and were the first party to nominate a woman to be President (Hillary Clinton)
• 75 million Americans are currently registered Americans
• Left-leaning and liberal party, valuing progress and equality; however, the Republicans are right-leaning and conservative valuing tradition and limited government
  Democrats are popular with voters who prioritise community and social responsibility; Republican voters prioritise the free market and individual rights, with each party having a different stance on issues such as abortion, gay marriage and gun control
• They are also divided on issues of immigration, taxes and environmental policies
• In some states, there is a clear party dominance, with New York and California being strong Democratic states and Alabama and Oklahoma becoming strong Republican states - other states are swing states like Florida, where candidates have to fight for votes, and some are safe states as they commonly vote one way

Question 5

Views of the Democrats and Republicans on Issues in politics

Answer 5

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rH6t_HzvEzwbduMJaDgIOVJ87Ux2xx7G5chah082YNw/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Cj4geLsgKj0O3NnOUW6jNxcsL32J521VZplqX9JBXs/edit

Question 6

The Party platform of the Democrats - 2020 election

Answer 6

Educational policy - providing world class education through early life in every zip code regardless of characteristics
- Guarantee early education access
- Supporting high quality K-12 schools
- Making higher education affordable and accessible and providing borrowers relief from crushing student debt - agree

Restoring and strengthening of our democracy
- Protecting and enforcing voting rights
- Reforming the Broken Campaign finance system
- Building an effective and transparent federal government - agree
- Making Washington D.C. the 51st State
- Guaranteeing self-determination for Puerto Rico
- Supporting the US territories
- Strengthening the US Postal Service

COVID-19 Recovery
- Make testing widely available, convenient, and free for everyone. Expand funding in state and local public health departments - agree

Correct criminal justice system
- Overhaul the criminal justice system from top to bottom to correct systemic racism

Combating the Climate Crisis and Pursuing Environmental Justice
- build a thriving and globally competitive clean energy economy
- deliver clean energy to all communities
- eliminate carbon pollution from power plants by 2035
- lower families’ energy bills by upgrading low-income households
- convert school buses to zero-emission alternatives within 5 years
- require public companies to disclose climate risks and greenhouse gas emissions

Building a stronger, fairer economy
- Protecting workers and families and creating millions of jobs across America
- Build a fair system of international trade for our workers
- Raising wages and promoting worker’s rights
- Enacting robust work-family policies
- Investing in job creation
- Helping home ownership
- Levelling the economic playing field
- Guaranteeing a secure and dignified retirement

Healthcare
- Fight to achieve universal health care for a century.
- Insurance companies can no longer discriminate against people with pre existing medical conditions etcetera.
- Secure, affordable and high quality health insurance.

Question 7

Republican party platform - 2020 election

Answer 7

• Committed to defending innocent life and to upholding the Judeo-Christian values of his founding
  Believes in the promise of the Declaration of Independence, that we are all made EQUAL by our Creator, and that must all be TREATED equal under the law
• Knows that our rights do not come from the government, they come from God, and no earthly force can ever take those rights away. That includes the right to religious liberty and the right to Keep and Bear Arms
• Believes in rebuilding their previously depleted military and ending the endless wars our failed politicians of the past got us into for decades
• Embraces free thought, welcomes robust debate, and is not afraid to stand up to the oppressive dictates of political correctness
• Knows that the rule of law is the ultimate safeguard of our freedoms, and affirms that the Constitution means exactly what it says AS WRITTEN
• Supports fair trade, low taxes, and fewer job-killing regulations, and knows that America must always have the most powerful military on the face of the Earth
• Believes in Law and Order, and believes that the men and women of law enforcement are HEROES who deserve his absolute support
• Believes in FREE SPEECH and Fair Elections. Must ensure fair, honest, transparent, and secure elections going forward – where every LEGAL VOTE counts

Question 8

Democrats on Foreign Policy

Answer 8

• More sceptical of taking foreign military action, and prefer to use alternative methods such as economic sanction and diplomacy to achieve foreign policy goals
• Obama was praised with creating a new climate in international relations that stressed cooperation and diplomacy
• START Treaty 2010 - reduced nuclear missiles
  2014 - Cuban government recognition for the first time since 1961
• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action 2012-2015 - the Obama administration, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany negotiated with Iran to reduce it nuclear programme in exchange for lifting economic sanctions
• Approved military action in Libya in 2011 and in Syria in 2013
• Aimed to address security threats whenever they arose with a commitment of £11 billion
• Clinton was supportive of the overseas action, but Sanders was opposed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Question 9

