Republicans Finally Introduce Articles Of Impeachment But Not For Joe Biden
Will Any Republicans In Congress Support The Impeachment Inquiry?
Republicans have seen enough of the disaster in Afghanistan. They have finally introduced Articles of Impeachment. The only problem? Trending: Was Kamala Harris Just Carried Away In An Emergency? Theyre for Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Is there any doubt that if President Trump were in the White House, the Democrats would try to impeach him for this? Why is it that Democrats can stand together? But Republicans always seem to lack a backbone? More details below:
The Articles of Impeachment come after Biden signaled that he will NOT ask for the resignation of anyone in his administration. Despite the clear disaster that is happening in Afghanistan, Biden is defending his decision and his administration. The Daily Caller confirms that Articles of Impeachment have been introduced: But impeaching Blinken may not be enough. The calls to impeach Biden are reaching fever pitch. See some of the social media posts from every day Americans below:
Republican Lawmakers Need HimMoney. The ability to shape policy with someone who thinks like you. A tweet in support of your reelection. There are tangible benefits to being aligned with the president that you lose if you ditch him. Thats particularly true for the minority party in Congress, Green said. Republicans cant control the process in the House anymore after losing it in the 2018 midterms. So having an ally in the White House is especially important to them. While becoming a majority is the number one goal of a minority party, protecting the presidential party is right up there, Green wrote in the politics blog Mischiefs of Faction. Its not like Trump is going to lose his Twitter account if hes impeached, Green added in an interview with The Fix. Overview Of Impeachment Process
The United States Congress has the constitutional authority to impeach and remove a federal official from officeincluding the presidentif he or she has committed an impeachable offense. Impeaching and removing an official has two stages. First, articles of impeachment against the official must be passed by a majority vote of the U.S. House of Representatives. Then, a trial is conducted in the United States Senate potentially leading to the conviction and removal of the official. In most impeachment trials, the vice president presides over the trial. However, in impeachment trials of the president, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides. In order to remove the person from office, two-thirds of senators that are present to vote must vote to convict on the articles of impeachment. Witnesses Were The Houses JobRepublicans say the Senates role is simply to make a judgment based on the case developed by multiple House committees, not to undertake its own fact-finding inquiry. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has repeatedly criticized the Democratic-led House for conducting what he calls a slapdash partisan investigation and then expecting the Senate to do the Houses homework by filling in gaps in the House case. The House chose this road, Mr. McConnell said in December. It is their duty to investigate. Democrats respond that the Constitution in no way limits the Senates power to perform its own inquiry, and that the articles of impeachment are similar to a grand jury indictment that is, in criminal law, followed by a trial complete with testimony. They note that the Trump administration refused to cooperate with the House, and argue that the Republican-led Senate should now use its authority to compel appearances by current and former administration officials. They also point out that the Senate has called witnesses in every previous impeachment trial, including those of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. In refusing new witnesses, they say, Senate Republicans are shirking their duty and aiding in a cover-up instigated by Mr. Trump. Efforts To Impeach Barack Obama
During Barack Obama‘s tenure as President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, certain Republican members of Congress, as well as Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich, stated that Obama had engaged in impeachable activity and that he might face attempts to remove him from office. Rationales offered for possible impeachment ranged from Obama allowing people to use bathrooms based on their gender identity, to the 2012 Benghazi attack, to Obama’s enforcement of immigration laws, and false claims that he was born outside the United States. Multiple surveys of U.S. public opinion found that a near supermajority of Americans rejected the idea of impeaching Obama, though a bit more than a simple majority of Republicans did support such efforts. For example, found in July 2014 that 57% of Republicans supported impeachment, but in general, 65% of American adults, disagreed with impeachment with only 33% supporting such efforts. Congressman Says Some Republicans ‘would Like’ To Vote ‘yes’ On Impeachment But Fear PunishmentU.S.Donald TrumpRepublicansDemocratsImpeachment Democratic Congressman Denny Heck said that some of his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives “would like” to vote in favor of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, but they fear they will be “punished.” “Any Republican who would vote ‘yes’ on the articles of impeachment, and we all know that there are some who would like to do that, they will privately acknowledge it sometimes, but that if they do, they will be punished,” Heck, who represents Washington’s 10th District, said during a Thursday interview with CNN. “Indeed, by the president they’ll be viciously punished.” Newsweek reached out via email to Heck’s media contact and to the White House press office for comment on Heck’s assertions. This article will be updated to reflect any response to those requests. The representative went on to assert that “there are members on the other side of the aisle who are deeply, deeply concerned about the president’s behavior. They believe that what he did is wrong.” Heck explained that he has had conversations with multiple Republican colleagues who have said “they do not agree with” Trump and “think that the course that he is on is wrong for America.”
The House Didnt Try Hard Enough To Secure TestimonyFearing a prolonged legal fight, House Democrats chose not to pursue the testimony of Mr. Bolton in court after he initially declined to cooperate voluntarily at the direction of the White House. Republicans say that the House, as in most previous clashes over appearances by executive branch officials, should have sued to compel his testimony and exhausted its legal options to do so before moving ahead with articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump. In not doing so, they say, Democrats made a crucial error that they should not expect the Senate to correct. But since the House approved the articles of impeachment, Mr. Bolton has indicated that he would testify if subpoenaed. Disclosures from a draft of his forthcoming book suggest that he has firsthand knowledge that would contradict Mr. Trumps claim that he did nothing improper in withholding military aid from Ukraine. Democrats say that for Republicans to willfully refuse to hear from Mr. Bolton after his change of heart amounts to an attempt to conceal Mr. Trumps misconduct, particularly after complaining that the Houses charges against the president are built mainly on testimony from those without direct interaction with Mr. Trump. Trump Impeachment: Several Republicans To Join Democrats In House VoteThe US House of Representatives is deciding whether to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in last week’s storming of Congress. Democrats accuse the president of encouraging his supporters to attack the Capitol building. Five people died. Some in Mr Trump’s Republican party say they will join Democrats to impeach him on Wednesday, formally charging the president with inciting insurrection. President Trump has rejected any responsibility for the violence. The riot last Wednesday happened after Mr Trump told supporters at a rally in Washington DC to “fight like hell” against the result of November’s election. As the House continued its debate, Mr Trump responded to the latest reports of planned protests, urging calm. “I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” he said in statement released by the White House. “That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. “I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.” Raskin Compares Trumps Actions On January 6 To Lighting A Fire In Closing Argument
Gaetz: If any Republican votes for this resolution, they abandoned Trump
Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen, meanwhile, insisted his client did nothing wrong and maintained he was the victim of vengeful Democrats and a biased news media. He called the impeachment proceedings a “charade from beginning to end.” While he often seemed angry during his presentation, van der Veen was delighted by the acquittal. Reporters saw him fist bump a fellow member of Trump’s legal team afterward and exclaim, Were going to Disney World! “While a close call, I am persuaded that impeachments are a tool primarily of removal and we therefore lack jurisdiction,” the influential Kentucky Republican wrote in the email, which was obtained by NBC News. McConnell, who’d rebuffed Democratic efforts to start the trial while Trump was still in office, had condemned Trump’s conduct after the riot and said he’d keep an open mind about voting to convict something he’d ruled out entirely during Trump’s first impeachment trial last year. After voting to acquit, McConnell blasted Trump for his “disgraceful dereliction of duty” and squarely laid the blame for the riot at Trump’s door in what amounted to an endorsement of many of the arguments laid out by House impeachment managers. “There’s no question none that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor. Cassidy gave a simple explanation for his vote in a 10-second video statement he posted on Twitter. If Convicted Removal From Office Possible Disqualification From Government ServiceIf a president is acquitted by the Senate, the impeachment trial is over. But if he or she is found guilty, the Senate trial moves to the sentencing or punishment phase. The Constitution allows for two types of punishments for a president found guilty of an impeachable offense: Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States. The first punishment, removal from office, is automatically enforced following a two-thirds guilty vote. But the second punishment, disqualification from holding any future government position, requires a separate Senate vote. In this case, only a simple majority is required to ban the impeached president from any future government office for life. That second vote has never been held since no president has been found guilty in the Senate trial. Public Debate Over Impeachment DemandsIn terms of background, U.S. public opinion widely opposed efforts made to impeach previous Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. CNN Polling Director Keating Holland has stated that their organization found that 69% opposed impeaching President Bush in 2006. According to a July 2014 YouGov poll, 35% of Americans believed President Obama should be impeached, including 68% of Republicans. Later that month, a CNN survey found that about two thirds of adult Americans disagreed with impeachment efforts. The data showed intense partisan divides, with 57% of Republicans supporting the efforts compared to only 35% of independents and 13% of Democrats. On July 8, 2014, the former Governor of Alaska and 2008 RepublicanVice Presidential nomineeSarah Palin publicly called for Obama’s impeachment for “purposeful dereliction of duty”. In a full statement, she said: “Itâs time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment.” Andrew McCarthy of the National Review wrote the book Faithless Execution: Building the Political Case For Obama’s Impeachment, which argued that threatening impeachment was a good way to limit executive action by Obama . House Impeaches Trump A 2nd Time Citing Insurrection At Us CapitolThis vote could expose some of them to potential primary challenges from the right as well as possible safety threats, but for all of them Trump had simply gone too far. Multiple House Republicans said threats toward them and their families were factors weighing on their decisions on whether to impeach this president. Ten out of 211 Republicans in the House is hardly an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, and clearly, most Republicans’ sympathies still lie with Trump and his ardent base of followers. But the 10 represent something significant the most members of a president’s party to vote for his impeachment in U.S. history. Some Senators Are More Focused On The Question Of Constitutionality Than EvidenceMany Republicans have been arguing for weeks that impeaching and convicting a former president is unconstitutional, despite the ambiguous nature of the Constitution on the matter. Though the question of constitutionality was settled by the Senate on Tuesday in a 56-44 vote, some of the most vocal critics of the trial have made it clear that no evidence, nor argument presented by impeachment managers will sway them from voting to acquit Trump. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told The Post that the trial was a waste of time and is the result of “partisan anger” from congressional Democrats and has been clear from the start how he would vote. “The result of this trial is preordained,” Cruz told the outlet on Thursday. “President Trump will be acquitted.” Similarly, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri was clear he had made up his mind by day two of the trial. “If you don’t have jurisdiction, that’s just the end of the call,” he told the outlet Wednesday. And Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, when asked by The Post, once again emphasized his objection to the constitutionality of the trial. Congressional Opposition To ImpeachmentA number of prominent Republicans rejected calls for impeachment, including House SpeakerJohn Boehner, and Sen. John McCain. McCain said impeachment would be a distraction from the 2014 election, and that if “we regain control of the United States Senate we can be far more effective than an effort to impeach the president, which has no chance of succeeding.” Rep. Blake Farenthold said that impeachment would be “an exercise in futility.” House Votes To Impeach Trump But Senate Trial Unlikely Before Biden’s Inauguration9. Rep. John Katko, New York’s 24th: Katko is a moderate from an evenly divided moderate district. A former federal prosecutor, he said of Trump: “It cannot be ignored that President Trump encouraged this insurrection.” He also noted that as the riot was happening, Trump “refused to call it off, putting countless lives in danger.” 10. Rep. David Valadao, California’s 21st: The Southern California congressman represents a majority-Latino district Biden won 54% to 44%. Valadao won election to this seat in 2012 before losing it in 2018 and winning it back in the fall. He’s the rare case of a member of Congress who touts his willingness to work with the other party. Of his vote for impeachment, he said: “President Trump was, without question, a driving force in the catastrophic events that took place on January 6.” He added, “His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense.” Mcconnell Isnt Plotting To Save Republicans From TrumpA day into the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, and more than two weeks after a test vote that showed how many Senate Republicans wanted to stop the trial before it started, there remains a peculiar, glittering fantasy among Beltway media types that somehow Mitch McConnell will yet find a way to lead his flock onto the path of righteousness in time to save his party and prevent a Trump comeback. Heres a report from Bloomberg:
The Republicans Who Support Trumps Impeachment
One Democratic Congressman Says He Will Not Vote For Impeachment | MSNBC
These Republicans are coming out against the president in the aftermath of the deadly riot at the Capitol. 01/13/2021 03:00 PM EST
As the House moves to impeach President Donald Trump, a handful of Republicans are joining Democrats in the historic second attempt to remove the president from office. Of these Republicans, some are publicly committing to impeaching Trump for urging his followers to march on the U.S. Capitol, where they killed a police officer, breached the halls of Congress and threatened lawmakers. Others have indicated that they disagree with the president. They all stand out as the GOP lawmakers who have spoken out most strongly in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots that left five people dead. Here are the Republicans were watching closely: Richard Nixon: Resigned In 1974People read about President Nixon’s resignation outside the gate of the White House in August, 1974. Despite being complicit in one of the greatest political scandals in U.S. presidential history, Richard Nixon was never impeached. He resigned before the House of Representatives had a chance to impeach him. If he hadnt quit, Nixon would likely have been the first president ever impeached and removed from office, given the crimes he committed to cover up his involvement in the Watergate break-ins. On July 27, 1974, after seven months of deliberations, the House Judiciary Committee approved the first of five proposed articles of impeachment against Nixon, charging the president with obstruction of justice in an effort to shield himself from the ongoing Watergate investigation. Only a handful of Republicans in the judiciary committee voted to approve the articles of impeachment, and it was unclear at the time if there would be enough votes in the full House to formally impeach the president. But everything changed on August 5, 1974, when the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to release unedited tapes of his Oval Office conversations with White House staffers during the Watergate investigation. The so-called smoking gun tapes included Nixon proposing the use of the CIA to obstruct the FBI investigation, and paying hush money to the convicted Watergate burglars. The transcript included the following: NIXON: How much money do you need? NIXON: We could get that. Even With Some Potential Bipartisan Support It’s Unlikely Trump Will Be ConvictedThough it seems nearly impossible that Democrats will convince 17 Republicans, the magic number needed for a two-thirds vote, to convict Trump of incitement, there are some Republicans who seem open to the idea. Following the prosecution’s arguments Wednesday, which included chilling new video and audio from the Capitol siege, Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters she was left “angry,” “disturbed,” and “sad.” “The evidence that has been presented thus far is pretty damning,” she said. Politico reported Friday that Republicans are privately estimating between 5 to 10 GOP senators are seriously considering voting to convict. Now that oral arguments and questioning have ended, both sides will have two hours each to make closing arguments, and a final vote on whether to convict or acquit the former president is expected this weekend. It’s unclear if there will be a vote to call witnesses. How Many Republicans Will Vote To Impeach TrumpThe third most senior Republican in the House, Liz Cheney, has vowed to back impeachment, saying Mr Trump had “summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack”. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” said the Wyoming representative, daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney. So far, eight more Republicans have voted in favour. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state, said: “Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option.” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, a Trump ally who has said he opposes impeachment, decided not to ask rank-and-file members of the party to vote against the measure, US media reported. According to the New York Times, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told confidants he was pleased Democrats wanted to impeach the president because he believed it would help rid the Republican party of Mr Trump. On Tuesday, the House passed a resolution calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to help remove Mr Trump using the 25th Amendment – a plan Mr Pence rejected. The Gop Senators Likely To Vote For Trump’s ConvictionSenators say as many as a half-dozen GOP lawmakers could vote with Democrats to convict former President TrumpDonald TrumpWalensky says ‘now is the time’ to tackle gun violence: reportBanks fights Jan. 6 committee effort to seek lawmaker recordsBiden to raise pay for federal employees effective Jan. 1.MORE for inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6 after the powerful presentations by impeachment managers, including chilling footage of the attack on the Capitol. That would not be enough to secure a conviction of Trump, something that would require at least 17 Republican votes assuming every Democrat in the chamber votes to impeach. But it would be the largest bipartisan Senate majority in history for a presidential impeachment vote. Heres a look at the six GOP votes seen as being in play. Willard Mitt RomneyMitt Romney was right: Too many Americans are dependent on government Democrats sound alarm over loss in Connecticut suburbsLawmakers flooded with calls for help on Afghanistan exitMORE Romney is viewed as a lock to vote for Trumps conviction after he was the only Republican senator to vote to remove Trump from office after his first impeachment trial last year. Romney, who is up for reelection in 2024, has been one of Trumps most outspoken Republican critics throughout his presidency. He declared on Jan. 6 after the rioters were cleared from the Capitol that what happened today was an insurrection incited by the president of the United States. Via https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-there-any-republicans-for-impeachment/
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How Things Got This Bad
Why Democrats and Republicans have different priorities on COVID relief
6) The Republican turn against democracy begins with raceSupport for authoritarian ideas in America is closely tied to the countrys long-running racial conflicts. This chart, from a September 2020 paper by Vanderbilt professor Larry Bartels, shows a statistical analysis of a survey of Republican voters, analyzing the link between respondents score on a measure of ethnic antagonism and their support for four anti-democratic statements . The graphic shows a clear finding: The higher a voter scores on the ethnic antagonism scale, the more likely they are tosupport anti-democratic ideas. This held true even when Bartels used regression analyses to compare racial attitudes to other predictors, like support for Trump. The strongest predictor by far of these antidemocratic attitudes is ethnic antagonism, he writes. For students of American history, this shouldnt be a surprise. The 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act cemented Democrats as the party of racial equality, causing racially resentful Democrats in the South and elsewhere to defect to the Republican Party. This sorting process, which took place over the next few decades, is . 7) Partisanship causes Republicans to justify anti-democratic behaviorThis chart is a little hard to parse, but it illustrates a crucial finding from one of the best recent papers on anti-democratic sentiment in America: how decades of rising partisanship made an anti-democratic GOP possible. Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really HardThe divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country. Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many. Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs. Reality Check 3: The Democrats Legislative Fix Will Never Happenand Doesnt Even Touch The Real ThreatsIts understandable why Democrats have ascribed a life-or-death quality to S. 1, the For the People bill that would impose a wide range of requirements on state voting procedures. The dozensor hundredsof provisions enacted by Republican state legislatures and governors represent a determination to ensure that the GOP thumb will be on the scale at every step of the voting process. The proposed law would roll that back on a national level by imposing a raft of requirements on statesno excuse absentee voting, more days and hours to votebut would also include public financing of campaigns, independent redistricting commissions and compulsory release of presidential candidates’ tax returns. There are all sorts of Constitutional questions posed by these ideas. But theres a more fundamental issue here: The Constitutional clause on which the Democrats are relyingArticle I, Section 4, Clause 1gives Congress significant power over Congressional elections, but none over elections for state offices or the choosing of Presidential electors. Vaccine Advocacy From Hannity And Mcconnell Gets The Media Off Republicans’ Backs But Won’t Shift Public SentimentSean Hannity, Mitch McConnell and Tucker Carlson Amid a rising media furor over the steady stream of vaccine disparagement from GOP politicians and Fox News talking heads, a number of prominent Republicans spoke up in favor of vaccines early this week. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, “shots need to get in everybody’s arm as rapidly as possible” and asked that people “ignore all of these other voices that are giving demonstrably bad advice.” House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, got the vaccine after months of delay and then publicly said, “there shouldn’t be any hesitancy over whether or not it’s safe and effective.” And Fox News host Sean Hannity, in a widely shared video, declared, it “absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated.” This was treated in the press as an unequivocal endorsement, even though the use of the word “many” was clearly meant to let the Fox News viewers feel like he’s talking about other people getting vaccinated. Is this an exciting pivot among the GOP elites? Are they abandoning the sociopathic strategy of sabotaging President Joe Biden’s anti-pandemic plan by encouraging their own followers to get sick? Are the millions of Republicans who keep telling pollsters they will never get that Democrat shot going to change their minds now? Ha ha ha, no. Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Subscribe to her newsletter Standing Room Only.
