American Political Parties

REPUBLICANS VS. DEMOCRATS

 U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings
What is a political party?
 Organization of people who share similar ideas about the
way the country should be governed
 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
 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 Parties raise funds to ensure that

campaigns candidates have financial support
to run their campaigns
 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.”
 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)
 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
 History
 Opposing political parties first
appeared during the debate
over ratifying the Constitution
 Federalists vs. Anti-Fed.

 Tradition Continues
 Platforms have changed

 Jefferson (Democrat but

Republican today)
 Civil Rights Movement
 Two party domination
continues today
 Republicans vs. Democrats
 U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings

 George Washington against political parties

 “parties serve their own interests”
 “parties not beneficial to American people”

 Parties formed after his exit:

1. Democratic-Republicans
2. Federalists
 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.
George Washington and John Adams were both
Federalists who believed in a strong central
government.
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 on:
Thomas Jefferson
James Monroe
 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. Jackson’s Democrats were also considered
the party in favor of slavery and as a result typically
won elections in southern states.
 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.
 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.
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) government’s role in
society with the creation of Medicare, Medicaid
and the expansion of welfare.
 U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings
 Democratic-
Republicans
 Supported states rights
 Supported economy based
on agriculture
 Power in hands of all
people
 Led by Thomas Jefferson
 U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings
 Federalists
 Supported strong national
govt.
 Supported economy based
on industry
 Power in hands of wealthy
and educated
 Led by Alexander
Hamilton
 U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings
 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)
U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings
 Mid 1820’s:
Democratic-Republicans
breaking up
 Democratic Party
formed to continue
representing small
farmers and working
people
 U.S. Political Parties:
Beginnings
 1850’s: Democratic Party and Whig Party split over
slavery
 Pro-slavery voters form Democratic Party
 Whigs and anti-slavery Democrats formed Republican
Party
 U.S Political Parties:
Beginnings
 Republican Party
 1860: Abe Lincoln
becomes 1st Republican
President
 Emerges as stronger of 2
parties after Civil War

 1865-1931:Only 2
Democratic Presidents
elected
 Grover Cleveland
 Woodrow Wilson
 Democrats Today

Today the Democrats are commonly perceived

as the party of big government, civil rights,
women’s 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 party’s
nomination for the 2008 election:
 Hillary Clinton
 Barak Obama
 John Edwards
 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.
The Republican Party was born amidst tensions
between slave and free states in 1850s. They
tended to find more support in northern states.
 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.
Republicans came to be associated
with elephants due to the political
cartoons of Thomas Nast in 1874.
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 Nixon’s 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.
 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
American Parties Today
Party Platforms
 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.
 What are the differences between
Republicans and Democrats today?
 Democrats:
The Issues
 Gun Control:
 Strong advocates for gun control

 Supported both the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban
 Democrats:
The Issues
 Education:
 More funding for struggling schools is necessary

 Tax money should not be used on religious schools

 Republicans:
The 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
 Republicans:
The 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

 Republicans:
The 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
 What Do Political Party Members Do??

 Major function of each party is to get its candidate

elected to office
 Steps include
1. Party members nominate, or name the candidates they want to
run for office

2004 Republican National

Convention
 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 party’s 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

John Kerry Campaigning

 What Do Political Party Members Do?

Presidential Election Campaigns

 What Do Political Party Members Do?

3. Once a party’s candidate is elected, the party helps

the candidate organize and manage the govt.

 Example: When a President is elected, 100’s 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

 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…

Mayor of Atlanta:
Alvin Wilbanks:
Shirley Franklin
Superintendent of GCPS
 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…

Georgia Governor:
Sonny Perdue
 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

Georgia Representative:
John Linder
President of the U.S.: Georgia Senator:
George W. Bush Saxby Chambliss
 Third Parties

 What are Third Parties?

 Parties representing minority opinions that challenge the
Democrats and Republicans
 Some successful Third Parties:
 Populist Party – 1890’s
 Progressive Party – split off from Rep. Part in 1912
 Libertarian Party – third most popular party in U.S. today
 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
 Third Parties

 3 Kinds of Third Parties

 2. Parties Tied to a Political Belief
 Examples:
 Libertarian Party

 The Third Party

 Socialist Parties
Third Party?

 American history has

seen brief formations of
third parties
 Populist Party
 Progressive Party
 Bull Moose Party
 None of them have stuck
 3rd Parties today
 Green Party
 U.S. Marijuana Party
 Libertarian Party
 Tea Party
 Party Platform

 A political party platform

is a list of actions which a
party supports in order
to appeal to a general
public for the purpose for
having their candidate
voted into office
 Often deals with
controversial topics
 Each topic is called a
plank
 Abortion, Defense
spending, etc.
 So…What’s the difference?

Republican Elephant Democratic Donkey

 The Republican Platform (GOP)

 Social Conservatives  Voter Base

 Laissez-Faire economics  Financial Sector, low black
vote, high income,
 Fiscal Conservatism
military, higher ed. but
 Lower taxes for ALL few professors, older,
 Personal responsibility straight, church goers,
over welfare programs South, Midwest, Mountain
West.
 Notable Republicans
 Ronald Reagan
 George Bush (both)
 Dwight Eisenhower
 Rush Limbaugh & Glenn
Beck (TV/Radio)
 The Democratic Platform
 Social Liberalism  Voter Base
 Social Democracy  Young professionals,
 Greater Federal Gov’t
academia, organized labor,
Intervention working class, women,
LGBT, Minorities, Northeast,
 Progressive Taxation Great Lakes, and West Coast
 Different tax rates for
different tax brackets
 Larger government to serve
people’s needs
 Notable Democrats
 Bill Clinton
 Franklin Roosevelt
 John F. Kennedy
 Keith Olbermann & Rachel
Maddow (TV)
 Media Bias

 Media has power to set

cultural standards and
shape political discourse
 Media has challenge to be
accurate and fair
 Determining Bias
 Sources?
 Diversity?
 Who’s point of view?
 Double Standards?
 Unchallenged Assumptions?
 Loaded Language?
 How Parties Raise and Spend
Money
How Parties Raise and Spend Money
• Political parties rely on contributions from
individuals and interest groups to fund their
activities.
• Because of the close connection, political parties
have with office holders, the courts have long
permitted regulation of the source and amount
of money people and groups can contribute to
parties, as well as the amount parties can spend
with or contribute to candidates.
Effects of the 2002 Campaign Finance Reforms (BCRA)
 How Parties Raise and Spend Money
Party Expenditures
• Party committees are
permitted to make
contributions to candidates
and can spend a limited
amount of money in what
are called “coordinated
expenditures.”
• Compared to other
countries, the U.S. has less
public funding of political
parties and candidates.