Difference between revisions of "Republican Party"

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{{otheruses|Democratic Party}}
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{{AmericanPoliticalParty
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{{Infobox American_Political_Party
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| party_name = Republican Party
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|party_name = Democratic Party
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| party_articletitle = Republican Party (United States)
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|party_articletitle = Democratic Party (United States)
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| party_logo = [[Image:Cjjfdjfty.png|200px|"Republican Party Elephant" logo]]
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|party_logo =[[Image:Democratslogo.svg|150px|Democratic Party logo]]  
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| website = [http://www.gop.com www.gop.com]
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|chairman = [[Howard Dean]]
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| headquarters = 310 First Street SE<br> [[Washington, D.C.]]<br>20003
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|senateleader = [[Harry Reid]]
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| chairman = [[Mike Duncan]]  
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|houseleader = [[Nancy Pelosi]] ([[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker]])<br>[[Steny Hoyer]] ([[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|majority leader]])
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| president = [[George W. Bush]]  
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|foundation = 1824 (modern)<br>1792 (historical)
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| houseleader = [[John Boehner]]  
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|colors = [[Red states and blue states|Blue]] (unofficial)
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| senateleader = [[Mitch McConnell]]  
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|ideology = [[Liberalism]]<BR>[[Modern liberalism in the United States|American liberalism]]<BR>[[Progressivism in the United States|American progressivism]]<BR>[[Social liberalism]]<ref name="Economist Intelligence Unit. (July 11, 2007). Political Forces">{{cite web|url=http://www.economist.com/countries/USA/profile.cfm?folder=Profile%2DPolitical%20Forces|title=Economist Intelligence Unit. (July 11, 2007). Political Forces|accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref>
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| foundation = 1854
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|fiscalpolicy = Center
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| ideology = [[Conservative|Conservatism]]<br>[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]<br>[[Neoconservatism]]
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|socialpolicy = Center-left, liberal
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| fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market|Economic liberalism]]
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|international = None <!-- The [[National Democratic Institute]] is a nonpartisan organization funded by the U.S. government. Although the NDI "draws on the traditions of the U.S. Democratic Party," which has led many to believe that they're an organization affiliated with the Democratic Party, they're not. In light of these loose and disputed ties, we're better off saying "none." Please leave it this way. -->
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| socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]
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|headquarters = 430 South Capitol Street SE<br>[[Washington, D.C.]]<br>20003
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| international = [[International Democrat Union]]
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|website = [http://www.democrats.org www.democrats.org]
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| colors = [[Red states and blue states|Red]] (unofficial)
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|footnotes =
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| footnotes =
 
}}
 
}}
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{{Politics of the United States}}
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The '''Republican Party''' is one of the two major political parties in the [[United States]]. The current [[President of the United States]], [[George W. Bush]], is a member of the party &ndash; and by rules common to both major U.S. parties, its head. Of the two major U.S. parties, the Republican party is the moderate/center-right party. The party has been very successful in Presidential elections: 18 of the 27 US Presidents since 1861 have been Republicans and since that same year a Republican has won 23 of the last 37 presidential elections.
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{{further|[[Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties]]}}
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The '''Democratic Party''' is one of two major [[political parties in the United States]], the other being the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. It is the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest in the world.<!--please see long discussions on Talk before altering this--><ref>{{cite book
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The party was born in the early 1850s by anti-[[slavery]] activists and individuals who believed that [[government]] should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, [[Wisconsin]], a small town northwest of [[Milwaukee]]. The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, [[Michigan]]. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. At the Jackson convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in [[Michigan]]. Since its inception, its chief opposition has been the [[Democratic Party]].
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|first=Jules
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== Symbol ==
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|last=Witcover
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[[image:The_off_year_nast_1877.jpg|left|thumb|1877 Thomas Nast drawing of the Republican elephant]]
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|title=Party of the People: A History of the Democrats
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[[Image:gop.jpg|right|150px|Official logo of the GOP.]]
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|year=2003
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The official symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant.  Although the elephant had occasionally been associated with the party earlier, a political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in ''Harper's Weekly'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol<ref>http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7</ref>. In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Republican party in Midwestern states such as [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]] was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic cock. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.
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}} "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."</ref><ref>Democratic Party, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Accessed [[August 21]], [[2007]]. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9029899/Democratic-Party#233981.toc]</ref>
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Since the 2006 [[United States general elections, 2006|midterm elections]], the Democratic Party is the [[Two-party system|majority party]] for the [[110th United States Congress|110th]] [[United States Congress|Congress]]; the party holds an outright majority in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and the [[Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate|Democratic caucus]] (including two [[Independent (politician)|independents]]) constitutes a majority in the [[United States Senate]]. Democrats also hold a majority of [[List of current United States Governors|state governorships]] and control a [[plurality]] of [[List of U.S. state legislatures|state legislatures]]. In 2004, it was the largest political party, with 42.6 percent of 169 million registered voters claiming affiliation.<ref name="Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''.">{{cite web
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A political term referring to the party is "G.O.P.", which was originally an acronym of "Grand Old Party". The term was coined in 1875.
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|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2004-01-22-neuharth_x.htm
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|title=Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
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The Democratic Party traces its origins to the [[Democratic-Republican Party]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and other influential opponents of the [[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]s in 1792. Since the division of the Republican Party in the election of [[United States presidential election, 1912|1912]], it has consistently positioned itself to the [[Left-wing politics|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 [[Liberalism in the United States|American liberalism]], has shaped much of the party's economic agenda since [[United States presidential election, 1932|1932]]. Roosevelt's [[New Deal coalition]] usually controlled the national government until the 1970s.  
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==Ideology==
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The fundamental philosophy and political ideals of the Republican Party are founded on the idea that societal health is rooted in personal responsibility and actions. The Republican Party holds the belief that all material things are earned, not owed. This is seen most often in the party's push for lower taxes. This is fought for in an attempt to treat all citizens equally despite income, race, gender, or religion. They also see taxes as a drag on the economy, and believe private spending is usually more efficient than public spending.
  
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== Current structure and composition ==
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Republicans also show concerns about having big government in charge of such vital issues as food, shelter, or health care, as they believe the private sector and/or the individual are better suited to control their own lives. President [[Ronald Reagan]] who became a Republican in the early 1960s after being a [[New Deal]]er at one time, has been quoted as saying "Government is not the solution, it is the problem."
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[[Image:U.S. party affiliation.svg|thumb|left|Registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents in 2004 in millions<ref name="Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''."/>]]
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The [[Democratic National Committee]] (DNC) is responsible for promoting Democratic campaign activities. While the DNC is responsible for overseeing the process of writing the Democratic Platform, the DNC is more focused on campaign and organizational strategy than public policy.  In presidential elections it supervises the [[Democratic National Convention]]. The national convention is subject to the charter of the party, the ultimate authority within the Democratic Party when it is in session, with the DNC running the party's organization at other times. The DNC is currently chaired by former Vermont Governor [[Howard Dean]].
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The party tends to hold both [[conservative]] and [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] stances on social and economic issues respectively. Major policies that the party has recently supported include a conservative foreign policy, including [[War on Terror]], liberations of [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]], and strong support for democracy especially in the [[Middle East]]. Many party members and politicians have shown a distrust of the [[United Nations]] due to the organization's incompetent bureaucracy, anti-capitalist undertone, corruption on the [[Security Council]] and in UN humanitarian programs. Along with demanding radical reforms in the UN, many Republican politicians also opposes the Kyoto Protocol due the protocol's unfair application to certain countries (especially the United States) and the fact that it prevents economic growth and slows the reduction of poverty.  
  
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The [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]] (DCCC) assists party candidates in House races; its current chairman (selected by the party caucus) is Rep. [[Chris Van Hollen]] of Maryland. Similarly the [[Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]] (DSCC) raises large sums for Senate races. It is currently headed by Senator [[Charles E. Schumer]] of New York. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), currently chaired by Mike Gronstal of Iowa, is a smaller organization with much less funding that focuses on state legislative races. The DNC sponsors the [[College Democrats of America]] (CDA), a student-outreach organization with the goal of training and engaging a new generation of Democratic activists. [[Democrats Abroad]] is the organization for Americans living outside the United States; they work to advance the goals of the party and encourage Americans living abroad to support the Democrats. The [[Young Democrats of America]] (YDA) is a youth-led organization that attempts to draw in and mobilize young people for Democratic candidates, but operates outside of the DNC. In addition, the recently created branch of the Young Democrats, the Young Democrats High School Caucus, attempts to raise awareness and activism amongst teenagers to not only vote and volunteer, but participate in the future as well.The [[Democratic Governors Association]] (DGA) is an organization supporting the candidacies of Democratic gubernatorial nominees and incumbents; it is currently chaired by Governor [[Joe Manchin]] of West Virginia. Similarly the mayors of the largest cities and urban centres convene as the [[National Conference of Democratic Mayors]].
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The Republican Party generally supports free trade, especially [[NAFTA]] and [[CAFTA]]. It is responsible for a series of across-the-board tax cuts since 2001 that have bolstered the economy and reduced the punitive aspect of the income tax. It has sought business deregulation, reduction of environmental regulations that restrict fair use of land and property, and other policies that are pro-capitalism. It supports gun ownership rights, and enterprise zones (low taxes for investing in poverty areas). On social issues the majority of its national and state candidates usually favor the death penalty, call for stronger state-level control on access to [[abortion]], support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage at the federal level and by the states, favor faith-based charitable initiatives, support school choice and homeschooling, social welfare benefit reform, and oppose reverse racism, such as racial quotas.
  
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Each state also has a state committee, made up of elected committee members as well as ex-officio committee members (usually elected officials and representatives of major constituencies), which in turn elects a chair. County, town, city and ward committees generally are composed of individuals elected at the local level.  State and local committees often coordinate campaign activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions and in some cases primaries or caucuses, and may have a role in nominating candidates for elected office under state law. Rarely do they have much funding, but in 2005 DNC Chairman Dean began a program (called the "50 State Strategy") of using DNC national funds to assist all state parties and paying for full time professional staffers.<ref>{{cite news | last = Gilgoff | first = Dan | title = Dean's List | date = [[2006-07-16]] | url = http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/24dems.htm | publisher = [[U.S. News & World Report]] | accessdate = 2007-04-26}}</ref>
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In recent years the party has called for much stronger accountability in the public schools, especially through the "No Child Left behind Act" of 2001 (which also increased federal funding for schools). The party is split on the issue of federally funding embryonic stem cell research that involves the cloning and killing of human embryos. Many in the party think it  unethical to force tax payers who believe this type of research is morally wrong to finance it. Historically Republicans have had a strong belief in [[individualism]], limited government, and business entrepreneurship.
  
