...America’s Political Parties Crystal Ann Smith Leah Raby POL110: United States Government 03/17/2014 Politics The two major political parties in the United States today are the Democratic and the Republican parties. They share the meaning to the way the political and presidential system should be run but are how different are they? One of the main differences between the two is that Democrats are Liberals and Republicans are Conservative but how is there a homeostasis between the two and why is there no real middle ground? The following information will explain in depth the differences between the liberals and conservatives as well as the campaign process in maintaining the two and the reason why there is only a two-party system. History and Current State The Democratic Party can be traced back to before America’s independence from Britain and is the oldest political party that has existed. It was formed in 1792 under Thomas Jefferson and established under the presidency of Andrew Jackson in the 1830’s but democracy has come a long way from that. Now the democrat party’s philosophy is labeled as the Liberal in which the supporters focus on ideas of liberty and equality and support current issues such as free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade and private property.( McGowan, 2007) The Republican Party is the second oldest political party in the United States and was first established with Abraham Lincoln in...
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...Is There Really a Difference between the Republican and Democratic Parties? Throughout modern American history, there have been many debates between the Rupublicans and the Democrats. Whether it comes down to what they've done for the american government or how each party differs from one another, there's no question that these two parties are the driving force behind what we know today as the American Government. The truth is, these parties greatly differ from one another and is shown through party ideologies, organization, and certain events in history. The history of the oldest running political party in the world is a complex and diverse one. The democrats, founded by Thomas Jefferson himself, have gone through numerous trials and tribulations to be the politcal party it is today. Stemming from conflicts with the Federalists over Jay's Treaty, it was apparent that " a deep rooted philosophical difference existed between the two factions"( Rutland 10). Because of this struggle for power and differences between the two factions, the Democratic-Republican party was born. Throughout it's history, the democratic party has held onto a few specific ideals that make them different from the republicans. First and foremost, the democratic party started from two main ideals that stem from the Declaration of Indepence, liberty and equality for all. Jefferson believed that the working class people of America werent being treated fairly compared to the wealthy class and landowners...
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...Throughout our history the Democratic and Republican parties have gone head to head in many social problems. With the amount of trouble our country has been in and the low rate of jobs, economy has become the most talked about social problem between parties. The second most talked about social problem is the military issues. While those two social problems being the most talked about the next one on the long list of problems in our country is gay rights and marriage. However, with no jobs and a hurting country economy is the biggest issue we face today. The economic ideas the Democratic Party has is favoring minimum wages and progressive taxation, which means higher tax rates for citizens that make more money. On the other hand, the Republican Party believes that taxes should not be increased for anyone, including the wealthy, and that wages should be set by the free market. The free market is a structure that takes into consideration the supply and demand of goods or services and bases the cost around that. The controlling of the cost is made by the government or monopolies. The Republican parties oppose interventionist policies that put the federal government in control of industry and allow it to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. During America’s last recession the Democratic Party has done its best to try and regain what our country use to be. The motto Democrats have followed is the problem didn’t occur in one night so it’s going to be fixed in one night....
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...of Minorities” Matthew Reed Political Science 10 Professor Benjamin Bishin Discussion Section #27 There has always been a fight between what is considered fair for the rich and the poor. Under certain leadership, there can be favoritism towards one these groups of people. The Democratic Party tends to have more of an influence on the minorities and the poor class while the Republican Party is supported mainly by the white working class. Based on evidence provided by Bartels, the poor class does better under democratic rule. A strong correlation between the theory of Frymer and the evidence of Bartels can be seen. There is a strong racial issue that can be seen during elections for these political parties but it is not in certain political Parties interest to find support from certain groups due to electoral capture. The minorities and lower classes have a lower representation by the Political Parties during elections and need to have more benefits instead of it being focused mainly on the white working class. Though the lower class seems to do better under the Democratic Party, neither of the main Parties seems to represent them well. Voting behavior seems to be in favor of the Democratic Party, but the Republican Party still has a good chance at winning even though most of electorate has been worse under Republican leadership. Bartels suggests that this is due towards the American voters are myopic and are convinced that economically they will be better off...
