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Democrat’s and Republicans. Jonathan Bulluck. What DO Political Parties Do?.
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Democrat’s and Republicans Jonathan Bulluck
What DO Political Parties Do? • Parties are a way people with similar ideas can join with others to express their opinions. Factions and parties form because not all people think alike; conflict and differences of opinion seem to be natural to humanity. • Supressing disagreement, or prohibiting peaceful forms of conflict, can often lead to a loss of liberty. If dissenting views are denied the right to be heard, violence can be the alternative. • The genius of the American model of democracy allows people to freely express what they think, thus working out conflicts with words instead of weapons. By necessity, consensus and compromise are embedded into the American system. • No one side will always win, and some people will disagree with the majority. But, if everyone has had a say, and the rights of the minority are respected, then most people are willing to accept the decisions made, using peaceful means to express any differences that may remain.
Democratic Party • The Democratic Party is one of twomajor contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum.[1][2][3] The party has the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United States, and is one of the oldest political parties in the world.[4]Barack Obama is the 15th Democrat to hold the office of President of the United States. • As of the 112th Congress following the 2010 elections, the Democratic Party currently holds a minority of seats in the House of Representatives, but holds a majority of seats in the Senate. It currently holds a minority of state governorships, as well as a minority of state legislatures.
Republican Party • The Republican Party is one of the twomajor contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP (Grand Old Party). The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S. political spectrum.[1][2][3] American conservatism of the Republican Party is not wholly based upon rejection of the political ideology of liberalism, as many principles of American conservatism are based upon classical liberalism.[4] Rather the Republican Party's conservatism is largely based upon its support of classical liberal principles against the modern liberalism of the Democratic Party that is considered American liberalism in contemporary American political discourse.[4] • In the 112th Congress, elected in 2010, the Republican Party holds a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, and a minority of seats in the Senate. The party holds the majority of governorships, as well as the majority of state legislatures, and control of one chamber in five states.
Role of the Third Party • In America, third parties have traditionally held the role of protest vehicles. Third parties arise when a group of people believe that the major two parties have become unresponsive to their needs. Many independent candidacies and third parties fulfill the important role of bringing an issue to the public eye that has been neglected by the major players. • However, before the issue can be resolved, it usually has to be "adopted" by one of the major parties. Over time, third parties and their ideas tend to be reabsorbed into whichever major party is willing to listen to their issues. • For example, in the 1890s, the Populist Party was one of the best known third parties in America. By the early 1900s, some ideas of the Populist Party were absorbed into the major parties, which then enacted many Populist ideas into law (including the direct election of US Senators and the Federal Income Tax). In the present day, some of the goals of the Reform Party (such as a balanced budget) are being absorbed by the major parties. • The American system is not entirely fair to third parties. Campaign finance laws and restrictions on ballot access also make it hard for third parties to develop and thrive in the US. However, in nations such as Italy or Israel, where multiparty systems thrive, it sometimes takes a coalition of many parties working together to form a working government. So in effect, even multiparty systems usually develop two major political centers of power--the majority ruling coalition and the "principled opposition." • There has been only one third party in US history that succeeded in rising to become a major party and winning the Presidency: The Republican party, which reached major party status in 1860 with the election of Abraham Lincoln.