Republicans on Foreign Policy

Answer 9

• America First - Trump
• Defence spending is is vital, and a strong military presence is essential to maintaining order - strong support for the Bipartisan Budget Act in 2018 increased domestic spending and the national deficit, was that it lifted the sequester caps on defence spending
• Supportive of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and consider a sustained American presence in the Middle East important - Obama’s diplomacy showed weakness to enemies and encouraged them to take aggressive action
• Especially critical with a lack of action in Syria in 2012 even though they had crossed the President’s ‘red line’ of chemical weapon use; Trump responded differently by striking a Syrian airbase in response to a 2017 report of the same issue
• Republicans are generally supportive of Israel and support firm military action against nations that threaten Israel’s security - many Republicans were critical of White House negotiations with Iran and wanted to see strong economic sanctions against the country
• Tried to block Obama’s Iran deal by introducing a Joint Resolution of Disapproval but Senate Democrats filibustered the vote in the Senate
• McCain was critical of Trump’s promise to introduce interrogation techniques a ‘lot worse than waterboarding’ and regular criticism of NATO - Republicans usually strong support military alliances, but Trump argued they spent too much and members did not pay their fair share
• While the issue of defence unites most Republicans, but libertarians such as Rand Paul strongly criticise the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has questioned the idea that the US’s foreign policy is ‘killing more terrorists than it creates’
• He repeatedly questioned his party’s commitment to increased defence spending and criticised his colleagues for supporting the BBA 2017
• Military spending increased under Trump but it was still lower than it was in the Obama administration’s first term
  Trump was a traditional Republican but spending has been high since 2001 regardless of how was in the White House but Trump also vetoed the Defence Spending Bill in his final days in office, and he rejected to the renaming of military bases named after confederate generals and wanted an amendment to appeal Section 230, a law that shields internet companies from being liable for what is posted on their websites, in revenge for Twitter putting warnings on his misleading tweets

Question 10

Democrats on Immigration

Answer 10

• Democrats more supportive of immigration reform
• Majority of immigrants are hard-working taxpayers
• Deportation of 11 million people doesn’t make sense logistically, too difficult
• Struggle to decide how this reform would be best carried out (Republicans too disagree often)
• Congress failed to pass multiple versions of the DREAM act
• The Act attempted to create a path to citizenship for people who were brought into the country illegally as children

2012 DACA by Obama’s government
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
- Would allow around 800,000 ‘Dreamers ‘to apply for work permits and remain in the country
- Did not change the law, or the Dreamers ‘legal status, but it gave them the security of knowing that immigration officials had been instructed to target others, mainly criminals, for deportation

2014 Deferred Action for Parental Accountability by Obama Administration

Question 11

Republicans on Immigration

Answer 11

• June 27th 2013, the Senate voted 68-32 against the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernisation Bill
• Would allow many of America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants to gain legal status, and, eventually, after passing certain requirements, full US citizenship
  Increased the number of border patrol agents, to further secure the border
• Wasn’t even considered in the House as Republican Speaker John Boehner invoked ‘the Hastert Rule’–an unwritten rule that holds that the House will only vote on bills that are supported by a majority of Republicans
  Republicans were extremely critical
• September 2017, the Trump Administration also announced that it was ending the DACA programme in March 2018
• A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University in January 2018 found that 79% of Americans believe that Dreamers should be allowed to remain in the U.S. and apply for citizenship, while another 7% believe that Dreamers should be allowed to remain in the US, but not apply for citizenship
• Only 11% said that Dreamers should be deported

Question 12

Democrats and Republicans on National Debt

Answer 12

Democrats:
- Democrats are more comfortable with increasing the deficit if they believe it is beneficial to the economy
- More progressive democrats wanted even bigger budget spending, to increase job projects which in turn reduces the national debt.
- Democrats are willing to increase taxation if it means they can support the economy

Republicans:
- Republicans believe that the focus should be on cutting the cost of the federal government with the exception of defence spending as they should encourage hard work from Americans
- Extremely critical of Obama’s deficit spending, and in 2012 Paul Ryan noted that it was a priority to steer the nation clear of the debt crisis
- 2013 Tea Party Republicans encouraged lower spending and that Obamacare health reforms be repealed
- Stress limiting the budget and powers of the federal government with exception to the defence budget.
- Extremely sceptical of Obama’s budget spending.
- Wanted to cut Obama care, which causes a partial government shutdown, closing all non-essentials meaning that many employees went home with no pay.
- The 2018 Balanced Budget act cut defence spending limits and lifted it by $300 million.
- In essence, republicans want to spend less and decrease taxes.

Question 13

Democrats and Republicans on Healthcare

Answer 13

Healthcare:
- Democrats - Support a universal healthcare system

Republicans -
- Firmly oppose Obama-care.
- Want to imply large employer restrictions meaning that they can have large businesses have to pay a significant chunk of their employees healthcare.
- Want to ban insurance companies from denying insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions.
- Bill benefited middle class as they would qualify for previous medical care.