Jefferson And Jeffersonian PrinciplesJeffersonian democracy was not a one-man operation. It was a large political party with many local and state leaders and various factions, and they did not always agree with Jefferson or with each other. Jefferson was accused of inconsistencies by his opponents. The “Old Republicans” said that he abandoned the Principles of 1798. He believed the national security concerns were so urgent that it was necessary to purchase Louisiana without waiting for a Constitutional amendment. He enlarged federal power through the intrusively-enforced . He idealized the “yeoman farmer” despite being himself a gentleman plantation owner. The disparities between Jefferson’s philosophy and practice have been noted by numerous historians. Staaloff proposed that it was due to his being a proto-; claimed that it was a manifestation of pure hypocrisy, or “pliability of principle”; and Bailyn asserts it simply represented a contradiction with Jefferson, that he was “simultaneously a radical utopian idealist and a hardheaded, adroit, at times cunning politician”. However, Jenkinson argued that Jefferson’s personal failings ought not to influence present day thinkers to disregard Jeffersonian ideals. , a European nobleman who opposed democracy, argues that “Jeffersonian democracy” is a misnomer because Jefferson was not a democrat, but in fact believed in rule by an elite: “Jefferson actually was an Agrarian Romantic who dreamt of a republic governed by an elite of character and intellect”. Reality Check #4: The Electoral College And The Senate Are Profoundly Undemocraticand Were Stuck With ThemBecause the Constitution set up a state-by-state system for picking presidents, the massive Democratic majorities we now see in California and New York often mislead us about the partys national electoral prospects. In 2016, Hillary Clintons 3-million-vote plurality came entirely from California. In 2020, Bidens 7-million-vote edge came entirely from California and New York. These are largely what election experts call wasted votesDemocratic votes that dont, ultimately, help the Democrat to win. That imbalance explains why Trump won the Electoral College in 2016 and came within a handful of votes in three states from doing the same last November, despite his decisive popular-vote losses. The response from aggrieved Democrats? Abolish the Electoral College! In practice, theyd need to get two-thirds of the House and Senate, and three-fourths of the state legislatures, to ditch the process that gives Republicans their only plausible chance these days to win the White House. Shortly after the 2016 election, Gallup found that Republican support for abolishing the electoral college had dropped to 19 percent. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a state-by-state scheme to effectively abolish the Electoral College without changing the Constitution, hasnt seen support from a single red or purple state. History Of The Democratic And Republican PartiesThe Democratic Party traces its origins to the anti-federalist factions around the time of Americas independence from British rule. These factions were organized into the Democrat Republican party by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other influential opponents of the Federalists in 1792. The Republican party is the younger of the two parties. Founded in 1854 by anti-slavery expansion activists and modernizers, the Republican Party rose to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president. The party presided over the American Civil War and Reconstruction and was harried by internal factions and scandals towards the end of the 19th century. Since the division of the Republican Party in the election of 1912, the Democratic party has consistently positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party in economic as well as social matters. The economically left-leaning activist philosophy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, which has strongly influenced American liberalism, has shaped much of the party’s economic agenda since 1932. Roosevelt’s New Deal coalition usually controlled the national government until 1964. The Republican Party today supports a pro-business platform, with foundations in economic libertarianism, and fiscal and social conservatism. Adams And The Revolution Of 1800Shortly after Adams took office, he dispatched a group of envoys to seek peaceful relations with France, which had begun attacking American shipping after the ratification of the Jay Treaty. The failure of talks, and the French demand for bribes in what became known as the XYZ Affair, outraged the American public and led to the Quasi-War, an undeclared naval war between France and the United States. The Federalist-controlled Congress passed measures to expand the army and navy and also pushed through the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Alien and Sedition Acts restricted speech that was critical of the government, while also implementing stricter naturalization requirements. Numerous journalists and other individuals aligned with the Democratic-Republicans were prosecuted under the Sedition Act, sparking a backlash against the Federalists. Meanwhile, Jefferson and Madison drafted the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which held that state legislatures could determine the constitutionality of federal laws. Sign Up For The Weeds Newsletter
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Voxs German Lopez is here to guide you through the Biden administrations burst of policymaking. Sign up to receive our newsletter each Friday. They go further than merely believing the 2020 election was stolen, a nearly unanimous view among the bunch. Over 90 percent oppose making it easier for people to vote; roughly 70 percent would support a hypothetical third term for Trump . The MAGA movement, Blum and Parker write, is a clear and present danger to American democracy. 2) Republicans are embracing violenceThe ultimate expression of anti-democratic politics is resorting to violence. More than twice as many Republicans as Democrats nearly two in five Republicans said in a January poll that force could be justified against their opponents. It would be easy to dismiss this kind of finding as meaningless were it not for the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill and the survey was conducted about three weeks after the attack. Republicans recently saw what political violence in the United States looked like, and a large fraction of the party faithful seemed comfortable with more of it. These attitudes are linked to the party elites rhetoric: The more party leaders like Trump attack the democratic political system as rigged against them, the more Republicans will believe it and conclude that extreme measures are justifiable. A separate study found that Republicans who believe Democrats cheated in the election were far likelier to endorse post-election violence. Early Life And CareerJohn Quincy Adams entered the world at the same time that his maternal great-grandfather, John Quincy, for many years a prominent member of the Massachusettslegislature, was leaving ithence his name. He grew up as a child of the American Revolution. He watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from Penns Hill and heard the cannons roar across the Back Bay in Boston. His patriot father, John Adams, at that time a delegate to the Continental Congress, and his patriot mother, Abigail Smith Adams, had a strong molding influence on his education after the war had deprived Braintree of its only schoolmaster. In 1778 and again in 1780 the boy accompanied his father to Europe. He studied at a private school in Paris in 177879 and at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, in 1780. Thus, at an early age he acquired an excellent knowledge of the French language and a smattering of Dutch. In 1780, also, he began to keep regularly the diary that forms so conspicuous a record of his doings and those of his contemporaries through the next 60 years of American history. Self-appreciative, like most of the Adams clan, he once declared that, if his diary had been even richer, it might have become “next to the Holy Scriptures, the most precious and valuable book ever written by human hands.” c. Democratic View On HealthcareDemocrats have always been in favor of governmental involvement in the wellbeing of Americans, especially the most vulnerable among us. Healthcare reform has been a primary focus for the party since the middle of the Twentieth Century. Medicare, Medicaid, Childrens Health Insurance Program , and the ACA are all major reforms the Democrats fought for and got passed into law. During this election season, healthcare is arguably the hottest topic of debate, and Democrats are pushing for further expansion across the board. The key phrase to remember is quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Obama And Trump Healthcare Policies ComparedThere could not be a more radical divide between administrations than there is between these two. The Obama administration worked against almost insurmountable opposition from the GOP in order to pass the ACA. The Trump Administrations quest is to dismantle everything the Obama Administration has done. They even have court cases pending in order to do so. When Was The Republican And Democratic Parties FormedThe Democratic Party was founded by Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren on January 8, 1828, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was the United States seventh president but the first democratic President. The Democratic Partys shocking emergence can be linked to the countrys anti-federalist factions. It was during that time the United States of America gained independence from British colonial masters. The anti-federalist factions, which democrats originated from, were also grouped into the Democrat-Republican party. This was done in 1792 by James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other federalists influential opponents. On the other hand, the Republican Party is pretty much younger than the Democratic Party. It was formed in 1854 by anti-slavery modernizers and activists. The republicans were against the expansion of slavery in Western territories. They fought hard to protect African Americans rights after the civil war. The Republican Party is often known as GOP. The meaning is Grand Old Party. The first Republican President was Abraham Lincoln. From Lincolns emergence, Republican Party started gaining ground in America. The Legal Fight Over Voting Rights During The Pandemic Is Getting HotterOr as former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, told NPR, there are no “fair” maps in the discussion about how to draw voting districts because what Democrats call “fair” maps are those, he believes, that favor them. No, say voting rights groups and many Democrats the only “fair” way to conduct an election is to admit as many voters as possible. Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who has charged authorities in her home state with suppressing turnout, named her public interest group Fair Fight Action. Access vs. security The pandemic has added another layer of complexity with the new emphasis it has put on voting by mail. President Trump says he opposes expanding voting by mail, and his allies, including White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, call the process rife with opportunities for fraud. Even so, Trump and McEnany both voted by mail this year in Florida, and Republican officials across the country have encouraged voting by mail. Democrats, who have made election security and voting access a big part of their political brand for several years, argue that the pandemic might discourage people from going to old-fashioned polling sites. Democrats Or Republicans: Who Has The Higher IncomeIn the end, many people assume Republicans are richer based on these figures. Although, this is only a look at the richest families and politicians in America though. In everyday American households, it seems that Democrats have a higher mean salary. Its true that many of the wealthiest families in the country are contributing to Republican campaigns. On the contrary, families registered as , statistically speaking. These findings still have some loopholes in them, of course. For instance, the data was collected over the last 40 years or so. Moreover, it is only based on the most recently collected information. As you know, demographics are constantly changing. These figures may have been affected as well. There is also a margin of error with every type of data collection like this. So, what do you think? Who is richer? Democrats or Republicans? Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key IssuesReuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice. This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the country’s contentious healthcare system struggles to cope. The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found. Presidential Election Of 1808
This mayor joining the GOP says theres no Democratic Party anymore’
Speculation regarding Madison’s potential succession of Jefferson commenced early in Jefferson’s first term. Madison’s status in the party was damaged by his association with the embargo, which was unpopular throughout the country and especially in the Northeast. With the Federalists collapsing as a national party after 1800, the chief opposition to Madison’s candidacy came from other members of the Democratic-Republican Party. Madison became the target of attacks from Congressman , a leader of a faction of the party known as the . Randolph recruited James Monroe, who had felt betrayed by the administration’s rejection of the proposed with Britain, to challenge Madison for leadership of the party. Many Northerners, meanwhile, hoped that Vice President could unseat Madison as Jefferson’s successor. Despite this opposition, Madison won his party’s presidential nomination at the January 1808 . The Federalist Party mustered little strength outside New England, and Madison easily defeated Federalist candidate . At a height of only five feet, four inches , and never weighing more than 100 pounds , Madison became the most diminutive president. What Is Thomas Jefferson Remembered ForThomas Jefferson is remembered for being the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. The fact that he owned over 600 enslaved people during his life while forcefully advocating for human freedom and equality made Jefferson one of Americas most problematic and paradoxical heroes. Thomas Jefferson, , draftsman of the Declaration of Independence of the United States and the nations first secretary of state and second vice president and, as the third president , the statesman responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. An early advocate of total separation of church and state, he also was the founder and architect of the University of Virginia and the most eloquent American proponent of individual freedom as the core meaning of the American Revolution. What Republican And Democrats BelieveLets start with this example. There are one or more reasons why you chose that person to be your friend. It could be because of how he or she talks, sense of humor, intelligence, educational background, ideology, or other factors. The bottom line is you made the individual your friend because of one or more factors you discovered in that person that pleases you. This explains why most people would prefer joining republicans than Democrats and vice versa. Republicans and Democrats have diverse ideologies and beliefs. These beliefs or ideology is part of what draws people to join either political party. Lets start with Republicans. What do Republicans believe in? Republicans boast libertarian and centrist factions. But they primarily believe in social conservative policies. They abide by laws that help conserve their traditional values. These include opposition to abortion, marijuana use, and same-sex marriage. So the Republican Partys platform is generally centered on American conservatism. It comprises establishment conservatives, Freedom Caucus, or Tea Party members, described as right-wing, populist, and far-right. The Republican Partys position has changed over time. They now transcend beyond traditional values, which often includes Christian background. The Republicans evolved position now includes fiscal conservatism and foreign policy. Heres a quick summary of what the Republican Party believes in: Heres a quick look at what Democrats believe in: Was The Donkey Originally A JackassThomas Nast was an American cartoonist who joined the staff of Harpers Weekly in 1862. Nasts cartoons were very popular and his depiction of Santa Claus is still the most widely used version of the holiday icon we see today. During his career, Nast also drew many political cartoons that harshly criticized the policies of both parties. Nast first used a donkey to represent the Democratic party as a whole in the 1870 cartoon A Live Jack-Ass Kicking a Lion in which Nast criticized the dominantly Democratic Southern newspaper industry as the Copperhead Press. While he did popularize the donkey, Nast wasnt the first person to use it in reference to the Democrats. Over 40 years earlier during the presidential campaign of 1828, opponents of Democrat Andrew Jackson referred to him as a jackass. Jackson actually embraced the insult and used donkeys on several campaign posters. Nevertheless, cartoonist Anthony Imbert would use a Jackson-headed donkey to mock Jackson an 1833 political cartoon. However, the donkey never really caught on after the end of Jacksons presidency, and Thomas Nast apparently had no knowledge that it ever was used to represent the Democrats. Election Of 1796 And Vice PresidencyIn the presidential campaign of 1796, Jefferson lost the electoral college vote to Federalist John Adams by 7168 and was thus elected vice president. As presiding officer of the Senate, he assumed a more passive role than his predecessor John Adams. He allowed the Senate to freely conduct debates and confined his participation to procedural issues, which he called an “honorable and easy” role. Jefferson had previously studied parliamentary law and procedure for 40 years, making him unusually well qualified to serve as presiding officer. In 1800, he published his assembled notes on Senate procedure as . Jefferson would cast only three in the Senate. During the Adams presidency, the Federalists rebuilt the military, levied new taxes, and enacted the . Jefferson believed that these laws were intended to suppress Democratic-Republicans, rather than prosecute enemy aliens, and considered them unconstitutional. To rally opposition, he and James Madison anonymously wrote the , declaring that the federal government had no right to exercise powers not specifically delegated to it by the states. The resolutions followed the “” approach of Madison, in which states may shield their citizens from federal laws that they deem unconstitutional. Jefferson advocated , allowing states to invalidate federal laws altogether. Jefferson warned that, “unless arrested at the threshold”, the Alien and Sedition Acts would “necessarily drive these states into revolution and blood”. Via https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-is-there-republicans-and-democrats/ Why Republicans Lose Pennsylvania
PA A.G. Draws ‘Bright Line’ On GOP Election Misinformation
