The Democrats and Republicans

What is the general ideology of the Democrat Party?

• Broadly progressive and believe in liberty and equality for all

• They advocate for a large federal government in order to ensure equality

• Strong enough to defend the nation whilst seeking peace

• Supports issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion rights, immigration reform

What are the three factions of the Democrat Party?

• Liberals/progressives

• Moderate democrats

• Conservative democrats

What are the main beliefs of the liberal/progressive democrats

• They’re more left in the party and have a stronger desire to fight for social justice

• They have a strong desire to regulate the economy, protect the socioeconomically disadvantaged and fight for workers and minorities

• Many progressive are against the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision and are for Oberfoell v Hodges which legalised same-sex marriage

Give an example of a progressive democrat

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

What are the main beliefs of the moderate democrats

• This is the largest group in The Democrat Party

• They’re more centrist and are less critical of an unregulated economy however in times of crisis they’d support a bigger federal government - Obama care was a large expansion of the federal government’s role

• They’re not as radical as the progressives so they wouldn’t support Sander’s Single Payer Act or free college tuition

• They would try to ensure that the economy is both growing but also reducing inequality - Biden’s debt relief package included a $15 minimum wage as well as a millionaire tax to tackle wealth inequality

Give some examples of moderate democrats

Biden, Clinton, Obama

What are the main beliefs of the conservative democrats

• Historically the Democrats were conservative but this is reducing

• They’re socially and fiscally conservative

• They’re the least supportive of LGBT rights and restriction on Gun reform

• They tend to represent the Republican leaning states

Give an example of a conservative democrat

Joe Machin

Define congressional caucuses

A collection of members either party elected to the House or Senate; usually they attempt to advance a certain issue

What are the functions of a congressional caucuses

• Education - provide information to members on proposed legislation and policy briefings

• Agenda setting - may work together to boost chances of particular issues getting onto the legislative agenda

• Encouraging support - trying to get their legislation on the floor of each chamber

Give some examples of congressional caucuses

• Congressional Progressive caucus

• New Democrat Coalition

• Blue Dog coalition

• Congressional Black caucus

• House Freedom caucus

What is the general ideology of the Republican party?

• Limited government supporters

• Political freedom

• Strong military presence

• Supports issues such as stricter immigration, pro-gums, cutting taxes, restrictions on abortion

What are the main beliefs of fiscal conservatives

• Strongly support a smaller role for the government in the economy and society - why they rejected the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009) which included federal stimulus due to their belief that it was too much government control

• They can be socially liberal however

• They can be considered as pragmatic in certain situations

• They are found in the Freedom caucus

Give an example of a fiscal conservative

Rand Paul

What are the main beliefs of the moderate republicans?

• Sometimes known as RINOs, they are more likely to support the need for welfare provisions and safety net welfare in order to preserve society

• They favour a small federal government and are more socially liberal on key issues such as gay rights and abortion

• Many moderates are apart of the Main Street Partnership caucus who were supportive of the Bipartisan Budget Act in May 2017 which included more federal spending

Give an example of a moderate republican

Susan Collins

What are the main beliefs of social conservative republicans?

• They represent strong Christian views such as the traditional nuclear family and favour the death penalty

• This is a growing group in the Republican party

• They support the 2nd Amendment and oppose the usage of recreational drugs

• They’re associated with the Republican Study Committee

Give examples of a social conservative republicans

VP Mike Pence and Ted Cruz

What impact has Trump had on the Republican Party?

• Trump brought a new agenda to the Party by promoting an America First Policy and rejecting things like NATO and immigration. He also promoted a protectionist view with the border security with the ‘wall’ along the US-Mexican border

• Manging to appeal to voters who feel disenfranchised by the new culture wars he gained an active and violent power base.

• He strayed away from Republican actions with policies such as the Muslim country travel ban

• His lack of scrutiny may be sue to his power base and the fact that republicans who go against him get primaried and loose - this may be why only 10 Republicans voted to impact him after Jan 6th

What is the name of the republican who lost her seat to a Trump backed candidate, after being on the Jan 6th Congressional Select Committee?

Liz Cheney