Question 14

Democrats and Republicans on Welfare

Answer 14

Democrats
- Trickle down laws - money filters down through classes to eventually the poorest get the most; doesn’t work, as investment isn’t effectively done
- Worried about inequality, when the rich are getting richer and the poor are still suffering.
- Wanted to change Federal Overtime laws so government employees can get paid more.

Republicans
- Argue tax cuts for everyone.
- Want to decrease welfare programmes as they worried it may cause dependency on the government.
- Opposed the introduction of federal unemployment as they were worried it would increase

Question 15

Democrats and Republicans on Social Issues

Answer 15

Democrats
- Support abortion - pro-choice, support Roe v Wade
- Support gun control
- Support women’s rights
- Support LGBTQ+ rights - supportive of same sex marriage.

Republicans
- Opposed democrat bills to increase gun control.
- A law that had 90% support from the public was defeated in a republican majority government.
- Oppose abortion - Stupak-Pitts amendment, wanted to cut federal funding of abortions.
- Historically against gay marriage due to religious grounds.
- Some bipartisanship on these issues

Question 16

Factions of the Democratic Party - Liberal / Progressive Democrats

Answer 16

Nicknames:
- SPs → The Squad (4 representatives of the House)
- Bull Moose Party
- Yellow Dog Democrats
- Justice Democrats

Relevant Caucuses:
- House Democratic Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition

What do they believe?
- The Very Progressives - Very liberal on economic issues, fairly liberal on identity issues, sceptical on the democratic establishment
- The Super Progressives - Very liberal on economic identity/cultural issues, anti-establishment.
- The VPs have a lot in common with the SPs, particularly in their view of economics, as the VPs group’s distinguishing characteristics include less aggression and less focus on identity issues, but more willingness to involve themselves with the Democratic Party establishment
- For example, Sanders or Warren would be unlikely to want to abolish ICE during their candidacies, and would rather restructure the existing institutions, but they are associated with the economic liberalism of the SPs and worry the Democratic Party is too cosy with corporate America
- The SPs see the Democratic party as too centrist and cautious, and they push for very liberal policies on economics such as universal healthcare, but unlike the VPs they push for liberal stands on issues surrounding identity and race, such as support abolishing ICE
- They represent the most left wing of the modern Democratic Party, both in policy politics and aggressively push their vision when other Democrats baulk
Fairly small group, currently only part of the House

Significant individuals:
- The Very Progressives - Bill de Blasio, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren
- The Super Progressives - Osacio-Cortex, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

Question 17

Factions of the Democratic Party - Moderate Democrats

Answer 17

Nicknames :
- Young minorities
- The Progressive New Guard
- The Progressive Old Guard

Relevant Caucuses :
- Blue Dog Coalition
- New Democrat Coalition

Question 18

Factions of the Democratic Party - Conservative Democrats

Answer 18

Relevant caucuses -
- Blue Dog Coalition - group for centrists and conservatives

What do they believe:
- Sceptical of liberal views on both economic and cultural issues and are often supportive of abortion limits, and are generally from conservative-leaning areas
- One of the smallest wings of the Democrat party, but they are needed to gain swing seats in state legislatures of the West and South, and are a more appealing policy stand than progressives, such as being able to expand Medicaid to those in a traditionally red state to more than 400,000 people, which AOC could not do

Significant individuals:
- Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin

Question 19

Factions of the Democratic Party - Blue Dog Democrats

Answer 19

Nicknames -
- Boll Weevils - previous iteration from the 1980s
- Dixiecrat movement - previous iteration from the 1940s-1960s

Relevant Caucuses -
- Blue Dog Coalition

What do they believe -
- Conservative democrats who promote centrism, fiscal and social conservatism and originated in 1995 following the loss of the House to Gingrich’s Republicans to provide a support base and a unified conservative voice in the Democratic party
- Commonly, members of this group go on to become Republicans, which has happened more recently with Parker Griffith in 2009 (lost almost half their numbers in the 2010 election; democratic party clearly does better on a centrist platform)

Significant individuals -
- Tom O’Halleran (Arizona), Ed Case (Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Abigail Spanberger (Virginia)

Question 20

Factions of the Republican Party - Moderate Republicans

Answer 20

Nicknames: Business Conservatives, Rockefeller Republicans

Relevant Caucuses:
- Freedom Caucus

What they believe:
- Moderate Republicans tend to be conservative to moderate on fiscal issues and moderate to liberal on social issues
- Believe in balanced budgets, lower taxes, free trade, deregulation, and welfare reforms