When the Republican Party last carried the state, it did so on the backs of massive support from suburban Philadelphia. In the City of Brotherly Love, Bush I managed to snag a third of the county vote . With 20-plus margins in Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Bucks, why in heavens was the state a two-point squeaker? Because metropolitan Pittsburgh was union blue. Westmoreland County went to Dukakis by 11 points, Washington by almost 25 points, Allegheny by 20, and so on. The margin Dukakis had out of the Western third of the state was greater than the margin he enjoyed in Philly. It seems almost inconceivable now. President Clinton and candidates Al Gore and John Kerry would go on to secure the western Pennsylvania vote, albeit by smaller margins as the years went on. Even President Obama managed to barely carry the metro area in 2008. He lost ita first for a Democrat since 1972to Mitt Romney in 2012. However, he no longer needed it: he had the Collar. Thanks to a blend of suburban moderate rejection of conservative candidates, wildly successful voter drives by Democrats, and the lack of incentives for county party offices to pump out a presidential-level effort, the four counties mentioned with 20-plus margins in 1988 have trended Democratic for the last 30 years. Nah. Dozens Of Gop State Lawmakers Wanted Pas Electoral Votes Overturned Two Reflect On Their Decision
– Republican state lawmakers are mulling changes to Pennsylvanias election law this session. They say that effort is aimed at improving the process for the states upcoming contests. But many of them backed efforts to cast doubt on and overturn the election results even though no evidence of fraud or irregularities existed that could have affected the outcome, according to multiple federal and state officials and judges across the country. Of 76 lawmakers WITF contacted either directly or through press offices to ask why they backed actions that could have disenfranchised millions of Pennsylvanians, two responded. One, Rep. Doyle Heffley , said he still thinks something went wrong in Pennsylvania. The other, Rep. Paul Schemel , is now wondering whether what he believes are legitimate procedural questions in Pennsylvania were mistakenly conflated with former President Donald Trumps false claim that the election was rigged or stolen. Ive Spent A Lot Of Time In IntrospectionRep. Paul Schemel has served in the state House since 2015. He said hes been reflecting a lot about the past few months, including why he signed the objection letter. In my own introspection, I think, What were my own sort of words and comments that I used from the day of the election forward, and when is speech insightful and when is speech inciting?’ Schemel said. Schemel said he doesnt believe state lawmakers contributed to the environment that led to Jan. 6. He said he told a number of constituents who called him alleging voter fraud that without proof, their claims wouldnt hold up. I think to myself, Are there things that I could have said that could have made that point clearer? he said. But I would have never, never in my mind, imagined that we would have individuals in our country that would do the irresponsible things that occurred on January 6th. via Jennifer Fitch / Pa. House GOP Rep. Paul Schemel attends a House State Government committee hearing on Jan. 28, 2021 But state lawmakers were complaining about procedural problems they said led to an invalid election results, when independent authorities concluded there was no evidence to support that. Even U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, one of Pennsylvanias most prominent Republicans, acknowledged invalidating the states votes over those complaints was out of line. But Schemel acknowledged, for better or worse, the states electoral process is fair and voters should trust it. Attacking The Right To VoteConservatives have long used state legislatures to launder increasingly radical, often anti-democratic policies and positions into the Republican mainstream. During Barack Obamas presidency, Arizona Republicans passed an anti-immigration bill that served as a model for other conservative legislatures. Five states passed copycat versions of Arizonas S.B. 1070, which imposed draconian ID requirements on immigrants and mandated racial profiling of anyone who might look illegal, after its original approval in 2010. The Supreme Court eventually struck down most of the law, but it helped turn hard-line anti-immigration rhetoric into a GOP litmus test well before Trump descended a golden escalator and launched his presidential campaign with a fascistic diatribe against immigrants. Voting rights fared even worse. In 2011, Wisconsins Republican Legislature approved voter identification legislation that helped launch a nationwide assault on voting rights. Between 2010 and 2019, 25 states the vast majority with Republican-controlled legislatures, and many eager to move after a conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013 passed bills that placed new restrictions on voting.
Allocation Of State Electoral VotesAs defined by the U.S. Constitution, each state is assigned a number of electoral votes as follows:
Based on this system of assigning electoral ballots, the allocation of electoral votes for the upcoming 2020 election can be seen in the table below. This system ensures that every state will have at least three electoral votes, and currently, California has the most electoral ballots at 55. The twenty-third amendment to the Constitution entitled the District of Columbia to cast electoral votes equal to the least populous state to allow the district’s residents to participate in Presidential elections. The Right Moves Farther RightNot all Republicans in Pennsylvania are on board with the partys radical turn. State Sen. Gene Yaw decried his partys efforts to overturn the election results in December, and later, in an interview with a local news station, chastised members of his caucus who want to go to war. Do I like the fact that the candidate I supported lost NO, Yaw wrote in his December statement. Nevertheless, our system requires that, as a citizen, I respect the laws of this state and country. Kenyatta believes there are at least 20 Republicans in the Pennsylvania state House who oppose the conspiracy-driven pushes to roll back voting rights. Together with Democrats, they could form a majority that says enough is enough and puts an end to the madness around the election and voting rights, Kenyatta said. But unfortunately, he added, the folks who are the most rabid and out of control have been allowed to run roughshod over everybody else. That fierce battle for control of the Republican Party between dedicated anti-democratic forces, and everyone else is playing out at almost every level of government. The right wing of the party has attempted to flex its muscle against any Republicans who have dared to buck them since the Capitol riot. Scores of Republican voters, meanwhile, reregistered as independents after the Capitol riot, meaning that in states with closed primaries, like Pennsylvania, the primary electorate may only further radicalize. What Is The Electoral CollegeThe electoral college is a body of electors established by the United States Constitution . It is convened every four years for the sole purpose of electing the President and Vice President of the United States. The United States is a democratic republic, meaning that in general, each state elects or appoints officials that represent the state’s residents at the federal level. This form of governance is also used to elect presidents through an electoral college where each state is allocated electoral votes cast by electors who represent the state. Republicans Win Fewer Votes But More Seats Than DemocratsRepublicans controlled the post2010 redistricting process in the four states, and drew new lines that helped the GOP win the bulk of the House delegation in each. Republicans captured 13 of 18 seats in Pennsylvania, 12 of 16 in Ohio, nine of 14 in Michigan, and five of eight in Wisconsin. Added together, that was 39 seats for the Republicans and 17 seats for the Democrats in the four proObama states. The key to GOP congressional success was to cluster the Democratic vote into a handful of districts, while spreading out the Republican vote elsewhere. In Pennsylvania, for example, Republicans won nine of their 13 House seats with less than 60% of the vote, while Democrats carried three of their five with more than 75%. One of the latter was the Philadelphiabased 2nd District, where 356,386 votes for Congress were tallied. Not only was it the highest number of ballots cast in any district in the state, but Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah won 318,176 of the votes. It was the largest number received by any House candidate in the country in 2012, Democrat or Republican. If some of these Democratic votes had been unclustered and distributed to other districts nearby, the party might have won a couple more seats in the Philadelphia area alone. The Closest House Races of 2012 NARROW DEMOCRATIC WINNERS Threatening Primaries Trump Supporters Make One Last Pitch For Pa Republicans To Block Election Results
President Trump Reportedly Says PA Democrat Won Because He’s ‘Like Trump’ | The Last Word | MSNBC
Supporters of President Donald Trump circled the Pennsylvania Capitol for, potentially, the last time Monday in hopes of shaking the uninterested Republican-controlled state Legislature into stopping the commonwealth from giving its 20 electoral votes to President-elect Joe Biden. Republicans in the House and Senate have been saying since before the election they have no mechanism to change the presidential outcome. While GOP leadership talked of auditing the election, such a proposal was shot down by lawmakers on a legislative research committee. Also, neither House or Senate Republicans issued any subpoenas to compel testimony before legislators on voting irregularities. Seeing their tepid approach, Mondays rally-goers, about 100 in all, put their state legislators on notice that they would remember in 2022. I will make it my personal mission to see to it that every one of these people who stand against us right now get primaried by a credible challenger, said Bobby Lawrence, a Franklin County GOP committee person and organizer of Mondays protest. Lawrence said such an effort could succeed if it harnessed enthusiasm for Trump. While Trump lost Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, he still won 400,000 more votes than he won in 2016 in an election with record turnout. Lawrence argued Mondays rally was not for Trump, but a bipartisan effort for election integrity. He wrote off attendees wearing Trump gear and waving Trump signs as part of a separate effort. Donald Trump Tries To Reverse Republican Fortunes In PennsylvaniaPITTSBURGH Once again, Pennsylvania Republicans are hopeful headed into a presidential election though their optimism has gone unrewarded for more than a quarter century. Donald Trump is the latest Republican trying to take Pennsylvania which the party hasn’t claimed since George H.W. Bush in 1988 believing that anxiety about the economy and “bad trade deals” will flip the Keystone State into the GOP column. “You got wiped out, folks,” Trump told a cheering crowd at the airport in Pittsburgh over the weekend, the heart of steel-and-coal country. “I hate to tell you, but you got wiped out.” Trump will likely do well with blue-collar workers in western Pennsylvania, analysts said, but faces challenges with voters in eastern Pennsylvania, such as the Lehigh Valley and the Philadelphia suburbs. “He does much worse with college whites, especially college educated white women,” said Varad Mehta, an independent scholar who lives in Bucks County, Pa.., and is studying the election. “And there are a lot of them in the Philadelphia suburbs.” Trump also hopes his emphasis on trade, immigration, and blue-collar voters will help him in Midwest states like Ohio no Republican has won a presidential election without the Buckeye State and Michigan, which, like Pennsylvania, has gone Democratic in the last six presidential elections. “She’s not winning Pennsylvania, let me tell you,” Trump said. Things Are Looking Up For The GopRepublican fortunes brightened notably in the western third of the state, and this has been happening for far longer than President Obama has been on the scene. One of the frequent assumptions I encounter is that the white, blue-collar Democrats that still dominate the region are voting on race now but will pounce on a Clinton. Yet Republicans have made incredible gains, and enjoyed a nice swing in voter registration out there beyond just these last six years. This was happening from 1988 through 2004, with Bush improving in 2004 on his 2000 numbers, and his 2000 numbers improving on his fathers numbers in 1992. It may have accelerated under the current president, but the trend has been there for some time. As mentioned earlier, President Obama became the first Democrat in decades to lose the Pittsburgh media market outright. The state is no longer Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with Kentucky in-between, as James Carville once summed it. Local Republican efforts and the presence of third-party groups like Americans for Prosperity has paid off quite well in the west, and with similar demographics in northeastern Pennsylvania , there is still room to grow with this particular group. This is hardly enough to carry the state, of course: Pittsburgh is slowly aging, its population declining compared to the sustained growth in the states eastern third. More would be needed to offset the gamma-ray burst of Democratic votes emanating from Philadelphia. Current Leadership Of Key OfficesOne year of a Democratic trifecta Twelve years of Republican trifectasScroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
The Secret Is Unregistered VotersSo is there a path to winning the Keystone? As I said before, yes. The secret lies not with the current number of registered voters, where Democrats dwarf Republicans by a cool million, but in the number of citizens of voting age not registered. Finding them and goading them into registering wont be easy, but they arent a rare breed: per current registration figures provided by the Department of State, and the Census estimate of current voting-age population, there are more than 1.6 million such untapped voters residing here. Heck, some of them may have already registered once before, but it lapsed. Attesting to the sheer power of that Democratic voter drive that started a decade ago, only 14 percent of them reside in Philadelphia or Allegheny County. A clear majority, 62 percent to 38 percent, of this untapped mass resides in counties that went to Romney. I broke down the numbers and converted it into a simple diagram, where the counties have been re-sized according to how big a share of the untapped vote they account for: Pennsylvania Voters Are Not Just Demographically DemocraticThe GOPs ostensible demographic edge in Pennsylvania is blunted in another way. The states population may be 83 percent white, but it does not vote that way. In each of the last three elections , the Republican nominee has underperformed his national share of the white vote in Pennsylvania. In 2004, George W. Bush took 58 percent of the white vote to John Kerrys 41 percent. But in Pennsylvania those figures were 54 percent and 45 percent, respectively, making the white vote in Pennsylvania eight points more Democratic. In 2008, white Pennsylvanians were 13 points more Democratic than the nation . In 2012, they were five points more Democratic . Polling indicates this trend will continue this year. Trumps lead with white voters is 24 points in the recent ABC News/Washington Post and Fox News polls. This would be an expansion of Romneys 20-point advantage with white voters in 2012. Yet according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, Trump leads white Pennsylvanians by only 11 points. Pennsylvania Casts 20 Electoral College Votes For BidenPresident-elect Joe Biden speaks Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. Pennsylvanias 20 Electoral College members cast their votes Monday for president-elect Joe Biden. Similar votes are happening around the country. Despite President Donald Trumps many attempts to overturn the election results through the courts, the final electoral college vote will make official a result that has been clear since November: Biden won the electoral college, as well as the popular vote. I hope you can see me smiling behind this mask, said Democratic Party Chair Nancy Mills, after the vote was officially tallied. She noted she was the first woman to preside over an electoral college vote in Pa. This years meeting of the Electoral College looked a little different from usual. The electors congregated in an auditorium in Harrisburg, not far from the state Capitol. They typically meet on the state House floor, but the Capitol is restricting public access due to the pandemic. Several lawmakers who attended in-person sessions at the Capitol in recent weeks tested positive for coronavirus. Pennsylvanias electoral college representatives were chosen by the commonwealths Democratic Party. They include elected officials from all levels of government, such as Attorney General Josh Shapiro and House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris, along with labor leaders and local Democratic organizers. As expected, all voted this year for Biden. Why Trump Wont Win PennsylvaniaEvery four years, the Republican Party willingly undergoes a kind of ritual humiliation: it tries to win the state of Pennsylvania in the presidential election. No doubt you have seen film of this unrequited courtship, but in case you havent, voilà.2012 offered more of the same, as Pennsylvania yanked the football away again, confirming its reputation as a White Whale of American politics. Not everyone believes the GOP should abandon the chase. As early as 2013, astute observers were urging the GOP to invest more instead of fewer resources in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania, wrote Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report, represents the biggest promise . . . for Republicans in 2016. Last July, G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young, two of the most authoritative commentators on Pennsylvania politics, published an op-ed claiming the GOP could win Pennsylvania in 2016. While hardly a consensus, by the start of this cycle the idea that the GOP could win Pennsylvania had become more than a passing fancy. The GOP really does have a good shot to win Pennsylvania. Or at least it did, until voters nominated a candidate who may keep Pennsylvania spurning Republican presidential nominees for another two decades. Donald Trump Flipped Rust Belt States By Boosting Rural Vote; Hillary Clinton Couldn’t Make Up The Difference
Malcolm Kenyatta To Republicans Challenging Election: Join Me In Reality | The Last Word | MSNBC
Rust Belt electon results This map shows to the wide degree Donald Trump improved on Mitt Romney’s performance across the Rust Belt states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tuesday’s election has put the national spotlight on three reliably blue states where Donald Trump flipped counties in his favor to secure an Electoral College win. Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had gone decades voting for Democrat presidential candidates and pre-election polling pegged them for Hillary Clinton in 2016. The last time a Republican carried Michigan and Pennsylvania was in 1988, and Wisconsin last in 1984. But on Tuesday, the three “blue firewall” states tipped toward Trump. In these three Rust Belt states, plus Ohio, Trump turned out voters from rural counties, improved on Republican Mitt Romney’s 2012 percentage of the vote in most counties and closed the gap in or won Democratic-leaning counties, according to a cleveland.com analysis of unofficial election results. Trump over performed In Wisconsin, Trump flipped the margin from the Romney-Obama race by 20 percentage points or more in 32 counties. Statewide, he gained nearly 8 points on Romney’s 2012 performance. Wisconsin’s rural southwestern counties, with small minority populations, went for Obama in 2012 but swung to Trump by 20 points or more. Lackawanna County, where Clinton’s father and Joe Biden hail from, went to Obama by a margin of 27 points. Trump closed the gap to only 3.4 points. Why Are Some Republicans Doing ThisIt’s not exactly Donald Trump’s last stand – he may never stop questioning the validity of the 2020 presidential election – but the congressional counting of Electoral College votes is the last major procedural hurdle between Joe Biden and his inauguration. It is a hurdle Biden, with help of Democrats and some Republicans, is sure to clear. It is also the last chance for the president’s supporters in Congress to demonstrate fealty to their man while he still holds office. As such, the day’s events could shed light on the breadth of support the president still enjoys. Already, there are signs that his backing may not be as strong as even recent predictions suggested. If Republicans fall short of 100 votes in the House and the Senate can’t muster much more than the dozen senators who have already announced their intention to object, it could indicate a party sharply divided over its future. Does it involve unquestioning loyalty to Trump or one where his power is receding? No matter the outcome, that such a remarkable, unprecedented attempt to reject the results of a democratic election could become a political litmus test will not easily be forgotten by many. Pennsylvania Democrats Pick Up Victories 2 Years After Trump Wins State
