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US Politics (Mr Brown) > Key ideas and principles of Rs and Ds > Flashcards

Key ideas and principles of Rs and Ds Flashcards

1
Q

Why were the parties not very national phenemona for much of the 19th and 20th centuries?

A

They were much more evident on the state and local stage. With little ideological cohesion between the different state organisations of the same party, being an R or a D meant little outside of the presidential election cycle

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2
Q

What has been the traditional view on the ideological difference between them?

A

That there was very little different

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3
Q

What phrase did Prof Denis Brogan use to characterise this in 1954?

A

Said that they are like ‘two bottles with different labels, both empty’

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4
Q

When did polarisation begin?

A

With the presidency of Reagan and this has continued since

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5
Q

Describe the state of partisanship

A

Very little ideological middle ground and it takes major crises for them to cooperate, and such detentes do not last long

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6
Q

What two philosophies will R principles be a combination of?

A

Neo liberalism and neo conservativism

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7
Q

How do they see the role of the state

A

While acknowledging the need for some state intervention in society and the economy, they invisage a smaller role for the state than the Ds

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8
Q

How does its attitude to social and moral problems compare to the D party?

A

It is more traditional and less liberal

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9
Q

What philosophy will their attitudes to social and moral problems be influence by?

A

Neo conservativism

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10
Q

What is neo conservativism in simple terms?

A

A more modern version of traditional conservativism

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11
Q

Rs wished to preserve an organic society from social fragmentation. What is an organic society?

A

View associated with UK and US conservatives. Sees society as a living organism that emerges and evolves over time. Emphasis on gradual change and what works in society

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12
Q

Why were they uneasy with societal changes in the 1960s?

A

Uneasy with the social and sexual revolution which they feel has ushered an era of moral relativism and has led to a fragmented society

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13
Q

How does Christianity influence the moral viewpoint of many Rs?

A

They are absolutists

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14
Q

Rs are against ‘permissiveness’. What kind of things does this mean they will be opposed to?

A

Abortion, gay marriage and recreational drug use

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15
Q

By what means do Rs want to uphold traditional values?

A

Through a tough stance on law and order and supporting institutions such as the nuclear family

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16
Q

On what two grounds do they oppose abortion?

A

Moral and religious

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16
Q

How did Trump contribute to this debate?

A

He was the first sitting president to attend an anti abortion rally in Jan 2020

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17
Q

What did he say to justify his anti abortion stance?

A

Every life brings love into the world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting

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17
Q

What does Senator Rand Paul argue?

A

That full personhood should be given to all embryos and feautuses. This would effectively make all abortions illegal

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18
Q

What did the party officially state in 2016 to affirm its position on abortion?

A

We assert the sanctity of life and affirm that the unborn child has a right to life which cannot be infringed upon

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19
Q

What anti abortion executive order did Reagan pass in 1984 that was then reinstated by Bush and Trump?

A

The Mexico City Policy

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20
Q

What did the Mexico City Policy do?

A

Mandated that non governmental organisations receiving US global assistance cannot provide abortion services, discuss abortion options with patients or advocate for a liberalisation of abortion laws

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21
Q

What ideology makes Rs strong supporters of the 2nd amendment and rigorous law and order

A

Neo conservativism

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22
Q

What did the 2016 R Platform state in 2016 to affirm its tough stance on law and order?

A

We support mandatory prison sentences for gng crimes, violence or sexual offences against children, repeat drug dealers, rape, robbery and murder

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23
Q

What did Trump tweet in support of the 2nd amendment during the 2020 BLM protests?

A

When the looting starts, the shooting starts

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24
Q

Describe how Missouri couple Mark and Patricia McClosekey made use of the 2nd amendment during these protests

A

They stood outside their million dollar home on a private street brandishing their legal guns and telling protestors to go away. For many Rs this epitomised the right of Americans to protect home and family. They featured as speakers at the R national convention that summer

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25
Q

What have Rs at the state and federal level supported strong punishment for?

A

Use and distribution of illegal drugs and violent gang activity

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26
Q

Why are Rs so focused on family values?