Significant individuals:
- Nelson Rockefeller
- Thomas Dewey

Question 21

Factions of the Republican Party - Fiscal Conservatives

Answer 21

Fiscal Conservatives:
Nicknames:

Relevant Caucuses:

What they believe:
- The concept is derived from economic liberalism.
- Advocate the avoidance of deficit spending, the lowering of taxes, and the reduction of overall government spending and national debt whilst ensuring balanced budgets.
- They would choose increased debt over rising taxes, but they are against the government expanding beyond its means through debt.
- There are three subgroups which each focus on each different aspect. These being the
- ‘deficit hawks’ who are not entirely against increasing taxes if they are used for government debt reduction, in place of increased government spending as they view debt as morally dubious and economically damaging. They have an emphasis on balancing budgets in order to reduce the size of the debt.
- The group with the main emphasis on tax cuts, because they argue high taxes discourage economic activity, low taxes would subsequently do the opposite. They embrace supply-side economics.
- The third group distinguishes little between debt and taxes, with emphasis on the reduction of spending rather than tax policy or the reduction of government debt.

Significant individuals:
- Dick Cheney
- Edmund Burke

Question 22

Factions of the Republican Party - Social Conservatives

Answer 22

Social conservatives in the United States are concerned with many social issues such as opposition to abortion, opposition to feminism, support for traditional family values, opposition to pornography, support for abstinence-only sex education, opposition to LGBT rights, support for school prayer, support for school vouchers, support for Sunday blue laws, opposition to gambling, and opposition to recreational drug use, among others

Question 23

Factions of the Republican Party - Tea Party

Answer 23

Nicknames:
- The midnight raid

Relevant Caucuses:
- The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives.

What they believe:
- The Boston Tea Party was a symbolic act that showed the British how far American colonists were willing to go to speak out for their freedom. The colonists were willing to give up whatever they had to defend their right for independence.
- Three main focuses - free market, fiscal responsibility and limited government

Significant individuals:
- The Sons of Liberty included John Adams, John Hancock, James Otis, Josiah Quincy, Paul Revere, and Dr. Joseph Warren.

Question 24

Differences between the parties - Republicans and Democrats

Answer 24

The Republicans, 1854:
- Conservative, right leaning e.g. oppose same-sex marriage
- Believe taxes shouldn’t be increased for anyone / Low tax / low national debt
- Private healthcare - oppose Obamacare, believe that private companies can provide healthcare services more efficiently.
- Pro-life
- Low gun control
- Strong military - increased military spending and aggressive foreign policy
- Opposed on gay marriage and same-sex couples cannot adopt children
- Support the death penalty (a large majority)
- Support a small government - have a big government stance on some issues such as abortion laws, mainly small government on economic issues and social issues
- Tend to favour a ‘flat tax’, generally opposed to raising taxes.
- Regulations hinder free market capitalism and job growth.
- Voter ID to prevent election fraud
- Influenced by religion and tradition
- Believe in stricter immigration

The Democrats, 1828:
- Liberal, left-leaning
- Pro choice - better sex education
- High gun control
- High tax to high income brackets.
- Not private healthcare - universal healthcare
- Doesn’t support the death penalty
- Loves gay marriage - supports equality to heterosexual couples for homosexual couples
- Do not support small government - prefer big government for social and economic plans
- Do not support voter identification as everyone has a right to vote and there should be no restrictions on those who cannot this form of ID - young people, ethnic minority groups
- Military should be strong but not too much spending; Democrats support more diplomatic foreign policy and support for veterans (in June 2022, a major sick benefits package was passed for veterans)
- Immigration - support those who immigrate

Question 25

Do US political parties still matter?

Answer 25

• In 2018, the Republican speaker of the House John Boehner commented that there was no Republican party, only a Trump party - this suggests that the parties have been completely changed by key political players; however, parties still matter despite this new influence from leaders
  It can be argued that the following parties have displaced political parties as key players;
• Rich donors - super PACs and powerful interest groups, who fund election campaigns and political advertising
• Core voters, who participate in primaries and caucuses for their parties, and they select candidates
• Individual candidates who largely finance, organise and conduct their own campaigns - Trump secured the nomination against the will of the party establishment

Parties still matter because;
- Nearly all elected officials from state level upwards identify with one of the two main parties
- Parties serve as important ‘umbrellas of allegiance’ and they represent differing political outlooks and policies, and represent different communities in terms of race, region and background etc
- In legislatures, both state and federal, party unity is often very high especially over key issues, a trend that has increased over the last 40 years
- Party organisations and structures can supply and coordinate vital help and assistance at election time