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. Pennsylvania voters, who went for President Trump two years ago, swerved in the other direction Tuesday, handing Democrats key victories and swelling the partys share of the states House delegation. Democratic women crashed the all-male congressional delegation, winning four House seats in the Philadelphia suburbs, according to The Associated Press. Three of the Democratic candidates Mary Gay Scanlon, a lawyer; Chrissy Houlahan, an Air Force veteran; and Susan Wild, a former solicitor in Allentown, Pa. flipped seats previously held by Republicans, an achievement aided by a new map of House districts drawn this year to eliminate a Republican gerrymander. Additionally, Madeleine Dean, a state representative, won a seat vacated by a Democratic man. In western Pennsylvania, a fifth Democrat, Representative Conor Lamb, who faced an incumbent Republican representative in a new district, also won his race. Democrats netted three flipped seats, because Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican running in Mr. Lambs vacated district, also won his race. Democrats were all but preordained to net the two suburban Republican seats won by Ms. Scanlon and Ms. Houlahan because of the redistricting. Ms. Wilds victory in the Seventh District, which includes the Lehigh Valley, was a bit of icing on the cake, as the state contributed to Democrats new House majority. Via https://www.patriotsnet.com/when-was-the-last-time-republicans-won-pennsylvania/ Join Govtracks Advisory CommunityWere looking to learn more about who uses GovTrack and what features you find helpful or think could be improved. If you can, please take a few minutes to help us improve GovTrack for users like you. Start by telling us more about yourself: We hope to make GovTrack more useful to policy professionals like you. Please sign up for our advisory group to be a part of making GovTrack a better tool for what you do. Young Americans have historically been the least involved in politics, despite the huge consequences policies can have on them. By joining our advisory group, you can help us make GovTrack more useful and engaging to young voters like you. Our mission is to empower every American with the tools to understand and impact Congress. We hope that with your input we can make GovTrack more accessible to minority and disadvantaged communities who we may currently struggle to reach. Please join our advisory group to let us know what more we can do. We love educating Americans about how their government works too! Please help us make GovTrack better address the needs of educators by joining our advisory group. Would you like to join our advisory group to work with us on the future of GovTrack? Thank you for joining the GovTrack Advisory Community! Well be in touch. United States House Of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is the lower house of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper house. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The House’s composition is established by Article One of the United States Constitution. The House is composed of representatives who sit in congressional districts allocated to each state on a basis of population as measured by the U.S. Census, with each district having one representative, provided that each state is entitled to at least one. Since its inception in 1789, all representatives have been directly elected. The number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435. If enacted, the DC Admission Act would permanently increase the number of representatives to 436. In addition, there are currently six non-voting members, bringing the total membership of the House of Representatives to 441 or fewer with vacancies. As of the 2010 Census, the largest delegation is that of California, with 53 representatives. Seven states have only one representative: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. Will Hurd The Only Black House Republican Now Sixth Gop Recent RetirementThe only black Republican in the House of Representatives announced he would not be seeking re-election Thursday evening, the sixth such announcement in little over a week. Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who was first elected in 2015, said that he would be leaving Congress to work on issues “at the nexus between technology and national security.” The former CIA agent assured that he would stay involved with politics, but wanted to leave in order to aid the intelligence community “in different ways.” “When I took the oath of office after joining the CIA, I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies,” Hurd said in a statement posted to social media. “I took the same oath on my first day in Congress. This oath doesnt have a statute of limitations.” Hurds retirement means that South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott will now be the only African American Republican serving in Congress after former Utah Rep. Mia Love lost her re-election campaign during the midterms last year.
Hurd was notably one of only four Republicans in the House to vote in favor of a House resolution last month that about four Democratic congresswomen of color. Incumbents Defeated In Primary ElectionsThe following table lists incumbents defeated in 2020 House primary elections or conventions.
In the 2018 midterm elections, 378 U.S. House incumbents ran for re-election. This was the lowest number of U.S. House incumbents seeking re-election since 1992. Thirty-four incumbentsâ9 percentâlost their re-election bids. That included two Democrats and 32 Republicans. This was the highest percentage of incumbents defeated since 2012, when 10.2 percent were not re-elected. The following data for congressional re-election rates from 2000 to 2016 was reported in Vital Statistics, a joint research project of the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute. Find the original datasets and methodology here. Data for the 2018 election came from Ballotpedia.
Membership Qualifications And ApportionmentUnder Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states by population, as determined by the census conducted every ten years. Each state is entitled to at least one representative, however small its population. The only constitutional rule relating to the size of the House states: “The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative.” Congress regularly increased the size of the House to account for population growth until it fixed the number of voting House members at 435 in 1911. In 1959, upon the admission of Alaska and Hawaii, the number was temporarily increased to 437 , and returned to 435 four years later, after the reapportionment consequent to the 1960 census. The Constitution does not provide for the representation of the District of Columbia or of territories. The District of Columbia and the territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are each represented by one non-voting delegate. Puerto Rico elects a resident commissioner, but other than having a four-year term, the resident commissioner’s role is identical to the delegates from the other territories. The five delegates and resident commissioner may participate in debates; before 2011, they were also allowed to vote in committees and the Committee of the Whole when their votes would not be decisive. Important Dates And DeadlinesThe table below lists filing deadlines and primary dates in each state for Democratic Party and Republican Party candidates for congressional and state-level office.
The embedded spreadsheet below details filing requirements for major-party and unaffiliated congressional candidates in 2020. What Was The Outlook Prior To The ElectionRepublicans needed to get to 218 seats to win back the majority they lost in 2018. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, in early 2019 identified dozens of Democratic-held districts to target. They included 30 Democrats who were elected or re-elected in 2018 in districts that voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. All but one Dave Loebsack of Iowa sought re-election. Most were first-term members who defeated or succeeded Republicans in the 2018 election. Republicans won some of these Trump Democrat districts but needed to unseat most to win back control of the House. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats, identified more than 40 Frontline Democrats it expected to have very competitive re-election campaigns. Many of these members represented suburban districts that have diversified their populations in recent years. In most of these districts, Democrats were running for re-election for the first time. The Frontline Democrats amassed large campaign funds. Democrats also identified more than three dozen Republican-held districts they intended to target, including seven in Texas. Democrats also made a play for the suburban Texas districts of retiring Republican Reps. Pete Olson of the 22nd District and Kenny Marchant of the 24th District. They lost the 22nd District, but the 24th is currently too close to call, with Republican Beth Van Duyne leading. Results Summary And AnalysisThe Democratic Party won control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections. The Democrats gained a net total of 41 seats from the total number of seats they had won in the 2016 elections. This was their largest gain of House seats in an election since the 1974 elections, when the Democrats gained 49 House seats. Democrats won the popular vote by more than 9.7Â million votes or 8.6%, the largest midterm margin for any party and the largest margin on record for a minority party. According to the Associated Press‘ statistical analysis, gerrymandering cost the Democrats an additional sixteen House seats from Republicans. Voter turnout in this election was 50.3%, the highest turnout in a U.S. midterm election since 1914. Note that the results summary does not include blank and over/under votes which were included in the official results or votes cast in the voided election in North Carolina’s 9th congressional district. â
United States House Of Representatives ElectionsThe 2020 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 3, 2020, with special elections throughout the year. Elections were held to elect representatives from all 435 congressional districts across each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as six non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and the inhabited U.S. territories. Numerous other federal, state, and local elections, including the 2020 presidential election and the 2020 Senate elections, were also held on this date. The winners of this election are serving in the 117th United States Congress, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2010 United States Census. Democrats have held a majority in the House of Representatives since January 3, 2019, as a result of the 2018 elections, when they won 235 seats. Filed Candidates By Political PartyAs of September 7, 2020, there were 3,263 candidates filed with the FEC to run for U.S. House in 2020. Of those, 2,767â1,291 Democrats and 1,476 Republicansâwere from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 3,244 candidates filed with the FEC, including 1,566 Democrats and 1,155 Republicans. The following chart shows the number of filed candidates by political party. Voting Members By StateAs of July 30,2021:
As of January 3,2021:
Growing Share Of Americans Say There Are Major Differences In What The Parties Stand ForA majority of Americans say there is a great deal of difference in what the Republican and Democratic parties stand for, while 37% see a fair amount of difference and 7% say there is hardly any difference between the two parties. These opinions have changed dramatically over the past three decades. From the late 1980s through the mid-2000s, no more than about a third of Americans said there were major differences between the two parties. But the share expressing this view has increased, especially over the past decade. In the current survey, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say there are major differences in what the parties stand for . In both parties, people who are attentive to politics on a regular basis are more likely than those who are less attentive to see wide, growing divides in the country. Most Republicans who say they follow what is happening in government and public affairs most of the time perceive a great deal of difference in what the Democratic and Republican parties stand for . Among Republicans who follow government and public affairs less often, a smaller majority says there are major differences between the parties. Among Democrats, there is a similar gap in views by engagement; 70% of politically attentive Democrats see a wide gulf between the parties, while just 49% of less-attentive Democrats say the same. Democrat Vs Republican: Where Did The Parties Get Their NamesIn the United States, the words Democrat and Republican are widely used to mean the two major American political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. We often hear these words used to describe things the parties do or the people connected to them. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate for president, and members of the Republican Party are often simply called Republicans. The English words democratic and republicanactually have long, complex histories that go far beyond red and blue states or donkeys and elephants. Lets take a closer look at where these two words came from and how they came to be used in the names of the two political parties. The Parties Act Differently Because They Are DifferentJewel Samad/AFP/Getty This data only takes you so far. “Conservatism” is more than just a preference for small government. Democrats are only somewhat more likely to introduce new legislation than Republicans. As Grossmann told me in an interview, “these are differences in degrees that are based on a difference in kind between the party coalitions.” But they’re a reminder that American politics is fundamentally rational. Republicans are uncompromising because compromise tends to expand the scope of government. Democrats are willing to make deep concessions because policy moves in a generally liberal direction. Republicans have a clearer message about government because their message about government is fundamentally popular. Democrats talk more about policy because what they have to say about policy is fundamentally popular.
The data also explains why Democratic and Republicans have so much trouble understanding each other. Democrats tend to project their preference for policymaking onto the Republican Party and then respond with anger and confusion when Republicans don’t seem interested in making a deal. Republicans tend to assume the Democratic Party is more ideological than it is, and so see various policy initiatives as part of an ideological effort to remake America along more socialistic lines. Who Is A DemocratA Democrat is someone who believes in the principles of a republic, thus, in the power of the majority. Unlike a Republican, who is conservative in his ideas, a Democrat is liberal in his ideas. A Democrat accepts the concept of a larger federal government People of all classes should be benefited by the various schemes of the government according to a Democrat. They should not be concerned more about individual interests. This means that a Democrat looks upon all classes of people as equal. In short it can be said that a Republican believes that the people are adept at looking after themselves. A Democrat on the contrary firmly believes that the federal government alone is capable of bringing about equality. Figure 02: Andrew Jackson, the First Democratic President of the United States Furthermore, a Democrat supports government-sponsored programs. A Democrat is pro-choice in approach, As a result, a Democrat supports social policies at federal government level It is interesting to note that unlike the Republicans, Democrats support the view that the military budget should be decreased. These are the main differences between a Republican and a Democrat. Now let us summarize the difference as follows. What Is The Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party is the oldest and it originated from the anti-federalisms in the US during the independence from Great Britain. The donkey symbol of the party was introduced by Andrew Jackson during his campaign in 1828. The majority of the democrats are young voters and they are regarded to be liberal-minded. To date, the party has about 15 democrat presidents since its independence. Trump Vs Clinton In Opinion PollsOver the course of 2020, Biden’s lead over Trump in opinion polls has widened. A list of head-to-head match-ups for Clinton and Trump in opinion polls can be found on Wikipedia. RealClearPolitics also compiles an average of national polls, which mirrors the Wikipedia compilation above and shows Biden leading Trump consistently throughout 2020. Another tracker of national sentiment is compiled by FiveThirtyEight.com. Their visualization also shows Biden has a lead of roughly 8 percentage points as of October 3, 2020. It should be noted that opinion polls can paint a misleading picture. In 2016, these same models and averages showed Clinton leading Trump by 3 to 4 percentage points. And although Trump lost the popular vote, he did win the electoral vote and therefore the presidency. The Party Thats Actually Best For The EconomyMany analyses look at which party is best for the economy. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Democratic presidents since World War II have performed much better than Republicans. On average, Democratic presidents grew the economy 4.4% each year versus 2.5% for Republicans. A study by Princeton University economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson found that the economy performs better when the president is a Democrat. They report that by many measures, the performance gap is startlingly large. Between Truman and Obama, growth was 1.8% higher under Democrats than Republicans. A Hudson Institute study found that the six years with the best growth were evenly split between Republican and Democrat presidents. Most of these evaluations measure growth during the presidents term in office. But no president has control over the growth added during his first year. The budget for that fiscal year was already set by the previous president, so you should compare the gross domestic product at the end of the presidents last budget to the end of his predecessors last budget. For Obama, that would be the fiscal year from October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2018. Thats FY 2010 through FY 2017. During that time, GDP increased from $15.6 trillion to $17.7 trillion, or by 14%. Thats 1.7% a year. The chart below ranks the presidents since 1929 on the average annual increase in GDP.
