Political Parties: What do they do?

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Political Parties What do they do?

• Promote a political agenda to influence
  government policy and action
• Select candidates for election
• Educate voters
• Finance election campaigns
• Fill government positions

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2 Big Tent Parties

• Both Republicans and Democrats are considered
  Big Tent parties because there are many
  different groups that support unrelated issues
  who associate with the same party. For example,
  African Americans, environmentalists, pro-choice
  Americans and gay Americans all are special
  interest groups whose members typically vote for
  the Democrat party.
• Often in American politics third parties limit
  their interests to a single issue. For example,
  the Green Party is a political party that puts
  environmentalism at the center of its agenda.

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Role of Political Parties
Role Description
Select candidates Parties select candidates, present them to voters and work to win elections
Educate voters Parties inform people by presenting information about issues or beliefs through pamphlets, newspapers, rado, tv, speeches, conventions
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Roles, continued
Govern Those who govern are chosen on the basis of party appointments are made with an eye to the party of the potential officeholder
Finance campaigns Parties raise funds to ensure that candidates have financial support to run their campaigns
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Roles, continued
Watchdog The party that is not in power criticizes the policies of the party in power. This party plays the role of the loyal opposition.
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Question

• Which role of a political party do you think most
  influences the political process?

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Political Parties Who are they?What do they
want? Democrats and Republicans
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The History of Democrats

• The first two presidents of the US, George
  Washington and John Adams were Federalists. They
  believed in a strong central government. Both
  were wealthy men who owned property and were very
  concerned with improving commerce and ensuring
  property rights.
• The Anti-Federalists evolved into the
  Democrat-Republican party. Thomas Jefferson, the
  third President of the United States was the
  first Democrat-Republican to be elected
  President. They were mostly supported by working
  class small farmers from the South who valued
  their liberties, resented big business and
  possessed a general suspicion of government.

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George Washington and John Adams were both
Federalists who believed in a strong central
government.
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Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, the 3rd and
5th Presidents of the United States signed the
Constitution in support of a strong federal
government, but came to distrust an all powerful
central government. They called themselves
Democratic-Republicans and openly sympathized
with the Anti-Federalists.To learn more about
each click onThomas JeffersonJames Monroe
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Andrew Jackson was the first Democrat elected
President!

• Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the US was
  an war hero who as a general defeated the British
  at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of
  1812. He was the first presidential candidate to
  run as a Democrat. History knows him as the
  first President to frequently veto laws passed in
  Congress. Jackson was responsible for
  enfranchising all white males (giving them the
  right to vote), large Indian removal projects and
  the distribution of land to white southern
  farmers. Jacksons Democrats were also considered
  the party in favor of slavery and as a result
  typically won elections in southern states.
• For more information click on http//www.whitehous
  e.gov/history/presidents/aj7.html

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Andrew Jackson used a donkey to symbolize his
working class roots and ever since the Democrats
have been known as the part of the donkey.
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Democrat History Continued

• Democrats evolved into the party that
  represented mainly the working classes of cities
  in the North and predominantly white agricultural
  workers in the South until 1932. Famous
  Democrats of this time period included James
  Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Woodrow Wilson.

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Franklin Delanor Roosevelt transformed the
Democrat party into what it is today.

• FDR captured the White House in 1932 and led
  the United States out the Great Depression by
  expanding government services like welfare,
  social security, jobs programs and to a lesser
  extent supporting civil rights laws. John F.
  Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson continued the
  tradition set by FDR in pushing forward civil
  rights laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  and expanding the welfare state (a type of
  government designed to take care of its citizens,
  rather than ask them to take care of themselves)
  governments role in society with the creation of
  Medicare, Medicaid and the expansion of welfare.
  

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Democrats Today

• Today the Democrats are commonly perceived as
  the party of big government, civil rights,
  womens rights, environmentalism, the poor and
  pacifism (slow to go to war).
• Currently three major candidates are running in
  the Democrat primary in search of their partys
  nomination for the 2008 election
• Hillary Clinton
• Barak Obama
• John Edwards

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History of the Republicans

• The Republicans were born in 1854 with support
  of abolitionists (people against slavery) and
  those who supported a strong federal government.
  Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican to be
  elected President. The Radical Republicans were
  responsible for pushing for Reconstruction
  efforts after the Civil War in the South. Later,
  in the late 1880s Republicans became known as the
  party of big business.

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The Republican Party was born amidst tensions
between slave and free states in 1850s. They
tended to find more support in northern states.
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History of Republicans

• In the 1920s Republicans such as Calvin
  Coolidge and Herbert Hoover were known for
  laissez faire economics (free market) and
  isolationism (the US should mind its own business
  and stay out of world affairs). They favored
  small government, were against taxes and thought
  that the economy could take care of itself if
  left to its own devises.