Question 26

Functions of political parties - importance of labels and umbrella politics

Answer 26

1) Labels - The most obvious evidence that parties will matter is their virtual monopoly over elected positions at all levels; despite many US elections being highly personal (e.g. Clinton v Trump rather than Republican v Democrat), all US Presidents had a party label, as have almost all members of Congress - after the 2018 elections, there were no independent members in the House and only two in the Senate
- Nearly all elected officials feel the need to associate themselves with a party as a way to express their broader political values and principles, with party affiliation representing a clear and recognisable political leaning that helps voters immediately understand that candidates policies and outlook - act as an identity badge

2) Umbrellas - By aligning themselves with a mainstream party, candidates and legislators can gain public acknowledgment of where they stand - each party is a franchise operation, and to identify as a Republican for example generally means opposition to Obamacare, anti-abortion, anti-gun control and limited government, as well as low taxes and traditional values
- Parties also serve as umbrellas for many distinct communities and groups - US parties tend to have ‘big tent’ coalitions, such as black Americans looking to vote Democrats in to support their interests, along with trade unions and women’s groups; white evangelical groups would in contrast, vote Republican

Question 27

Functions of political parties - Unity in the legislature

Answer 27

3) Unity in the legislature - Parties also matter for voting patterns in Congress; a majority of one party usually opposes the other, and for 2018 the overall congressional party unity was 89% for the Democrats and 91% for the Republicans with many being party loyalists, and being viewed as a loyalist is often a strong political asset for appealing to primary votes
- On high profile and divisive issues, the parties are even more coherent and cohesive in their voting patterns; for example, no Democrat supported Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in either chamber, while only 12 House Republicans and no Senate Republicans voting against the final version of the bill
- Furthermore, the controversial nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court saw all but two senators vote with the rest of their party, and so crunch votes see high legislative alignment with party labels

Question 28

Functions of political parties - support in elections

Answer 28

4) The national party organisations - the four ‘Hill committees’ which are devoted to getting members of their party elected or re-elected to the House or the Senate, who identify competitive races and provide background information to inform their candidates campaigns, and to signpost potential donors were their money will have the most impact
- for example, before the 2018 midterms, the largest of the committees the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has a 25 strong research department whose job was to find ‘dirt’ on Republican candidates (compiled around 80 books of scandal for negative campaigns) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) produced around 60 and this is just one way central party organisations help to support and enhance the chances of local candidates
- While the parties remain organisationally weaker in the USA, partly because of the primary system and the role played by independent pressure groups and donors, there is still a vital role for parties in US politics

Question 29

The breakdown of bipartisanship

Answer 29

• How to assess if the US constitution still works - federalism, partisanship
• Founding Fathers intention - Created separation of powers and checks and balances in order to force people to work together and compromise - bipartisanship
• Partisanship - refusal to work together; partisanship has only grown, and so the US constitution no longer works
• Bipartisanship used to be the normal and both parties wanted to maintain the current systems of government and economy (until Bernie Sanders encouraged a change in the economy), and it was very rare to have entire party united against the other, and factions often aligned with the other parties e.g. conservative democrats and liberal republicans often found common ground in the 1950s
• This has however changed; parties have become more different in their policies and ideas, and they refuse to compromise - there are no more centrists, with no Democratic Senators having a conservative voting record in 2013, and they have become increasingly partisan

Question 30

The breakdown of bipartisanship - what have the parties done?

Answer 30

• The parties have moved towards the extremes, with almost all members of the Democrats being more liberal, and all Republicans being more conservative - ideological lines are a lot clearer and they all tend to have a liberal viewpoint on every issue or a conservative one, and there were only 5 centrists in the House with Republicans voted as a unified group on 90% of votes in the 2010s
• There is no longer willingness to work with the other side - the breakdown of the Solid South in the 1970s and dislike of the civil rights agenda from the Kennedy’s meant that conservative Democrats moved into the Republican party, pushing it even further to the right and leaving only left leaning Democrats to reshape the party - there are only 5 Southern Senators that are Democrat and 1 Democratic governor in the South - partisanship is geographical, with Democrats on the coasts and Republicans in the South
• There are fewer competitive seats, and so reaching to the middle is no longer needed for House members to win reelection - in 2014 there were only 90 marginal seats out of 435 seats - this increases partisanship, and the main challenge faced is within primaries to remain as the party candidate; tribal loyalty has increased, and proving ideological purity has become a key part

Question 31

The breakdown of bipartisanship - what factors are there?

