U.S. Political Parties

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U.S. Political Parties
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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• What is a political party?
• Organization of people who share similar ideas
  about the way the country should be governed

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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• George Washington against political parties
• parties serve their own interests
• parties not beneficial to American people
• Parties formed after his exit
• Democratic-Republicans
• 2. Federalists

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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• Democratic-Republicans
• Supported states rights
• Supported economy based on agriculture
• Power in hands of all people
• Led by Thomas Jefferson

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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• Federalists
• Supported strong national govt.
• Supported economy based on industry
• Power in hands of wealthy and educated
• Led by Alexander Hamilton

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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• Federalists Breakup
• Federalists gradually disappear no political
  momentum
• John Adams only party member to be elected
  President
• Supporters formed new party Whig Party
  (1834-1856)
• (4 U.S. Presidents)

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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• Mid 1820s Democratic-Republicans breaking up
• Democratic Party formed to continue representing
  small farmers and working people

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U.S. Political PartiesBeginnings

• 1850s Democratic Party and Whig Party split
  over slavery
• Pro-slavery voters form Democratic Party
• Whigs and anti-slavery Democrats formed
  Republican Party

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U.S Political Parties Beginnings

• Republican Party
• 1860 Abe Lincoln becomes 1st Republican
  President
• Emerges as stronger of 2 parties after Civil War
• 1865-1931Only 2 Democratic Presidents elected
• Grover Cleveland
• Woodrow Wilson

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Political Party Systems

• 3 Political Party Systems in the World
• 1.) One Party System Political party and the
  government are the SAME
• Only 1 party, so no competing ideas
• Party membership based on lineage, wealth,
  military power, religious power
• Example China (Communist Party)

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Political Party Systems

• 2.) Multi-Party System Three or more parties
  compete for control of the government
• Common in Europe, Israel, Japan
• Advantage provides voters with many different
  choices and ideas
• Disadvantage difficult for one party to get
  majority of votes, which leads to a Coalition
• EXAMPLE Italy (50 different govts. since
  WWII)
• Daisy Alliance Sunflower Alliance
  Italian Communist
• 500,000 votes 450,000 votes
  200,000 votes

Coalition
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Political Party Systems

• 3. Two-Party System Two parties compete with
  each other to run the government.
• Party system of U.S. Democrats and Republicans
• Advantages Continuity
• Disadvantages Minority parties (third parties)
  receive little attention focus is on two main
  parties

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U.S. Political PartiesCharacteristics

• Democratic Party
• Tends to Attract
• Working people (blue collar)
• Liberals
• Catholics
• Minorities
• Union Members
• People in favor of govt. involvement in social
  policies

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U.S. Political PartiesCharacteristics

• Republican Party
• Tends to attract
• Businesspeople (white collar)
• Protestants
• Conservatives
• Non-minorities
• Non-union supporters
• People against govt.involvement in social
  policies

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Abortion
• Pro Choice
• Favors contraceptive education to prevent
  necessity of abortion

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Environment
• Support stronger environmental laws and
  protection of nature
• Push for cleaner air and water
• Support funding for preservation (Everglades in
  FL Redwoods in CA, etc)

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Gay Rights
• Should be protected from workplace discrimination
  and hate crimes
• Should be given equal work benefits like more
  traditional families
• Largely oppose proposal to ban gay marriage
  through a Constitutional Amendment

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Gun Control
• Strong advocates for gun control
• Supported both the Brady Bill and the Assault
  Weapons Ban

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Health Care
• Push for more Heath Care funding (Medicare,
  Childrens Health Insurance Program)
• In favor of program to ensure all Americans have
  quality, affordable health care. (100 government
  funded)

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Foreign Policy
• Generally much more supportive of international
  agencies than are Republicans support NATO and
  the UN
• More skeptical of the Bush Administrations rush
  to war than were the Republicans
• Very skeptical of the handling of the
  reconstruction of Iraq

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Education
• More funding for struggling schools is necessary
• Highly critical of No Child Left Behind, which
  has been under funded
• Tax money should not be used on religious schools

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Social Security
• Fundamental right of Americans
• Best way to protect is to maintain federal
  government control
• Largely oppose privatizing

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Welfare
• Support increased child care for welfare
  recipients so they are more able to work steady
  jobs
• Support funding for job training so recipients
  will be more competitive in the job market

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Womens Rights
• For over 20 years, have been pushing to ratify
  the Treaty of the Rights of Women that arose from
  the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
  Discrimination Against Women (would be a
  statement on Americas part saying that we
  support equal rights for all women)

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DemocratsThe Issues

• Workers Rights
• Favor labor unions and workers rights
• Includes right to organize free from harassment
  and the right to challenge employers for
  disability and discrimination cases.
• Support worker movements to increase the minimum
  wage and worker benefits

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Abortion Pro-life Anti-Choice
• Prefers funding go towards marriage education and
  abstinence only campaigns
• Have tried several times to pass statutes that
  would allow prosecution of acts that harm fetuses

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Environment
• Favor the exploration of all resources in the
  U.S. for energy production and have generally
  opposed looking for more environment-friendly
  power alternatives
• Pushed for oil drilling in ANWR, the building of
  more nuclear power plants, a shift towards the
  use of coal, and have submitted proposals that
  would weaken the Clean Air Act