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Republicans came to be associated with elephants
due to the political cartoons of Thomas Nast in
1874.
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The Republican Party transformed itself from a
political party of the North to one of the South
and West in 1968.

• The modern Republican Party was born out of
  Richard Nixons Southern Strategy in which Nixon
  appealed to southern white voters by proclaiming
  his support of states rights and promised to make
  the US safer. Today the Republican party stands
  for many of the issue Richard Nixon supported
  such as lower taxes, small government, the rights
  to carry arms, pro-life policies, a strong
  military and a smaller welfare state.

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Republicans Today!

• The Republican party today tends to support
  public policies that limit the size of government
  and cut taxes. Typically, they also support the
  War on Terror, are generally opposed to the
  legalization of abortion (pro-life) and vote
  against programs to increase the size of the
  welfare state.
• Rudy Guiliani
• Mitt Romney
• Fred Thompson
• John McCain

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The map below shows the states that were won by
the Democrat Presidential nominee Al Gore and the
Republican Presidential nominee George Bush in
2000.
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What are the differences between Republicans and
Democrats today?
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The Economy and Taxes

• Democrats
• Are generally in favor of large government and a
  progressive tax system in which the wealthy pay a
  larger share than the poor
• Tend to be against international free trade
  agreements because they claim that such trade
  agreements hurt American workers and in
  particular unions
• Tend to believe in a balanced budget and are
  willing to raise taxes if needed
• Tend to make laws to protect American businesses
  from international competition

• Republicans
• Are generally in favor of a smaller government
• Generally for free market agreements with other
  countries, like NAFTA- North American Free Trade
  Agreement.
• Vehemently against raising taxes even if it means
  a budget deficit
• Tend to believe in global trade and dont tend to
  protect US businesses from international
  competition

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National Defense and Security

• Democrats
• Tend to cut the military budget
• Generally want to avoid American military
  intervention unless supported by the United
  Nations
• Tend to believe in diplomacy and are slow to go
  to war

• Republicans
• Believe in a strong military and are willing to
  pay for it with government money
• Believe in confronting American enemies with or
  without UN support
• Believe in using military intervention when
  American interests or security is threatened more
  quickly than Democrats

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Entitlements- Welfare, Medicaid, Social Security,
Health Care

• Democrats
• Generally think that the government should
  provide a broad safety net (health care,
  education, welfare, food stamps) for the poor and
  others.
• They generally think these policies help the
  common good and are compassionate

• Republicans
• Generally think the government should limit or
  reduce the safety net for the poor.
• They believe that private businesses and
  non-profit charities can provide the same services

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Crime and Punishment

• Democrats
• Tend to focus on rehabilitation programs over
  long prison sentences for convicted criminals
• Usually against the death penalty
• Focus on rights of the accused

• Republicans
• Tend to focus on prison sentences as a deterrent
  to crime
• Usually for the death penalty
• Usually for stiffer penalties for convicted
  criminals

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Environmental Protection

• Republicans
• Favor fewer restrictions on businesses in the
  hopes that wealthier companies will be able to be
  more environmental
• Many do not believe global warming is a real
  threat

• Democrats
• Favor stricter regulations on businesses to
  protect the environment
• Believe global warming is a real threat

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Abortion and Stem Cell Research

• Democrats
• Tend to be pro-choice- believe that a woman
  should always have the right to choose to have an
  abortion
• Tend to favor stem-cell research

• Republicans
• Tend to be pro-life- do not believe that women
  have a right to have an abortion and instead call
  abortion a form of murder
• Tend to be against stem-cell research

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Energy Policy

• Democrats
• Focus on researching alternative energy sources
  for the future

• Republicans
• Focus on securing existing energy sources for the
  present and future

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Values- Same Sex Marriage and Civil Rights Laws

• Democrats
• Tend to support the right for same-sex couples to
  marry

• Republicans
• Tend to oppose the right for same-sex couples to
  marry

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Education

• Democrats
• Oppose using tax money for school choice
  (vouchers and charters)

• Republicans
• Favor using tax money for school choice (vouchers
  and charters)

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Immigration

• Democrats
• Favor looser immigration laws
• Some favor Amnesty for illegals already in the
  country

• Republicans
• Favor stricter immigration laws
• Some favor punishment or deportation for illegals
  already in the country

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Check Out How Each Party Feels About Issues That
Are Important to You?Which Candidate Do You
Agree With?

• Democrats

• Republicans