Answer 31

• Those registered to parties tend to strongly back their president, with a 71% approval rating from Democrats on Obama compared to a 15% approval rating from Republicans
• Rise of new media - radios and social media have cemented party ideologies, with different party followers consuming different media e.g. Republicans watch FoxNews and Democrats watch CNN, and if they are watching different things they will take different positions and refuse to compromise
• Votes in the Senate often split along party lines in 79% of votes, the highest percentage since 1922, and not a single Republican in Congress voted for Obamacare, and not a single Democrat voted to repeal it in 2017 or for Trump’s tax cut plan, showing the depth of the divide

Question 32

Why can it be argued bipartisanship still exists?

Answer 32

• Progressive left wing of the Democrat party - they have some commonality with Trump’s policies, and there was the possibility of an arrangement of bipartisanship, such as both opposing the Transatlantic trade deal of Obama, disliking the influence of money in politics, opposing the Iraq War and have some similar views on the danger of a lack of gun control
• Trump does not believe in a lot of typical Conservative things, and he may feel he does not have to appeal to the voter base in future
• Structural reasons mean that bipartisanship will always exist to an extent - federalism, separation of powers and checks and balances mean that a fragmented set of political parties cannot be strong when they claim different mandates due to how elections work in the US (different Congress and executive mandate) and so there will always be opportunity to collaborate if they have similar promises and interests

Question 33

Examples of bipartisanship `

Answer 33

• Republicans have criticised Trump over immigration, and these Republicans could work with the Democrats, and Obama could not close Guantanamo Bay because his own party sided with Republicans and so Congress is able to unite against the executive
• The Democrats are divided over certain policies, as shown in primary contests between Sanders v Clinton and Biden v Warren (centrist v progressive) but what unites the Democrats is a dislike of Trump and the constant government shutdowns (3, longest in history in 2019) are mainly due to Democratic Senators refusing to back a border wall and the House refusing to back budget changes to fund this
• This does suggest that partisanship is a real issue in the US, and that parties often act as a way to oppose the other party rather than voting based on the actual policies themselves
• Trump abusing his office for political gain by asking for an investigation of Biden from the Ukrainian President resulted in impeachment calls, but hardly any Republicans agreed that what he did was wrong or a misuse of power
• The system is gridlocked, cannot pass meaningful legislation regarding gun laws, healthcare and therefore the system has become dysfunctional and lost the founding intention of compromise worsened by ideological differences - the growth of partisanship shows that the constitution is no longer working in the 21st century

Question 34

How successful are third parties in federal elections?

Answer 34

• Only receive a small amount of the vote (maximum of 4% of the vote), with there being no independents in the House in the 114th Congress and only 2 independent senators (Sanders in 2017)
• They often split the vote, such as Theodore Roosevelt in his election where he was not selected by his party to be the presidential candidate and so ran independently
• Since 1853, every president has been a Democrat or a Republican
• Independents are also often join party caucuses, removing them from their independence slightly
• In a two-party system, most elected officials belong to either the Republican or Democratic party
• The largest national third parties are the Libertarians (364,500), Green Party (248,200) and Constitution party (76,000)
• Libertarians tend to hold a mixture of views on social issues, agreeing with Republican stances on some issues such as healthcare and limiting government but are mostly democratic on social issues
• Green party - left-wing views
• Constitution - right wing views

Question 35

What are the different types of third parties?

Answer 35

Distinction 1 - Size
- National parties - Libertarian, Green and Constitution
- Regional - Dixiecrats - states rights party (a group of democrats from the 1960s who split from the main Democratic party with an anti civil rights movement and focused themselves in the deep south) - realignment of party regions in the 1960s anyway meant their supporters became Southern Democrats or Republican
- State-based - New York Conservative Party, Alaska Independence Party

Distinction 2 - Permanence
- Permanent parties - Libertarian, Green and Constitution
- Temporary - Dixies, American Independence Party
> comparison to UKIP, a temporary party

Distinction 3 - issues
- Single-issue parties - US Marijuana Party, less longevity
- Ideological parties - Lib, Green, Const.
- Factional parties - Tea party

Question 36

How does FPTP make it difficult for third parties to win seats?

Answer 36

• Hard to win plurality of the vote as they do not have enough votes in any region -> many voters will go elsewhere to avoid waste of their votes
• The electoral college also means that independent presidential candidates struggle -> Ross Perot did not win any college seats but got 18.9% of the popular vote in 1992
• They also struggle to raise money as the media overlooks independent candidates and so cannot gain investors from media presence and Ross Perot was so successful as he could fund his own campaign and was also invited to tv debates in the 1992 debates which gave him voters
• The federal government also have to match donations to campaigns for president, and so main party candidates can raise $5000 with $250 matches from each state to qualify for the matching funds
• In contrast, independent party members have to have received at least 5% of the vote in the last election to qualify, which is extremely difficult to do and means there is no help for those running for the first time, and so main party candidates are helped unfairly

Question 37

Why TV debates and ballot laws are unfair?

