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Summary AQA Politics - US Political Parties
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These essay plans include the main points and examples needed to answer nearly every question on US Political Parties. Best supplemented with case study booklet.
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3 Caucuses in Democrats1. Progressive Caucus
● The Progressive Caucus contains the most fiscally and socially liberal Congressmen in the
Democratic Party
- Fiscal Policy: federal government should stimulate economic growth through high public
spending, which will be funded by high tax
🡺 E.g. This is influenced by the Democratic Party’s New Deal in the 1930s, which alleviated the
effect of the great depression by laying the groundwork for the American welfare state
- Social policy: federal government should protect civil rights, alleviate poverty and expand
healthcare
🡺 E.g., This is influenced by President Johnson’s Great Society of 1960s, in which Johnson’s
democrats largely championed the Civil Rights Movement that resulted in legislation like the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 being passed.
● Due to their large and outspoken membership, there is a significant need for the rest of the
party to appease the needs of the Progressives in order to avoid other legislation being
blocked
🡺 E.g., Biden’s $1 billion infrastructure bill has been hit with multiple delays in the House as
Progressives refuse to vote for it until they have confirmations on the passing of the $3.5
billion social security bill.
2. New Democrat Coalition
● Fiscally moderate and socially liberal
🡺 E.g., President Bill Clinton (93-01) was the embodiment of this, and he stated “the era of big
government is over”, promising to reform the welfare system such that there was less
reliance on government. Clinton thus passed the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act 1996, which abolished the Aid to Families with Dependent
Children program, replacing it with ‘Temporary Assistance for Needy Families’ which
required recipients to find work within 24 months and has a 60-month limit.
● At times, their controversial social policies – aimed at finding a middle ground between
progressives and conservatives – incensed/alienated the more progressive members of the
party
🡺 E.g., Clinton’s Defence of Marriage Act 1996. This defined marriage as the legal union of a
man and a woman in federal law and allowed states to refuse to recognise gay marriages
performed in other states. Progressives were outraged but New Democrats argued that it
was preferable to the Republican proposition of banning gay marriage through a
constitutional amendment.
3. Blue Dog Coalition
● Fiscally conservative and socially moderate
,🡺 The Blue Dogs supported the passing of Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
2009, which contained a $787 billion stimulus package in the wake of the Wall Street Crash.
This shows their ability to allow for socially conscious reforms whilst endorsing government
intervention. However, in return, they wanted the Pay-As-You-Go Act 2010, which was a
budgeting rule which required most new spending to be offset by cuts made elsewhere
● Despite their vast successes in the 2006 and 2008 House election years, the number of Blue
Dogs has dropped dramatically
🡺 In 2008, Blue Dog Democrats held 59/435 seats in the House of Representatives. These seats
were typically won in ‘red’ states, and Blue Dogs were able to win them due to their
moderacy. However, presently, they hold just 19/435, with many of those seats going back
to the Republican party.
● Despite this, they are still able to force more moderate compromises within the Democratic
Party.
🡺 The $750 billion Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022, however it had to be heavily
watered down from its previous form of the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act. This was due
to a lack of support from fellow Democrat Joe Manchin, a Senator in the typically ‘red’ state
of West Virginia
, 1. Republican Governance Group
The republican governance group is a grouping of moderate/centrist Republicans who
stand for a pragmatic approach to government and are committed to a solution
oriented approach. (Fiscally conservative but also socially moderate).
E.g., the Republican Governance Group forced through an amendment to the
American Health Care Act of 2017 which allowed states to obtain a waver from
certain elements of Obamacare instead of there being a full repeal of the Affordable
Care Act. This shows their devotion to a more moderate approach
Most members of this caucus represent swing states or typically Democrat states,
making their presence significant for the Republican Party’s electoral success
E.g., John Katko is a Republican House Representative in New York, where 19 out of
27 districts are represented by members of the Democratic Party. This means that he
cannot be too divisively Republican in ideology in order to garner votes.
2. Republican Study Committee
Members of this caucus tend to be much more fiscally and socially conservative. It
stands for limited government, high defence spending, preserving traditional values
and the Second Amendment, and balancing the federal budget.
In 2011, as the USA was nearing the debt ceiling (the most the government is able to
borrow to pay back its debt), Tea Party Republicans (members of a Republican
movement aligned with the RSC), were not willing to allow Obama’s government to
easily raise the ceiling as is usual. This led to a partial shutdown of the government in
2013, the first for over 17 years.
Starting out as just one wing of the party, today it represents the main bulk.
In the 104th Congress, there were 15 RSC members, whereas, in the 117th Congress
there are 156. They grew substantially after the 2010 mid-terms, when the
Republicans retook the House. For the first time, the most Conservative republicans
were the majority, reflecting the increasing polarisation taking place in the USA.
3. Freedom Caucus
This is the most right wing republican grouping in the house with about 40 members.
it blends a mixture of social conservatism in areas such as abortion and LGBTQ+
rights with a passion for small government and libertarianism.
In 2019, the caucus was chaired by Andy Biggs from Arizona. Bakes was one of
justice two Republicans who in March 2020 voted against the $8.3 billion emergency
COVID-19 measure, which included funds for research into a vaccine.
This faction in the party are significant due to the fact they are the cause of potentially
the most divisive issue in the party: support for Trump.
Many of its members have been staunch supporters of trump, and many of them
vocally defended Trump's actions on the 6th of January 2021. whilst this small yet
vocal minority may not be fully representative of the Republican Party, they remain
hugely divisive while there is still the potential of a trump second term as president.
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