Democrats vs. Republicans Political Parties

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The Democratic donkey was first associated with Democrat Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. His opponents called him a jackass (a donkey), and Jackson decided to use the image of the strong-willed animal on his campaign posters. Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast used the Democratic donkey in newspaper cartoons and made the symbol famous. Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave.

Nast later invented the Republican elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party. Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. Although the name "Democratic party" was adopted during the presidency of Andrew Jackson ( ), Democrats trace their origins to the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1792, making it the oldest political party in the world.

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Conservative or Liberal ??? - In the political spectrum, the party’s platform is considered center-left

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY History: Democratic Party evolved from Anti-Federalist factions that opposed the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton in the early 1790s Thomas Jefferson and James Madison organized these factions into the Democratic-Republican Party They favored states’ rights and strict adherence to the Constitution It opposed a national bank and wealthy interests Along with the Whig Party, the Democratic Party was the chief party in the United States until the Civil War

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Great Depression occurred in 1929 under President Herbert Hoover 1932 – FDR was elected president and came forward with a new program – the New Deal −It promoted social welfare, labor unions, civil rights, and regulation of business African Americans, who traditionally supported the Republican Party, began supporting Democrats following the ascent of the FDR administration, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights Movement

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Ideology : Since the 1890s, the Democratic Party has favored “liberal” positions Historically, the party has favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, and religious and ethnic minorities Today, Democrats advocate more social freedoms, affirmative action, balanced budget, and a free enterprise system

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Labor : Since the 1930s, a critical component of the Democratic Party has been organized labor Labor unions supply a great deal of the money, grass roots, political organization, and voting base of support for the party Democrats are more likely to be represented by unions

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Economic Issues : Minimum Wage – Democrats favor a high minimum wage and more regular increases. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 was a part of the Democrats’ agenda Renewable Energy and Oil – They have opposed tax cuts and incentives to oil companies, favoring a policy of developing domestic renewable energy Fiscal Policy – They generally support a more progressive tax structure to provide more services and reduce economic inequality. They are currently proposing reversing tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and keep the cuts for middle class people. Democrats support more government spending on social services while spending less on military – oppose cutting social services such as Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, and various welfare programs Health Care Reform – Want “affordable and quality health care” and advocate an expansion of government in this area. Many favor a national health insurance or universal health care College Education – Most want to have low-cost funded college education with low tuition fees, which should be available to every eligible American student

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Legal Issues : Right to Privacy – Believe that individuals should have a right to privacy Gun Control – Many believe that the Second Amendment does not grant an individual the right to bear arms Death Penalty – Support the death penalty far less than the Republican Party Symbol – The most common mascot for the Democrats and is donkey. It never officially adopted this symbol, but has made use of it. They say Andrew Jackson had been labeled a jackass by his opponents during the presidential race of A political cartoon by Thomas Nast in 1837 depicted Jackson riding and directing a donkey (representing the Democratic Party)

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY Current Leaders: President - Barack Obama Vice President – Joe Biden

DEMOCRACTIC PARTY

REPUBLICAN PARTY The term Grand Old Party is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the acronym G.O.P. is a commonly used designation, despite the Democratic Party having been around longer. The first known reference to the Republican Party as the "grand old party" came in 1876.

REPUBLICAN PARTY The Republican Party is the more socially conservative and economically libertarian of the two major parties, and has closer ties to both Wall Street (large corporations) and Main Street (locally owned businesses) than do the Democrats and less affiliation with labor unions. Republicans have a strong belief in personal responsibility, limited government, and corporate entrepreneurship.

REPUBLICAN PARTY Conservative or Liberal??? The party’s platform is generally considered right of center in the U.S. political spectrum

REPUBLICAN PARTY History: Founded in Wisconsin – 1854, by anti-slavery activists Party first began to form in the late 1840s, but didn’t completely unify until the Kansas-Nebraska Act First came to power in 1860 with the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency – he presided over the American Civil War and Reconstruction The party remained a part of the Union during the American Civil War and Reconstruction In the 1870s, the GOP supported business: gold standard, high tariffs, generous pensions for Union veterans, etc. They supported Protestants who demanded Prohibition Republicans took credit for the post-bellum economy – booming with industry, railroads, mines, agriculture, and fast- growing cities

REPUBLICAN PARTY Symbols: The traditional mascot of the party is the elephant A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper’s Weekly on November 7, 1874 is considered the first important use of the symbol After the 2000 election, the color red became associated with the GOP, even though it has not been officially adopted by the party – the color blue assigned to the Democratic Party

REPUBLICAN PARTY Separation of Powers / Balance of Powers: Many current Republicans support “strict constructionism” – philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted narrowly and as close to the original intent as possible They believe the federal government should have limitations and the states should have more power

REPUBLICAN PARTY Social Policies: 2004 – they supported the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution to define marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman. Majority of GOP candidates are pro-life and oppose elective abortion on religious or moral grounds, and they favor faith-based initiatives Favor capital punishment and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime. They generally support gun ownership rights and oppose laws regulating guns Support school choice and school vouchers for private schools. Many have denounced the public school system and teachers’ unions. Party has insisted on a system of greater accountability for public schools, most prominently with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

REPUBLICAN PARTY National Defense / Military Spending: Always advocated a strong defense Up until recently, they tended to disapprove of interventionist foreign policy actions They opposed Woodrow Wilson’s intervention in WWI and his attempt to create the League of Nations They were also opposed to intervention in WWII prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Advocates of preemptive war – wars to disarm and destroy potential military foes not in defense, but of speculation of future attack

REPUBLICAN PARTY Voter Base: Republican Party – 55 million; Democratic Party - 72 million; Independents – 42 million Business Community – GOP is usually seen as the traditionally pro-business party and it gains major support from a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small businesses Race – The Republican Party supported abolition of slavery under Abraham Lincoln, and from the Civil War until the Great Depression of the 1930s. The majority of black voters switched to the Democratic Party in the 1930s when the New Deal offered them governmental support for civil rights. In the South, blacks were able to vote in large numbers after 1965, when the Voting Rights Act was passed

REPUBLICAN PARTY Family Status – Republicans have found their greatest support among whites from married couples with children living at home Income – High income voters tend to support the Republican Party Education – Self-identified Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to have 4- year college degrees Location – Since 1980, geographically the Republican “base” is the strongest in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West – Oklahoma is a “red” state

REPUBLICAN PARTY Current Leaders: Speaker of the House – John Boehner Majority Leader – Eric Cantor

REPUBLICAN PARTY