Answer 37

1980 - Reagan debated John Anderson but Carter refused to debate Anderson, who was left out of the next debate
1992 - Ross Perot was included in the debates with George W Bush and Bill Clinton
2000 - Debate candidates now have to be on enough state ballots to win the election, and have 15% of support
- The debates are now set up in a way that prevents a media presence for independents and a promotion of policy that would win them votes

• The Ballot Access laws mean that each state has different laws, and most require signatures in all 50 states, and so this means it is hard to even get on the ballot, and the amount of funding needed means that a lot of candidates cannot afford to campaign to get onto the ballot
• Ross Perot could because of his individual wealth

Question 38

Why do big tent parties make it difficult for third parties to build support?

Answer 38

• They have significant ideological breadth (Republicans; fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, Libertarians and Neo-Conservatives, Democrats; Progressives, Centrists, Libertarians and Conservatives)
• This means that there is little space for other ideological parties e.g. the Tea Party movement simply gave the Republicans more votes, and they became a faction of the party rather than a new party in their own right, as most people align with one of the two main parties
• Big parties often take their policies from third parties who raise the issues - Ross Perot’s main issue was getting rid of the federal deficit, and so in 1996 the candidates from the D and R parties began talking about it, and so they force the distinction of third parties to be lost
• Big tent - cover a lot of issues

Question 39

Why are third parties still making an important impact on US politics?

Answer 39

• Most popular policies get adopted by big parties, and so their influence lies in impacting policy through media or committee presence
• They also draw attention to issues main parties then solve, and so their aim is not to get a position but rather to raise an issue and make an impact
• 1968 - Wallace won 5 states, and this makes room for party dominance as Republicans can then dominate control in 1972
• They can also create a ‘spoiler effect’ - split votes, protest votes, can be decisive in Senate votes as independents e.g. Sanders in 2015 Obamacare votes
• Raise and educate public issues otherwise ignored e.g. Women’s Suffrage

Question 40

How do Americans elect their President?

Answer 40

• Not decided by the overall public vote but by the Electoral College vote.
• 2000 Kerry received a greater public vote but did not win the 270 majority number of votes in the Electoral College.
• In order to become President, a candidate must achieve a majority of 270 (out of 538) in the Electoral College.
• Votes are counted within each state, and depending on how you state has voted, your STATE will back one candidate depending on popular vote within your state.
• Each American citizen votes for a Presidential Candidate (and his/her Vice President)
• This system exists because population of states vary massively, and so this needs to be taken into account to make votes proportional
• The three largest EC states are California (55), New york (31) and Texas (34)
• The population of the state therefore decides the amount of electors the state has
• This is calculated by adding the number of senators (2) to the number of districts (population based) to give the amount of electoral college votes
• The candidate who wins the majority within a state obtains all the electoral college votes; other votes are therefore wasted in a winner takes all system - this means there is no reward for independents

Question 41

1992 election - Ross Perot Information

Answer 41

• Texan Industrialist
• Registered intention to run via mainstream TV appearance
• Headed many successful corporations across the three decades leading up to 1992.
• Never in political office but involved in public life/domain.
• Stood for reducing Federal Budget, economic nationalism, tightening war on drugs.
• Proposed creation of “electronic town halls” throughout the nation for direct democracy
• Due to American dissatisfaction with the political system, grassroots organisations sprang up in every state to help Perot achieve ballot access following this announcement.
• James Stockdale, a retired United States Navy vice admiral, stood in as Perot’s vice presidential running mate to ensure ballot eligibility.
• Ross funded his own campaigned & relied on marketing & grass root support.
• Surpassed the 15% polling threshold to participate in all 3 Presidential debates.
• Won 18.9% of popular vote but no electoral college votes, despite coming second in Maine and Utah
• (Bush won 37.5% of the popular vote and 168 EC votes, and Clinton won 43% of the popular vote and 310 EC votes)
• Due to the even distribution of his support across the country, he was unable to secure a majority in any state

Question 42

The influence of third parties

Answer 42

• Issues have been brought to the forefront. Perot was the first candidate “who floated that the deficit was a bad thing” (Beschloss) - “By the time Bill Clinton was elected that fall, if he had not done something about the deficit he would have been in big trouble and that was largely Ross Perot’s doing” – he pushed this idea and made it a public concern.
• 1800’s & 1900’s Socialists popularized the women’s suffrage movement; advocated that child labor laws in 1904 and, along with the Populist Party, introduced the notion of a 40-hour week which led Fair Labour Standards Act of 1938 - (person who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions is the role of third parties)