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== Ideology and voter base ==
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== History ==
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{{see|Factions in the Democratic Party (United States)}}
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{{For|comparison with other parties|Comparison of politics of parties of the United States}}
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[[Image:Democratic Base.svg|thumb|left|200px|Composition of the Democratic base according to a 2005 Pew Research Center study.]]
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Since the 1890s, the Democratic Party has favored "[[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]]" positions (the term "liberal" in this sense describes [[social liberalism]], not [[classical liberalism]]).  In recent exit polls, the Democratic Party has had broad appeal across all socio-ethno-economic demographics.<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.">{{cite web
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John C. Frémont ran as the first Republican for President in 1856, using the political slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Frémont." Although Frémont's bid was unsuccessful, the party grew especially rapidly in Northeastern and Midwestern states, where slavery had long been prohibited, culminating in a sweep of victories in the Northern states and the election of Lincoln in 1860, ending 60 years of dominance by the slavery-supporting Democrats and ushering in a new era of Republican dominance based in the immigrant and industrial north and on the end of slavery.
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|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/index.epolls.html
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|title=CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.
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}}</ref><ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html
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|title=CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.
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}}</ref><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html
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|title=CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.
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|accessdate=2007-07-11
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}}</ref> The Democratic base currently consists of a large number of well-educated and relatively affluent liberals as well as those in the socially more conservative working class.<ref name="Pew Research Center.">{{cite web
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|url=http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=945
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|title=Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
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|accessdate=2007-07-12
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}}</ref> The Democratic Party is currently the nation's largest party. In 2004, roughly 72 million (42.6 percent) Americans were registered Democrats, compared to 55 million (32.5 percent) Republicans and 42 million (24.8 percent) independents.<ref name="Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''."/>
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Historically, the party has favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, and religious and ethnic minorities; it has opposed unregulated business and finance, and favored progressive income taxes. In foreign policy, internationalism (including interventionism) was a dominant theme from 1913 to the mid 1960s. In the 1930s, the party began advocating welfare spending programs targeted at the poor. The party had a pro-business wing, typified by [[Al Smith]], that shrank in the 1930s, and a [[Southern Democrats|Southern]] conservative wing that shrank after President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] supported the [[Civil Rights Act]] of 1964. The major influences for liberalism were labor unions (which peaked in the 1936-1952 era), and the [[African American]] wing, which has steadily grown since the 1960s. Since the 1970s, [[environmentalism]] has been a major new component.
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With the end of the [[Civil War]] came the upheavals of Reconstruction under Democratic President [[Andrew Johnson]] (who had bitter disputes with the Republicans in Congress, who eventually impeached him) and [[Ulysses S. Grant]], a Republican. For a brief period, Republicans assumed control of Southern politics (due especially to the former slaves receiving the vote while it was denied to many whites who had participated in the Confederacy), forcing drastic reforms and frequently giving former slaves positions in government. After Reconstruction came to an end, the southern states became known as the "Solid South", giving overwhelming majorities of its electoral votes and Congressional seats to the Democrats until 1964.
  
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In recent decades, the party has adopted a [[Centrism|centrist]] economic and more [[Social progressivism|socially progressive]] agenda, with the voter base having shifted considerably. Once dominated by unionized labor and the [[working class]], the Democratic base now consists of [[social liberalism|social liberals]] who tend to be well-educated with above-average incomes as well as the socially more conservative working class. Today, Democrats advocate more social freedoms, [[affirmative action]], [[balanced budget]], and a [[Capitalism|free enterprise]] system tempered by [[government intervention]] ([[mixed economy]]). The economic policy adopted by the modern Democratic Party, including the former [[Clinton administration]], may also be referred to as the "[[Third Way (centrism)|Third Way]]".<ref>{{cite web
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States' rights had been a cause in the pre-Republican era, control of the federal government led the Republican Party to be known as the Party of the Union. The unity among veterans that developed in the North after the war led to a string of military men as President, and an era of international expansion and domestic protectionism. As the rural Northern antebellum economy mushroomed with industry and immigration, supporting the rights of the individual, innovation, invention, opportunity, entrepreneurship and business became the hallmarks of Republican policy proposals. From the Reconstruction era up to the turn of the century, the Republicans benefited from the Democrats' racist origin and their association with the Confederate States of America. The Republican Party, therefore dominated national politics--albeit with strong competition from the Democrats, especially during the 1880s. With the two-term presidency of [[Ulysses S. Grant]], the party became known for its strong advocacy of commerce, industry, and veterans' rights, which continues to this day.
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|url=http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=128&subid=187&contentid=895
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|title=Democratic Leadership Council. (1 June, 1998). About the Third Way.
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}}</ref> The party believes that government should play a role in alleviating poverty and [[social injustice]], even if such requires a larger role for government and [[progressive tax]]ation.  
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The Democratic Party, once dominant in the [[Southeastern United States]], is now strongest in the Northeast ([[Mid-Atlantic States|Mid-Atlantic]] and [[New England]]), [[Great Lakes region (North America)|Great Lakes region]], as well as along the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific Coast]] (especially [[Coastal California]]), including [[Hawaii]]. The Democrats are also strongest in [[List of United States cities by population|major cities]].
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During the 1880s and 1890s, the Republicans struggled against the Democrats' efforts, winning several close elections and losing two to [[Grover Cleveland]] (in 1884 and 1892).
  
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=== Ideologies ===
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The election of [[William McKinley]] in the [[United States presidential election of 1896]] is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a realigning election. The progressive, protectionist, political and beloved McKinley was the last Civil War veteran elected President and embodied the Republican ideals of economic progress, invention, education, and patriotism. He confirmed the Republicans as a pro-enterprise party; his campaign manager, Marcus Hanna was a highly effective political strategist and fund-raiser which meant McKinley outspent his radical rival William Jennings Bryan by a large margin.
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{{See|Political ideologies in the United States}}
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With over 72 million registered members, the Democratic Party is home to an ideologically diverse base. Progressives form by far the largest and most influential ideological demographic within the party.
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==== Progressives ====
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After McKinley's assassination, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] tapped McKinley's Industrial Commission for his trust-busting ideas and continued the federal and nationalist policies of his predecessor. In order to ensure fair competition in the economy Roosevelt took steps to abolish "trusts" or cartels which then dominated many key markets within the economy. This led Republicans into conflict with the most powerful commercial interests in the country, led by John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world.
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{{main|Modern liberalism in the United States|Liberalism in the United States|Progressivism in the United States}}
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[[Image:Liberal opinions.png|thumb|left|350px|Opinions of liberals in a 2005 Pew Research Center study.]]
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[[Social liberalism|Social liberals]], also referred to as progressives or modern liberals, constitute a large part, about 45.6 percent, of the Democratic voter base. Liberals thereby form the largest united typological demographic within the Democratic base. According to the Pew Research Center liberals constitute roughly 19 percent of the electorate with 92 percent of American liberals favoring the Democratic Party.<ref name="Pew Research Center."/> While college-educated professionals were mostly Republican until the 1950s, they now comprise perhaps the most vital component of the Democratic Party.<ref name="Judis, B. J. (11 July, 2003). The trouble with Howard Dean. ''Salon.com''.">{{cite web
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Roosevelt decided not to run again in 1908 and chose [[William Howard Taft]] to replace him, but the widening division between progressive and conservative forces in the party resulted in a third-party candidacy for Roosevelt on the United States Progressive Party, or "Bull Moose" ticket in the [[United States presidential election of 1912]]. Roosevelt finished ahead of Taft, but the split in the Republican vote resulted in a decisive victory for Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]], temporarily interrupting the Republican era.
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|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/07/11/dean/index.html
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|title=Judis, B. J. (11 July, 2003). The trouble with Howard Dean. ''Salon.com''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-19
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}}</ref> A majority of liberals favor [[diplomacy]] over [[military action]], [[stem-cell research]], the legalization of [[same-sex marriage]], secular government, stricter [[gun control]], and environmental protection laws as well as the preservation of [[abortion rights]]. Immigration and cultural diversity is deemed positive; liberals favor [[cultural pluralism]], a system in which immigrants retain their native culture in addition to adopting their new culture. They tend to be divided on free trade agreements and organizations such as [[NAFTA]]. Most liberals oppose increased military standing and the display of the [[Ten Commandments]] in public buildings.<ref name="Pew Research Center."/>
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This ideological group differs from the traditional organized labor base. According to the Pew Research Center, a plurality of 41 percent resided in [[mass affluent]] households and 49 percent were college graduates, the highest figure of any typographical group. It was also the fastest growing typological group between the late 1990s and early 2000s.<ref name="Pew Research Center."/> Liberals include most of academia<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web
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The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of high tariffs, the promotion of business interests, opposition to the League of Nations, and overall isolationism after Wilson's turbulent internationalism. [[Warren G. Harding]], [[Calvin Coolidge]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] were resoundingly elected in 1920, 1924, and 1928 respectively. These years saw the party firmly committed to laissez-faire economics, but the Great Depression cost it the presidency with the election of [[Socialism|socialist]] Democrat [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] in 1932. Roosevelt's [[New Deal]] Coalition controlled American politics for the next two decades, concluding with the two-term presidency of popular World War II hero [[Dwight Eisenhower]].
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|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html
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|title=Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-02
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}}</ref> and large portion of the professional class.<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.">{{cite web
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|title=CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.
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}}</ref><ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll."/><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll."/>
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Many [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] Democrats are descendants of the [[New Left]] of Democratic presidential candidate Senator [[George McGovern]] of South Dakota; others were involved in the presidential candidacies of [[Vermont]] Governor [[Howard Dean]] and U.S. Representative [[Dennis Kucinich]] of [[Ohio]]; still others are disaffected former members of the [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]]. The [[Congressional Progressive Caucus]] (CPC) is a caucus of progressive Democrats, and is the single largest Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives. Its members have included [[Dennis Kucinich]] of Ohio, [[John Conyers]] of Michigan, [[Jim McDermott]] of Washington, [[John Lewis (politician)|John Lewis]] of Georgia, [[Barbara Lee]] of California, the late Senator [[Paul Wellstone]] of Minnesota, and [[Sherrod Brown]] of Ohio, now a Senator.
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The post-war emergence of the United States as one of two superpowers and rapid social change caused the Republican Party to divide into a conservative wing (dominant in the West and Southeast) and a liberal wing (dominant in New England) - combined with a residual base of inherited Midwestern Republicanism active throughout the century. A Republican like Senator Robert Taft of Ohio represented the Midwestern wing of the party that continued to oppose New Deal reforms and continued to champion isolationism. Thomas Dewey of New York represented the Northeastern wing of the party that was closer to Democratic liberalism and internationalism. In the end, the isolationists were marginalized by those who supported a strong U.S. role in opposing the Soviet Union throughout the world, as embodied by President Eisenhower. However, this development did not represent the end of the story. The seeds of conservative dominance in the Republican party were planted in the nomination of conservative [[Barry Goldwater]] over liberal [[Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller|Nelson Rockefeller]] as the Republican candidate for the [[United States presidential election of 1964]].  
  