A

Because this is associated with the more traditional strands of Christianity and the nuclear family, both of which they support. The religious right is an important part of R ideology

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27
Q

Explain the term ‘religious right’

A

A term applied to mainly white, protestant, evangelical Christians. Tend to be the strongest supporters of traditional values. Strongly allied themselves with the Rs in recent decades

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28
Q

How did Dec 2010 legislation aid gay people?

A

It allowed them to serve openly in the military

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29
Q

How did a 2017 executive order inhibit trans people?

A

Prevented them from serving

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30
Q

How did the 2016 R platform make this commitment to traditional values clear?

A

Laws and gov regulations should recognise marriage as a union between man and woman and actively promote family life as the basis for stability and prosperity

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31
Q

What are R attitudes into gov intervention based upon?

A

A contradictory mixture of neo conservativism and neo liberalism

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32
Q

Ds prefer positive freedom, what does this mean?

A

The idea that freedom is the ability to actively do something. Anti discrimination laws, public healthcare and good state schools allow individuals to flourish and achieve. Usually associated with liberals and progressives, invasiges a larger and more interventionist role for the state as necessary

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33
Q

Explain the neo liberal idea of negative freedom that Rs believe in

A

Minimal state intervention into people’s lives

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34
Q

How does the 2nd amendment uphold freedom according to them?

A

By preventing private individuals and gov itself from infringing

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35
Q

The ideas of rugged individualism and self help stem from which philosophies?

A

Both neo and classical liberalism

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36
Q

What kind of policies will these ideas lead Rs to reject

A

Public healthcare, as critics will call it socialist and therefore unamerican

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37
Q

What type of economics does the neo liberal principles of the R party make them favour?

A

Laissez faire economics with limited gov intervention

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38
Q

What Obama administration doid these beliefs see them reject?

A
  • The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
  • The 2010 Dodd Frank Wall Street Consumer Protection Act
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39
Q

On what grounds was the 2010 Dodd Frank Wall Street Consumer Protection Act rejected in the 2016 R platform

A

They said that such excessive banking regulations was an excuse to establish unprecedented government control in the nation’s financial markets

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40
Q

How is the R approach to environmental issues an example of their commitment to free market economics?

A

Restrictions and regulations aimed at curbing damage and fossil fuel usage have been rolled back to further the interests of industry and big business

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41
Q

Give an example of Trump doing this in 2020

A

Opened up part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas development, overturning 6 decades and protections for the largest stretch of wilderness remaining in the US

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42
Q

What did the Paris Agreement that Trump pulled out of in 2017 seek to do?

A

Reduce global warming by reducing carbon emissions and producing more green energy sources

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43
Q

What commonly accepted idea have some Rs expressed scepticism about?

A

Climate change, disputing the science behind it

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44
Q

Why can Rs not be described as entirely neo liberal?

A

Because they do favour some gov intervention into the economy

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45
Q

Give some examples of this

A
  • Accept the state has a responsibility for social welfare and to finance this they support taxation
  • While it is true that they support lower levels of taxation than the Ds, they still believe in the state taxing the individual to a significant extent
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46
Q

How can neo conservativism be seen in R foreign policy?

A

Because they will sometimes favour protectionism to protect US interests

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47
Q

Give an example of this

A

Many Rs supported Trump’s America first policies that saw him place a variety of tariffs on Chinese goods. An example of how they use protectionism to blunt globalisation and protect US jobs. Trump made this an important part of his election pledge which illustrates how important a strong state is to Rs in this area. This shows that classifying them as a party of limited gov is too simplistic

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48
Q

Why do Rs not completely support laissez faire economics?

A

They sometimes show a certain pragmatism associated with conservativism. Recent history suggests that is especially the case when an R president is in office at the time of crisis

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49
Q

Give an example of this

A

Bush supported the 2009 Emergency Economic Stabilisation Act which created a $700 billion troubled asset relief programme to purchase toxic assets from banks, which helped stabilise a banking industry on the verge of collapse

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50
Q

Give an example of this occuring in 2020

A

They supported the Keynesian CARES Act

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51
Q

What does the term Keynesian mean?