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Gay Rights
• Against giving gays equal rights in the eyes of
  the law
• We do not believe sexual preference should be
  given special legal protection or standing in
  law
• Oppose idea of gay marriage seek to define
  marriage as union between man and woman
• Supports amendment to the Constitution defining
  marriage

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Gun Control
• Favors allowing the sale of firearms to proceed
  more easily, and with fewer safety precautions
• Opposes any new gun-control laws
• Fought the regulation and banning of assault
  weapons

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Health Care
• Believes health care should work within the free
  market system where competition will lower the
  costs of healthcare (no federal govt.
  involvement)
• In favor of repealing Obama Care

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Foreign Policy
• Have brushed aside international organizations in
  favor of unilateral policy of preemption
• Bush Doctrine supports preemptive invasion when
  necessary to protect the security of the U.S.
• Argue that the use of American military force is
  essential for keeping the world safe for Democracy

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Education
• Support both the No Child Left Behind program
  and the school vouchers
• Favor school vouchers because they think that by
  giving students more educational options,
  including religious schooling, a competitive
  market will be created
• Argue public schools will be forced to improve in
  order to retain students

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Social Security Favor privatization of social
  security
• Citizens will be able to opt to place portions of
  money that would have gone into Social Security
  into other types of accounts. Accounts will give
  the opportunity to play the stock market in an
  attempt to increase returns. (takes away Federal
  responsibility)

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Welfare
• Favors increasing the mandatory work week for
  those receiving government assistance
• Support cuts in child care and training funding
  while pushing 200 million for marriage education
• Pushing for more funding for religious
  organizations and charities, which then will be
  responsible to caring for our nations poor

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RepublicansThe Issues

• Workers Rights
• Favor the rights of businesses to maximize
  profits
• Favors workers and management working together to
  do what is in the best of all involved no
  outside influences (against Labor Unions)
• Believes Labor Unions restrict production of
  businesses sees it as a regulation of business

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What Do Political Party Members Do??

• Major function of each party is to get its
  candidate elected to office
• Steps include
• Party members nominate, or name the candidates
  they want to run for office

2012 Republican National Convention
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What Do Political Party Members Do??

• 2. Party starts an election campaign
• An effort to gather support for its candidates
  and inform voters of the partys stand on issues
• Requires many party workers and volunteers to
  perform dozens of job that include
• Raising funds
• Polling voters/making phone calls
• Drive voters to the polls
• Register voters

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What Do Political Party Members Do?

• Presidential Election Campaigns

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What Do Political Party Members Do?

• 3. Once a partys candidate is elected, the party
  helps the candidate organize and manage the govt.
• Example When a President is elected, 100s of
  job vacancies in govt. must be filled. Jobs
  usually filled by party members who have
  contributed time, energy and money to the
  campaign.
• Patronage giving jobs or special favors to party
  workers

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Political Party Organization

• Political Parties are organized at every level
• Local Party Committee Goal is to get
  candidates from party elected to local political
  office, like mayor, city councilman, school
  superintendent, etc

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Political Party Organization

• Political parties are organized at every level
• State Party Committee Goal is to get candidates
  from party elected to state political office,
  like governor, attorney general, state
  legislator, etc

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear
State Representative Michael Meredith
State Senator Carroll Gibson
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Political Party Organization

• Political parties are organized at every level
• National Party Committee Goal is to get
  candidates from party elected to national
  political office, like President, Senator, House
  Representative

Kentucky Representative Brett Guthrie
Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell Rand Paul
President of the U.S. Barack Obama
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Third Parties

• What are Third Parties?
• Parties representing minority opinions that
  challenge the Democrats and Republicans
• Some successful Third Parties
• Populist Party 1890s
• Progressive Party split off from Rep. Part in
  1912
• Libertarian Party third most popular party in
  U.S. today

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Third Parties

• 3 Kinds of Third Parties
• 1. Parties Tied to a Single Issue
• Examples
• Prohibition Party formed in 1872 to support
  banning of alcohol in the U.S.
• U.S. Marijuana Party formed to support the
  legalization of marijuana in the U.S.
• Green Party formed to protect the environment

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Third Parties

• 3 Kinds of Third Parties
• 2. Parties Tied to a Political Belief
• Examples
• Libertarian Party
• Socialist Parties

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Third Parties

• 3 Kinds of Third Parties
• 3. Parties Tied to a Single Candidate
• Examples
• Reform Party formed around Presidential
  candidate Ross Perot in 1996
• American Independent Party formed around
  Presidential candidate George Wallace in 1968

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Third Parties

• America First Party
• American Heritage Party
• American Independent Party
• American Nazi Party
• Communist Party USA
• Constitution Party
• Family Values Party
• Grassroots Party
• Green Party
• Independence Party
• Labor Party
• Libertarian Party
• Light Party
• Natural Law Party
• The Third Party
• Workers World Party

• Peace and Freedom Party
• Prohibition Party
• Reform party
• The Revolution
• Socialist Party, USA
• Southern Independence Party
• U.S. Pacifist Party
• Veterans Party of America
• We the People Party
• Knights Party
• Libertarian National Socialist Green Party
• Pansexual Peace Party
• Pot Party
• Constitutional Action Party
• American Falangist Party
• U.S. Marijuana Party