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==== Civil libertarians ====
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Any enduring Republican majority, however, was put on hold when the Watergate Affair caused [[Richard Nixon]] to resign under a threat of impeachment by elements within the Democratic Party opposed to U.S. efforts to fight [[Communism|communist]] totalitarianism. Gerald Ford succeeded Nixon under the 25th Amendment and struggled to forge a political identity separate from his predecessor. The taint of Watergate and the nation's economic difficulties contributed to the election of Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, a Washington outsider who would later be regarded as the worst president of the 20th century.
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[[Civil libertarian]]s also often support the Democratic Party because Democratic positions on such issues as [[civil rights]] and [[separation of church and state]] are more closely aligned to their own than the positions of the Republican Party, and because the Democratic economic agenda may be more appealing to them than that of the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]]. They oppose gun control, the "[[Prohibition (drugs)|War on Drugs]],"  [[protectionism]], [[corporate welfare]], government debt, and an [[interventionism (politics)|interventionist]] foreign policy. The Democratic Freedom Caucus is an organized group of this faction.
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==== Conservatives ====
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In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination and easily beat Carter with his strong communication skills and message of economic freedom and strength against the [[Soviet Union]]. Reagan produced a major realignment with his 1980 and 1984 landslides. In 1980 the Reagan coalition was possible because of Democratic losses in most social-economic groups. In 1984 Reagan won nearly 60% of the popular vote and carried every state except his Democrat opponent Walter Mondale's home state of [[Minnesota]] and the District of Columbia, creating a record 525 electoral vote total (of 538 possible). Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3,761 votes <ref>http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1984&fips=27&f=1&off=0&elect=0</ref>, meaning Reagan came within less than 3,800 votes of winning in all fifty states.
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In the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], the [[Blue Dog Democrats]], a caucus of fiscal and social conservatives and moderates, primarily southerners, forms part of the Democratic Party's current faction of [[conservative Democrat]]s. They have acted as a unified voting bloc in the past, giving its forty plus members some ability to change legislation and broker compromises with the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]'s leadership. [[Pro-life]] Democrats are sometimes classified as conservatives on the basis of [[social conservatism]].
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==== Centrists ====
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The so-called "Reagan Democrats" were Democrats before the Reagan years, and afterwards, but who voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 (and for George H.W. Bush in 1988), producing their landslide victories. They lived in the Northeast and were attracted to Reagan's libertarian-conservative views, and to his strong stance on national security issues.
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Though [[centrism|centrist]] Democrats differ on a variety of issues, they typically foster a mix of political views and ideas. Compared to other Democratic factions, they are mostly more supportive of the use of military force, including the war in Iraq, and are more willing to reduce government welfare, as indicated by their support for [[welfare reform]] and [[tax cuts]]. One of the most influential factions is the [[Democratic Leadership Council]] (DLC), a nonprofit organization that advocates [[centrism|centrist]] positions for the party. The DLC hails President [[Bill Clinton]] as proof of the viability of [[Third Way (centrism)|third way]] politicians and a DLC success story. Former Representative [[Harold Ford, Jr.]] of [[Tennessee]] is its current chairman.
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=== Professionals ===
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Reagan's Vice-President, George H.W. Bush, a [[World War II]] war hero, was elected in 1988 but was defeated in 1992 as domestic issues took prominence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end of the [[Cold War]].  Democratic challenger [[Bill Clinton]] strategically repositioned the Democrats to the right. [[Ross Perot]]'s candidacy was instrumental in Clinton's victory as he took Republican votes with his criticism of deficits. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, and Clinton, still a largely unknown quantity in American politics with 41% of the popular vote took office. Despite his loss, George H.W. Bush left office in 1993 with a 56 percent job approval rating.
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Professionals, those who have a college education and whose work revolves around the conceptualization of ideas, have supported the Democratic Party by a slight majority since 2000. Between 1988 and 2000, professionals favored Democrats by a 12 percentage point margin. While the professional class was once a stronghold of the Republican Party it has become increasingly split between the two parties, leaning in favor of the Democratic Party. The increasing support for Democratic candidates among professionals may be traced to the prevalence of social liberal values among this group.<ref name="Judis & Teixeira">{{web cite
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|url=http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:bueazvJ1K7IJ:www.prospect.org/cs/articles%3Farticle%3Dback_to_the_future061807+liberals+demographic&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us
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|title=Judis, J. B. & Teixeira, R. ([[June 19]] [[2007]]). Back to the Future. ''The American Prospect''.|accessdate=2007-08-19}}</ref>
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{{cquote|Professionals, who are, roughly speaking, college-educated producers of services and ideas, used to be the most staunchly Republican of all occupational groups... now chiefly working for large corporations and bureaucracies rather than on their own, and heavily influenced by the environmental, civil-rights, and feminist movements -- began to vote Democratic. In the four elections from 1988 to 2000, they backed Democrats by an average of 52 percent to 40 percent.|||John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira, ''The American Prospect'', [[June 19]] [[2007]]}}
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House Republican Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]]-led the "Republican Revolution" of 1994 and its famous ''Contract With America''. It was the first time since 1952 that the Republicans secured control of both houses of U.S. Congress, which, with the exception of the Senate during 2001-2002, lasted until the 2006 mid-term elections. Democrats had controlled both houses of Congress for the forty years preceding 1994, with the exception of the 1981-1987 Congresses (in which Republicans controlled the Senate).  
  