A

Used to describe economic policy influenced by John Maynard Keynes. Part of his economic ideas involved high levels of public spending in a time of economic crisis to kick start the capitalist economy by creating demand

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52
Q

What are the two main reasons why Rs have come to favour Keynesian over laissez faire economics during times of crisis?

A
  • Laissez faire economics exascerbated the GD
  • Rs demonstrate that their first priority will always be preserving society, which is why we can conclude that neo conservativism has a bigger influence on R ideas than neo liberalism
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53
Q

What influence R ideas on social welfare?

A

Neo conservativism

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54
Q

Explain the R concept of social welfare

A

Argue that the state should provide a social safety net for those genuinely struggling, but no handouts that erode individual responsibility

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55
Q

Give some examples of welfare programmes they accept

A
  • Medicare (health insurance programmes for low income, disabled and elderly
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  • Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Programme (SNAP) better known as foodstamps
  • However Rs have often and most recently under Trump called for cuts to these programmes
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56
Q

Why do they disagree with LBJ’s Great Society Reforms?

A

Because they think they have created a dependency culture

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57
Q

Why do they think that the corrupt moral nature of humans makes these programmes counterproductive?

A

Because they think humans are not naturally moral or hardworking

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58
Q

Why do they think a small state, low taxation model helps the individual?

A

It allows them to enjoy the benefits of their hard work

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59
Q

How does neo liberalism inform their attitudes to healthcare?

A

Because they believe that it should be based on private competition rather than state monopoly. They have opposed universal healthcare on the grounds of cost, an increased role for the state and because it would have to be funded by tax

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60
Q

What did their 2016 platform say about healthcare

A

That it must be based on genuine competition and patient choice

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61
Q

When was Trump a registered D?

A

2001-9

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62
Q

List three new policy ideas he brought into the party

A
  • America first. Argued that NATO countries, especially in Europe should spend more on defence
  • Willingness to start a tariff war with other nations, especially China
  • Prioritisation of a border wall to curb illegal migration
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63
Q

List some of the continuities

A

Strong defence and gun rights and tax cuts

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64
Q

Why did few Rs criticise Trump during his time as president

A

Due to the enthusiasm for him from the party faithful

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65
Q

Give an example of how Rs were unwilling to challenge him

A
  • Faced virtually no opposition in the 2020 primaries
  • Few Rs urged him to concede gracefully after the 2020 election
  • Only 10 house Rs voted to impeach Trump
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66
Q

What is the party still divided between now?

A

Pro and anti Trump factions

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67
Q

Give some examples of senators who support

A

Ted Cruz and Josh Jawley

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68
Q

Give some examples of senators who oppose

A

Mit Romney and Ben Sasse

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69
Q

What could this internal battle effect that party’s ability to do?

A

Control congress

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70
Q

What modern cultural trends have the Ds been far more willing to embrace?

A
  • Environmentalism
  • Women’s reproductive rights
  • LGBTQ+ rights
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71
Q

Give some examples of areas where they favour more interventionist gov policies

A

Healthcare and reducing poverty

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72
Q

What two ideas inform the party?

A

Modern liberalism and equality of opportunity for all

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73
Q

What does the term progressive mean

A

Advocating change and reform

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74
Q

They were the instigators of the 1964 CRA and the 1965 VRA. What effect did these acts have?

A

Ended legal segregation and gave blacks full civil and political rights

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75
Q

How do they deal with crime

A

Mixture of punishment and rehabilitation

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76
Q

What did they call for in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd?

A

A Juctice in Policing Act to rectify institutional racism that they argue exists across many US police departments

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77
Q

What did they say in their 2016 platform to underline their desire to tackle the racial dimensions of crime

A

We understand the disproportionate effects of crime, violence and incarceration on communities of colour

78
Q

Abortion stance

A

Strong supporters of pro choice

79
Q

What has this led them to oppose

A

Heartbeat bills that have been introduced in some R states

80
Q

Give an example of one of these R states

A

Alabama

81
Q

What did they say in their 2016 platform to affirm their pro choice position

A

Every woman should have access to quality reproductive healthcare services, including safe and legal abortion

82
Q

Give an example of how holding a pro life stance can be dangerous for a D

A

One of the few remaining leading pro life Ds, Dan Lipinski of Illinois lost in his 2020 primary

83
Q

What did Obama say in support of LGBTQ+ in 2011?