A president would have better growth if he had no recession. Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key IssuesReuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice. This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the country’s contentious healthcare system struggles to cope. The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found. Red States And Blue States ListDue to the TV coverage during some of the presidential elections in the past, the color Red has become associated with the Republicans and Blue is associated with the Democrats. The Democratic Party, once dominant in the Southeastern United States, is now strongest in the Northeast , Great Lakes Region, as well as along the Pacific Coast , including Hawaii. The Democrats are also strongest in major cities. Recently, Democratic candidates have been faring better in some southern states, such as Virginia, Arkansas, and Florida, and in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico. Since 1980, geographically the Republican “base” is strongest in the South and West, and weakest in the Northeast and the Pacific Coast. The Republican Party’s strongest focus of political influence lies in the Great Plains states, particularly Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, and in the western states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. Difference Between Democrats Vs RepublicansThe origins of the Democratic Party can trace back to the anti-federalist factions around the time of Americas independence. The factions were sectioned off into the Democrat-Republican parties. Founded in 1854, Republican Party, by activists in the fight for no more slavery. Republican philosophies lean more towards freedoms for individuals, rights, and responsibilities, whereas the Democrats lean towards equality and community and social influence. One of the main differences between the two parties ideals. Democrats tend to lean more towards an active role for the government and believe that it can improve the nature of peoples lives and can achieve the greater goals of equality and opportunity. Republicans tend to need a smaller government in terms of the responsibilities and roles of government. The Democratic party discrimination-free laws and environmental regulations for work, whereas, the Republican party thinks such laws and rules threatening to job and business development because these laws have consequences that are unexpected. Another difference is, Democrats, support abortion rights but Republicans believe abortions are illegal and immoral. Another difference between Democrats vs Republicans is in the limitations on government by the law. Both parties governments often use a representational system where the citizens vote to elect politicians to represent their form the government and interests. The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic PolicyRepublicans advocate supply-side economics that primarily benefits businesses and investors. This theory states that tax cuts on businesses allow them to hire more workers, in turn increasing demand and growth. In theory, the increased revenue from a stronger economy offsets the initial revenue loss over time. Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing. Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better. How To Explain The Difference Between Republicans And DemocratsPolitics are confusing, even for adults. This years political cycle is even more confusing than most. Anything that confuses and parents is sure to raise questions in children. As the primaries roll on, many children are asking questions about the two major political parties and what all the arguing means. This years political cycle is more emotionally charged than most. Those emotions can make it difficult for parents to fairly explain political differences to children. Goodness knows, as an avid sports fan, I could not objectively describe the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The Philosophy Behind Democratic Economic PolicyDemocrats gear their economic policies to benefit low-income and middle-income families. They argue that reducing income inequality is the best way to foster economic growth. Low-income families are more likely to spend any extra money on necessities instead of saving or investing it. That directly increases demand and spurs economic growth. Democrats also support a Keynesian economic theory, which says that the government should spend its way out of a recession. One dollar spent on increased food stamp benefits generates $1.73 in economic output. President Franklin D. Roosevelt first outlined the Economic Bill of Rights in his 1944 State of the Union address. It included taxes on war profiteering and price controls on food costs. President Harry Trumans 1949 Fair Deal proposed an increase in the minimum wage, civil rights legislation, and national health care. President Barack Obama expanded Medicaid with the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Differences Between Democrat And Republican Checkout 2021 UpdateADS! Difference between Democrat and Republican: Democrats and Republicans are the two most prominent political parties in the United States. These two parties dominate Americas political landscape but differ greatly in their philosophies and ideals ranging from taxes, the role of government, Medicare, gun control, , healthcare, abortion, and more. Democrats and Republicans remain the two historically largest parties, which hold the majority of the seats in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. Democratsand Republicanshave opposing views and positions on several key issues, including economic, political, military, and social matters. Policymaking Has A Liberal BiasDemocratic presidents talk more about policy, propose more specific policy ideas, and pass more significant pieces of legislation. The numbers are stark. Since 1945, Democratic presidents have put forward 39 percent more policy proposals than Republican presidents, and 62 percent more domestic policy proposals. “There is a good reason for this asymmetry,” write Grossmann and Hopkins. “Democrats and liberals are more likely to focus on policymaking because any change that occurs is much more likely to be liberal than conservative. New policies usually expand the scope of government responsibility, funding, or regulation. There are occasional conservative policy successes as well, but they are less frequent and are usually accompanied by expansion of government responsibility in other areas.” The chart above codes significant policy changes by whether they expand or contract the “scope of government regulation, funding, or responsibility.” Policy changes turned out to be more than three times as likely to expand the scope of government than to contract it. This is often true even when Republicans are signing the laws. As such, gridlock is often the best small-government conservatives can hope for. And so they’re more comfortable with it than Democrats. Main Difference Between Democrats And Republicans In Point Form
The House Has Voted 54 Times In Four Years On Obamacare Heres The Full ListSunday marks the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, however you prefer to describe it. While Democrats are struggling with whether to embrace the law or push for changes, Republicans are reminding voters that since they took control of the House in 2011, theyve voted 54 times to undo, revamp or tweak the law. Heres a full list of those votes, as provided by GOP aides. Dates with an asterisk denote a bill that also passed the Senate and was signed by President Obama: Votes during the 112th Congress, from 2011-2012: 1.Jan. 19, 2011: The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act would have repealed all of the Affordable Care Act. It passed 245 to 189 with three Democrats voting for it, but was never considered by the Senate. 2.Feb. 19, 2011: The Houses version of the fiscal 2011 continuing appropriations bill included several amendments that would have severely limited implementation of the law. It passed 221 to 202 with no Democratic votes and was never considered in the Senate. The next few votes were on amendments added to the appropriations bill: 3.The Rehberg Amendment #575: Prohibited funding for any employee, officer, contractor or grantee of any agencies funded under appropriations for the departments of Health and Human Services and Labor to implement provisions of the law. 4.The King Amendment #267: Ensured that no money included in the appropriations bill would be used to implement the law. Employer Mandate And PartThe employer mandate applies to employers of more than fifty where health insurance is provided only to the full-time workers. Critics claimed it created a perverse incentive to hire part-timers instead. However, between March 2010 and 2014, the number of part-time jobs declined by 230,000 while the number of full-time jobs increased by two million. In the public sector full-time jobs turned into part-time jobs much more than in the private sector. A 2016 study found only limited evidence that ACA had increased part-time employment. Several businesses and the state of Virginia added a 29-hour-a-week cap for their part-time employees, to reflect the 30-hour-or-more definition for full-time worker. As of 2013, few companies had shifted their workforce towards more part-time hours . Trends in working hours and the recovery from the Great Recession correlate with the shift from part-time to full-time work. Other confounding impacts include that health insurance helps attract and retain employees, increases productivity and reduces absenteeism; and lowers corresponding training and administration costs from a smaller, more stable workforce. Relatively few firms employ over 50 employees and more than 90% of them already offered insurance. Republicans Can Give Up On Health Care And Move To Other IssuesThat seemed to be the message from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., after Fridays roll call was over. Our only regret tonight is that we didn’t achieve what we had hoped to accomplish,” McConnell said. “Its time to move on.” Without question, Republicans have a boatload of other pressing issues to tackle including a must-pass defense measure, annual funding bills to keep the government open, and tax reform. Republicans need a legislative victory, and so far theyve spent an exasperating seven months on health care with nothing to show for it. So its no wonder if some lawmakers are eager to turn the page. Right now, we have very little to go home and talk about, said Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C. We have not delivered. Read more: Four Senators And A Bill One Year In The MakingWhile Republicans had worked on various proposals to overhaul the tax code for decades, Republican senators began strategizing their latest attempt to reform the tax code not long after Trump stunned the country and won the White House. Republicans had a President ready and willing to sign a bill if they could manage to send him one. According to a source familiar with the tax negotiations, as far back as December 2016, a small group of Republican senators all on the Senate Finance Committee and guided by Chairman Orrin Hatch and his staff began hashing out the Senates course. The group included Sens. Rob Portman, formally the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Sen. John Thune, a member of the GOP leadership, Pat Toomey, a fiscal conservative and a member of the Senates Budget Committee and Sen. Tim Scott, a rising conservative star in the party. Over the next several months, the senators held what the source said must have been hundreds of meetings as they sought to find a way forward not only among fellow senators but in cooperation with the House of Representatives and Trump who lawmakers widely acknowledge was more engaged and interested in tax reform than he had been on health care. Theres been an enormous amount of work done. The reason you see everybody looking so tired is because we are, said Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. They did a great job of keeping us apprised so we wouldnt be surprised. Senate Republicans’ Obamacare Bill Could Hinge On Three WomenSenate Republicans aren’t disclosing much about their plans to overhaul the Affordable Care Act . But with just nine legislative days left before their self-imposed deadline for a vote on the legislation, one thing is clear: Three female senators could make or break their effort to deliver on a political promise seven years in the making. Related: All-male Senate healthcare group criticized by Democrats Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Shelley Moore Capito all hail from largely rural states , and all have been openly critical of how the House-passed bill to repeal Obamacare would affect their constituents. “The plan the House laid down does not help Alaska. It does not help decrease their costs, and it does not help increase their access,” Murkowski told Vox last week. The trio of senators also tends to be more moderate than most of their GOP colleagues, at least in terms of how they view the federal government’s role. So Medicaid funding is a huge sticking point for them, and they did not like the cuts in the House bill. The question is whether the final draft of the Senate’s health care proposal will move far enough to the middle to assuage their concerns. With 52 Republicans in the Senate, the party can’t afford to lose all three women and still pass its bill with a bare majority. Actual Events That Occurred As A Result Of The Affordable Care Act 2011 To 2014
What The Aca Means For YouThe Affordable Care Act is perhaps the greatest overhaul ofthe US health-care system, and it will provide coverage for over 94% ofAmericans. In addition, one of its key reforms includes health coverage for adultswith pre-existing conditions, which generally had not been available up untilnow. These great changes in health-care insurance can benefit you and your loved ones. However, it is still essential to find the best plans at the best price to ensure your family is properly covered. To learn about the specific Obamacare-compliant health insurance plan options available to youplus see if you are eligible for a government subsidy to help pay for a plancompare ACA-compliant health insurance plans with eHealth today. Changes Required By The Affordable Care Act Immediately
Reminder: Obamacare Passed Without A Single Republican Vot
Democratic Presidents Are Better For The Stock Market And Economy Than Republicans One Study Shows
It’s a widely held view that Republican presidents are better for the economy and stock market than Democratic presidents, because of their drive to cut taxes and reduce government spending. But the data says otherwise. According to an August 21 note from Liberum, a UK-based investment bank, historical stock market returns and gross domestic product data points to a stronger economic expansion under Democratic presidents than under Republican presidents. Bush Was The Last President To Inherit A Budget Surplus And Started Running A Deficit Obama Cut It Though Trump Ran Bigger Ones As A Result Of His Tax Cuts And The Federal Response To The PandemicThe federal deficit is the gap between tax revenue and federal spending. During periods of growth, the deficit tends to shrink because government spending on safety net benefits lessens. Bush inherited a budget surplus of $128 billion for fiscal year 2001. It was the last time the US had money left over. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a series of tax cuts, erased it and increased the deficit. Obama ran large deficits to end the Great Recession, passing an $830 billion stimulus package in 2009. He later cut the deficit over half by the time he left office. Similar to Obama and Bush, Trump has also relied on deficit spending. It widened by $1.5 trillion with the passage of the 2017 GOP tax cuts, contrary to the administration’s claims that the law would pay for itself. The pandemic, however, prompted $3 trillion in federal spending many economists say was needed to address the public health and economic crises. Does The Economy Do Better Under Democrats Or RepublicansIn the rough and tumble of presidential campaigns — rougher this year than ever before — facts are sometimes lost in the debate. But one fact that voters should keep in mind — one that is incontrovertible — is that the U.S. economy performs better under Democratic presidents than Republican ones. Conservatives have long claimed that they are better stewards of the economy. Most recently, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump promised to be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created.” They have repeated these claims so relentlessly and with such confidence that millions of Americans believe them to be true. The record shows otherwise. Research from Princeton University economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson finds that, since World War II, the economy has performed substantially better by virtually every measure when Democrats have been in the White House. GDP growth, job creation and industrial production have all been stronger during Democratic administrations than during Republican ones. As the Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, I asked my staff to review the Blinder and Watson findings. They were able to update and build on the economists’ analysis and found that on average since World War II, real GDP has grown about 1.6 times faster and private-sector jobs have grown nearly 2.5 times faster under Democrats than Republicans. Let’s let the real debate over the economy begin. Which Presidents Have Delivered The Best Stock Returns So Far Democrats Are DominatingAccording to Siegel, author of the 1994 investment classic Stocks For The Long Run, Wall Streets obsession with politics is mostly misplaced: Bull markets and bear markets come and go, and its more to do with business cycles than presidents. In some ways the current environment has characteristics of the existential threat faced by George W. Bush post-2001 , the civil unrest that plagued the Johnson and Nixon administrations and Ronald Reagans trade war with Japan in the 1980s. In an effort to more closely examine the relationship between the actions of a president and the direction of stocks, Forbes has analyzed their stock market performances, including dividends, dating back to Harry Truman. Using data from the National Bureau of Economic Research , weve also noted for each president the number of expansions and recessions that began during their tenures. In some cases like the presidency of Bill Clinton, who was in office during one of the most impressive periods of economic prosperity in history, you won’t see an expansion listed. Thats because credit is awarded to the president who was in office during its inception, which in this case was George H.W. Bush. We also included the ratio of gross federal debt to GDP for the final year of each presidency. Presidential portraits courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration Donating = Changing Economics And Changing The WorldEvonomics is free, its a labor of love, and it’s an expense. We spend hundreds of hours and lots of dollars each month creating, curating, and promoting content that drives the next evolution of economics. If you’re like us if you think theres a key leverage point here for making the world a better place please consider donating. Well use your donation to deliver even more game-changing content, and to spread the word about that content to influential thinkers far and wide. MONTHLY DONATION Whos Better For The Economy: Democrats Or RepublicansWho does a better job at managing the American economy: Democrats or Republicans? Whose policies help the country and whose policies hurt it? Who should get credit when things are going well and who should take the blame when the economy slips? But before we use the EPI to answer the question, we have to figure out how to measure the problem. It is impossible to break down every piece of legislation to see how it affected the performance of the overall economy. We can examine a few key policies, but that doesnt really answer whether one political party does a better job altogether; it only sheds light on that particular piece of legislationone small piece of a very big puzzle. So how do we measure the effectiveness of one partys politics? Do Dems Run The Economy Better NopeIts a Democratic campaign consultants dream: a study from two respected academic economists concluding that, since the late 1940s, the economy has consistently performed better under Democratic presidents than under Republican ones. The gap is huge. From 1949 to 2013 a period when the White House was roughly split between parties the economy grew at an average annual rate of 3.33 percent, but growth under Democratic presidents averaged 4.35 percent and under Republicans, 2.54 percent. Jobs, stocks and living standards all advanced faster under Democrats. Not surprisingly, one of the reports authors is a well-known Democratic economist, Alan Blinder, a former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve now at Princeton University; the other author, Mark Watson, also at Princeton, is a highly regarded scholar of economic statistics who describes himself as nonpartisan. More interesting, Blinder and Watson dont credit the Democratic advantage to superior policies. Democrats would no doubt like to attribute the large growth gap to macroeconomic policy choices, but the data do not support such a claim, they write. Most economists, they note, doubt presidents can control the economy. So if presidents didnt do it, who or what did? Blinder and Watson march through economic studies. Their conclusion: About half of the Democrats advantage reflected good luck favorable outside events or trends. Three dominate. Conservatives Love To Tout Their Economic Bona Fides But The Data Reveal A Far Different StoryAs the 2016 election cycle heats up, the key question at stake for most Americans is economic growth and jobs. The debate, then, will center around what to do with the fragile recovery that overwhelmingly benefits the rich; the stagnation of middle class incomes; and unemployment — which, particularly for young people of color, remains dispiritingly high. The right likes to argue that these conditions mark a clear failure of progressive policies, and in particular of the Obama administration. In the process, they reject policies that have, however imperfect, unequivocally strengthened the economy over the past seven years, such as the stimulus packages that came in response to the economic crisis. Meanwhile, while conservatives often claim that their policies are good for the middle class, systematic studies by economists, political scientists and sociologists suggest these claims are overblown.