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A study on the political attitudes of [[Medical school|medical students]], for example, found that "U.S. medical students are considerably more likely to be liberal than conservative and are more likely to be liberal than are other young U.S. adults. Future U.S. physicians may be more receptive to liberal messages than conservative ones, and their political orientation may profoundly affect their health system attitudes."<ref name="Frank, Carrera & Dharamsi">{{cite web
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In the 1994 mid-term election, Republican congressional candidates ran on a platform  of promising floor votes to force members of Congress to go on record on a series of popular reforms -- something the Democrats had stifled for decades. These measures and others formed the Contract with America, which represented the first effort to have a party platform in a mid-term election. Seven of the ten Contract items actually became Law. The budget reforms, coupled with reduced defence spending after the Cold War, and the earlier Reagan Tax Cuts for Business Research and Development in the 1980s, led to a high tech consumer boom, rising incomes for all groups, and unprecedented, sustained economic growth in the late 1990s. Democratic President Bill Clinton opposed some of the social agenda initiatives but he co-opted the proposals for welfare reform and a balanced federal budget. The result was a major change in the welfare system, which conservatives hailed and liberals bemoaned. One Contract item, which required Democrats in a two-thirds majority to pass a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, failed.  
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|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/402j845476w87208/
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|title=Frank, E., Carrera, J. & Dharamsi, S. (9 February, 2007). Political Self-characterization of U.S. Medical Students. ''Journal of General Internal Medicine''.
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|accessdate=2007-09-26
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}}</ref> Similar results are found for professors and economists, who are more strongly inclined towards liberalism and the Democratic Party than other occupational groups.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html
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|title=Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref>
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==== Economists ====
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In 1995, a budget battle with [[President Clinton]] led to the brief shutdown of the federal government, an event which contributed to Clinton's victory in the 1996 election. That year the Republicans nominated Bob Dole, who was unable to transfer his success in Senate leadership to a viable presidential campaign. Ross Perot ran again (this time on Reform Party ticket), once again draining away a large percentage of Dole's support and insuring Clinton another term after the majority of Americans voters voted against him.
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American [[Economist#United States|economists]] strongly support the Democratic Party, with their views on policy being largely in accordance with the Democratic platform. The vast majority, 63%, identify as [[Modern liberalism in the United States|progressive]] and less than 20% as [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] or libertarian.<ref name="Boxx & Quinlivan">Boxx, W. T. & Quinlivan, G. M. (1994). The Cultural Context of Economics and Politics. Lanham, MA: University Press of America.</ref> In a 2004 survey of 1,000 American economists, registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans by a 2.5 to 1 ratio. The majority of economists favored "''safety regulations, gun control, redistribution, public schooling, and anti-discrimination laws''," while opposing "''tighter immigration controls, government ownership of enterprise and tariffs''."<ref name="Klein, D. B. & Stern, C. (6 December, 2004) Economists' policy views and voting. ''Public Choice Journal''.">{{cite web
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|url=http://springerlink.metapress.com/content/w4q363786573275h/
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|title=Klein, D. B. & Stern, C. (6 December, 2004) Economists' policy views and voting. ''Public Choice Journal''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-02
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}}</ref> Other surveys have found Democrats to outnumber Republicans 2.8 to 1 among members of the profession. A study in the ''Southern Economic Journal'' found that "''71 percent of American economists believe the distribution of [[income in the United States]] should be [[Income inequality in the United States|more equal]], and 81 percent feel that the redistribution of income is a legitimate role for government''."<ref name="Klein, G. P. (15 November, 2006). Why Intellectuals Still Support Socialism. ''Ludwig Von Mieses Institute''. (Survey results were taken from a tetriary source in this case)">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.mises.org/story/2318
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|title=Klein, G. P. (15 November, 2006). Why Intellectuals Still Support Socialism. ''Ludwig Von Mieses Institute''. (Survey results were taken from a tetriary source in this case)
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|accessdate=2007-08-21}}</ref>
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==== Academia ====
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With the election of George W. Bush (son of former president George H. W. Bush) in an extremely close 2000 election, the Republican party controlled both the presidency and both houses of Congress for the first time since 1952. However, after [[Vermont]] senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent aligned with the Democrats in June of 2001, Republicans lost control of the Senate by a single seat.
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[[Image:Academia politics.png|thumb|right|Percent of faculty members identifying as liberal and conservative by discipline.]]
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Academics, intellectuals and the highly [[Educational attainment|educated]] overall constitute an important part of the Democratic voter base. [[Academia]] in particular tends to be [[Modern liberalism in the United States|progressive]]. In a 2005 survey, nearly 72% of full-time faculty members identified as liberal, while 15% identified as conservative. The [[social sciences]] and [[humanities]] were the most liberal disciplines while business was the most [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]. Male professors at more advanced stages of their careers as well as those at elite institutions tend be the most liberal.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''."/> Another survey by UCLA conducted in 2001/02, found 47.6% of professors identifying as liberal, 34.3% as moderate, and 18% as conservative.<ref name="Shea">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2003/10/12/what_liberal_academia/
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|title=Shea, C. (12 October 2003). What liberal academia? ''The Bosoton Globe''.
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|accessdate=2007-08-19
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}}</ref> Percentages of professors who identified as liberal ranged from 49% in business to over 80% in [[Political Science|political science]] and the humanities.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html
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|title=Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-02
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}}</ref> The liberal inclination of American professors is attributed by some to the liberal outlook of the highly educated.<ref name="O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.collegenews.org/x2782.xml
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|title=O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-02
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}}</ref> Among those with graduate degrees, the majority voted Democratic in the 1996,<ref name="CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/elections/natl.exit.poll/index1.html
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|title=CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.
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|accessdate=2007-07-11
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}}</ref> 2000,<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll."/> 2004,<ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll."/> and 2006 elections.<ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll."/> Social scientists, such as Brett O'Bannon of [[DePauw University]], have claimed that the "liberal" opinions of professors seem to have little, if any, effect on the political orientation of students.<ref name="O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.collegenews.org/x2782.xml
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|title=O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.
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|accessdate=2007-07-02
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}}</ref><ref name="George & Medler">{{cite web
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|url=http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dgeorge/Faculty.Study/Pol.Soc.html
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|title=George, D. L. & Medler, J. F. (1996). College Faculty as an Inconsequential Agent of Political Socialization. Department of Political Science, Cal Poly State University, San Louis Obispo.
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|accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref>
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=== Youth ===
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In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, however, Bush pursued a "War on Terrorism" that included the liberation of Afghanistan from the radical Islamist Taliban regime and the [[Patriot act|USA PATRIOT act]]. By early 2002, the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan. On March 20, 2003, U.S. and allied nations initiated "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to liberate the Iraqi people from the brutal regime of [[Saddam Hussein]]. By May 1, 2003, the regime of Saddam was declared officially over. Once US and allied military forces entered Iraq, they discovered that various international terrorists had been given sanctuary by Saddam and ran their terrorist operations from Iraq. Notable terrorists found included Muhammad Zaidan aka Abu Abbas and Sabri Khalil al-Banna aka Abu Nidal.  
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Studies have shown that younger voters tend to vote mostly for Democratic candidates in recent years. Despite supporting [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[George H. W. Bush]], the young have voted in favor the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992, and are more likely to identify as liberals than the general population.<ref name="Nagourney">{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/washington/27poll.html?_r=3&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1182947253-8kvQkT+aYTOYz/BCpTsRCg&oref=slogin&oref=slogin|title=Nagourney, A. (June 27, 2007). Young Americans are leaning left, new poll finds. ''The New York Times''.|accessdate=2007-04-05}}</ref> In the [[2004 U.S. Presidential Election]], Democratic presidential candidate [[John Kerry]] received 54% of the vote from voters of the age group 18-29, while Republican [[George W. Bush]] received 45% of the vote from the same age group. In the 2006 midterm elections, the Democrats received 60% of the vote from the same age group, while the Republicans only received 38%.<ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll."/><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll."/> Polls suggest that younger voters tend to be more liberal than the general population, and have more liberal views than the general public on same-sex marriage and universal healthcare, with 58% planning to vote Democratic in 2008.<ref name="Nagourney"/>
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=== Labor ===
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The Republican Party fared well in the 2002 midterm elections, solidifying its hold on the House and regaining control of the Senate, in the run-up to the liberation of Iraq. This marked just the third time since the Civil War that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress in a midterm election (others were 1902 and 1934).  
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Since the 1930s, a critical component of the Democratic Party coalition has been [[Labor unions in the United States|organized labor]].  Labor unions supply a great deal of the money, grass roots political organization, and voting base of support for the party. The historic decline in union membership over the past half century has been accompanied by a growing disparity between public sector and private sector union membership percentages. The three most significant labor groupings in the Democratic coalition today are the [[AFL-CIO]] and [[Change to Win Federation|Change to Win]] [[National trade union center|labor federations]], as well as the [[National Education Association]], a large, unaffiliated [[teacher|teachers']] union. Both the AFL-CIO and Change to Win have identified their top legislative priority for 2007 as passage of the [[Employee Free Choice Act]]. Other important issues for labor unions include supporting [[industrial policy]] (including [[protectionism]]) that sustains unionized [[manufacturing]] jobs, raising the [[minimum wage]] and promoting broad social programs such as [[Social Security (United States)|social security]] and [[universal health care]].
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==== Working class ====
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Bush was renominated without opposition for the [[United States presidential election, 2004]] and titled his political platform "A Safer World and a More Hopeful America". It expressed Bush's commitment to winning the War on Terror, ushering in an Ownership Era, and building an innovative economy to compete in the world.
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{{see|Social class in the United States}}
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[[Image:Gilbert class.svg|thumb|300px|American social class model according to [[Dennis Gilbert]].<ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book
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|last = Gilbert
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|first = Dennis
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|authorlink =
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|coauthors =
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|year = 1998
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|title = The American Class Structure
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|publisher = Wadsworth Publishing
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|location = New York
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|id = 0-534-50520-1}}</ref>]]
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While the American [[working class]] has lost much of its political strength with the decline of [[labor unions]],<ref name="What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century">{{cite book
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On November 2, 2004, Bush was re-elected, while Republicans gained seats in both houses of Congress, leaving Democrats in disarray. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 Electoral College votes. In that election, he also received more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate, 62.0 million votes. Democrat challenger, Senator [[John Kerry]], carried a 19 states and the District of Columbia, earning him 251 Electoral College votes and 48 percent of the popular vote to Bush's 51 percent, the first popular majority since his father was elected in 1988. That election also marked the seventh consecutive election in which the Democratic nominee failed to reach that threshold.  
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|last = Zweig
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|first = Michael
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|authorlink =
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|coauthors =
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|year = 2004
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|title = What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century
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|publisher = Cornell University Press
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|location = New York, NY
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|id = 0-8014-8899-0
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}}</ref> it remains a stronghold of the Democratic Party and continues as an essential part of the Democratic base. Today roughly a third of the American public is estimated to be working class with around 52 percent being either members of the working or [[American lower class|lower classes]].<ref name="The American Class Structure"/><ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book
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|last = Thompson
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|first = William
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|authorlink =
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|coauthors = Joseph Hickey
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|year = 2005
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|title = Society in Focus
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|publisher = Pearson
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|location = Boston, MA
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|id = 0-205-41365-X
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}}</ref> Yet, as those with lower [[Social class in the United States|socioeconomic status]] are less likely to vote, the working and lower classes are underrepresented in the electorate. The working class is largely distinguished by highly routinized and closely supervised work. It consists mainly of [[Clerk#United States|clerical]] and [[blue collar]] workers.<ref name="The American Class Structure"/> Even though most in the working class are able afford an adequate standard of living, high economic insecurity and possible personal benefit from an extended social safety net, make the majority of working class person left-of-center on economic issues. Most working class Democrats differ from most liberals, however, in their more socially conservative views. Working class Democrats tend to be more religious and likely to belong to an ethnic minority. Socially conservative and disadvantaged Democrats are among the least educated and lowest earning ideological demographics. In 2005, only 15% had a college degree, compared to 27% at the national average and 49% of liberals, respectively. Together socially conservative and the financially disadvantaged comprised roughly 54% of the Democratic base.<ref name="Pew Research Center."/> The continued importance of the working class votes manifests itself in recent CNN exit polls, which show the Democratic Party garner the majority of votes from those with low [[Income in the United States|incomes]] and little education.<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll."/><ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll."/><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll."/>
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=== Ethnic minorities ===
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The counties where Bush led in the popular vote amount to 83% of the geographic area of the U.S. (excluding Alaska, which did not report results by borough/census area, but had all electoral districts but one of the two in Juneau vote for Bush).  
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A large portion of the Democratic voting base are [[Ethnic Minority|ethnic minorities]]. The Democrats' positions on affirmative action, [[welfare (financial aid)|welfare]] for the lower class and unemployed, labor unions, and immigration have a strong appeal to many ethnic minorities.
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==== African Americans ====
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The election marked the first time an incumbent president was reelected while his political party increased its numbers in both houses of Congress since Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 election. It was the first time for a Republican since William McKinley in the 1900 election.
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From the end of the Civil War, [[African American]]s favored the Republican Party. However, they began drifting to the Democratic Party in the 1930s, as [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt's]] [[New Deal]] programs gave economic relief to all minorities, including African Americans and [[Hispanics]].  Support for the [[Civil Rights Movement]] in the 1960s by Democratic presidents [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] helped give the Democrats even larger support among the African American community, although their position also alienated the [[Southern strategy|Southern white]] population.  In addition recent [[Caribbean]] and [[Africa]]n immigrants have voted solidly Democratic.
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==== Hispanics ====
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==Presidential dominance==
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The Hispanic population, particularly the large [[Mexican American]] population in the [[Southwest United States|Southwest]] and the large [[Puerto Rican American|Puerto Rican]] and [[Dominican American|Dominican]] populations in the [[Northeast United States|Northeast]], have been strong supporters of the Democratic Party.  They commonly favor liberal views on immigration. In the [[1996 U.S. Presidential Election]], Democratic President [[Bill Clinton]] received 72 percent of the Hispanic vote. Since then, however, the Republican Party has gained increasing support from the Hispanic community, especially among Hispanic Protestants and [[Pentecostalism|pentecostals]]. Along with Bush's much more liberal views on immigration, President Bush was the first Republican president to gain 40 percent of the Hispanic vote (he did so in the [[2004 U.S. Presidential Election]]). Yet, the Republican Party's support among Hispanics eroded in the [[United States House elections, 2006|2006 mid-term elections]], dropping from 44 to 30 percent, with the Democrats gaining in the Hispanic vote from 55 percent in 2004 to 69 percent in 2006.<ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll."/><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll."/> The shift in the Hispanic population's support back to the Democratic party was largely dued to the [[2006 United States immigration reform protests|Immigration Debate]] which was sparked by [[H.R. 4437]], a Republican supported enforcement only bill concerning [[illegal immigration]].  [[Cuban-American]]s still heavily vote Republican but [[Mexican-American]]s, [[Puerto Rican American]]s, [[Dominican American]]s, and [[Central America]]n and [[South America]]n immigrants have all voted dependably for Democrats.
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[[Image:Washington painting at the Oval Office.JPG|right]]
 +
In terms of winning presidential elections, the Republican Party has been the most successful political party in U.S. history. Since the American Civil War, Grover Cleveland is the only non-incumbent Democrat who has won the office of President of the United States under "ordinary" circumstances (meaning no third party, no Great Depression, no disputed count in Illinois, no assassination of the previous president, no Watergate).
  