A

‘Every single American - gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual or transgender - deserves to be treaty equally in the eyes of the law and the eyes of our society - it is quite a simple proposition

84
Q

What can we conclude about the Obama administration in terms of the LGBTQ+?

A

It was the most pro LGBTQ+ in history

85
Q

What did the 2020 platform say about tLGBTQ+ rights?

A

We will ensure that our immigration policies account for the needs of LGBTQ+ immigrants, and that we use the full slate of human rights promotion and accountabilty tools to defend the full rights of LGBTQ+ citizens. We will amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ peoples around the world and counter violence and discrimination against them wherever it happens

86
Q

What did 2010 dont ask dont tell repeal do?

A

Allowed gay lesbian and bisexual americans to serve in the forces openly

87
Q

What did the 2010 Hate Crime Prevention Act do?

A

Progressive legislation supported by the Ds and Obama administration. Wide randing act that gave the Justice Department the right to investigate and prosecute bias motivated violence motivated by a person’s gender, sexual orientation, race, gender identity or disability

88
Q

What did ending the legal Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) do in 2011?

A

Obama announced that the Justice Department would no longer respect section 3 of DOMA because of constitutional equal protection challenges brought against the act by same sex couples. In 2011, the WH announced support for the Respect for Marriage, which would repeal DOMA and uphold the principle that same sex couples should receive the same federal rights and legal protections as straight couples

89
Q

What did ensuring hospital visitation rights for loved ones for LGBTQ+ patients do?

A

Following a directive from the Obama administration, the Department and Health and Human Services now required all hospitals receiving medicare or medicaid funds - just about every US hospital - to allow equal visitation rights

90
Q

How did Obama ensure equal federal employment opportunities for LGBTQ+ people?

A

Took numerous actions to advance this, setting an example for all empoyers

91
Q

Why was Pete Buttigieg’s campaign for the presidential nomination in 2020 significant?

A

Because it was the first time an openly gay person had made a bid for the presidential nomination in a major party

92
Q

The Ds had the first gay senator. Who was this?

A

Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin

93
Q

When was she elected?

A

2012

94
Q

What did the Obama administration do to show support after the SC ruled in favour of same sex marriage in June 2015?

A

Illuminated the WH with the rainbow colours

95
Q

The idea of an enabling state has influenced the part since the late 1960s. What is an enabling state?

A

A state that creates conditions, often through public service provision like health and education, where people can help themselves

96
Q

What gov role does positive discrimination imply?

A

Empowering role for the state within the economy

97
Q

What economic attitude did the Ds and Rs share until the GD?

A

Small state model consistent with classical liberalism

98
Q

Give an example of a D president who borrowed ideas from Keynes?

A

FDR

99
Q

Why did he do this?

A

Modern liberal who wanted to rectify the consequences of economic downturns and believed that mass unemployment inhibited individual freedom

100
Q

Define keynesianism

A

System of economic management where the government directly intervenes to stimulate the economy to achieve full employment and economic growth

101
Q

Give some examples of other D presidents who preferred modern liberalism to classical/neo liberalism, seeing state economic intervention in the economy as a way of financing a larger welfare state to enable positive freedom

A

Johnson, Carter, Clinton and Obama

102
Q

Give some contemporary D economic policies that are in line with this way of thinking

A
  • Obama was inspired by Keynesianism when passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
  • Ds were instrumental in the passing of CARES
  • Willing to intervene to regulate the free market. Critics of the financial crisis argue that minimal state regulation of the economy as proposed by neo and classical liberalism led to excessive risk taking by the financial sector that nearly caused the US economy to collapse. The 2010 Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Consumer Protection Act brought in significant regulatory control of the financial industry in an attempt to prevent another financial crisis
  • To fund a larger state they favour increased taxation on the rich and the Buffett rule than no millionaire should pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than a middle class family
103
Q

What idea has strongly influenced D thinking on social welfare and the enabling state?

