Political parties in the United States
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This article presents the main political parties in United States politics.
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[edit] Parties in presidential contention
Each of five parties shares a degree of national attention by attaining the mathematical possibility of its nominee becoming President of the United States -- i.e., having ballot status for its presidential candidate in states whose collective total is at least half of the Electoral-College votes -- in either the most recent presidential election, in 2004, or the next one, in 2008:
| Party Name | 2004 Electoral Votes | 2004 Popular Votes (Millions) | Recent Presidential Wins | Date Founded | Founder(s) | Current Party Chair(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 286 | 62 | 2004, 2000, 1988, 1984, 1980 | 1854 | Alvan E. Bovay/Abraham Lincoln | Mike Duncan | |
| Democratic Party | 251 | 59 | 1996, 1992, 1976 | 1792/ 1820s | Thomas Jefferson/Andrew Jackson | Howard Dean | |
| Libertarian Party | 0 | 0.47 | -- | 1971 | David Nolan | Bill Redpath | |
| Constitution Party | 0 | 0.14 | -- | 1992 | Howard Phillips | Jim Clymer | |
| Green Party | 0 | 0.12 | -- | 1984/ 2001 | Howie Hawkins, John Rensenbrink, et al | 7 Co-chairs |
[edit] Republican Party
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. It is often referred to as the Grand Old Party or the GOP.
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. Today, the Republican Party supports a conservative platform (as far as American politics are concerned), with further foundations in economic liberalism and social conservatism.
The current U.S. President, George W. Bush, is the 19th Republican to hold office. Republicans currently fill a minority of seats in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, hold a minority of state governorships, and control a minority of state legislatures. It is currently the second largest party with 55 million registered members, encompassing roughly one third of the electorate.[1]
[edit] Democratic party
The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in the United States.[2][3]
Since the 2006 midterm elections, the Democratic Party is the majority party for the 110th Congress; the party holds an outright majority in the House of Representatives and the Democratic caucus (including two independents) constitutes a majority in the United States Senate. Democrats also hold a majority of state governorships and control a plurality of state legislatures. In 2004, it was the largest political party, with 42.6 percent of 169 million registered voters claiming affiliation.[1]
The Democratic Party traces its origins to the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other influential opponents of the Federalists in 1792. Since the division of the Republican Party in the election of 1912, it 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 civil rights movement of the 1960s, championed by the party despite opposition at the time from its Southern wing, has continued to inspire the party's liberal principles.[4]
[edit] Libertarian Party
The Libertarian Party is an American political party founded on December 11, 1971.[5] It is one of the largest continuing Third parties in the United States, claiming more than 200,000 registered voters and more than 600 people in public office,[6] including mayors, county executives, county-council members, school-board members and other local officials. It has more people in office than all other third parties combined.[6]
The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects that group's particular brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration across borders, and non-interventionism in foreign policy that respects freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries.
[edit] Constitution Party
The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names.
According to ballot access expert Richard Winger, the editor of Ballot Access News, who periodically compiles and analyzes voter registration statistics as reported by state voter agencies, it ranks third nationally amongst all United States political parties in registered voters, with 366,937 registered members as of November 2006.[7]
The Constitution Party advocates a Bible-based platform which it claims to reflect original intent of the U.S. Constitution and the principles of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
In 2006, Rick Jore of Montana became the first Constitution Party candidate elected to a state-level office[8][9], though the Constitution Party of Montana had disaffiliated itself from the national party a short time before the election.
[edit] Green Party
In the United States, the Green Party has been active as a third party since the 1980s. The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. Currently, the primary national Green Party organization in the U.S. is the Green Party of the United States, which has eclipsed the earlier Greens/Green Party USA. There are Green Parties in many nations, with total membership being about a million people.
The Green Party in the United States has won elected office mostly at the local level; most winners of public office in the United States who are considered Greens have won nonpartisan-ballot elections (that is, the winning Greens won offices in elections in which candidates were not identified on the ballot as affiliated with any political party).[10] The highest-ranking Greens ever elected in the nation were John Eder, who was a member of the Maine House of Representatives until his defeat on November 7, 2006, and Audie Bock, who was elected to the California State Assembly in 1999 but switched her registration to independent seven months later[2] running as an independent in the 2000 election [3]. In 2005, the Party had 305,000 registered members in states that allow party registration, as well as tens of thousands of members and contributors in the rest of the country.[11] During the 2006 elections the party had ballot access in 31 states.[12]
Greens emphasize environmentalism, non-hierarchical participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, peace and nonviolence.
