Evaluate the view that the Democrats are more unified as a party than the Republican Party. (30)

AGREE 1.1 (ECONOMY)

Republicans divided over the economy

Trump advocated for large scale spending programs on infrastructure particularly for federal funds to build a wall on the southern border

Furthermore in 2021 REP voted against party lines by voting in favour of Biden’s infrastructure package.

AGREE 1.2 (ECONOMY)

Democratic unity – large agreement that there should be a federal role in the

management of the economy.

All democrats in the senate and all but one in the house voted in favour of the American Rescue plan which saw 1.9 trillion being funnelled into the economy post-covid

All democrats supported the inflation Reduction act

DISAGREE 1.1 (ECONOMY)

Republicans more united on economic policy than the democrats

Trumps tax cuts and jobs act passed with unified republican support.

Unity against federal spending – no REP in the Senate of House voted in favour of Bidens American Rescue plan

DISAGREE 1.2 (ECONOMY)

Democrat disunity – centrists = free trade approach whereas progressives more wary of free trade.

Bernie Sanders opposed the Trans-Pacific partnership free trade deal that Obama attempted to promote.

AGREE 2.1 (WELFARE)

Divide between democrats is minimal as progressive DEM likely to adopt a centrist view when it comes to expanding existing programs as the alternative would be for nothing to happen.

Universal democratic support for the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) which included provisions that increased subsidies for the ACA

AGREE 2.2 (WELFARE)

Republican disunity over welfare policies as the party’s limited‑government ideology clashes with voters who rely on and support federal programmes like Social Security and Medicare

Divisions over the attempt to repeal the ACA show the concern that it would be electorally unpopular to reduce size of government.

DISAGREE 2.1 (WELFARE)

Republicans unified over welfare policies – should be limited welfare intervention

House republicans opposed Biden’s 2023 budget proposals that call for tax increases for those who earn over 400k a year to fund social security

Republicans disklike of the SNAP (food stamp) program aligns with the shared ideological stance that welfare provisions lead to dependency, reflected in proposals to cut funding for the programme

DISAGREE 2.2 (WELFARE)

Democratic disunity – not all democrats support a “big government”

Moderate democrats in the 1990s under Bill Clinton supported welfare reform such as introducing work requirements and a 5 year lifetime limit on benefits whereas progressive democrats favour Medicare for all.

AGREE 3.1 (MORAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES)

Democrats largely united

promoting gun safety and united in its opposition against Dobbs v Jackson

AGREE 3.2

Republicans divided over how to apply powers given by Dobbs v Jackson

Trump criticised Ron DeSantis for enacting a Florida law that bans abortion after six weeks

DISAGREE 3.1 (MORAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES)

Republicans united

Support of the 2^nd amendment

Pro life

DISAGREE 3.2 (MORAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES)

Democrats disunited

Most Democrats backed filibuster reform in 2022, but conservative Democrats blocked it preventing voting rights legislation