A

Modern liberalism

104
Q

How was this demonstrated by LBJ?

A

His Great Society policies of the 1960s which saw a war on poverty in which the federal government expanded its role to include responsibility for health, education, housing and the environment

105
Q

What have successive D presidents attempted to do as a result of this?

A

Build on this legacy

106
Q

Give an example of this in the field of healthcare

A

The 2010 ACA

107
Q

What have Ds pursued with albeit less success?

A

Increased for illegal immigrants and their children

Increased gun control

108
Q

Why is it difficult to increase gun contolr

A

2nd amendment q

109
Q

I’ll give a policy position and you say whether Rs and Ds will generally support or oppose

A

!!!

110
Q

Increased spending on social welfare programmes

A
  • Ds support
  • Rs oppose
111
Q

Get tough on crime policy

A
  • Ds oppose
  • Rs support
112
Q

Death penalty

A
  • Ds oppose
    Rs support
113
Q

Gun control

A

Ds support
Rs oppose

114
Q

Cut federal taxes

A

Ds oppose
Rs support

115
Q

Aborition rights

A

Ds support
Rs oppose

116
Q

High levels of defence spending

A

Ds oppose
Rs support

117
Q

Gay rights and same sex marriage

A

Ds support
Rs oppose

118
Q

Stricter controls on immigration

A

Ds oppose
Rs support

119
Q

Prayer in state run schools

A

Ds oppose
Rs support

120
Q

Strict environmental controls

A

Ds support
Rs oppose

121
Q

The federal gov should do less

A

Ds oppose
Rs support

122
Q

Obamacare

A

Ds support
Rs oppose

123
Q

Greater emphasis on initiatives to bring about racial justice and sympathy for the BLM movement

A

Ds support
Rs oppose

124
Q

Why can we not call the parties uniform bodies?

A

Because although they share a similar ideology and will rally around candidates at election time, if you delve deeper it is easy to find tensions and rivalries within a party. Different factions will try and influence party policy and to get candidates they like to congress or the WH

125
Q

Why does it make sense that the parties would contain factions?

A

Because just two parties represent a huge and diverse country

126
Q

How does the primary system exascerbate factional divides?

A

It encourages factions to rally around their candidates

127
Q

How does the popularity of these factions work?

A

It ebbs and flows over time

128
Q

What should we remember when looking at the conflict and competition within these parties?

A

That there is considerable intra party cooperation and that parties are alot ideologically narrower than they were 40+ years ago

129
Q

How many broad groups can each party be divided into?

A

3

130
Q

What are these 3 for the Ds

A
  • Liberals/progressives
  • Moderates/centrists
  • Conservatives
131
Q

For the Rs

A
  • Moderates
  • Social conservatives
  • Fiscal conservatives
132
Q

List some of the key values held by the liberals

A
  • Social and racial justice
  • Abandon the death penalty and mandatory prison sentences
  • LGBTQ+ rights
  • Free college education for all students
  • Environmental issues (Green New Deal)
  • Medicare for all
133
Q

Key names

A
  • Sanders
  • Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
134
Q

What caucus are the liberals associated with?

A

Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), which had just under 100 members in 2021

135
Q

Key values of the moderates

A
  • Public option for healthcare (creation of a gov run health agency to compete with private insurers)
  • Minority rights but more cautious about a wholesale reform of the police
  • Making college more affordable
  • Tax reforms for the middle classes
  • Measures to reduce climate change
  • Fair and humane immigration reform
136
Q

Key names

A
  • Biden
  • The Clintons
  • Terri Sewell
137
Q

What caucus are they associated with?

