Democracy and participation

• 2016- 7/17 republican candidates withdrew 20 days after first primary 
• -2016- trump benefitted from $2 billion of free media/ Clinton- $746 million 
• -12 states hold caucuses, 38 hold primaries 
• -2017- 94% of events by trump, Pence, Clinton or Kaine took place in just 12 states 
• -2016- Clinton seemed to have won each debate from opinion polls after yet lost the election 
• -2016- 10 faithless electors- 3/7 invalidated due to broken law but others remained 
• -National Popular Vote interstate compact- represents 172 ECVS 
• Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) passed in 1971:

  • Discloses donations over $100
  • Sets spending limits for candidates and their families to $50,000
• 1976 - Buckley V Valeo case:

  • Upheld donation limits
  • Ruled that spending caps amount to a violation of free speech
• 1979 - Congress amends FECA leading to the development of "soft money"
• 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act:

  • Raised individual contribution limits to $2,000
  • Introduced "hard" money
  • Implemented the "Stand by your ad" provision
• 2010 - Citizens United V FEC case:

  • Money is considered free speech
  • Campaign limits placed on organizations are deemed unconstitutional
  • Resulted in the rise of Super PACs
• 2014 - McCutcheon v FEC case:

  • Ruled that the aggregate cap placed on individuals is unconstitutional
• Democrat policies: 

  -2016 party Platform- pledged to abolish death penalty 

  -Supported repeal of DOMA 

  -Biden in 2022 signed an executive order protecting access to abortion 

  -2023- Biden committed to reducing gun violence through gun control 

  -2022 bipartisan safer communities act- enhanced background checks for under 21+ guns 

  -2016 party platform- create a path to citizenship for law abiding families who are in the US 

  -Biden signed the American Action plan worth $1.9 trillion 

  -2020 Party platform- committed to achieving, universal, affordable and quality health care 
• Republican Policies: 

  -2016 party platform: 

  -Repeal Obama care 

  -Support tax cuts in the economy 

  -Reinforce and strengthen immigration laws 

  -Restrictions on provision of and funding for abortion 

  -Opposition to Same sex marriage 

  -Tax cuts over provision of social welfare including universal healthcare 
• Voting statistics: 2016 election 

  -Women- 54% Clinton, Men- 52% Trump 

  -Race: white- 57% Trump, African American- 89% Clinton, Hispanic- 66% Clinton 

  -Religion: Jewish-71% Clinton, Catholic-52% Trump, Protestant- 58% 

  -Clinton had a 9% lead over trump from those with a college degree 
• Interest groups:

  • NRA membership: 4.3 million (lowest since 2012)
  • NRA spent $600,000 on lobbying in the first quarter of 2022
  • NRA supported Trump's US Supreme Court nominations and the confirmations of justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch
  • In 2017, Trump signed the NRA-backed national defense authorization act
  • NRA raised a record $366 million in 2017
  • NRA spent over $60 million to support Trump in the 2016 presidential election
  • Senator Sanders received a "D-" from the NRA for supporting the right to bear arms
  • In 2018, the NRA publicly advocated against the re-election of Joe Manchin due to his stance on gun control
• -2018- 340 former congressional staff worked in pharmaceutical companies 
• -Citizens united challenged FEC's campaign finance laws 
• -TODAY and the republic found Rast10,000 bills almost entirely copied from model 

  legislation were introduced nationwide in last 8 years pre 2019 and 2,100 bills were signed into law