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==== Asian Americans ====
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From 1860 through 1912, 10 men were elected President of the United States -- Grover Cleveland being the only Democrat.
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The Democratic Party also has considerable support in the small but growing [[Asian American]] population. The Asian population had been a stronghold of the Republican Party until the [[1992 United States Presidential Election|1992 presidential election]] in which [[George H. W. Bush]] won 55% of the Asian vote, compared to [[Bill Clinton]] winning 31%, and [[Ross Perot]] winning 15% of the Asian vote. The Democrats made gains among the Asian American population starting with 1996 and in 2006, won 62% of the Asian vote. This is due to demographic shifts in the Asian American community, with growing numbers of well-educated [[Chinese American|Chinese]] and [[Indian American|Asian Indian]] immigrants that are typically economic centrists and [[Social progressivism|social progressives]]. [[Vietnamese Americans]] and [[Filipino American]]s still vote mostly Republican (though this has lessened recently), while [[Chinese American]]s, [[South Asian American]]s, [[Korean American]]s, [[Japanese American]]s, [[Southeast Asian American]]s other than Vietnamese (especially [[Hmong American]]s, [[Cambodian American]]s, and [[Laotian American]]s,) and [[Pacific Islander American]]s have voted mostly Democratic.
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==== Others ====
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Woodrow Wilson, who won in 1912, only won because William Howard Taft (the Republican incumbent) split the party vote with former President Theodore Roosevelt who ran as the Progressive Party candidate. Wilson only garnered 41.6% of the popular vote, compared to a combined 50.6% of Roosevelt and Taft.
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The Democratic Party also has strong support among the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] population, particularly in [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Montana]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Washington]], [[Alaska]], [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[North Carolina]].
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Jewish communities tend to be a stronghold for the Democratic Party, with more than 70 percent of Jewish voters having cast their ballots for the Democrats in the 2004 and 2006 elections.<ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll."/><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll."/>
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Following Wilson, there were three more Republicans. It took a major economic depression to get another Democrat elected (in 1932).
  
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[[Arab American]]s and [[Muslim]]s, though having historically voted Republican, have voted overwhelmingly Democratic since the [[War in Iraq]].
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John F. Kennedy (the next Democratic non-incumbent to win the White House) won the [[United States presidential election, 1960]] as the result of voter fraud in Chicago (and several other locations), with a mere 0.2% difference in the popular vote.
  
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== Recent issue stances ==
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It took the aftermath of the Watergate matter to get the next, non-incumbent Democrat elected in 1976 in a very close election in which Democrat Jimmy Carter received 50.1% of the popular vote to Gerald Ford's 48.0%.  5,000 popular votes in the State of Ohio would have made the difference.
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{{Refimprove|date=February 2008}}
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=== Economic issues ===
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==== Minimum wage ====
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Democrats favor a higher [[minimum wage]], and more regular increases, in order to assist the working poor. The [[Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007]] was an early component of the Democrats' agenda during the [[110th Congress]]. In 2006, the Democrats supported six state ballot initiatives to increase the minimum wage; all six initiatives passed.
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==== Renewable energy and oil ====
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The next non-incumbent Democrat victory occurred in 1992, in which third party candidate H. Ross Perot took away 19% of the popular vote from the Republican candidate, incumbent George H.W. Bush. And even though Bill Clinton was twice elected, he never once had a majority of the vote (43.0% in 1992; 49.2% in 1996). More people (the majority of voters) voted against Clinton for President than ever voted for him.
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Democrats have opposed tax cuts and incentives to oil companies, favoring a policy of developing domestic [[renewable energy]], such as [[Montana]]'s state-supported wind farm and "clean coal" programs as well as setting in place a [[Emissions trading|cap and trade policy]] in hopes of reducing carbon emissions.
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==== Fiscal policy ====
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Since the birth of the Republican Party, the average Republican margin of victory over their opponents in Presidential elections has been around 12% to the Democrat's margin of victory over their opponents at around 8%. Also since the birth of the Republican Party, Democrats only garnered a majority of the vote a total of 7 times in 38 elections, while Republicans earned a majority 17 times in those same 38 elections.
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Democrats generally support a more [[progressive tax]] structure to provide more services and reduce injustice.<ref>http://economics.about.com/od/monetaryandfiscalpolicy/a/high_taxes.htm</ref> Currently they have proposed reversing those [[Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003|tax cuts the Bush administration]] gave to the wealthiest Americans while wishing to keep in place those given to the middle class.<ref>http://economics.about.com/od/monetaryandfiscalpolicy/a/high_taxes.htm</ref><ref>http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/12/dems_in_debate_urge_taxes_on_w.html</ref><ref>http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/12/dems_in_debate_urge_taxes_on_w.html</ref> Democrats generally support more government spending on social services while spending less on the military.<ref>http://opinionjournal.com/weekend/hottopic/?id=110010876</ref><ref>http://www.heritage.org/Research/budget/wm1460.cfm</ref> They oppose the cutting of social services, such as [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], [[Medicare]], [[Medicaid]], and various [[Welfare (financial aid)|welfare]] programs<ref>http://usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/social/ch9.htm</ref>, believing it to be harmful to efficiency and social justice. Democrats believe the benefits of social services, in monetary and non-monetary terms, are a more productive labor force and cultured population, and believe that the benefits of this are greater than any benfits that could be derived from lower taxes, especially on top earners, or cuts to social services. Furthermore, Democrats see social services as essential towards providing positive freedom, i.e. freedom derived from economic opporunity. The Democratic-led House of Representatives reinstated the [[PAYGO]] (pay-as-you-go) budget rule at the start of the [[110th United States Congress|110th Congress]].<ref>{{cite news
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|title = Day Two: House passes new budget rules
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|date = [[2007-01-05]]
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|url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16487187
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|publisher = [[Associated Press]]
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|accessdate = 2007-01-05
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}}</ref> DNC Chairman [[Howard Dean]] has cited [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton's presidency]] as a model for fiscal responsibility.
+
  
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==== Health care and insurance coverage ====
+
In the 20th century, only 7 U.S. Presidents gained a larger margin of victory over their opponents in their second election. Five of those seven were Republicans. It must be noted that this statistic cannot be applied to incumbents who entered office without being elected, as their re-election was actually their first election -- i.e. Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford)
−
Democrats call for "affordable and quality health care," and many advocate an expansion of government intervention in this area. Many Democrats favor [[national health insurance]] or [[universal health care]] in a variety of forms to address the rising costs of modern health insurance. Some Democrats, such as Represenative [[John Dingell]] and Senator [[Ted Kennedy|Edward Kennedy]], have called for a program of "[[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] for All."<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://energycommerce.house.gov/medicare/medicareforall.shtml Medicare for All]}}. Retrieved on [[2007-01-25]].</ref>
+
  
−
Some Democratic governors have supported purchasing [[Canada|Canadian]] drugs, citing lower costs and budget restrictions as a primary incentive. Recognizing that unpaid insurance bills increase costs to the service provider, who passes the cost on to health-care consumers, many Democrats advocate expansion of health insurance coverage.
+
*Nixon from a 0.7% margin of victory in 1968 to a 23.2% MOV in 1972.
 +
*Reagan from a 9.7% MOV in 1980 to a 18.2% MOV in 1984.
 +
*FDR from a 17.% MOV in 1932 to a 24.3% MOV in 1936.
 +
*Eisenhower from a 10.7% MOV in 1952 to a 15.4% MOV in 1956.
 +
*McKinley from a 4.2% MOV in 1896 to a 6.1% MOV in 1900.
 +
*Clinton from a 5.6% MOV in 1992 to a 8.5% MOV in 1996.
 +
*GWB from a -0.5% MOV in 2000 to a 2.8% MOV in 2004.
  