Question 43

2004 election - Ralph Nader

Answer 43

• Ralph Nader is a 5 time Presidential candidate, he has run as the Green Party nominee, more recently as an independent in 2004 & 2008
• 2004 – Nader had to gather 1.5 million signatures in order to appear on the ballot in all 50 states.
• Government funding is available to those parties/ independents who have been successful in obtaining at least 5% of the public vote in a preceding election.
• 2000 – Nader was only able to secure 2% of the Public vote; as a result he was ineligible for Public Funding (estimated at $18.6 million.) in 2004.
• Media attention as an obstacle - Commission on Presidential Debates; a non-profit organisation which created in 1987. Funded by private donations & corporations.
• Establishes & oversees the set-up & running’s of presidential debates in the US.
• A candidates needs at least 15% of the public vote in order to take part in this debate. (5 poll taking organisations)
• Only once included a 3rd party candidate / 1992 – Perot.

Question 44

Criticisms of the two-party system

Answer 44

• Effectively rigged to shut out other voices. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee for president and former New Mexico governor, has sued on anti-trust grounds to be included this year. The CPD, he said in an interview, is designed “to protect the interests of Republicans and Democrats.”
• It’s an instrument of the two political parties to ensure that the presidency is passed back and forth between them - elections maintain the 2 party system
• George Farah: The 15 percent criteria is “absurdly high,” noting that candidates who reach five percent support qualify for public funding if they reached five percent support in past elections.

Question 45

Green party - platform (left wing)

Answer 45

• They class themselves as grassroots activists, environmentalists, advocates for social justice, nonviolent resisters and regular citizens who dislike corporate-dominated politics
• The four pillars of the party are - peace, ecology, social justice, democracy
• Ten key values - Grassroots democracy, social justice & equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, non-violence, decentralisation, community-based economics, feminism & gender equity, respect for diversity, personal & global responsibility, future focus & sustainability
• There are currently 140 Greens holding elected office across the nation, running hundreds of candidates across the country during each election cycle

Party platform - Democracy
- Political reform; proportional representation, abolish electoral college, enact ranked choice voting, DC statehood, public financing of campaigns,
- Community - families and children, alternative community service
- Free Speech and media reform
- Foreign policy - authorisation for military force, defence budget scaled back, peace in Middle East and Palestinian-Israeli conflict, protection of rights, Puerto Rican Independence
- Domestic Security
- Demilitarisation and Exploration of Space

Party platform - Social Justice
- Civil Rights and Equal Rights
- Environmental Justice
- Economic Justice
- Welfare - commitment to ending poverty
- Education and the arts
- Health care universal
- Labor protections
- Criminal justice reform
- Immigration allowance
- Helping the homeless

Party platform - Ecological Sustainability
- Climate change - helping the climate
- Energy - conservation, decentralise the grid, clean and green energy jobs
- Nuclear Issues, Transportation - cleaner and greener, Zero waste, Clean Air, Ethical treatment of animals

Party Platform - economic justice and sustainability
- Ecosocialism, measuring economic health, living wage , fair taxation, work and job creation, reduce national debt

Question 46

Libertarian Party Platform - centre party

Answer 46

• A political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, laissez-faire capitalism and limiting the size and scope of government
• Conceived in 1971, prompted in part due to concerns about the Nixon administration
• Promotes a classical liberal platform, rather than the Democrats modern liberalism and progressivism and the Republican conservatism
• More culturally liberal than Democrats, more fiscally Conservative than Republicans
• Fiscal - Lowering taxes, abolishing Internal Revenue Service, decreasing national debt, allowing opt out of Social Security, eliminating the Welfare State
• Culture - Ending the prohibition of illegal drugs, criminal justice reform, supporting same-sex marriage, ending capital punishment and supporting gun ownership rights
• Gained a seat in Wyoming House of representatives in 2020, their first state legislature win since 2000, and as of August 2022, there are 310 Libertarians holding elected office

Question 47

Reform Party

Answer 47

• As the Reform Party presidential nominee, Perot won 8.4 percent of the popular vote in the 1996 presidential election.
• Although he did not receive a single electoral vote, no other third-party or independent candidate has since managed to receive as high a share of the popular vote.
• Promoting reform of democratic institutions.
• Ross Perot is a key number - decreasing national debt, focusing on federal deficit, government reform such as term limits, campaign finance reform and and lobbying reform
• Addressing problems the large parties ignored
• Other active parties include the Communist and Natural Law Parties

Question 48

The Forward Party - Andrew Yang

Answer 48

• Established in 2022, this party is focused on getting members on the ballot by 2024, with a focus on providing big issues on the party platform and give Americans more choice in the party system with 62% of the population being dissatisfied with the main 2 parties