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...Govt-2301-WS3 What makes us so different? Understanding Political Ideology through Partisanship People today think that it doesn’t matter how you vote, the outcome will always be the same because the Democratic and GOP parties are run by corporations. Some think that in order to break away from the special interests and influences, there should be a strong third party and that party with a different platform is the Libertarian Party. Historically the main two parties were not much different. In the beginning both parties believed that “men (not big government) was to rule them” (The Fundamental Differences Between Republican and Democrats). There was a mutual desire for individual freedom. Currently it seems that their fundamental beliefs have changed. The Democratic Party wants to increase government involvement in the lives of the American public, whereas the Republicans would like to see decreased national government and have each state govern themselves (The Fundamental Differences Between Republican and Democrats). The Libertarians seem to want to get back to what the founding fathers envisioned. Each party has very strong convictions on the topics that confront America today. The hottest topic facing the nation is Same Sex Marriage. Since the beginning the Democrats have defended Civil Rights and supported the expansion of opportunities for all. They fight to end all forms of discrimination, but this is an uphill battle. “We support marriage equality...
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...● 01. 6 generalizations about institutions 1. People use institutions to serve specific ends. 2. They divide labor .3. Institutions save everyone's time and energy; in technical language, they reduce transaction costs. 4. Institutions exist independently of the particular people participating in them. 5. Institutions distribute authority. More power inheres in some roles than in others. 6. Participants will attempt to adapt it to their own purposes; but they are difficult to change. ● 02.How do institutions check tyranny? - checks and balances:Social pluralism, we divide government up between three institutions with all the same amount of power, ● 03.Why are institutions difficult to change? Path dependency: reliance on experience, constrained by status quo; solutions based on familiar institutions. Some participants are content with current arrangements and not willing to change. ● 04.Framers consciously designed a set of institutions for making it possible to do politics of this kind. The point is to design a set of institutions that control the effects of factions--by setting them against one another, but dividing authority among institutions ● Problems with the Articles of confederation No ability to tax , No central currency, No way to negotiate treaties ,No executive capacity, difficult to maintain public order, nation security. ● 06.Deals addressed by the constitution Path dependency: reliance on experience, constrained by status quo; solutions based on familiar...
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...Political Parties and the Electoral Process Dr. Michael Keith Smith U.S Government- POL 110 Strayer University March 7, 2015 Political Parties and the Electoral Process The relationship between political parties and the electoral system has always been a significant one. Federalists and Anti-Federalists formed political parties, each seeking control over the destiny of the new nation that was emerging from the Revolution. It was not long into the foundation of the United States that the protection of the people became a divergent issue among the country's first political parties. Federalists and Anti-Federalists clashed over how to best represent the needs of American citizens in the one document that would become the highest law in the nation — the Constitution. The issue of particular controversy was a component that has since become the mainstay of protecting the interests of the people: the Bill of Rights (Auerbach, 2015). This paper will take an in-depth look at the nature of political parties, as well as the two-party system that has evolved in the United States since its creation in 1776. An ideological difference between political parties is the contrasting visions that constitute their distinct mission and actions as well as the electorial program. While other democracies have numerous active political parties, in the United States there are but two major parties taking part in national elections—the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. ...
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...The United States is mainly known for two political parties called the Democrats and Republicans. They are on a constant fight trying to promote their ideas on what should and what shouldn’t be done. In a constant fight between Republicans and Democrats whose philosophies differ from each other mainly by social problems, tax policies, social programs. The Republicans idea of social problems is due to the oppose of gay marriage. They believe that only women and men should be able to marry each other. “Between 1996 and 2009, no more than 20% of Republicans believed same-sex marriages should be legally valid, ” states Justin McCarthy. On the other hand, Democrats believe that gay marriage should be allowed. “ The Democratic Party has undergone a complete makeover on the issue, and its members have been champions of marriage equality on the state level,” states Justin McCarthy. It shows that the people are willing to change for the happiness of other people. Democrat’s philosophies show that everybody should have the same opportunities of happiness. The Democrats ideas of tax policies are that there should only be cuts on middle and lower class, but should be higher on...
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...United States is more of a Republic than a Democracy. A Democratic government is a type of government which allows the people to have a voice for their self interests, and voting for things that the majority wants, in brief words the “majority rule”. The United States is said to be a democratic nation, but are we really that type of government? The answer is no because as a “democratic country” the people don’t vote directly for the things we want. In this paper I will be discussing key points on why the United States is not a democracy. The people of the United States elect representatives who help create laws that fit best for the interest of the people. This goes for the democrats as well, but the republican government has a difference. If the United States was actually a democratic nation, then the people or the majority would be able to vote and not be restrained from the government in any way. On the other hand the United States government goes by the law and can’t take away the right of the minority which leans more to the republican government. As an example, in a democracy if the majority wanted to vote on whether there can only be a certain religion like Christianity, the minority wouldn’t be able to practice a religion other than Christianity, because the majority has the power to do that if it were a democracy. Another reason is The United States pledge of allegiance also states that we are a republican, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of...