−
==== Environment ====
+
Of the 11 U.S. presidents to be re-elected (i.e. elected a second time) since the Civil War, 7 were Republicans and only 4 Democrats. All seven of those Republicans were re-elected with a higher percentage of the vote , while only 3 of those Democrats received a greater percentage for their re-election bid. And this doesn't even include Franklin Delano Roosevelt's third and fourth terms, where victory margins diminished in his third and forth terms.)
−
Democratic belief is that the health of families and the strength of the economy depend on stewardship of the environment. Democrats have promised to fight to strengthen the laws that ensure people have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. They also promise to make sure these laws are enforced. They feel that a sensible energy policy is key to a strong economy, national security, and a clean environment.<ref>{{cite web
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|url=http://www.democrats.org/a/national/clean_environment/
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−
|title=Agenda - Environment
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|accessdate=2007-03-18}}</ref>
+
  
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The Democratic Party rejects the idea that a healthy economy and a healthy environment is mutually exclusive, because they believe that a cleaner environment means a stronger economy. They protect hunting and fishing heritage by expanding conservation lands. They encourage open space and rail travel to relieve highway and airport congestion and improve air quality and economy, and "believe that communities, environmental interests, and government should work together to protect resources while ensuring the vitality of local economies. Once Americans were led to believe they had to make a choice between the economy and the environment. They now know this is a false choice."<ref>{{cite web
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== Contemporary Party ==
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|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Environment.htm
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|title=Democratic Party on Environment
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|accessdate=2007-10-24}}</ref>
+
  
−
The biggest environmental concern of the Democratic party is [[global warming]]. Democrats, most notably former Vice President [[Al Gore]], have pressed for stern regulation of [[greenhouse gases]]. On [[October 15]] [[2007]] he won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for his efforts to build greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and laying the foundations for the measures needed to counteract these changes. asserting that "the climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."<ref>{{cite journal
+
The contemporary Republican Party represents a wide array of interests such as the conservative evangelicals and the economic libertarians. The party has had some internal conflict over attitudes about how governments should run and how large they should be, what the party stands for, and what the party's attitude towards [[neo-conservatism]] should be especially in regard to foreign policy. The party is also divided over immigration issues with some members (such as George W. Bush) favoring workers visas and permits and some other members favoring strict control of immigration and strong action against illegal immigration. Unlike the Democratic party, the Republican party routinely allows dissenting factions such as the [[Log Cabin Republicans]] to speak at National Conventions.
−
|author=John Nicols
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|title=Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize
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|journal=The Nation
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|date=[[2007-10-12]]}}</ref>
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−
==== College education ====
+
==Presidents from the party==
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Most Democrats have the long term aim of having low-cost, publicly-funded college education with low tuition fees (like in much of Europe) which should be available to every eligible American student, or alternatively, with increasing state funding for student financial aid such as the [[Pell Grant]] or college tuition [[tax deduction]].<ref>{{cite web
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# [[Abraham Lincoln]] (1861-1865)
−
|title = Clinton Joins Key Senate Democrats to Release Report on "The College Cost Crunch"
+
# [[Ulysses S. Grant]] (1869-1877)
−
|date = [[2006-06-28]]
+
# [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] (1877-1881)
−
|url = http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=258005
+
# [[James Garfield]] (1881)
−
|work = clinton.senate.gov
+
# [[Chester A. Arthur]] (1881-1885)
−
|accessdate = 2006-11-25
+
# [[Benjamin Harrison]] (1889-1893)
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}}</ref><ref>[http://www.democrats.org/a/national/economic_growth/ Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence]. Retrieved on [[2006]]-[[11-25]].</ref>
+
# [[William McKinley]] (1897-1901)
 +
# [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (1901-1909)
 +
# [[William Howard Taft]] (1909-1913)
 +
# [[Warren G. Harding]] (1921-1923)
 +
# [[Calvin Coolidge]] (1923-1929)
 +
# [[Herbert Hoover]] (1929-1933)
 +
# [[Dwight Eisenhower]] (1953-1961)
 +
# [[Richard Nixon]] (1969-1974)
 +
# [[Gerald Ford]] (1974-1977)
 +
# [[Ronald Reagan]] (1981-1989)
 +
# [[George H. W. Bush]] (1989-1993)
 +
# [[George W. Bush]] (2001-2009)
  
−
==== Trade agreements ====
+
==See Also==
−
The Democratic Party has a mixed record on [[international trade]] agreements that reflects a diversity of viewpoints in the party. The liberal and [[Cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]] wing of the party, including the intelligentsia and college-educated professionals overall, tend to favor [[globalization]], while the organized labor wing of the party opposes it.<ref name="Rorty, R. (1997). ''Achieving Our Country: Leftist Though In Twenthieth Century America''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.">Rorty, R. (1997). ''Achieving Our Country: Leftist Though In Twenthieth Century America''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.</ref> In the 1990s, the Clinton administration and a number of prominent Democrats pushed through a number of agreements such as the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA).  Since then, the party's shift away from free trade became evident in the [[Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement|Central American Free Trade Agreement]] (CAFTA) vote, with 15 House Democrats voting for the agreement and 187 voting against.<ref>{{cite news
+
*[[RINO]] - '''R'''epublicans '''i'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly
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|last= Weisman
+
*[[Previous Breaking News/Republicans|Articles about '''Republicans''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
−
|first=Jonathan
+
−
|title=CAFTA Reflects Democrats' Shift From Trade Bills
+
−
|publisher=[[The Washington Post]]
+
−
|date=[[2005-07-06]]
+
−
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501345_pf.html
+
−
|accessdate=2006-12-10
+
−
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
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−
|last= Nichols
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−
|first=John
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|title=CAFTA Vote Outs "Bush Democrats"
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|publisher=[[The Nation]]
+
−
|date=[[2005-07-28]]
+
−
|url=http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=8874
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−
|accessdate=2006-12-15}}</ref>
+
−
 
+
−
In his 1997 ''Achieving Our Country'', [[philosopher]] [[Richard Rorty]], [[professor]] at [[Stanford University]] states that economic globalization "invites two responses from the Left. The first is to insist that the inequalities between nations need to be mitigated... The second is to insist that the primary responsibility of each democratic nation-state is to its own least advantaged citizens... the first response suggests that the old democracies should open their borders, whereas the second suggests that they should close them. The first response comes naturally to academic leftists, who have always been internationally minded. The second comes naturally to members of trade unions, and to marginally employed people who can most easily be recruited into right-wing populist movements." (p. 88)<ref name="Rorty, R. (1997). ''Achieving Our Country: Leftist Though In Twentieth Century America''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.">Rorty, R. (1997). ''Achieving Our Country: Leftist Though In Twentieth Century America''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.</ref>
+
−
 
+
−
==== Alternate Minimum Tax ====
+
−
While the Democratic Party is in support of a progressive tax structure, it has vowed to adjust the [[Alternate Minimum Tax]] (AMT). The tax was originally designed to tax the rich but now may affect many households, especially those with [[Income in the United States|incomes]] between $75,000 to $100,000. The party proposed to re-adjust the tax in such manner as to restore its initial intention. According to a 2007 Reuters News Report, "House Ways and Means Committee Chairman [[Charles Rangel]] has said he will push for permanent AMT relief for those taxpayers who were never meant to pay it."<ref>{{cite web
+
−
|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1322551420070415
+
−
|title=Smith, D. (14 April, 2007). Democrat says middle class tax relief a priority. ''Reuters''.
+
−
|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
+
−
 
+
−
=== Social issues ===
+
−
==== Discrimination ==== 
+
−
The Democratic Party supports [[equal opportunity]] for all Americans regardless of sex, age, race, sexual orientation, religion, creed, or national origin.
+
−
   
+
−
Democrats also strongly support the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]] to prohibit discrimination against people on the basis of physical or mental disability.
+
−
 
+
−
==== LGBT rights ====
+
−
The Democratic Party is divided on the subject of [[same-sex marriage]]. Some members favor [[civil union]]s for same-sex couples, liberals commonly favor legalized marriage, and others are opposed to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. The 2004 Democratic National Platform stated that marriage should be defined at the state level and it repudiated the [[Federal Marriage Amendment]]. Almost all agree, however, that discrimination against persons because of their sexual orientation is wrong, support [[adoption]] rights for same-sex couples, and also oppose the military's "[[don't ask, don't tell]]" policy.
+
−
 
+
−
==== Reproductive rights ====
+
−
Most members of the Democratic Party believe that all women should have access to [[birth control]], and supports public funding of contraception for poor women. The Democratic Party, in its national platforms since 1992, has called for [[abortion]] to be "safe, legal and rare" — namely, keeping it legal by rejecting laws that allow governmental interference in abortion decisions, and reducing the number of abortions by promoting both knowledge of reproduction and contraception, and incentives for adoption. When Congress voted on the [[Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act]] in 2003, Congressional Democrats were split, with a minority (including current [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Majority Leader]] [[Harry Reid]]) supporting the ban, and the majority of Democrats opposing the legislation.
+
−
 
+
−
The Democratic Party opposes attempts to reverse the 1973 Supreme Court decision ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', which declared abortion to be a constitutionally-protected right, and ''[[Planned Parenthood v. Casey]]'' which lays out the legal framework in which government action alleged to violate that right is assessed by courts.  As a matter of the [[Privacy|right to privacy]] and of [[feminism|gender equality]], many Democrats believe all women should have the ability to choose to abort without governmental interference. They believe that each woman, conferring with her conscience, has the right to choose for herself whether abortion is morally correct. Many Democrats also believe that poor women should have a right to publicly funded abortions.
+
−
 
+
−
====Stem cell research====
+
−
The Democratic Party has voiced overwhelming support for all [[stem cell research]] with federal funding. In his 2004 platform, [[John Kerry]] affirmed his support of federally-funded stem-cell research "under the strictest ethical guidelines," saying, "We will not walk away from the chance to save lives and reduce human suffering."<ref>{{PDF|[http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf The 2004 Democratic National Platform]|111&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 114452 bytes -->}} </ref>
+
−
 
+
−
=== Foreign policy issues ===
+
−
==== Invasion of Afghanistan ====
+
−
Democrats in the House of Representatives and United States Senate near-unanimously voted for the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists]] against "those responsible for the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|recent attacks launched against the United States]]" in [[Afghanistan]] in 2001, supporting the [[NATO]] coalition invasion of the nation. Most elected Democrats continue in their support of the Afghanistan conflict, and some have voiced concerns that the Iraq War is shifting too many resources away from the presence in Afghanistan.
+
−
 