Why Did The Democratic Republicans Reject Implied PowersDemocratic Republicans opposed implied powers because they believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Jefferson and Madison accepted the idea of implied powers, but only in a limited sense. They felt implied powers includes only those powers absolutely necessary to carry out an express or written power. From Watergate To A New MillenniumFrom 1972 to 1988 the Democrats lost four of five presidential elections. In 1972 the party nominated antiwar candidate George S. McGovern, who lost to Nixon in one of the biggest landslides in U.S. electoral history. Two years later the Watergate scandal forced Nixons resignation, enabling Jimmy Carter, then the Democratic governor of Georgia, to defeat Gerald R. Ford, Nixons successor, in 1976. Although Carter orchestrated the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, his presidency was plagued by a sluggish economy and by the crisis over the kidnapping and prolonged captivity of U.S. diplomats in Iran following the Islamic revolution there in 1979. Carter was defeated in 1980 by conservative Republican Ronald W. Reagan, who was easily reelected in 1984 against Carters vice president, Walter F. Mondale. Mondales running mate, Geraldine A. Ferraro, was the first female candidate on a major-party ticket. Reagans vice president, George Bush, defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael S. Dukakis in 1988. Despite its losses in the presidential elections of the 1970s and 80s, the Democratic Party continued to control both houses of Congress for most of the period . Presidency Of Franklin D RooseveltThe stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression set the stage for a more progressive government and Franklin D. Roosevelt won a landslide victory in the election of 1932, campaigning on a platform of “Relief, Recovery, and Reform”, that is relief of unemployment and rural distress, recovery of the economy back to normal and long-term structural reforms to prevent a repetition of the Depression. This came to be termed “The New Deal” after a phrase in Roosevelt’s acceptance speech. The Democrats also swept to large majorities in both houses of Congress and among state governors. Roosevelt altered the nature of the party, away from laissez-faire capitalism and towards an ideology of economic regulation and insurance against hardship. Two old words took on new meanings: “liberal” now meant a supporter of the New Deal while “conservative” meant an opponent. Conservative Democrats were outraged and led by Al Smith they formed the American Liberty League in 1934 and counterattacked. They failed and either retired from politics or joined the Republican Party. A few of them, such as Dean Acheson, found their way back to the Democratic Party. Presidency Of Barack ObamaOn January 20, 2009, Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States in a ceremony attended by nearly 2 million people, the largest congregation of spectators ever to witness the inauguration of a new president. That same day in Washington, D.C., Republican House of Representative leaders met in an “invitation only” meeting for four hours to discuss the future of the Republican Party under the Obama administration. One of the first acts by the Obama administration after assuming control was an order signed by Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel that suspended all pending federal regulations proposed by outgoing President George W. Bush so that they could be reviewed. This was comparable to prior moves by the Bush administration upon assuming control from Bill Clinton, who in his final 20 days in office issued 12 executive orders. In his first week, Obama also established a policy of producing a weekly Saturday morning video address available on Whitehouse.gov and YouTube, much like those released during his transition period. The policy is likened to Franklin Delano Roosevelt‘s fireside chats and George W. Bush’s weekly radio addresses. When asked by David Gregory about his views on same-sex marriage on Meet the Press on May 5, 2012, Biden stated he supported same-sex marriage. On May 9, 2012, a day after North Carolina voters approved Amendment 1, President Obama became the first sitting United States president to come out in favor of same-sex marriage. Support For Amendments As Political DiversionDespite North Carolinas refusal to ratify the Constitution without the addition of amendments, the states governor, Samuel Johnston , opposed any material Alterations to the Constitution but advocated for a Flourish & Dressing . . . such as a pompous Declaration of Rights. Johnston was one of the many Federalists who supported amendments for personal liberties only as a political tactic to fend off more substantive changes in federal powers. Letter from Samuel Johnston to James Madison, July 8, 1789. Manuscript. James Madison Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Bookmark this item: //https://ift.tt/3BolKvv Opposition To The Alien And Sedition ActsThe Alien and Sedition Acts were enacted by Federalists fearful of a violent overthrow of the government as French refugees fled to the United States from revolutions in France and Haiti. The acts restricted immigration and made strong criticism of public officials illegal. Several newspaper publishers and writers were imprisoned for seditious writings. Many Americans opposed a federal sedition law, arguing that it violated the Constitution and also unconstitutionally infringed on the right of states to regular free speech through slander laws. This petition to the United States Congress was part of a Republican Party effort to repeal the Alien and Sedition Acts. To the Senate and Representatives of the United States, in Congress Assembled. Poughkeepsie, New York: Nicholas Power, 1798. Broadside. Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Library of Congress Bookmark this item: //https://ift.tt/3mHZcSv America Should Deport Illegal ImmigrantsRepublicans believe that illegal immigrants, no matter the reason they are in this country, should be forcibly removed from the U.S. Although illegal immigrants are often motivated to come to the U.S. by companies who hire them, Republicans generally believe that the focus of the law should be on the illegal immigrants and not on the corporations that hire them. Linking Jeffersonian Republicans To The French RevolutionIn 1792, political pamphleteer William Cobbett settled in Philadelphia and began writing pro-English and anti-Republican articles under the pseudonym Peter Porcupine. Cobbett once described Thomas Jefferson as a deist, a Frenchman in politics and morality and a man as much qualified to be president as I am to be an Archbishop! Stop the Wheels of Government, illustration in Peter Porcupineâs Political Censor or Monthly Review of the Most Interesting Political Occurrences Relative to the United States of America. Philadelphia: William Cobbett, April 1796. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress Bookmark this item: //https://ift.tt/3yE26tX Honoring George Washington At His DeathPolitical harmony suffered a serious blow with the death of the nationâs father figure, George Washington, on December 14, 1799. Residents of Ulster County, New York, were provided a detailed account of Washingtonâs death and the many events eulogizing Americaâs fallen leader in this January 4, 1800, edition, one of only two copies in existence. This newspaper includes John Marshallâs eulogy delivered before the House of Representatives. Marshall concluded his remarks with the now famous phrase, First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Ulster County Gazette, January 4, 1800. Kingston, New York: Samuel S. Freer & Son. Newspaper. Serial and Government Publications Division Library of Congress Bookmark this item: //https://ift.tt/2WCR4I7 The Fourth Party SystemThe Fourth Party System lasted from about 1896 to 1932, and was dominated by the Republican Party, excepting the 1912 split in which Democrats held the White House for eight years. American history texts usually call it the Progressive Era, and it included World War I and the start of the Great Depression. The period featured a transformation from the issues of the Third Party System, instead focusing on domestic issues such as regulation of railroads and large corporations , the money issue , the protective tariff, the role of labor unions, child labor, the need for a new banking system, corruption in party politics, primary elections, direct election of senators, racial segregation, efficiency in government, womenâs suffrage, and control of immigration. Foreign policy centered on the 1898 Spanish-American War, Imperialism, the Mexican Revolution, World War I, and the creation of the League of Nations. A The Election Of 1800The United States v. Aaron Burr The election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson was an emotional and hard-fought campaign. Each side believed that victory by the other would ruin the nation. Federalists attacked Jefferson as an un-Christian deist whose sympathy for the French Revolution would bring similar bloodshed and chaos to the United States. On the other side, the Democratic-Republicans denounced the strong centralization of federal power under Adams’s presidency. Republicans’ specifically objected to the expansion of the U.S. army and navy, the attack on individual rights in the Alien and Sedition Acts, and new taxes and deficit spending used to support broadened federal action. Overall, the Federalists wanted strong federal authority to restrain the excesses of popular majorities, while the Democratic-Republicans wanted to reduce national authority so that the people could rule more directly through state governments. The election’s outcome brought a dramatic victory for Democratic-Republicans who swept both houses of Congress, including a decisive 65 to 39 majority in the House of Representatives. The presidential decision in the electoral college was somewhat closer, but the most intriguing aspect of the presidential vote stemmed from an outdated Constitutional provision whereby the Republican candidates for president and vice president actually ended up tied with one another. What Would Have Happened If The Confederates WonFirst, the outcome of the victory of the South could have been another Union, ruled by the Southern States. The United-States of America would have another capital in Richmond. Their industrious prosperity would have been stopped and slavery would have remained in all the United-States for a long time. The Report On ManufacturesThe third report Hamilton delivered to Congress, known as the Report on Manufactures, addressed the need to raise revenue to pay the interest on the national debt. Using the power to tax as provided under the Constitution, Hamilton put forth a proposal to tax American-made whiskey. He also knew the importance of promoting domestic manufacturing so the new United States would no longer have to rely on imported manufactured goods. To break from the old colonial system, Hamilton therefore advocated tariffs on all foreign imports to stimulate the production of American-made goods. To promote domestic industry further, he proposed federal subsidies to American industries. Like all of Hamiltons programs, the idea of government involvement in the development of American industries was new. With the support of Washington, the entire Hamiltonian economic program received the necessary support in Congress to be implemented. In the long run, Hamiltons financial program helped to rescue the United States from its state of near-bankruptcy in the late 1780s. His initiatives marked the beginning of an American capitalism, making the republic creditworthy, promoting commerce, and setting for the nation a solid financial foundation. His policies also facilitated the growth of the stock market, as U.S. citizens bought and sold the federal governments interest-bearing certificates. The Founding Fathers DisagreeDiffering political views among U.S. Founding Fathers eventually sparked the forming of two factions. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams thus formed The Federalists. They sought to ensure a strong government and central banking system with a national bank. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison instead advocated for a smaller and more decentralized government, and formed the Democratic-Republicans. Both the Democratic and the Republican Parties as we know them today are rooted in this early faction. Presidency Of Andrew JacksonThe spirit of Jacksonian democracy animated the party from the early 1830s to the 1850s, shaping the Second Party System, with the Whig Party as the main opposition. After the disappearance of the Federalists after 1815 and the Era of Good Feelings , there was a hiatus of weakly organized personal factions until about 18281832, when the modern Democratic Party emerged along with its rival, the Whigs. The new Democratic Party became a coalition of farmers, city-dwelling laborers and Irish Catholics. Both parties worked hard to build grassroots organizations and maximize the turnout of voters, which often reached 80 percent or 90 percent of eligible voters. Both parties used patronage extensively to finance their operations, which included emerging big city political machines as well as national networks of newspapers. Behind the party platforms, acceptance speeches of candidates, editorials, pamphlets and stump speeches, there was a widespread consensus of political values among Democrats. As Mary Beth Norton explains: The party was weakest in New England, but strong everywhere else and won most national elections thanks to strength in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the American frontier. Democrats opposed elites and aristocrats, the Bank of the United States and the whiggish modernizing programs that would build up industry at the expense of the yeoman or independent small farmer. Libel Trial Of Thomas CooperAfter attacking the administration of Federalist President John Adams in print, Thomas Cooper , political writer and ardent Republican, was tried for seditious libel against Adams before Federalist Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase in April 1800. Cooper was found guilty, fined, and imprisoned. Republican political leaders strongly criticized Justice Chase, and he was eventually impeached in 1804, after the Republicans won control of the government. Thomas Cooper. An Account of the Trial of Thomas Cooper of Northumberland: on a Charge of Libel against the President of the United States. . . . Philadelphia: John Bios, April 1800. Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Library of Congress Bookmark this item: //https://ift.tt/2WtxaiZ Howard Dean And The FiftyThese debates were reflected in the 2005 campaign for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, which Howard Dean won over the objections of many party insiders. Dean sought to move the Democratic strategy away from the establishment and bolster support for the party’s state organizations, even in red states . When the 109th Congress convened, Harry Reid, the new Senate Minority Leader, tried to convince the Democratic Senators to vote more as a bloc on important issues and he forced the Republicans to abandon their push for privatization of Social Security. With scandals involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff as well as Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay, Mark Foley and Bob Taft, the Democrats used the slogan “Culture of corruption” against the Republicans during the 2006 campaign. Negative public opinion on the Iraq War, widespread dissatisfaction over the ballooning federal deficit and the inept handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster dragged down President Bush’s job approval ratings. Presidency Of Jimmy CarterCarter was a peanut farmer, a state senator and a one-term governor with minimal national experience. President Carter’s major accomplishments consisted of the creation of a national energy policy and two new cabinet departments, the United States Department of Energy and the United States Department of Education. Carter also successfully deregulated the trucking, airline, rail, finance, communications and oil industries , bolstered the social security system and appointed record numbers of women and minorities to significant posts. He also enacted strong legislation on environmental protection through the expansion of the National Park Service in Alaska, creating 103 million acres of park land. In foreign affairs, Carter’s accomplishments consisted of the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, the establishment of full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China and the negotiation of the SALT II Treaty. In addition, he championed human rights throughout the world and used human rights as the center of his administration’s foreign policy. Poverty Must Solve ItselfRepublicans believe that poor people are usually poor for a reason, be it laziness, choice or whatever. Unless we demand that people pull themselves up by the bootstraps and solve their own problems, people will not be motivated to do things. Therefore, the issue of poverty cannot be solved by the government. Charity should be the choice of individuals. What Did The DemocraticThe Democratic-Republican Party, also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party and known at the time under various other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s that championed republicanism, political equality, and expansionism. Democrat Vs Republican: Where Did The Parties Get Their NamesIn the United States, the words Democrat and Republican are widely used to mean the two major American political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. We often hear these words used to describe things the parties do or the people connected to them. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate for president, and members of the Republican Party are often simply called Republicans. The English words democratic and republicanactually have long, complex histories that go far beyond red and blue states or donkeys and elephants. Lets take a closer look at where these two words came from and how they came to be used in the names of the two political parties. The Gop Presidencies Of Mckinley Theodore Roosevelt And TaftThe 1896 election marked a political realignment in which the Republican Party controlled the presidency for 28 of 36 years. The Republicans dominated most of the Northeast and Midwest and half the West. Bryan, with a base in the South and Plains states, was strong enough to get the nomination in 1900 and 1908 . Theodore Roosevelt dominated the first decade of the century and to the annoyance of Democrats “stole” the trust issue by crusading against trusts. With Bryan taking a hiatus and Teddy Roosevelt the most popular president since Lincoln, the conservatives who controlled the convention in 1904, nominated the little-known Alton B. Parker before succumbing to Roosevelt’s landslide. Religious divisions were sharply drawn.Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Scandinavian Lutherans and other pietists in the North were closely linked to the Republican Party. In sharp contrast, liturgical groups, especially the Catholics, Episcopalians and German Lutherans, looked to the Democratic Party for protection from pietistic moralism, especially prohibition. Both parties cut across the class structure, with the Democrats gaining more support from the lower classes and Republicans more support from the upper classes. The Origin Of The American Democratic PartyAlthough the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States currently seem extremely polarized, they did not start out that way. In fact, these two parties originated as one, single party. This party was called the Democratic-Republican Party, and it was organized by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in 1791. The purpose of the Democratic-Republican Party was to stand in opposition against the Federalist Party in upcoming elections. The Democratic-Republican Party supported states rights and the literal and strict interpretation of the Constitution. They also prioritized financial and legislative support of family-based agriculture. Due to immense fear toward anything that resembled Englands monarchy, Democratic-Republicans contested elitism. They despised and feared the Federalists, who were extremely wealthy aristocrats that wanted to create a national bank and emphasize the power of the national government rather than state governments. The Democratic-Republican party strove to prevent the United States government from becoming too similar to a monarchy. Because of the widespread fear of monarchy among workers and farmers, the popularity of the party increased throughout the 1790s. In the election of 1801, Thomas Jefferson was voted into office, bringing the Democratic-Republican Party to power. After the War of 1812, the Federalist Party lost most of its support and disbanded, leaving the Democratic-Republican Party without opposition. Republicans Vs Democrats: Where Do The Two Main Us Political Parties Stand On Key IssuesAfter an impeachment, a positive coronavirus test and an unforgettable first presidential debate rounded out the final months of Donald Trump’s first term, it seems fair to say the past few years have been a roller-coaster ride for US politics. On November 3, Americans will decide which candidate will win the 2020 presidential election, sparking either the beginning, or end, for each nominee. But how does it all work? Well, the US political system is dominated by two main parties the Democrats and the Republicans and the next president will belong to one of those two. Just how different are their policies? Here’s what you need to know, starting with the candidates. Did The Democrats Stand For Slavery In The Past
