1. Political Parties in the USA Lecture 3

2. US Elections Every four years since 1792. Organised on Tuesday. President: after the first Monday in November. No early elections in the US political system. All election dates are fixed.

3. Principles 1.Candidate with the most votes wins: “first past the post”. 2.Politics dominated by two parties: Republican and Democrat. 3.Each party is a coalition of different interests. 4.Candidates chosen during primary elections. 5.Elections for different offices held together (also referenda are organised in states). Up to 20 different posts may be decided. 6.Every four years Americans choose up to 500 000 officials.

4. Major U.S. Political Parties Republican National Party – http://www.rnc.org/ http://www.rnc.org/ Democratic National Party – http://www.democrats.org/ http://www.democrats.org/

5. Minor U.S. Political Parties Scores of minor parties, among them : Green Party – http://www.gp.org/ http://www.gp.org/ Democratic Socialists of America – http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html Libertarian Party – http://www.lp.org/ http://www.lp.org/

6. How can you vote? You must register: no registration no vote. ¼ of all Americans do not register. So they do not vote.

7. Democrats The Democratic Party was founded in 1792. The oldest party in the world. Logo: donkey (from the old political cartoon) Colour: blue

8. Red vs. Blue

9. Democrats: ideology Left wing party (but not in a European sense): liberal (vs. conservative). Crime: prevention rather than punishment. Non discrimination: affirmative action. Support gay marriages. Are generally “pro-choice” (support abortion). Support gun control.

10. Famous Democratic Presidents Andrew Jackson the first D president (1829-1837). Franklin Delano Roosevelt (March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945) New Deal

11. John F. Kennedy Term of office: January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963. Assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.

12. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton

13. Republicans The Republican Party is often called the "Grand Old Party“ (GOP). First established in 1854 by in the North by people opposed to slavery. The symbol is elephant. Colour: red.

14. Republicans: ideology. Conservative. Economy: Neo-liberal (small government, low taxes). Emphasize the role of religion. Oppose gay marriage. Are “pro-life” (anti-abortion). Are against restrictions concerning guns.

15. Famous Republican Presidents Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican to be elected president (1861–1865). Assassinated in 1865.

17. Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC

18. Dwight D. Eisenhower Ike Term of office: January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961.

19. Richard Nixon January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974 Quit his job as a result of the Watergate scandal.

20. Ronald Reagan January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 Died in 2004. Fought with the Evil Empire and won the Cold War.

21. George W. Bush Current president. President since 2001 Serves the second term.