[edit] Politics comparison
| Issue | Constitution Party | Republican Party | Libertarian Party | Democratic Party | Green Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main ideologies | Constitutional conservatism | Conservatism Fiscal conservatism Economic liberalism Neoconservatism Social conservatism Liberal conservatism |
Libertarianism | American liberalism American progressivism Social liberalism[4] |
Green politics Environmentalism |
|
| Political spectrum | Left-right | Right wing | Center-right | (rejects left-right categorization) | Center-left | Left wing |
| Communitarianism vs. Individualism | more individualist | more individualist | individualist | more communitarian | more communitarian | |
| Pacifism vs. Militarianism | Non-interventionist[13][14] | More militarianist | Non-interventionist | More pacifist | Pacifism | |
| Free trade vs. Fair trade | semi-protectionist[15] | Free trade | Free trade | Free trade | Fair trade | |
| Progressivism vs. conservativism | Conservativism | Conservativism | Neither | Progressivism | Progressivism | |
| Specific issues | Legal Abortion | Strongly oppose[16] | Oppose [17] | Mixed | Favor [18] | Favor |
| Same-sex marriage | Oppose[19] | Oppose[20] | Favor | Mixed, states' rights | Favor | |
| Universal healthcare | Oppose[21] | Oppose | Oppose | Favor[22] | Favor | |
| Increased taxation | Oppose[23] | More opposed | Oppose | More favorable | More favorable | |
| Immigration | Oppose[24] | More opposed | More favorable | More favorable | More favorable | |
| Continue Iraq war | Oppose[25] | Support | Oppose | Oppose | Strongly oppose[26] | |
| Capital punishment | Favor[27] | Favor [28] | Oppose | Mixed | Oppose | |
| Drug legalization | States' rights | Oppose | Favor [29] | Oppose | Favor | |
| Gun control | Strongly oppose[30] | More oppose [31] | Oppose | More favor [31] | Favor | |
[edit] Other parties
There is a vast number of other political parties, both historically as well as in the present.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. USA Today'.. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ Witcover, Jules (2003). "1", Party of the People: A History of the Democrats, 3. "The Democratic Party of the United States, the oldest existing in the world, was in a sense an illegitimate child, unwanted by the founding fathers of the American Republic."
- ^ Democratic Party, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Accessed August 21, 2007. [1]
- ^ a b Economist Intelligence Unit. (July 11, 2007). Political Forces. Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ Libertarian Party:Our History, LP.org
- ^ a b "Frequently asked questions about the Libertarian Party", Official Website of the Libertarian National Committee. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.
- ^ NOVEMBER 2006 REGISTRATION TOTALS
- ^ "State Legislature results", Missoulian, November 8, 2006, retrieved November 8, 2006
- ^ Control of state Legislature unclear, Helena Independent Record
- ^ Green elected officials
- ^ "Green Party Ballot Status and Voter Registration Totals (United States)". Greens.org. Retrieved April 12, 2006.
- ^ "Greens Win Ballot Access in 31 States, Up From 17 in January". Green Party press release, September 5, 2006.
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Defense).
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Foreign Policy).
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Tariffs and Trade).
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Sanctity of Life). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ 2004 Republican Party Platform: on Abortion. United States Republican Party (2004). Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Family). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ Republican Party 2004 Platform.
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Health Care and Government). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ Medicare for AllPDF. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Taxes). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Immigration). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ Bush to Lawmakers on Iraq: Do You Have a Better Idea? Constitution Party: Yes!. Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ gp.org - Global Greens Action Proposal - April, 2003
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Crime). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ stopcapitalpunishment.org: Absolutely, Positively for Capital Punishment By DAVID FIRESTONE
- ^ faqs.org - Libertarian FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
- ^ Constitution Party Platform (Gun Control). Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ a b Spitzer, Robert J.: "The Politics of Gun Control", Page 16. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995.
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| Major parties | Democratic · Republican |
| Third parties | Constitution · Green · Libertarian |
| Smaller parties | America First · Centrist · Communist · Independence · Labor · Marijuana · Populist · Prohibition · Reform · Socialist · Socialism and Liberation · Socialist Equality · Socialist Workers · Veterans · Workers World |
| Historical parties | American (Know Nothing) · American Independent · Anti-Masonic · Citizens · Constitutional Union · Democratic-Republican · Farmer-Labor · Federalist · Free Soil · Greenback · Liberty · National Republican · National Union · Natural Law · New Alliance · Populist (People's) · Progressive (1912~1924~1948) · Socialist · Socialist Labor · States Rights (Dixiecrat) · U.S. Labor · Whig |
| Portal:Politics - List of political parties - Politics of the United States | |
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| New York parties | Conservative · Independence · Liberal · Marijuana Reform · Right to Life · Working Families · Green Party |
| Other parties | Alaskan Independence · American Heritage · Constitution Party of MT · Constitution Party of OR · Freedom Socialist · Independence Party of MN · Independent Green Party of VA · Independent Party of Delaware · Liberty Union · Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party · New Jersey Conservative Party · Peace and Freedom · Personal Choice · Populist Party of MD · Republican Moderate Party of AK · Southern Party · United Citizens · VT Progressive |
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Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama* · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago* · United States |
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| * Territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas (South America). | ||
