Theme 4 (Part 2)

• Lefttist is the Democratic Party
• Righttists is the Republican Party
• History of U.S. political parties:

  The Founding Fathers disagree:

  • George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams formed The Federalists, seeking to ensure a strong government and central banking system with a national bank
  • Thomas Jefferson and James Madison advocated for a smaller and more decentralized government, forming the Democratic-Republicans
• History of U.S. political parties:

  • Early 19th century: the Democratic-Republicans were dominant while the Federalists slowly faded, eventually dissolving

  -> Democratic-Republicans were so popular, four political candidates pitted against each other in the presidential election of 1824 John Quincy Adams winning the presidency >< Andrew Jackson winning the popular vote

  -> A strong political division within the party

  -> 1827: The Party to split in two: the Democrats (led by Andrew Jackson) and the Whig Party
• History of U.S. political parties:

  → Mid-19th century: slavery caused conflicts among Democrats 

  -> 1854: Republican Party was formed, including former Whigs + disillusioned Democrats + members of the Free-Soil Party (a minor anti-slavery party)

  -> The Republicans came to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860
• This political cartoon by Thomas Nast, taken from an 1879 edition of Harper's Weekly, was an early use of the elephant and the donkey to symbolize the Republican and Democratic parties.
• Democratic Party: Đảng Dân Chủ
• Democratic presidents are Barack Obama, Joe Biden
• Republican Party – GOP*: Đảng Cộng Hòa
• Republican Presidents are Abraham Lincoln, George Bush and Donald Trump
• Democratic Party:

  • Traditionally supports organized labor, minorities, and progressive reforms
  • Liberal political philosophy, supporting greater governmental intervention in the economy and less governmental regulation of the private lives of citizens
  • Supports higher taxes (particularly on the wealthy) to finance social welfare benefits that provide assistance to the elderly, the poor, the unemployed, and children
• GOP: Grand, Old Party
• Republican Party – GOP

  • More conservative
  • Supports limited government regulation of the economy, lower taxes, and more traditional social policies
  • Encourages private sector to make citizens less dependent on the government
• 1. Republicans vs. Democrats

  Political parties also reflect the diversity of the population:

  • Democrats in Southern states are generally more conservative than Democrats in New England or the Pacific Coast states
  • Republicans in New England or the mid-Atlantic states generally adopt more liberal positions than Republicans in the South or the mountain states of the West
  • Large urban areas are more likely to support the Democratic Party
  • Rural areas, small cities, and suburban areas tend to vote for Republican Party
• Election Day and Elections

  • For Federal offices (President, Vice President, and Congress), elections are held every TWO years, in even-numbered years, on Tuesday after the first Monday in November (Nov, 2-8).
  • Presidential elections are held every FOUR years, in years divisible by four, in which electors for President and Vice President are chosen according to the method determined by each State. 
• Presidential Requirements:

  1. Must be 35 or older
  2. Must have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
  3. Must have been born in the U.S. or have at least one U.S. citizen parents
• Presidency

  • Natural-born citizens of the U.S.
  • At least 35 years of age and have resided in the United States for 14 years
  • Only while males gained the right to become president until 1870; the 15th Amendment to the Constitution gave African Americans the right to vote 
  • Women excluded until 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave them the right to vote 
• Congress sets the specific amount of salary for the president: 

  • The first presidential salary was $25,000 ($727,534.09 in 2019)
  • President Trump made $400,000 (not including a $50,000 “expense allowance,” $100,000 for travel expenses or other entertainment allowances)
  • All gifts to a president from foreign governments belong to the people of the United States rather than the president.
• Who CAN vote?

  • U.S. citizens (U.S. born or through naturalization) who meet each state’s residency requirements
  • 18 years old on or before Election Day
• Who CAN’T vote?

  • Non-citizens, including permanent legal residents (green card holders) 
  • Some people with felony convictions (rules vary by State) 
  • Some people who are mentally incapacitated (rules vary by State) 
  • For President in the general election: U.S. citizens residing in U.S. territories
• Primary vs. Caucus

  • Primaries are like regular elections where voters cast private ballots, while caucuses are meetings where voters either cast secret ballots or gather in groups to show support for a candidate.
  • Some states use primaries, some use caucuses, and some use a combination of both methods to allocate delegates for the National Party conventions.
  • Delegates are awarded to candidates based on the results of either the primary or caucus vote, and these delegates then represent their state or territory at the national conventions.
• The Race to The White House

  1. Primary + Caucus

  2. National Convention

  3. General Election

  4. Electoral College
• Primary + Caucus

  On Super Tuesday, Party supporters vote (by meeting or ballot depending on States) for the delegates of their Party who will vote for the Presidential candidate when they meet in the National Convention
• National Convention

  Delegates select the Presidential candidate of each Party, and the Presidential candidate selects his/her running mate (Vice President candidate)
• General Election

  People in every State vote for their President and Vice President (actually they vote for their electors)
• Electoral College

  Electors vote for the President (and Vice President)
• battleground state or swing state: possibly won by either Democrats or Republicans by a swing in vote
• Electoral College – a Process 

  • Each State's electors are selected to represent the Senators and Representatives in their State (electors are NOT Senators and Representatives); Washington D.C. has 3 electors 538 electors
  • On Election Day, people vote for their President and Vice President by voting for their electors, then these electors will vote for the President and Vice President.
• Elector & Electoral vote

  • Electors generally hold a leadership position in their Party or are chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the Party. 
  • No Constitutional provision or Federal law requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States
  • The Supreme Court decided (in 2020) that States can enact requirements on how electors vote.

  ⇒ It is rare (5 out of 45 elections) for electors (called ‘faithless electors’) to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for the opponent of their Party's candidate.