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Chapter 7: Political Parties
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Practice Quiz
Critical Thinking and Learning Exercises
- 1. Do you consider yourself liberal, conservative, libertarian, or some other ideology? Take the following ideology quiz: http://www.people-press.org/typology/quiz/ or http://www.politicalquiz.net/... How do your results line up with what you considered yourself?
- 2. Create a political party and develop your own party platform: http://politics1.com/parties.htm.
- 3. Visit the following website and examine both the Democratic and Republican platforms: http://politics1.com/parties.htm.. What are the most striking differences between their platforms?
- 4. Based on the results from your ideology survey, which party best represents your beliefs?
- 5. Visit the following website and find a third party that most closely resembles your platform: http://politics1.com/parties.htm.
Links to further Resources
The Democratic Party
The official website of the Democratic Party, one of the two major parties in the United States, offers information about the positions and policy recommendations on which the party campaigns. The Democratic Party promotes a more liberal ideological agenda, and believes in the power of government to promote equal opportunity and to improve the quality of life of citizens through social welfare programs and regulation of business.
The Republican Party (Also Known as the GOP, or “Grand Old Party”)
The website of the Republican Party offers a conservative counterpoint to the liberal platform of the Democratic Party, promoting the value of smaller, less intrusive government, lower tax rates, and the preservation of traditional social values.
The Libertarian Party
The Libertarian Party is an example of a “third party” in the United States, i.e., a smaller party that has little chance of winning national elections because of our winner-take-all electoral system. If third parties have such a difficult time winning elections, what value do you see in their political activities? Can you think of instances in which the two major parties have borrowed, or co-opted, important policy positions from a minor party like the Libertarian party?
The Green Party
The Green Party is another third party in the United States that pursues a more liberal political agenda. How do minor parties like the Green Party affect the outcome of national elections, given that their candidates have very little chance of winning? Do you think Ralph Nader’s run for president in 2000 may have contributed to Al Gore’s defeat in the electoral college that year? Why or why not?
Constitution USA with Peter Sagal: Political Parties
http://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/we-the-people/political-parties/
The framers of the Constitution, particularly James Madison, found political parties to be distasteful and antithetical to rational governing. Why were they so fearful of parties? Would today’s political climate confirm their worst fears?
How It Happens: Party Caucus Meetings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCuAl6HmR0A
Party caucuses are private meetings of parties to plan their strategies for achieving their legislative and electoral goals. In this illustrated essay, cartoonist David Gillette discusses the importance of party caucus meetings. In what ways do party caucuses have to consider the interactions between the party in the electorate, the party in government and the party organization?