POLS 1101 Midterm II Study Guide Party Systems and Realignment Define the concept of a political party and explain how political parties participate in the political system Explain the major differences in the demographics of the supporters of Republicans and Democrats and discuss how the party positions differ on issues o Demographics of the supporters Democrats receive not only from the least well educated voters but also from individuals with advanced degrees Upper income voters are generally more republican than lower income voters business men are much more likely to vote republican than are labor union members The Jewish are heavily democratic and white evangelical Christians that are regular churchgoers tend to be republican Latinos and Blacks tend to be strongly democratic Women are somewhat more democratic than men City dwellers tend to be democrats and suburbanites tend to be republican In presidential elections the South Rocky Mountain states and the Great Plains states typically vote republican and the west coast and the Northeast are more likely to favor democrats Voters who grew up during the Great Depression were likely to form lifelong attachments to the Democratic Party Also evidence indicates that the years of economic prosperity under Reagan during the 1980s led many of the young people who grew during that time to continue to identify as republican o Party positions Military Republicans Prefer increasing military spending and have a more hard line stance against countries like Iran Democrats Prefer lower increases in military spending and are comparatively more reluctant to using military force against countries like Iran Syria and Libya Gun control Laws Democrats favor more gun control laws Republicans oppose gun control laws and are strong supporters of the Second Amendment as well as the right to carry concealed weaon Abortion Democrats It is the woman s right to decide this and hence it is legal Republicans It shouldn t be made legal and Roe v Wade should be overturned Some Republicans go so far as to oppose the contraception mandate requiring employer paid health insurance plans to cover contraception Gay rights Democrats tend to favor equal rights for gay and lesbian couples ex the right to get married and adopt children Republicans tend to believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman so they do not support gay marriage or allowing them to adopt children Death Penalty Opponents of the death penalty form a much higher fraction of the Democratic Party when compared to the GOP Taxes Democrats support progressive taxes they want high income individuals to pay taxes at a higher rate They support higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for public programs Republicans support tax cuts for everyone rich and poor alike They consider higher tax rates on the rich a form of class warfare Minimum Wage Democrats favor increase in the minimum wage to help workers Republicans oppose raising the minimum wage because it hurts businesses Role of Government One of the fundamental differences between Democratic and Republican party ideals is around the role of government Republicans favor a small government both in terms of the number of people employed by the government and in terms of the roles and responsibilities of government in society For example the Environmental Protection Agency EPA is a government agency that many Republican presidential candidates love to deride as an example of useless government agencies that they would shut down Another example is the food stamps program Republicans in congress are demanding cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP While democrats favor these programs and favor a larger government Explain the factors in the American political system that reinforces a two party system There are four reasons why two major parties have dominated the American political system One being the historical foundations of the system Two being political socialization and practical considerations Three being the winner take all electoral system and four being that state and federal laws favor the two party systems The historical foundations of the two party systems after the constitution went into effect the power of the federal government became the major national issue Thereafter the dispute over slavery divided the nation into two sections North and South Many issues such as the Civil War and because people feel so strongly about the situations have been the underlying factors of why the nation is divided into two different party systems During much of the 1900s economic differences were preeminent During the New Deal period the Democrats became known as the party of the working class while the Republicans became known as the party of the middle and upper classes and commercial interest Political Socialization and Practical Considerations Since the majority of Americans identify with one of the two major political parties it is not a surprise that most children learn at a fairly early age what party they will be associated with This generates a built in mechanism to perpetuate a two party system The Winner Take All Electoral System The outcome of the elections is based on the plurality winner take all principal Plurality is a number of votes cast for a candidate that is greater than the number of votes for any other candidate but not necessarily be a majority Whoever gets the most votes gets everything These candidates usually have to side with one of the major parties to get adequate amounts of votes State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two Parties in some states the established major parties need to gather fewer signatures to place their candidates on the ballot than do minor parties or independent candidates For determining how many signatures will be required is often based on the total party vote in the last general election thus penalizing a new political party that did not participate in that election Minor parties face different obstacles a legislator who is elected on a minor party ticket such as the Conservative party of New York must choose to be counted with one of the major parties to obtain an committee assignment The Federal Election Commission FEC rules for campaign financing also place restrictions on minor party candidates Such candidates are not eligible for federal matching funds in either the primary or general election Use the theory of realignment to demonstrate how parties gain dominance o