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...In the 1800’s, America faced an issue: what was going to become of America? They were newly independent, free of tyranny England. America knew that everyone as citizens had equal rights, and that the central government should not have too much power. What they did not know, however, is how much power the central government should have. The founding fathers each had two different ideas: federalism and democracy/republic. The Hamiltonian federalists believed much different things than Jeffersonian democrat/republicans, and each idea has shaped America into what it is today. The Federalist Party formed during the redrafting of the Articles of Confederation. The Federalist Party was started predominantly by Alexander Hamilton, and represented...
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...congress still being at a political gridlock. There has been much conversation in the political world if progress can truly be made in Congress between the Democratic Party and the G.O.P. or the Republican Party. This paper breaks down both the Democratic and Republican side of the cartoon, than my opinion on the cartoon as a whole and what message the artist Chappette is trying to send to his audience. Rhetorical Analysis: Four More Years ..of Gridlock Figure 1. A cartoon by Patrick Chappatte about the re-election of President Obama and the thoughts of G.O.P. on his re-election. Source: http://ideas.time.com/2012/11/08/cartoons-of-the-week-november-2-9/photo/cartoon Figure 1. A cartoon by Patrick Chappatte about the re-election of President Obama and the thoughts of G.O.P. on his re-election. Source: http://ideas.time.com/2012/11/08/cartoons-of-the-week-november-2-9/photo/cartoon The 2012 presidential election was nothing short of interesting. The controversy behind everything the candidates did was unbelievable, and in turn, this created the opportunity for a multitude of divisive, yet hilarious, political cartoons. I can honestly say I am not a big person on politics, nor will I act like one throughout this paper, however, for this specific assignment, I will analyze one political cartoon that sums up the feeling of both political parties at the end of the election. Patrick Chappatte in the “International Herald Tribune” drew the political cartoon “Four More...
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...1 Marks: 2 The party in government is made up of ___________ and has direct impact on governmental policy; it is largely independent of ___________________. Choose one answer. | a. the party organization/officeholders | | | b. officeholders/the party organization | | | c. voters/politicians | | | d. bureaucrats/the president | | | e. the electoral college/state legislators | | Question2 Marks: 2 A new order of demonstrated political loyalties, such as seen in Texas and the South from Reconstruction until the middle 20th century with the movement from a Democratic majority identification to a development of parity between the Democratic and then in the latter half of the 20thcentury the shift to Republican party majority identification is called Choose one answer. | a. dealignment. | | | b. alignment. | | | c. realignment. | | | d. party shift. | | | e. political epoch. | | Question3 Marks: 2 The right to vote was not extended to women in the United States until Choose one answer. | a. the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. | | | b. the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution. | | | c. the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. | | | d. the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. | | | e. an executive order that was issued and signed by President John F. Kennedy just weeks before his assassination in November of 1963. | | Question4 ...
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...potentially end the civil war being fought for slaves. Lincoln must struggles within his own power, as he could not pass an amendment with executive power; that power lied with the legislative (⅔) and the states (¾). Lincoln begins within his own party to try to get the votes after Mr. Seward, the Secretary of State's reminds him that he needs a unanimous vote of yes from the Republican Party before...
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...would be split so that not one person was fully in control but that there would be checks and balances in order to keep leaders honest and the civilians free from the rule of a dictator. The following synopsis will give a brief overview about the similarities and differences of the presidential campaigns run between the 2004 election and the 2012 election, each examining one Democratic Party candidate and one Republican Party candidate....
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...to protest against the Democratic agenda are just a small number of the Tea Party’s activities. The Tea Party is a movement spurred on by CNBC’s Rick Santelli whose angry rant rouse the fervor of many a conservative. (Skocpol & Williamson, 1) In particular, he argued against the economic stimulus package introduced by the Obama administration in 2009. Shortly after, the official commencement of the Tea Party movement began with a rally of the fiscal conservative. It started out as a grassroots movement and later evolved into a widespread local and national organization. With generous funding from conservative billionaires and large political organization committees, the Tea Party grew exponentially from state to state. Tea Partiers called for a cut in taxes and public spending as well as deregulation of business operations to lower the national deficit. These individuals started their protest by conventional rallies with signs denouncing Obama’s policies. This later escalated, however, into endorsing candidates into the GOP and reforming the Republican Party. The Tea Party’s activities have contributed towards the recent government shutdown causing scorn amongst many in American society. A legitimate use of the existing democratic institutions, for example, is to lobby against current fiscal policy in an effort to amend laws in the movement’s favor. Another example is creative direct action in the form of protest. Through nonviolent means, Tea Party supporters can advocate...
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