A

The New Democrat Coalition Caucus, which had just over 100 members in 2021, the largest democratic grouping in congress

138
Q

Key values of the conservatives

A
  • Socially conservative
  • fiscally neo conservative (concerned about the growth of the state and state deficits) favouring balanced budget
  • Less supportive of LGBTQ+
  • Less supportive of gun control. A few of its members have received high ratings for the NRA
  • No official stance on social issues
  • Keen to reach bipartisan compromise with moderate Rs
  • Many of its members voted against Obamacare in 2009
  • Members tend to represent R leaning states or districts in the midwest and south
139
Q

Key names

A
  • Senator Joe Manchin
  • Congressman Jim Cooper
140
Q

Caucus

A

Blue Dog Coalition, which had just 26 members in 2021, smallest D grouping in congress

141
Q

In economic terms, the liberals favour greater state role in society. Give some examples of this

A
  • Universal state sponsored healthcare
  • Broader welfare provision
  • Increase in the state providing affordable housing and college
142
Q

What ideas are these policies centred around?

A

Social justice

143
Q

What is social justice

A

Focused on an increase in equality of outcome, rather than the usual preference of modern liberalism for equality of opportunity

144
Q

Give two members of the liberal faction who have described themselves as socialist

A

Sanders and AOC

145
Q

What organisation are they both part of?

A

Democratic Socialists of America

146
Q

What do they favour in terms of crime and punishment

A

Abolishing the death penalty

An end to mandatory prison sentences

No more private prisons

Legalise marajuana

Gun control

147
Q

Environment

A

Most environmentally friendly faction

Closing down existing nuclear power plants

Banning fracking

Reducing carbon emissions to tackle climate change

148
Q

Immigration

A

Citizenship for young undocumented immigrants called dreamers

149
Q

Campaign finance

A

Want to reform it through limiting the maximum amount that can be raised and spent by candidates

150
Q

Why do they want this reform to campaign finance?

A

Because they see the current situation as favouring powerful and wealthy interest groups to the detriment of ordinary Americans

151
Q

What has happened to the progressive wing in recent years to increase its influence?

A

It has grown in strength and numbers

152
Q

Give some national progressive figures that have rose to prominence

A
  • Warren
  • Sanders
  • AOC
153
Q

With what group in particular has the progressive wing resonated with most?

A

They are increasingly popular with the young metro and urban middle class

154
Q

What does the tension between the progressive and moderate wing mostly stem from?

A

The fact that all the recent presidential nominations have come from the moderate wing

155
Q

Give some examples of these recent moderate nominations

A
  • Biden
  • Gore
  • John Kerry
  • The Clintons
156
Q

How did AOC make clear the difference between these two wings

A

She said that in any other country, her and Biden would not be part of the same party

157
Q

What did Biden say to reinforce this idea

A

He said that even though he recognised that AOC is a good hard working politician, she has fundamentally different ideas to him

158
Q

What is the main criticism liberals like AOC level at moderates like Biden’s approach?

A

That it lacks the radical progressive drive needed to solve the problems of the day

159
Q

What mindset do these kind of criticisms represent?

A

Liberals who dislike the middle ground approach where the other more conservative factions dilute liberal policy proposals with compromise

160
Q

What is the major criticism the moderates make of the liberals?

A

That they alienate the more moderate voters in swing districts, making it harder for democrats to win elections in certain parts of the country, such as the suburbs

161
Q

What is the liberal wing far more sceptical of than the other two wings as suggested by its socialist principles

A

Capitalism

162
Q

Describe this scepticism towards capitalism

A

Whereas the moderates and conservatives are broadly positive, the liberals feel that the state needs to be more radical in remodelling the economy to make society fairer

163
Q

What will the moderates be more prone to than the other wings

A

Compromise

164
Q

Why do they not support liberal candidates for president

A

They doubt whether they would have a broad enough appeal

They are modern liberals and believe that too many of the liberals policies can be seen as socialist

165
Q

What do moderates like Biden think about healthcare?

A

Favour a public option as was originally a part of the ACA and curbing prescription drug prices, allowing medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies

166
Q

How much did Biden estimate these proposals would cost over a decade?

A

$750 billion

167
Q

Why do they dismiss the liberal idea of universal healthcare provided by the federal government

A

Too expensive and disruptive to the system

168
Q

What do they think about climate change

A

They are concerned about it and what to be part of the Paris Accords and invest $1.7 trillion into climate change policies that would allow the US to reach net zero by 2050. Here we can also see that the approach is not as radical as that of the liberals

169
Q

Modern liberals are against wealth inequality. What kind of solutions do they propose?

