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USA politics
hi, 15/m. i live in the uk. ii understand the different parties here, but what are the parties in the states? and what do they believe, like, what do they want to do exacly? ive heard of the republicans, and the democrats. are there any more? and how does the system work? thanks:)
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There are a great, great many parties out there. Ill cover some of the main ones and what they proclaim themselves, as well as personal opinions on them.
There is something to keep in mind. Every party has propoganda. They say alot of things, but those things do not neccesarily hold true all the time.
The main two parties are republicans and democrats.
Republicans - Republican ideas include smaller government and lower taxes. They preach that less government oversight and involvement is better. They advocate the right of the individual over all generally. Traditional republicans are very capitalistic and believe in less government regulation of the economy and of business. Republicans also traditionally are not very avid about social programs and social welfare, they say that people should get to keep more of the money they earn and that people should not be forced to pay for others who do not earn as much. Republicans also are traditionally very pro family morals and moral regulation. Republicans enjoy crossing religion and law.
Republicans in the real world. America is home to some of the biggest divides between the super rich and those below what is termed "the poverty line". The current republican party is all about corporations and business. Republicans have a habit of removing barriers to business practices that would eliminate competition. The current republican party has a strong hold on the american middle class through continued support of conservative moral views. They are anti-gay rights/gay marriage, they are generally for harsher crime punishments, and they pander alot to the uneducated middle to lower conservative base who couldnt care less what you do with corporations as long as the republicans keep laws in effect that go in line with the moral views of the mass conservative religious right wingers.
Republicans also still lower taxes. Heres the problem. In this country, the tax paying is disproportionate, if you make a ton of money you get higher taxes, because you can afford it. Republicans pass tax laws that remove some of the burden off the highest payers while virtually leaving the middle class untouched. An example would be the recent repeal of the estate tax. Estate tax is when you die, the items you pass on to your children or other friends/family members are taxed, the money usually coming out of the estate.
Heres the thing. Estate tax is a tax that avoids virtually 60% of the american populace and is mostly unnoticed by the rest. It is the super rich who are passing estates of 100s of millions or even billions that are paying the majority of these taxes and that no longer have to. Basically, its a huge tax cut, but only a very small percentage of the population are significantly affected by it.
Democrats - Democrats say they are for social welfare. Democrats believe in responsible, regulated business that prevents the corporate giants from smashing out smaller competitors. They are very much for social justice, and have a very active civil rights side. Democrats traditionally favor higher taxes so that the government can provide more, and have no problems with a little more government oversight and a larger overall government.
Democrats in reality - Democrats gain most of their votes through their social agendas. For every person that wants abortion criminalized, gays to not be able to marry, etc, there is another person in this country who feels the opposite. Democrats also enjoy supporters from those who benefit from social programs such as wellfare, unemployment, medicare, and a host of other programs the government has that give money to the needy.
One of the key things that both parties gloss over, is that they pay for votes. Republicans stick with the moral aspect (though many of those elected seem like they couldnt care less about moral issues) because it gets them votes, but alot of their support comes and goes in the way of giving money to businesses and other wealthy by way of tax breaks and contracts.
The democrats, on the other had, promote social programs that give money to the poor.
Each group is paying a different segment of the population for votes.
Independents - Independents are middle of the road. Made up of people who are generally fed up with the two primary parties, they are the "swing votes" of the nation. Independent presidents are rare, however indepdendents are common at all other levels, state/federal congress, governors, city officials, etc.
Independents are usually people who have a mix of views from both the republican and democratic parties, however because neither the republicans or democrats have great history of sticking to their touted "beliefs" these people separated themselves.
Green party - This is a somewhat minor party, but big enough to be known. They are the environmentalists. People who are for a green earth above all else. They are not very popular for a number of reasons.
Among republicans, the green party either would put far too many controls on corporations for their taste, or the green party just isnt concerned with their moral issues.
Among democrats the green party is just too specific. The environment is part of the democratic lobby, part of their ideals, and so most democrats would rather vote for a democrat, who has a wider focus than just the environment. Democrats think that the environment is important, but not the end all be all most important issue facing our country right now.
Independents might agree with green party candidates but would vote their own party or a democrat first generally just because the green party doesnt have enough support in this nation to field many candidates with a prayer of winning any significant offices.
Theres a good bit of fact and my own opinion in this, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Im generally more indepdentant/democrat leaning just because of self interest. Im not a member of the upper middle class economically speaking so I support organizations that tend more towards social responsibility and not letting the wealthy profit at the expense of people like myself (at least not too much =/)
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Aside from Republics and Democrats, their are Independents (have views that may side with one of the main parties at times, but don't agree with everything in that party so don't pledge themselves to it), and Green party members. The Green party is the party people vote for when they believe both candidates running in the two major parties such ass. They're mostly into environmental things and other feel good stuff like that. The current president is a Republican. None of the members in the parties have any more money than the other, like the moron that stated that a few answers down. The Republican and Democrat party have more money to spend on campaigns and ads, because they're the two largest and receive the most in donations.
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First of all, not all rich people are republican and not all poor people are democrats. I'm sure you know that money doesn't make the party. It's the beliefs of the people.
I'll look up some information for you, but I just wanted to throw that in because I really did not like that others user saying that especially when all it he/she is doing is stereotyping the political parties.
I'm actually taking a US Government class this year, but school hasn't started yet and I'm sure you don't want to wait too long for the information.
Some links for you to visit
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[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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"Republican Party-rich people
Democrats-not so well off people(aka poor)"
That's a stereotype, but isn't true. I think you'll find that a huge percentage of American celebrities are Democrats.
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Well there are:
Republican Party-stand for the,belive in helping the richer people
Democrats-stand for the, belivie in helping the not so well off people(aka poor)
Independents-go either way
Libertarian Party-liberating certian things
Green Party-environment
Constitution Party-upholing the constitution
The symbol for Repulican is an Elephant(i don't know why) and the symbol for Democrat is a Donkey(i don't why)
This is going to be really long. But i will try to explain it the best i can:
The executive branch is headed by a president and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Judicial power is exercised by the judicial branch (or judiciary), comprised of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. The judiciary's function is to interpret the United States Constitution as well as the federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal government of the United States was established by the Constitution. American politics has been dominated by two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, ever since the American Civil War, though other minor parties of lesser political significance have also always existed.
Major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies are the power of the Senate as the upper house of the legislature, the wide scope of power of the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive government, and the dominance of the two main parties - the United States being the only developed democracy without a major third party.
Unlike in some countries, American political parties are very loosely organized. The two major parties, in particular, have no formal organization at the national level that controls membership, activities, or policy positions, though some state affiliates do. Thus, for an American to say that he or she is a member of the Democratic or Republican party, is quite different from a Briton's stating that he or she is a member of the Labour party. In the United States, one can often become a "member" of a party, merely by stating that fact. In some U.S. states, a voter can register as a member of one or another party and/or vote in the primary election for one or another party, but such participation does not restrict one's choices in any way; nor does it give a person any particular rights or obligations with respect to the party, other than possibly allowing that person to vote in that party's primary elections (elections that determine who the candidate of the party will be). A person may choose to attend meetings of one local party committee one day and another party committee the next day. The sole factor that brings one "closer to the action" is the quantity and quality of participation in party activities and the ability to persuade others in attendance to give one responsibility.
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