Origins Of The Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party was created in the early 1790s by former members of the Democratic-Republican Party founded by influential Anti-Federalists including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Other factions of the same Democratic-Republican Party formed the Whig Party and the modern Republican Party. The landslide victory of Democrat Andrew Jackson over incumbent Federalist John Adams in the presidential election of 1828 solidified the party and established it as a lasting political force. In essence, the Democratic Party evolved due to upheavals in the original First Party system, made up of the two original national parties: the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party. Existing between roughly 1792 and 1824, the First Party System was characterized by a system of deferential-participant politicsthe tendency of constituents of both parties to go along with the policies of elite political leaders out of sheer respect for their family pedigree, military accomplishments, prosperity, or education. In this respect, early political leaders of the First Party System might be viewed as an early-American aristocracy. The Jeffersonian Republicans envisioned a locally-established group of intellectual elites who would hand down the unquestionable government and social policy from on high, while the Hamiltonian Federalists believed that the locally established intellectual elite theories should often be subject to the approval of the people. Via https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-did-the-democratic-republicans-stand-for/ South Carolina Rep Tom RiceRices vote for impeachment stunned those familiar with the South Carolina lawmakers record as a staunch Trump defender, especially during his first impeachment. I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. I campaigned for him and voted for him twice, Rice said in a statement Wednesday evening. But, this utter failure is inexcusable. Rice voted for motions to object to certifying Bidens Electoral College victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania last week, votes that came after security teams cleared the building of rioters and members returned from a secure location. Rice told local media he waited until the last minute to cast those votes because he was extremely disappointed in the president after the riots and that Trump needed to concede the election. He also said last week that he did not support impeaching the president or invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Rice, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, has supported the Trump administrations position 94 percent of the time over the past four years. He represents a solidly Republican district in the Myrtle Beach area that Trump carried by 19 points in November. Rice, who has had little difficulty holding his seat since his first 2012 victory, won his race by 24 points in November. Trump Breaks Silence With Cpac SpeechMost notably, these state and local parties launched a barrage of censures or other forms of condemnation not long after a violent pro-Trump mob inspired by the former presidents lie about a stolen election and egged on that day by Trump himself stormed the Capitol intent on disrupting Congress as it formalized President Joe Bidens win. Many of the efforts were aimed at the small number of Republicans who voted in favor of impeachment or conviction after House Democrats moved swiftly to impeach Trump on the charge of “incitement to insurrection.” In Louisiana, the state GOP censured one of its U.S. senators, Bill Cassidy, moments after he voted to convict Trump. North Carolina’s state GOP passed a similar measure aimed at Sen. Richard Burr just days later. In Illinois, Larry Smith, chair of the LaSalle County Republican Party and a leader in the effort to censure Rep. Adam Kinzinger after he voted to impeach Trump, told NBC News that local GOP leaders in his state are overwhelmingly still pro-Trump, and that the detractors amount to a splinter group by comparison. I think they’re stunningly naive or have completely misread the tea leaves, he said of Republicans who believe they can leave Trump behind. He pointed to comments from Kinzinger in The Atlantic in which the lawmaker expressed hope that the segment of the GOP base ready to move past Trump could grow to 35 or 45 percent by the midterm elections. Former Secretary Of State Condoleezza RiceEnough! Donald Trump should not be President, the former Secretary of State said in a post following the surfacing of the 2005 audio. He should withdraw. Rice did not elaborate on who she would vote for in November, but wrote, As a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth. Schwarzenegger released a statement on Saturday announcing that he will not be voting for Trump. For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President, the Austrian-born actor shared via Twitter. Like many Americans, Ive been conflicted by this election I still havent made up my mind about how exactly I will vote next month. Former Gop Presidential Candidate Carly FiorinaFiorina said in June she would be voting for Biden instead of Trump in November. “Ive been very clear that I cant support Donald Trump. And, you know, elections are binary choices,” Fiorina, who voted for Trump in 2016, told The Atlantic. When pressed whether she would vote for Biden, Fiorina replied, “Im not voting for Trump, but its a binary choice. So if faced with a binary choice on a ballot: yes.” “I think this moment calls upon Joe Biden to be a leader. I am encouraged that Joe Biden is a person of humility and empathy and character. I think hes demonstrated that through his life,” she said. Academics Journalists Authors Commentators
Republican Voters Not Sure If They Want Trump To Run AgainWEST DES MOINES, Iowa Republicans in this Midwestern battleground fiercely miss having Donald Trump in the White House, but, when asked if they want the former president to seek reelection a second time, in 2024, hesitation abounds. Thats a good question, said Jose Laracuent, 59, who lives in suburban Des Moines. He set the bar in many ways, and I think theres other politicians who can build on what hes already built. Laracuents wife, Shelley, was more decisive. Id like to see another generation. Both spoke with the Washington Examiner while attending the annual Lincoln Dinner fundraising gala for the Iowa Republican Party, headlined by potential 2024 contender Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador. Publicly, Trump is undecided on a third presidential bid, although he regularly alludes to another campaign. Privately, the former president is telling confidants he plans to run, and this month began hitting the road again for his signature rallies and pre-rally festivals. Trump remains extraordinarily popular with grassroots Republicans. Yet, there are signs even these loyal voters might want fresh leadership in 2024, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis topping Trump in a recent straw poll. If he runs, Graber added, I think hell be tough to beat in Iowa. Washington Examiner Videos List Of Republicans Who Opposed The Donald Trump 2020 Presidential Campaign
This is a list of Republicans and conservatives who opposed the re-election of incumbent Donald Trump, the 2020 Republican Party nominee for President of the United States. Among them are former Republicans who left the party in 2016 or later due to their opposition to Trump, those who held office as a Republican, Republicans who endorsed a different candidate, and Republican presidential primary election candidates that announced opposition to Trump as the presumptive nominee. Over 70 former senior Republican national security officials and 61 additional senior officials have also signed onto a statement declaring, “We are profoundly concerned about our nation’s security and standing in the world under the leadership of Donald Trump. The President has demonstrated that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term.” A group of former senior U.S. government officials and conservativesincluding from the Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43, and Trump administrations have formed The Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform to, “focus on a return to principles-based governing in the post-Trump era.” A third group of Republicans, Republican Voters Against Trump was launched in May 2020 has collected over 500 testimonials opposing Donald Trump. One Voted Last Week Against Certifying Electoral College ResultsTen Republicans voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump, exactly one week after a violent attack on the Capitol by the presidents supporters. The Democrat-led House voted 232-197 to approve one article of impeachment against Trump, charging the president with incitement of insurrection. The GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach the president from their own party included Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House. Cheneys vote has prompted House Republicans to call on her to step down as conference chairwoman. While many in the group have a history of breaking with their party, the yes votes included several with a strong record of supporting Trump and one, South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice, who voted last week against certifying President-elect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory in two states. Most Republicans in the House opposed impeachment, with many arguing the hurried process would further divide the country. But for these 10 Republicans who supported impeachment, the fact that Trump incited the riot at the Capitol was indisputable. Four Republicans did not vote on impeachment, including Texas Rep. Kay Granger, who recently tested positive for COVID-19. The others were Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland, Greg Murphy of North Carolina and Daniel Webster of Florida. Here are the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump: Loyalty To Trump Vs TrumpismThe battle for Trumps endorsement in the Ohio race to replace GOP Sen. Rob Portman, meanwhile, asks whether personal loyalty to Trump or a record of support for his nationalist policies matters more to both the president himself and to voters. J.D. Vance, the venture capitalist-turned-author of Hillbilly Elegy, is considered all-but-certain to announce a run for the GOP nomination. But he is already on the receiving end of an anonymous text-message campaign informing Republican voters in Ohio about Vances numerous disparaging comments about Trump during the 2016 race, including a time he called Trump an idiot. During the 2016 race, Vance also said he couldnt stomach Trump, that Trump was unfit for the presidency, and that his policy proposals ranged from immoral to absurd. An ally of Vances noted to HuffPost, however, that many Republicans did not support Trump in 2016. The Vance confidante, who asked for anonymity for professional reasons, said that Vances support for reshoring American manufacturing, tougher immigration enforcement and cracking down on the power of Big Tech show his commitment to Trumps ideas. When Timken sought Trumps endorsement for her Senate bid, however, Trump reportedly backed off plans to endorse her after close advisers urged him to wait longer before settling on a favored candidate. A few days later, Timken resigned as party chair ahead of her Senate run. And a few weeks later, as a Senate candidate, she for Gonzalez to resign. Republican Officials Calling For Trumps RemovalBelow are the few Republicans currently in office who have so far demanded Trumps resignation or removal from office. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat ToomeyToomey, a Pennsylvania Republican whos retiring in 2022, became the second GOP senator to say Trump should step down. The best way for our country is for the president to resign and go away as soon as possible, he told Meet the Press on Sunday. Toomey also said in an interview with Fox News this weekend that he believed the president had committed impeachable offenses, though he hesitated on whether impeachment proceedings and removing him from office was the best course. I dont know whats going to land on the Senate floor, if anything, he said.
Alaska Sen. Lisa MurkowskiAlaska senator Lisa Murkowski became the first Republican senator to demand that Trump leave office. She did not mention impeachment or other methods of removal, but she was unequivocal in her censure of the president. I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage, Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News in a Friday interview. Vermont Gov. Phil ScottVermonts Republican governor, who was just sworn in for his third term, was among the first prominent Republicans to demand Trump resign or be removed from office by his Cabinet, or by Congress. Republicans Voting For Mrs Clinton
Former Ohio Gov John KasichKasich, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries, headlined the opening night at the DNC. Kasich has long been critical of Trump and started his remarks by standing at the intersection of two gravel roads, noting the country was at a crossroads. “Sometimes elections represent a real choice, the choice we make as individuals and as a nation about which path we want to take when we’ve come to challenging times,” he said. “America is at that crossroads today.” He noted that he was a proud Republican and has disagreements with some of Biden’s policies, but those differences were part of the fabric of America’s political system. More:John Kasich’s DNC speech was filmed at a crossroads near his Ohio home Miles Taylor Former Senior Trump Administration OfficialTaylor is one of the highest-ranking former officials from the Trump administration to back Biden. Taylor, who served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen until he left in 2019, was featured in a video produced by the Republican Voters Against Trump, saying what he saw from Trump “was terrifying.” More:Former senior Trump administration official endorses Joe Biden In the video, Taylor stated, “Given what I have experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president. And even though I am not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I’m confident that Joe Biden will protect the country and I’m confident that he won’t make the same mistakes as this President.” The Latest Sign Of Donald Trump’s Hold On The GopAnalysis by Lauren Dezenski, CNN A vast majority of Republicans are still all in on former President Donald Trump — and a new CBS/YouGov poll reveals just how deep the obsession within the party goes.
The Point: Bad news for those searching for signs of a non-Trump path within the Republican Party. Right now, the vast majority of GOP members are still very big on the former President — and not much else. Former Secretary Of State Colin PowellPowell, former secretary of state to President W. Bush spoke at the second night of the DNC, saying Biden “will be a president we will all be proud to salute.” “With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries never the other way around,” Powell said. “He will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots.” Powell has been an outspoken critic of Trump, calling him “dangerous for our democracy” in June. Other Republicans Who Will Not Vote For Him
Ignore The Hype Of Republicans Threatening To Break Away Over TrumpAnti-Trump Republicans get lots of media attention. That doesnt mean they are relevant within the Republican party Over 100 Republicans, including former officials, threaten to split from the Republican party, the New York Times declared on Tuesday. The next day the Washington Post upped the ante, headlining that the 100 Republicans were vowing civil war; the columnist Jennifer Rubin proclaimed the beginning of the stampede away from the GOP. Sounds exciting, but what has really happened? On Thursday, a group of some 150 former Republicans published A Call for American Renewal, a manifesto with the stated aim of building a common sense coalition for America. The call itself reads mostly like the US constitution but with a distinct anti-Trump undertone. While the former president is never named, the manifesto warns against forces of conspiracy, division, and despotism, opposes the employment of fear-mongering, conspiracism, and falsehoods, and rejects populism and illiberalism. It emphasizes the importance of the constitutional order, rule of law, and pluralism, while implicitly supporting immigration and explicitly celebrating our diverse nation. So far, so good; but is this anodyne statement worth all the hype?
Arizona Senator John MccainMcCain, who ran as the partys presidential candidate in 2008, announced he would not be voting Republican and would write in a candidate through a statement on Saturday. I have wanted to support the candidate our party nominated, he said in a statement. He was not my choice, but as a past nominee, I thought it was important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set. I thought I owed his supporters that deference. But Donald Trumps behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. McCains daughter, Meghan, previously told PEOPLE she shed tears when Trump clinched the GOP nomination for president at the Republican convention. She also said she would be writing in a candidate and voting for her father. Republicans Are Overwhelmingly Sticking With Trump Yet AgainDays before his second impeachment trial, Trumps influence over the Republican Party remains as entrenched as ever.
On January 13, Donald Trump became the first president in US history to be impeached twice. Ten Republican members of Congress, including the third-most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, broke rank and voted with the Democrats to charge the president with inciting violence against the government of the United States. This took place exactly one week after Trump supporters organised a violent insurrection to take over the US Capitol Building and block the certification of Bidens Electoral College win, an effort that was supported politically by Republican members of Congress and senators who voted against certifying the electoral college win. The FBI is also currently investigating the role that some Republican members of Congress may have played in aiding and abetting the January 6 insurrection, which led to five deaths and multiple injuries. The final vote tally in favour of impeachment was 232 to 197. Every single Democrat in the chamber voted for impeachment, along with 10 Republicans. 197 Republicans voted against the measure, a testament to the now-former presidents continued popularity within the Republican Party. New Poll Shows Republican Support For Donald Trump Is PlummetingDonald Trump wields an enormous amount of power over the Republican party. The power doesnt stem from his ability as a politician or his oration abilities. The GOP cedes power to Donald Trump because his supporters are incredibly fervent. The actions of many Republican lawmakers following the November election showed just how scared they were of encountering Trumps wrath. The ice began to thaw, though, when the 45th president lost his ability to use Twitter. And following the January insurrection, support for Trump among Republicans is plummeting. A recent survey conducted by Echelon Insights showed that Trumps popularity from GOP voters has dropped by 20% since December. In the survey, 45% of Republicans said they would like to see Trump be the candidate for their party in 2024. Just two months ago, this number stood at 65%. While 21% of voters wanted Trump to be convicted and impeached, 30% of Republicans want to see him banned from ever holding office again. And while Trump would certainly like to run for president again in 2024, his path to the Republican nomination might not be so easy. I Was Doing My Job: Capitol Officer Defends Shooting Ashli Babbitt During RiotFormer President Donald Trump ripped the Senates $1 trillion infrastructure package Saturday as a disgrace, warning that he was prepared to withhold his support for any Republican that was on board with it. Joe Bidens infrastructure bill will be used against the Republican Party in the upcoming elections in 2022 and 2024. It will be very hard for me to endorse anyone foolish enough to vote in favor of this deal,Trump warned, taking aim at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on his negotiating prowess. If Mitch McConnell was smart, which weve seen no evidence of, he would use the debt ceiling card to negotiate a good infrastructure package, Trump hissed. Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer is pushing to pass the package on Saturday, fulfilling one of President Bidens signature campaign promises. The fiery statement came just hours before the Senate voted to invoke cloture and advance the legislation on Saturday, bringing the bill one step closer towards final passage. The Minority Leader appears to have brushed aside Trumps rebuke, voting with 17 other Republicans to break a GOP filibuster aimed at blocking the bill. It is not the end, but it takes us closer to the end, said Sen. Tom Carper after the cloture vote. Which Republicans Have Deserted Donald TrumpA tape recording of Donald Trump making disparaging remarks about women has sparked howls of condemnation from Republican colleagues. More than 30 senior politicians have said they can no longer back him. Here’s a list of some of the leading Republicans who have deserted him since the tapes were revealed. But it’s not the first time Mr Trump has lost support from colleagues. Republicans have been deserting him for months over various scandals. So who is on the “Never Trump” list and who’s still on Mr Trump’s side? Republican Voters Back Trump But Not Lockstep Behind 2024 BidRepublican voters hold former President Donald Trump in high esteem and tend to agree with his dubious claims about the 2020 election, but those sentiments are not translating into overwhelming support for a third White House bid. Republican pollsters studying post-election surveys are settling on two seemingly contradictory conclusions they say are compatible. Republican voters prefer Trumps brand of conservative populism, what pollsters are calling Trumpism, over the traditional Republicanism of the preceding era; the former presidents agenda benefited their bottom line. But a growing segment of these same voters, frustrated by the perpetual chaos of the Trump presidency, would prefer a conventional, disciplined politician represent the party in 2024. His working-class populism has redefined the identity and agenda of the party, said Republican pollster Brock McCleary, who advised Trumps reelection campaign. There is merely a segment of Republicans who like Trump but are open to discussion about who can best defend and advance Trump populism in the years to come. Both are true, veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz said, regarding the mindset of this significant cohort of GOP voters. Via https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-republicans-are-not-supporting-trump/ What Is A VoterThe Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act, which took effect January 1, 2011, created “voter-nominated” offices. The Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act does not apply to candidates running for U.S. President, county central committees, or local offices. Most of the offices that were previously known as “partisan” are now known as “voter-nominated” offices. Voter-nominated offices are state constitutional offices, state legislative offices, and U.S. congressional offices. The only “partisan offices” now are the offices of U.S. President and county central committee. Who Can Vote In A Primary