A

Biden favoured a $15 minimum wage and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. He also favoured the Buffett rule where millionaires do not pay less tax as a proportion of their income than the middle class

170
Q

What was the more radical solution to wealth inequality that Sanders offered in his campaign?

A

Favoured a wealth tax and a more progressive estate tax and targeting various tax loopholes for the super wealthy

171
Q

Moderate Ds are concerned about homelessness. What are their proposed solutions?

A

Biden’s campaign contained the pledge to spend $640 billion over 10 years on affordable housing and providing protection against predatory mortgages

172
Q

What was the more radical solution promised by Sanders and the liberals?

A

Proposed spending $2.5 trillion to build about 10 million housing units

173
Q

Moderates respect the liberal wing of the party. Give an example of Biden doing this

A

He called AOC ‘brilliant’ and ‘really smart’

174
Q
A
175
Q

Give an example of a D blaming the liberals for deterring voters

A

In the aftermath of a less than stellar set of house results in 2020, moderate D congresswoman Abigail Spanberger from Virginia, who only just about secured re-election herself, said liberal catchphrases like defund the police harmed more moderate candidates in their re election races. This enabled the Rs to tie them to socialism because of the more radical members and therefore lost them votes

176
Q

What happened in 2020 that shows that the majority of the party agrees with this opinion

A

They elected Biden rather than Sanders or Warren

177
Q

Which faction sits on the right of the party?

A

The conservatives

178
Q

What are the conservatives sometimes called instead?

A

The blue dogs Ds

179
Q

When were they at their most powerful?

A

2009-10 when their groupings were high enough to influence the Obama administration

180
Q

What has happened since then?

A

There numbers have halved and they are now clearly the weakest faction, but it remains to be seen whether this is permanent or not

181
Q

Why were the 2020 election results not very convincing for them?

A

Because it saw the defeat of several of their members including one of their founders, Collin Peterson of Minnesota

182
Q

How did they have an impact on the ACA

A

They opposed the public option and so Obama was forced to drop this, meaning the act was less radical than he would have liked

183
Q

Why did they oppose the public option

A

On fiscal grounds, as the cost of public health insurance would be very expensive

184
Q

How do they feel about the spending promises of the other two factions

A

They are uneasy about the promises made by the moderates and horrified by the promises made by the liberals

185
Q

Give an example of how they are more socially conservative

A

Senator Joe Manchin voted against don’t ask don’t tell and voted against same sex marriage in 2015, even though he also argued that no one should be discriminated against on the grounds of sexuality. He also opposed the DREAM Act and supported the building of the wall

186
Q

Who are they far more likely to find bipartisan support from than the other wings?

A

Rs

187
Q

Give some examples of Manchin voting and working with the Rs

A
  • Famously met with all other 99 senators in his first year in office to try and get to know them better
  • Worked with R senator Pat Toomey in an unsuccessful bipartisan attempt to require a background check for most gun sales
  • Alongside other conservatives he voted with the Rs to ease the Dodd Frank banking rules in 2018
  • Only D to vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh in 2019
188
Q

Give some examples of Manchin voting along party lines

A
  • To impeach Trump
  • To reject ACB
189
Q

The conservatives are the wing of the party most interested in what?

A

Rural affairs

190
Q

Why?

A

Because this reflects the nature of the kind of areas they tend to represent

191
Q

Give an example of them being interested in rural affairs

A

In 2018 they set up a Blue Dog Special Task Force on Rural America to put forward an agenda to revitalise rural communities and address inequality levels between the rural and urban USA

192
Q

Give an example of how interest group ratings of individual party members can be good for highlighting differences

A

One leading business group, the National Retail Federation gave a 0% rating to Warren, a 50% rating to moderate Dianne Fienstein and a 100% rating to Manchin

193
Q

What do the ideologies and policies that the R factions unite around stem from?

A

The region they represent

194
Q
A

US Politics (Mr Brown) (37 decks)

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