Republicans v. Democrats Political Parties

A brief history of political parties Federalists and Anti-Federalists were the first political parties Federalists soon faded under opposition by the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson The first issues they disagreed on was the power of the national government. Democratic-Republicans would soon become the modern day Democratic party with opposition from the newly formed Whig party

History continued Our current system emerged in 1854 when the Republican party, or Grand Old Party was born. Support bases for these parties has changed over the years. Republicans were initially formed to fight slavery (Lincoln was a Republican), and they had the support of minorities. Since FDR and the Great Depression, along with Johnson’s Great Society and civil rights, minorities are largely Democrats

Third Parties Third parties do emerge from time to time and impact elections (Nader in 2000 and 2004). Third parties are most often formed in response to specific issues and lack policies on all aspects of running the country, and therefore fail to get long-lasting support. These are called single-issue parties. Third parties have a hard time getting on ballots in most states and people think they are wasting their vote by voting for a third party.

Third Parties continued Third parties contribute to the system by making the two major parties focus on certain issues. If the third party and their issue get enough attention, the other two parties are then forced to deal with that issue. However, no third party candidate has ever won the presidency.

The two party system Limits choices on candidates Clearly defined platforms and clearly defined opposition Gives the individual a chance to get involved with a cause

The Functions of Political Parties Selecting candidates - through open and closed primaries, caucuses, national conventions, or by write-in which is a popular method for third parties who can’t get on the ballot Set goals for government - parties have platforms made up of planks, which are ideas for what government should do Play watchdog - if Republicans are in power, Democrats act as a check on that power and vice versa

Functions of Political Parties, continued Give people a voice - like-minded people band together in political parties to improve their chances of getting their problems or issues heard by government It is customary for candidates to give jobs to campaign workers who helped him or her get elected. This is called patronage.

Political Party Organization All political parties have one thing in common, how they are organized.

Election Process Candidates for office must first go through primaries to narrow down the field to one nominee from both of the major political parties. Primaries can be open or closed as you know. Some states use a caucus instead of a primary to choose candidates. A closed primary is when the primary election is only open to registered democrats or republicans. For example only a democrat can vote in a democratic primary.

Election Process continued An open primary is when anyone can vote in the primary election. For example a Republican could vote in a Democratic primary election. Candidates for President are whittled down to one after the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. A general election is then held to decide the winner between the Democrat, Republican and any third party candidates. Everyone votes in the general election.

More Campaigning Candidates also seek endorsements from famous people or retired politicians. Remember the President helps members of his party campaign. Candidates also use propaganda which is a type of message aimed at influencing your opinions. There are six types: glittering generalities, bandwagon, stack cards, name calling, “just plain folks,” and image molding.

Campaigning Candidates raise money through both private and public donations. PACs also contribute heavily to political campaigns through its lobbyists. A Political Action Committee is a group that wants to have their cause heard by the government, so they contribute money to gain influence. This is bad because the candidate now “owes” something to the PAC. However, PACs also distribute information that politicians might not normally have access to.

Republicans and Democrats Are they the same or are they different? Both political parties want to help the American people. They want to “promote the general welfare” of our people. The problem is that the issues that the parties disagree on are issues that divide the nation. For example: Gay marriage, abortion, and the death penalty. These are divisive issues.

Republicans

Democrats