Step Four: Super TuesdayA few other states voted in between New Hampshire and the end of February, but things really started to warm up by Super Tuesday, on 3 March. What is Super Tuesday? THE big date in the primary calendar, when 16 states, territories or groups voted for their preferred candidate in primaries or caucuses. A third of all the delegates available in the entire primary season were up for grabs on Super Tuesday. By the end of the day it became much clearer that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders were the front-runners for the Democratic nomination. The two states with the most delegates voted on Super Tuesday – California and Texas . California voted three months earlier than in 2016, making Super Tuesday even more super than normal. States With Open Primaries For Other ElectionsA similar system known as a nonpartisan blanket primary has been used in Louisiana for state and local elections since 1976, and began to be used in Washington, after numerous court challenges, in 2008. In California, under Proposition 14, a measure that easily passed, traditional party primaries were replaced in 2011 with wide-open elections. Proposition 14, known as the open primary measure, gave every voter the same ballot in primary elections for most state and federal races, except the presidential contest. Most primaries in New York are closed, but state law contains a provision allowing parties to use a different method if they want. Currently, only the Independence Party chooses to allow unaffiliated voters to participate. Who Gets A SaySome say the stricter primary systems restrict whose voice can be part of the democratic process and are therefore undemocratic. Parties can block who participates in primaries, or systems force voters to publicly identify with a party. But Laurel Harbridge-Yong, associate professor of political science at Northwestern University, says the argument for limiting voting to party members makes sense those who align with a party should get to choose the issues and candidates who represent them. To people who study political parties Its actually quite shocking to think that you would even have something like open primaries, Harbridge-Yong says. Taken in a different context, the question would be, Why should someone whos not a Methodist be able to help pick the priest at a Methodist congregation? Of course, it would be the people that are part of that denomination or that group who are the ones that are selecting their leader. In June, the BGA Policy team had John Opdycke, president of Open Primaries, as a guest on the BGA podcast . Opdycke advocates for primary reform across the country, and said efforts are underway in 15 or 20 states to attempt to change primary systems. There’s a lot of momentum, there’s a lot of activity, Opdycke said. And yet this movement is still very underdeveloped, very young and the opposition comes from both political parties. And in Illinois? How Do You ChooseWhen you show up to your polling location, youll decide whether you want a Democratic or Republican primary ballot. But after choosing a side in the primary, you have to stay in that lane through the runoff. You cant vote Republican in the primary election and then participate in a runoff election between top Democratic candidates. That said, voting in a primary does not commit you to vote for a particular candidate in the general election. You can vote for either partys candidate in the November election. I Dont See That HappeningMartin told me she and other South Carolina Republicans had chosen to support Sanders because Biden still held a significant lead in the state. Im not sure if we could move him with enough crossover votes to overcome Biden, she said, but thats the math were looking at is who can we cross over and vote for that mathematically will cause the most consternation. Ultimately, she hopes that the crossover vote push will cause South Carolina Democrats the same kind of angst that weve had for years and push them toward closing their primary. I do not think it was a result of our efforts, even if we were as successful mathematically as we could be, that everyones going to agree to close the primaries tomorrow, she told me, but said coverage of their efforts was already getting traction with Democrats in the fight for closed primaries. I asked whether Martin was concerned that a Sanders primary victory in South Carolina pushed by Republican crossover voters could ultimately result in a Sanders presidency. She took my point, but said, I dont see that happening. The Iowa caucuses, she said, showed that the people that make the rules in the Democrat party are not going to allow Bernie to be the nominee. Citing debate rule changes and recent remarks by Democratic Party stalwarts like James Carville, she said that there was no way the party would permit Sanders to win the nomination. Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? Counties Are Doing Things A Little Differently This TimeIf you live in one of the counties highlighted below, voting might look a little different this year. In 2016, California passed the Voter Choice Act, a law aimed at modernizing the states election system, such that:
In 2018, five counties rolled out the new system. This year, 10 more will join their ranks. Thats fifteen counties in all containing 49% of the state population. This is key for no party preference voters living in these counties who may not get the ballot they want in the mail. See the previous section for details. Argument That Delegates Are UnboundFormer RNC committee member Curly Haugland and public policy consultant Sean Parnell argued in their 2016 book, Unbound: The Conscience of a Republican Delegate, that delegates are free to vote their conscience and are not bound by state or party laws to vote according to the results of party primaries or caucuses. Click on the following links to learn more about arguments for and against this interpretation of delegate binding:
Delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention selected Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee on August 18, 2020. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state, territory, or Democrats Abroad at the convention. In 2020, there were 4,750 delegates: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegatesmore commonly known as superdelegates. To win the Democratic nomination, a presidential candidate needed to receive support from a majority of the pledged delegates on the first ballot: 1,991 pledged delegates. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, several states postponed their primaries. Under Rule 12 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, no primary or caucus was permitted to take place after June 9, 2020. Any state violating that rule could have been subject to delegate reduction penalties. Step One: The Start LineA whole year before the primaries, the first candidates emerged from hibernation. Over the year, others woke up and eventually 28 people announced they were running to become the Democratic nominee for president. But dwindling funds, luke-warm or public reaction and campaign infighting have, to varying degrees, led to most of them pulling out of the race. At the start of primary season, 11 people remained in the running, a number that has now reduced to three. In theory, any one of them could become the nominee. In reality, only two now have a chance. Each Primary Has Its FlawsWhen it comes down to it, both the Republican and Democratic parties have their own unique, subtle system by which they can override the nations popular primary vote. The days when politicians gathered in dark rooms where cigarette smoke flowed out from underneath the door are over, but that doesnt mean the existing system is completely democratic. For both Republicans and Democrats, theres more to winning a nomination than scoring Americas majority vote. What Is A Closed Primary ElectionWhat is a Closed Primary Election and How Your Choice of Party Affiliation Affects You in an Election?Federal/State Primary Elections – Even-Numbered Years What Is a Primary Election? A Primary Election is a preliminary election to select, when necessary, Democratic, Republican and nonpartisan candidates who will run in the General Election contests . The direct vote of the people selects the candidates, rather than votes of convention delegates. Nevada Is a CLOSED Primary Election State Major Political Parties: ° Democratic: If you are a registered with the Democratic Party, you may vote in your precinct’s contests which select Democratic candidates AND in all of your precinct’s nonpartisan contests. ° Republican: If you are a registered Republican, you may vote in your precinct’s contests which select Republican candidates AND in all of your precinct’s nonpartisan contests. Other Political Parties and Affiliations: If you are not registered as a Democratic or Republican, you may vote for ONLY Nonpartisan CONTESTS for your precinct. Minor party, other party and independent candidates only appear in the General Election, NOT the Primary Election. ° Minor Political Parties: If your Voter Registration Application indicates that your party is one that is classified as “minor party,” you may vote for ONLY Nonpartisan CONTESTS for your precinct. to view the list of officially recognized minor parties in the State of Nevada : TO VOLUNTEER TO BE A POLL WORKER, .Why Some Conservatives Are Voting In Michigan’s Democratic PrimaryGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Katey Morse is on a journey of political atonement. “I’ve gone on Facebook and apologized to family and friends and said hey, I made a mistake,” the 39-year-old Michigan resident said last year of her 2016 vote for Donald Trump. Morse said that she got caught up in Trump’s celebrity and was impressed by his business record. And she assumed that the bravado she saw and heard on TV was just a character put on for the campaign trail that would subside once he got into office. But she said she had learned since then that it wasn’t an act. A turning point for her came in March 2019, when she took her son to a Trump rally. She was horrified. Afterward, Morse had to have a conversation with the boy, then 7, about how not to talk about other people. And as the Democratic primary season began to take shape last year, Morse started to consider voting blue. It’s a choice some moderate Republicans across the state are also grappling with ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primary contest. NBC News spent time with voters in Kent County, where Morse lives, just outside Grand Rapids. The hometown of Gerald Ford, the area is a traditionally Republican stronghold. Some Republicans here said they feel lost because they no longer recognize the party they grew up with. They’re wary enough about another four years of Trump’s presidency to consider the Democratic candidates. No Party Preference Voters: Pay AttentionRegistered Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians and other party members, rest assured. You are guaranteed a primary ballot with all of your partys presidential contenders on it. But voters who dont belong to a political party the fastest growing voting block in the state will have to navigate a more daunting set of obstacles to cast a presidential primary vote. Some parties have members only policies:
If you want to vote in one of these three primaries, youll have to join that party. You cant do it as a member of any other party, or even as a no party preference independent. No exceptions. The following three parties do allow political independents to cast ballots in their presidential primaries :
But and this is an important caveat these voters do have to specifically request the ballot they want. For those who vote in person, this is a cinch. Just go into your polling place when its time to vote and ask. But independents who vote by mail need to let your county know which ballot they want ahead of time. Maybe you received a postcard that looks like this: And if youve already received a ballot in the mail and were disappointed by the lack of presidential candidates, do notfill it out. You can always request a new ballot, but trying to vote twice is frowned upon . Cancellation Of State Caucuses Or PrimariesThe Washington Examiner reported on December 19, 2018, that the South Carolina Republican Party had not ruled out forgoing a primary contest to protect Trump from any primary challengers. Party chairman Drew McKissick stated, “Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, we’ll end up doing what’s in the president’s best interest.” On January 24, another Washington Examiner report indicated that the Kansas Republican Party was “likely” to scrap its presidential caucus to “save resources”. In August 2019, the Associated Press reported that the Nevada Republican Party was also contemplating canceling their caucuses, with the state party spokesman, Keith Schipper, saying it “isn’t about any kind of conspiracy theory about protecting the president … He’s going to be the nominee … This is about protecting resources to make sure that the president wins in Nevada and that Republicans up and down the ballot win in 2020.” Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina’s state committees officially voted on September 7, 2019, to cancel their caucus and primary. The Arizona state Republican Party indicated two days later that it will not hold a primary. These four were joined by the Alaska state Republican party on September 21, when its central committee announced they would not hold a presidential primary. Virginia Republicans decided to allocate delegates at the state convention. Why You Need To Vote In The Primary ElectionsTrue or false. You only need to vote in the November presidential election and not the primary elections. FALSE! For most American voters, the presidential primary elections matter more than the general election. Like Ive said before, if you live in a red state or a blue state, your vote in the presidential election wont make a difference. The rest of your state will overwhelming vote for a Democrat or a Republican. Your vote wont change your states outcome. . But the primary elections are an entirely different story. The presidential primaries determine who will represent the Republicans and the Democrats during the November election. Instead of voting between just 2 candidates, you have the choice of 3 Democrats or 12 Republicans. Unlike the general election, you actually have a chance of voting for your preferred candidate, not just the lesser of two evils. Government 101: United States Presidential PrimaryHow Does the Presidential Primary Process Work?The Convention Prior to a general election, there is a selection process to determine which candidate will appear on the ballot for a given political party in the nationwide general election. Political parties generally hold national conventions at which a group of delegates collectively decide upon which candidate they will run for the presidency. The process of choosing delegates to the national convention is undertaken at the state level, which means that there are significant differences from state to state and sometimes year to year. The two methods for choosing delegates to the national convention are the caucus and the primary. The Caucus Caucuses were the original method for selecting candidates but have decreased in number since the primary was introduced in the early 1900’s. In states that hold caucuses a political party announces the date, time, and location of the meeting. Generally any voter registered with the party may attend. At the caucus, delegates are chosen to represent the state’s interests at the national party convention. Prospective delegates are identified as favorable to a specific candidate or uncommitted. After discussion and debate an informal vote is taken to determine which delegates should be chosen. The Primary Awarding the Delegates Step Two: The Iowa CaucusesThe first event of the primary season isn’t a primary at all – it’s a series of caucuses, in Iowa. These took place on Monday 3 February, in somewhat chaotic fashion. What are caucuses? A caucus involves people attending a meeting – maybe for a few hours – before they vote on their preferred candidate, perhaps via a head count or a show of hands. Those meetings might be in just a few select locations – you can’t just turn up at a polling station. As a result, caucuses tend to really suit candidates who are good at rousing their supporters to get out of bed. People like Bernie Sanders, for example, who performed well in Iowa this time, as did Pete Buttigieg. Caucuses used to be far more popular back in the day, but this year, Democrats are holding only four in US states – in Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa. If any candidate gets under 15% of the vote in any caucus, their supporters then get to pick a second choice from among the candidates who did get more than 15%, or they can just choose to sit out the second vote. Why does Iowa matter? A win there for any candidate can help give them momentum and propel them to victory in the primaries. Why does Iowa not matter? Iowa doesn’t represent the entire US – it’s largely white, so the way people vote there is very, very different than in other states. How Are Primary Elections Conducted In CaliforniaAll candidates for voter-nominated offices are listed on one ballot and only the top two vote-getters in the primary election regardless of party preference – move on to the general election. Write-in candidates for voter-nominated offices can only run in the primary election. A write-in candidate will only move on to the general election if the candidate is one of the top two vote-getters in the primary election. Prior to the Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act, the top vote-getter from each qualified political party, as well as any write-in candidate who received a certain percentage of votes, moved on to the general election. The Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act does not apply to candidates running for U.S. President, county central committee, or local office. Primary Election Snafus Show Challenges For November VoteRepublicans’ and Democrats’ vastly different starting points help explain why the politics over voting and elections have been and likely will remain so fraught, through and beyond Election Day this year. Sometimes it seems as if the politicians involved barely live in the same country. It has become common for one side to discount the legitimacy of a victory by the other. And the coronavirus pandemic, which has scrambled nearly everything about life in the United States, makes understanding it all even more complicated. Here’s what you need to know to decode this year’s voting controversies. The Rosetta stone The key that unlocks so much of the partisan debate about voting is one word: turnout. An old truism holds that, all other things held equal, a smaller pool of voters tends to be better for Republicans and the larger the pool gets, the better for Democrats. This isn’t mathematically ironclad, as politicians learn and relearn regularly. But this assumption is the foundation upon which much else is built. What The Gov: If I Voted Republican In A Primary Can I Vote Democrat In The GeneralIllinois primary elections force voters to ask for a partisan ballot. From primaries to the general in November, heres what you should know about party identification and voting. This article is part of a series called “What the Gov,” where BGA Engagement Editor Mia Sato takes reader questions related to Illinois government and upcoming elections and tracks down the answers. Ask your own question here. Voters hear a lot about party politics at all levels of government, from Congress all the way down to local municipal elections. Some voters align closely with a party and others cast their vote on a case-by-case basis. But how does party identification impact how you can vote? Several readers were stumped. Cynthia Mosley, a retired Chicago Public Schools teacher living on Chicagos Southside, is one of them. She remembers her mother didn’t vote in the primaries because it meant saying aloud to a poll worker which partys ballot she wanted. Cynthia wondered why voters have to declare a party to vote in the primary. Another reader was thinking forward: could she could vote for any partys candidates in the general, or did she have to be registered with that party? Were just a few weeks out from the November election and voters have a lot of questions both about the systems Illinois has and how it plays out in the voting process. Heres what you should know. The Presidential Primary Will Not Use The Familiar Top Two BallotCalifornia voters can be forgiven for assuming that political party registration doesnt really matter. In 2010 voters backed a measure to create the states nonpartisan top two election system, in which all primary voters fill out a ballot with every candidate on it regardless of either the voters or the candidates political party. The top two winners then move on to the general election ballot even if theyre both from the same party. In races for state legislative and congressional seats, the top two method will still reign on the 2020 ballot. But when you vote in the presidential primary, its back to the old partisan system: Democrats on the Democratic ballot, Republicans on the Republican ballot, and so on. So while voting in California usually goes like this under the top two: In the presidential primary, it looks a little more like this: The 2020 Democratic Primary Is Giving Some Republicans Dj VuA large, diffuse and unyielding field of candidates is helping Bernie Sanders dominate. Republicans who tried to beat Donald J. Trump in 2016 see parallels. FARGO, N.D. After a disappointing sixth-place finish in Nevada, which followed a less disappointing third-place finish in New Hampshire but a humbling fifth-place finish in Iowa, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota looked out at the crowd of more than 1,000 and predicted victory in the North Dakota primary at the time, more than two weeks away. Somehow, I have a feeling this primary is still going to be going on, she said. That much seems certain. The no-end-in-sight nature of the contest for the Democratic nomination is alarming those in the party who are hoping to blunt the momentum of the front-runner, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The most likely way they believe that could happen a critical mass of the senators rivals drop out so voters can coalesce around a single alternative seems like the least likely outcome. The irony is thick. Mr. Sanders, the candidate many establishment Democrats fear would have the most trouble beating President Trump in November, is benefiting from some of the same dynamics that helped Mr. Trump stampede to the Republican nomination four years ago. As Republicans who weathered 2016 observe 2020, they are feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu. The parallels are not perfect, but there are many right down to the candidates themselves. 201620202016202020162020 Via https://www.patriotsnet.com/do-republicans-vote-in-the-democratic-primary/ |
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