+
−
====Iraq War====
+
−
In 2002, Democrats were divided as a majority (29 for, 21 against) in the Senate and a minority of Democrats in the House (81 for, 126 against) voted for the [[Iraq Resolution|Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq]]. Since then, many prominent Democrats, such as former Senator [[John Edwards]], have expressed regret about this decision, and have called it a mistake, while others, such as Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] have criticized the conduct of the war but not repudiated their initial vote for it. Amongst lawmakers, Democrats are the most vocal critics of the [[Iraq War]] and the president's management of the war. Democrats in the House of Representatives near-unanimously supported a [[non-binding resolution]] disapproving of President Bush's decision to send [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|additional troops into Iraq in 2007]]. Congressional Democrats overwhelmingly supported military funding legislation which included a provision that set "a timeline for the withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq" by [[March 31]] [[2008]], but also would leave combat forces in Iraq for purposes such as targeted counter-terrorism operations.<ref>{{cite news | last = Flaherty
+
−
|first = Anne
+
−
|title = Congress passes Iraq bill, veto awaits
+
−
|url = http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/04/26/veto_awaits_iraq_troop_withdrawal_bill/
+
−
|date = [[2007-04-26]]
+
−
|publisher = [[Associated Press]]
+
−
|accessdate = 2007-04-26
+
−
}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news
+
−
|last =
+
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|first =
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|title = US Democrats push for 2008 Iraq exit
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|url = http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/us-democrats-push-for-2008-iraq-exit/20075426-9l4.html
+
−
|date = [[2007-04-26]]
+
−
|publisher = [[Reuters]]
+
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|accessdate = 2007-04-26
+
−
}}</ref> After a veto from the president, and a failed attempt in Congress to override the veto,<ref>{{cite news
+
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|last =
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|first =
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|title = Democrats fail to override Bush on war funding
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|url = http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/02/africa/prexy.php
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|date = [[2007-05-02]]
+
−
|publisher = [[International Herald Tribune]]
+
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|accessdate = 2007-05-02
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−
}}</ref> the [[U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007]] was passed by Congress and signed by the president after the timetable was dropped.
+
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+
−
==== Unilateralism ====
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−
Democrats usually oppose the doctrine of [[unilateralism]], which dictates that the United States should use military force without any assistance from other nations whenever it believes there is a threat to its security or welfare. They believe the United States should act in the international arena in concert with strong alliances and broad international support. This was a major foreign policy issue of [[John Kerry]]'s 2004 presidential campaign; his platform attributed rifts with international allies to unilateralism.
+
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+
−
In a general sense, the modern Democratic Party is more closely aligned with the [[international relations theory|international relations theories]] of [[liberal international relations theory|liberalism]],  [[neoliberalism in international relations|neoliberalism]], and [[functionalism in international relations|functionalism]] than [[realism (international relations)|realism]] and [[neorealism]], though realism has some influence on the party.
+
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+
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====  Status of Puerto Rico ====
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−
The Democratic Party have expressed their support for Puerto Ricans to exercise their right to decolonization. The following are the appropriate section from the 2000 and 2004 party platforms:
+
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+
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'''Democratic Party 2004 Platform'''
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−
 
