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Two party system
The document discusses the American political party system. It begins by defining political parties and their role in organizing candidates and government. It then describes the historical development of parties in the US from factions in the 18th century to political machines to modern reform periods. The US has a federal constitutional democratic republic system with separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Politics are shaped by the two dominant parties, Democrats and Republicans, as well as citizen interests, lobbyists and media.
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Two party system
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- 2. INTRODUCTION • Political partiesare enduring organizations under whose labels candidates seek and hold elective offices (Epstein, 1986). Parties develop and implement rules governing elections. They help organize government leadership (Key Jr., 1964). Political parties have been likened to public utilities, such as water and power companies, because they provide vital services for a democracy. • The endurance and adaptability of American political parties is best understood by examining their colorful historical development. Parties evolved from factions in the eighteenth century to political machines in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, parties underwent waves of reform that some argue initiated a period of decline. The renewed parties of today are service-oriented organizations dispensing assistance and resources to candidates and politicians (Aldrich, 1995; Eldersveld & Walton Jr., 2000).
- 3. U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM •The United States is a federal constitutional democratic republic, in which the president (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. • The executive branch is headed by the president and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, exercises judicial power. • There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed capitalist countries. These include increased power of the upper house of the legislature, a wider scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of only two main parties. The United States is one of the world's developed democracies where third parties have the least political influence. • U.S. politics are shaped by two major political parties: Democrats and Republicans. • Citizens have competing interests that differ based on their different backgrounds—the types of jobs they have, their race or age, whether they have children, etc. • Politics are also shaped by special interest groups, lobbyists, and the media. lobbyist: A person remunerated to persuade (to lobby) politicians to vote in a
- 5. LEGISLATIVE CARRIED OUT BY CONGRE SS New national laws Modify existing ones Federal taxing and spending Coinmoney Declare war on other countries Oversee the executive branch of government Legislative Branch—This branch consists of the Congress which is responsible for making the federal laws. Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
- 6. CONGRESS • Capitol inWashington, D.C • Bicameral body: • House of Representatives • Senate
- 7. • Article. I.Section 1. “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”
- 8. Two chambers ofCongress House of Representatives • Lower house • Specific district • Proportion to population • 435 voting members • Serve two-year terms • “first-past-the-post voting” in every district. Senate • Upper house • Each state Two senators (regardless of population) • Six-year terms • 100 members • Must approve the Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices • “first-past-the-post voting” “ May reject each other’s bills “
- 9. Executive The Executive powerlies with the President of the United States who is given the job of executing, enforcing, and administering the laws and government. The Bureaucracy is part of the Executive Branch. The executive branch of government is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. It is made up of the president, the vice-president, the Cabinet and a number of what are known as independent agencies. At the head of the executive branch is the US president, who must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution. Characteristics • Head of executive branch • Head of state • Commander in chief of • the military Chief diplomat Duties • Negotiates international treaties • Signs or vetoes bills • Appoints members of the Cabinet, Supreme Court & ambassadors • Pardons for federal offences The President “Most powerful man on Earth”
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- 11. Judicial • The judicialpower of the United States is vested in the Supreme Court and the federal courts. Their job is to interpret and apply US laws through cases brought before them. Another important power of the Supreme Court is that of Judicial Review whereby they can rule laws unconstitutional. Interpret laws Use them to settle disputes Supreme Court and lower federal courts
- 12. POLITICAL PARTIES • Two-partysystem • Republican Party (1854) and Democratic Party (1824) • Great investment (No amount limit; buying broadcasting time • allowed) • Geography and religion are factors in ideological positioning • “Red states”- won by Republican party • “Blue states”- won by Democratic The American party system has generally always been a two-party system, especially at the national level. This kind of system ensures that minority viewpoints can’t control the government. There are no actual explicit legal prohibitions against third parties in America, but most governmental institutions require a plurality, and that has generally resulted in two-party domination. The actual parties in control have changed several times over the course of history, and currently they are the Democrats and the Republicans.
- 13. TWO PARTY SYSTEM •A two-party system is a system in which two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and the majority of elected offices are members of one of the two major parties. Under a two-party system, one party typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referred to as the majority party while the other is the minority party. The United States is an example of a two-party system in which the majority of elected officials are either Democrats or Republicans.
- 14. • The RepublicanParty is one of the two major political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti- slavery activists in 1854, it dominated politics nationally for most of the period 1860-1932. Eighteen presidents have been Republicans; most recently, George W. Bush. • The Republican Party includes fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, neoconservatives, moderates, and libertarians. Prior to the formation of the conservative coalition, which helped realign the Democratic and Republican Party ideologies in the mid-1960s, the party historically advocated classical liberalism, paleo-conservatism, and progressivism. Abraham Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.
- 15. The Democratic Partyis one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States along with the Republican Party. Since the 1930s, the party has promoted a social liberal, social democratic and progressive platform, and its Congressional caucus is composed of progressives, liberals, centrists, and left-libertarians. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United States and is one of the oldest political parties in the world. President Barack Obama is the15th Democrat to hold the presidency. The Democratic Party evolved from Anti- Federalist factions that opposed the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton in the early 1790s. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison organized these factions into the Democratic-Republican Party. The party favored states’ rights and strict adherence to the Constitution; it opposed a national bank and wealthy, moneyed interests. The Democratic-Republican Party gained power in the election of 1800. Andrew Jackson: Andrew Jackson is typically considered the first Democratic President
- 16. IDEOLOGIES Republican Party • Profree markets and individual achievement. • Against universal health care. Democratic Party • Favored farmers, laborers and religious and ethnic minorities. • Against unregulated business and finance. • Interventionism. Socially conservative, economically liberal Socially liberal, economically conservative
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