+
−
We believe that four million disenfranchised American citizens residing in [[Puerto Rico]] have the
+
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right to the permanent and fully democratic status of their choice. The White House and Congress
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will clarify the realistic status options for Puerto Rico and enable Puerto Ricans to choose among them.<ref>[http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/pdf/dempla04.pdf 2004 Platform<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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+
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'''Democratic Party 2000 Platform'''
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Puerto Rico has been under U.S. sovereignty for over a century and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, but the island’s ultimate status still has not been determined and its 3.9 million residents still do not have voting representation in their national government. These disenfranchised citizens – who have contributed greatly to our country in war and peace – are entitled to the permanent and fully democratic status of their choice. Democrats will continue to work in the White House and Congress to clarify the options and enable them to chose and to obtain such a status from among all realistic options.<ref>[http://www.letpuertoricodecide.com/details.php?cid=4 Let Puerto Rico Decide: An Introduction to Puerto Rico's Status Debate<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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+
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=== Legal issues ===
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−
==== Torture ====
+
−
Democrats are opposed to use of [[torture]] against individuals apprehended and held prisoner by the [[Military of the United States|U.S. military]], and hold that categorizing such prisoners as [[unlawful combatant]]s does not release the U.S. from its obligations under the [[Geneva Conventions]]. Democrats contend that torture is inhumane, decreases the United States' moral standing in the world, and produces questionable results.
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+
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==== USA PATRIOT Act ====
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−
All Democrats in the U.S. Senate, except for [[Russ Feingold]] of [[Wisconsin]], voted for the original [[USA PATRIOT Act]] legislation. After voicing concerns over the "invasion of privacy" and other [[civil liberties|civil liberty]] restrictions of the Act, the Democrats split on the renewal in 2006. Most Democratic Senators voted to renew it, while most Democratic Representatives voted against renewal. Renewal was allowed after many of the most invasive clauses in the Act were removed or curbed.
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+
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==== Right to privacy ====
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The Democratic Party believes that individuals should have a [[right to privacy]]. For example, Democrats have generally opposed the [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|NSA warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens]]. 
+
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+
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Some Democratic officeholders have championed [[consumer protection]] laws that limit the sharing of consumer data between corporations. Most Democrats oppose [[Sodomy laws in the United States|sodomy laws]] and believe that government should not regulate consensual noncommercial sexual conduct among adults as a matter of personal privacy.
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+
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==== Crime ====
+
−
Democrats often focus on methods of crime prevention, believing that preventive measures save taxpayers' money in prison, policing and medical costs, and prevent crime and murder. They emphasize improved community policing and more on-duty police officers in order to help accomplish this goal. The party's platform in 2000 and 2004 cited crackdowns on [[gang]]s and [[Illegal drug trade|drug trafficking]] as preventive methods. The party's platforms have also addressed the issue of domestic violence, calling for strict penalties for offenders and protection for victims.
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+
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==== Gun control ====
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−
With a stated goal of reducing crime and homicide, the Democratic Party has introduced various [[Gun politics|gun control]] measures, most notably the [[Gun Control Act of 1968]], the [[Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act|Brady Bill]] of 1993 and Crime Control Act of 1994.  However, many Democrats, especially rural, Southern, and Western Democrats, favor fewer restrictions on firearm possession and warned the party was defeated in the 2000 presidential election in rural areas because of the issue.<ref>{{cite news
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|last=Abramsky
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|first=Sasha
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|title=Democrat Killer?
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|publisher=[[The Nation]]
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|date=[[2005-04-18]]
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|url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050418/abramsky
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|accessdate=2006-10-10
+
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}}</ref> In the national platform for 2004, the only statement explicitly favoring gun control was a plan calling for renewal of the 1994 [[Federal assault weapons ban|Assault Weapons Ban]].
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== History ==
+
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{{main|History of the United States Democratic Party}}
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<!-- This is a summary.  For extensive, detailed edits, edit the main history article.  Simple edits without bloat of the summary are welcome. Comment added April 2007. -->
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The Democratic Party evolved from [[Anti-Administration Party (United States)|Anti-Federalist]] factions that opposed the [[Hamiltonian economic program|fiscal policies]] of [[Alexander Hamilton]] in the early 1790s. [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Madison]] organized these factions into the [[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican Party]]. The party favored states' rights and strict adherence to the Constitution; it opposed a national bank and wealthy, moneyed interests. The Democratic-Republican Party ascended to power in the [[United States presidential election, 1800|election of 1800]]. After the [[War of 1812]], the party's chief rival, the [[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist Party]] disbanded. Democratic-Republicans split over the choice of a successor to President [[James Monroe]], and the party faction that supported many of the old Jeffersonian principles, led by [[Andrew Jackson]] and [[Martin Van Buren]], became the Democratic Party.  Along with the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]], the Democratic Party was the chief party in the United States until the Civil War. The Whigs were a commercial party, and usually less popular, if better financed.  The Whigs divided over the slavery issue after the [[Mexican-American War]] and faded away. In the 1850s, under the stress of the [[Fugitive Slave Law]] and the [[Kansas-Nebraska Act]], anti-slavery Democrats left the party. Joining with former members of existing or dwindling parties, the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] emerged.
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The Democrats split over the choice of a successor to President [[James Buchanan]] along Northern and Southern lines, while the Republican Party gained an ascendancy in the [[United States presidential election, 1860|election of 1860]]. As the [[American Civil War]] broke out, Northern Democrats were divided into [[War Democrats]] and [[Peace Democrats]]. Most War Democrats rallied to Republican President [[Abraham Lincoln]] and the Republicans' [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]]. The Democrats benefited from white Southerners' resentment of [[Reconstruction]] after the war and consequent hostility to the Republican Party. After [[Redeemers]] ended Reconstruction in the 1870s, and the extremely violent disenfranchisement of African Americans took place in the 1890s, the South, voting Democratic, became known as the "[[Solid South]]." Though Republicans continued to control the White House until 1884, the Democrats remained competitive. The party was dominated by pro-business [[Bourbon Democrats]] led by [[Samuel J. Tilden]] and [[Grover Cleveland]], who represented mercantile, banking and railroad interests, opposed imperialism and overseas expansion, fought for the gold standard, opposed bimetallism, and crusaded against corruption, high taxes, and tariffs. Cleveland was elected to non-consecutive presidential terms in 1884 and 1892.
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+
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Agrarian Democrats demanding [[free silver]] overthrew the Bourbon Democrats in 1896 and nominated [[William Jennings Bryan]] for the presidency (a nomination repeated by Democrats in 1900 and 1908). Bryan waged a vigorous campaign attacking Eastern moneyed interests, but he lost to Republican [[William McKinley]]. The Democrats took control of the House in 1910 and elected [[Woodrow Wilson]] as president in 1912 and 1916. Wilson led Congress to, in effect, put to rest the issues of tariffs, money, and antitrust that had dominated politics for 40 years with new progressive laws. The [[Great Depression]] in 1929 that occurred under Republican President [[Herbert Hoover]] and the Republican Congress set the stage for a more liberal government; the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives nearly uninterrupted from 1931 until 1995 and won most presidential elections until 1968. [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], elected to presidency in 1932, came forth with government programs called the [[New Deal]]. New Deal liberalism meant the promotion of social welfare, labor unions, civil rights, and regulation of business. The opponents, who stressed long-term growth, support for business, and low taxes, started calling themselves "conservatives."
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Issues facing parties and the United States after the [[Second World War]] included the [[Cold War]] and the [[Civil Rights Movement]]. Republicans attracted conservatives and white Southerners from the Democratic coalition with their resistance to New Deal and [[Great Society]] liberalism and the Republicans' use of the [[Southern Strategy]]. African Americans, who traditionally supported the Republican Party, began supporting Democrats following the ascent of the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights movement. The Democratic Party's main base of support shifted to the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], marking a dramatic reversal of history. [[Bill Clinton]] was elected to the presidency in 1992 and 1996 and governed as a [[New Democrat]] while the Democratic Party lost control of Congress in the [[Republican Revolution|election of 1994]] to the Republican Party; the Democratic Party regained majority control of Congress in the [[United States general elections, 2006|2006 elections]]. Some of the party's key issues in the early 21st century in their last national platform have included the methods of how to combat terrorism, homeland security, expanding access to healthcare, labor rights, environmentalism, and the preservation of liberal government programs.
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== Name and symbols ==
+
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{{Refimprove|date=February 2008}}
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[[Image:Democraticjackass.jpg|thumb|180px|"A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast. ''[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's Weekly]]'', [[January 19]] [[1870]].]]
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Initially calling itself the "Republican Party," Jeffersonians were labeled "Democratic" by the opposition [[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalists]], with the hope of stigmatizing them as purveyors of democracy or mob rule.<ref>{{cite book
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|author=[[Joyce Appleby|Appleby, Joyce]]
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|title=Thomas Jefferson
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|year=2003
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|page=81
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}}</ref> By the Jacksonian era, the term "The Democracy" was in use by the party; the name "Democratic Party" was eventually settled upon.<ref>{{cite book
+
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|author=[[Joyce Appleby|Appleby, Joyce]]
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|title=Thomas Jefferson
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|year=2003
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|page=4
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}}</ref> In the 20th and 21st centuries, "[[Democrat Party (phrase)|Democrat Party]]" is a political [[epithet]] that is sometimes used by opponents to refer to the party. The current official name of the party is the "Democratic Party."
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The most common mascot symbol for the party is the [[donkey]]. According to the [[Democratic National Committee]], the party itself never officially adopted this symbol but has made use of it.<ref>[http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/06/history_of_the.php History of the Democratic Donkey]. Retrieved on [[2006-11-15]].</ref> They say [[Andrew Jackson]] had been labeled a jackass by his opponents during the intense mudslinging that occurred during the presidential race of [[United States presidential election, 1828|1828]]. A [[political cartoon]] depicting Jackson riding and directing a donkey (representing the Democratic Party) was published in 1837. A political cartoon by [[Thomas Nast]] in an 1870 edition of ''[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's Weekly]]'' revived the donkey as a symbol for the Democratic Party. Cartoonists followed Nast and used the donkey to represent the Democrats, and the elephant to represent the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].
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In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Democratic Party in [[Midwest|Midwestern states]] such as [[Indiana]], [[Kentucky]], [[Oklahoma]] and [[Ohio]] was the [[rooster]], as opposed to the Republican [[eagle]]. This symbol still appears on Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Indiana [[ballot]]s. For the majority of the 20th century, [[Missouri]] Democrats used the [[Statue of Liberty]] as their ballot [[emblem]]. This meant that when [[United States Libertarian Party|Libertarian]] candidates received [[ballot access]] in Missouri in 1976, they could not use the Statue of Liberty, their national symbol, as the ballot emblem. Missouri Libertarians instead used the [[Liberty Bell]] until 1995, when the [[mule]] became Missouri's state animal. From 1995 to 2004, there was some confusion among voters, as the Democratic ticket was marked with the Statue of Liberty, and it seemed that the Libertarians were using a donkey.
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Although both major political parties (and many minor ones) use the traditional American red, white, and blue colors in their marketing and representations, since election night [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]] the color blue has become the identified color of the Democratic Party, while the color red has become the identified color of the Republican Party. That night, for the first time, all major broadcast television networks used the same color scheme for the electoral map: [[blue states]] for [[Al Gore]] (Democratic nominee) and red states for [[George W. Bush]] (Republican nominee). Since then, the color blue has been widely used by the media to represent the party, much to the confusion of non-American observers, as blue is the traditional color of the [[right-wing politics|right]] and red the color of the [[left-wing politics|left]] outside of the United States (c.f. red for the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberals]] and blue for the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservatives]] in [[Canada]], or red for [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] and blue for [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] in the [[United Kingdom]]). Blue has also been used by party supporters for promotional efforts (e.g BuyBlue, BlueFund) and by the party itself, which in 2006 unveiled the "Red to Blue Program" to support Democratic candidates running against Republican incumbents in the [[United States general elections, 2006|2006 midterm elections]].
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[[Jefferson-Jackson Day]] is the annual fundraising event (dinner) held by Democratic Party organizations across the United States.<ref>{{cite news
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|first = Bill
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|last = Trotter
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|title = Obama sets sights on November battle
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|publisher = [[Bangor Daily News]]
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|date = [[2008-02-11]]
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|url = http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=160039&zoneid=176
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|accessdate = 2008-02-12
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}}</ref> It is named after Presidents [[Thomas Jefferson]] and Andrew Jackson, whom the party regards as its distinguished early leaders.
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The song "[[Happy Days Are Here Again]]" is the unofficial song of the Democratic Party. It was used prominently when [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] was nominated for president at the [[1932 Democratic National Convention]] and remains a sentimental favorite for Democrats today. More recently, the emotionally similar song "[[Beautiful Day]]" by the band [[U2]] has become a favorite theme song for Democratic candidates. [[John Kerry]] used the song during his 2004 presidential campaign, and it was used as a celebratory tune by several Democratic Congressional candidates in 2006.<ref>{{cite news
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|first = Michael
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|last = Gruss
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|title = Local roast becomes political pep rally for Democrats
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|publisher = [[The Virginian-Pilot]]
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|date = [[2006-11-21]]
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|url = http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=114762&ran=246752
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|accessdate = 2007-04-15
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
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|first = Michael
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|last = Scherer
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|title = 'The Democrats are ready to lead'
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|publisher = [[Salon.com]]
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|date = [[2006-11-08]]
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|url = http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/11/08/pelosi/
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|accessdate = 2007-03-18}}</ref>
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== State and territorial parties ==
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{{Col-begin}}
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{{Col-2}}
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*[[Alabama Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.aladems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Alaska Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.alaskademocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Arizona Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.azdem.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Arkansas]] ( [http://www.arkdems.org/ Site] )
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*[[California Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.cadem.org/ Site] )
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*[[Colorado Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.coloradodems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic State Central Committee of Connecticut]] ( [http://dems.info/ Site] )
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*[[Delaware Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.deldems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Florida Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.fladems.com/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Georgia]] ( [http://www.democraticpartyofgeorgia.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Hawaii]] ( [http://www.hawaiidemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Idaho Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.idaho-democrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Illinois]] ( [http://www.ildems.com/ Site] )
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*[[Indiana Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.indems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Iowa Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.iowademocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Kansas Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.ksdp.org/ Site] )
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*[[Kentucky Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.kydemocrat.com/ Site] )
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*[[Louisiana Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.lademo.org/ Site] )
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*[[Maine Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.mainedems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Maryland Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.mddems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Massachusetts Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.massdems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Michigan Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.michigandems.com/ Site] )
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*[[Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party]] ( [http://www.dfl.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi]] ( [http://www.msdemocrats.net/ Site] )
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*[[Missouri Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.missouridems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Montana Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.montanademocrats.org/ Site] )
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{{Col-2}}
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*[[Nebraska Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.nebraskademocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Nevada Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.nvdems.com/ Site] )
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*[[New Hampshire Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.nh-democrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[New Jersey Democratic State Committee]] ( [http://www.njdems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of New Mexico]] ( [http://www.nmdemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[New York State Democratic Committee]] ( [http://www.nydems.org/ Site] )
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*[[North Carolina Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.ncdp.org/ Site] )
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*[[North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party]] ( [http://www.demnpl.com/ Site] )
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*[[Ohio Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.ohiodems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Oklahoma Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.okdemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Oregon]] ( [http://www.oregondemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Pennsylvania Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.padems.com/ Site] )
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*[[Puerto Rico Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.prideintheparty.org/pdf/PR.pdf Site] )
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*[[Rhode Island Democratic Committee]] ( [http://www.ridemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[South Carolina Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.scdp.org/ Site] )
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*[[South Dakota Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.sddp.org/ Site] )
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*[[Tennessee Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.tndp.org/ Site] )
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*[[Texas Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.txdemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Utah Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.utdemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Vermont Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.vtdemocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Virginia]] ( [http://www.vademocrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[Washington State Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.wa-democrats.org/ Site] )
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*[[West Virginia Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.wvdemocrats.com/ Site] )
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*[[Democratic Party of Wisconsin]] ( [http://www.wisdems.org/ Site] )
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*[[Wyoming Democratic Party]] ( [http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/ Site] )
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{{Col-end}}
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== See also ==
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* [[List of United States Democratic Party presidential tickets]]
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* [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008]]
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* [[Democratic organizations]]
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* [[Political party strength in U.S. states]]
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== References ==
 
== References ==
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<references/>
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== External links ==
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<!-- links to official sites or documents go below here. -->
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* [http://www.democrats.org/ Democratic National Committee] − Official website
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* [http://democrats.senate.gov/ Democratic Senate Caucus]
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* [http://www.housedemocrats.gov/ Democratic House Caucus]
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* [http://www.dscc.org/ Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]
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* [http://www.dccc.org/ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]
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* [http://www.dlcc.org/ Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee]
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* [http://www.democraticgovernors.org/ Democratic Governors Association]
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* [http://www.democraticags.org/ Democratic Attorneys General Association]
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* [http://www.ncdm.org/ National Conference of Democratic Mayors]
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* [http://www.nfdw.com/ National Federation of Democratic Women]
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* [http://www.collegedems.com/ College Democrats of America]
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* [http://www.yda.org/ Young Democrats of America]
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* [http://www.democratsabroad.org/ Democrats Abroad]
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* {{PDFlink|[http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf 2004 National Platform]|111&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 114452 bytes -->}}, [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showplatforms.php?platindex=D2004 HTML version]
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* {{PDFlink|[http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/democratic1.download.akamai.com/8082/pdfs/20060119_charter.pdf Charter & Bylaws]|1.63&nbsp;[[Mebibyte|MiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 1709606 bytes -->}}
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* {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Parties/Democratic/|Democratic Party}}
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{{USParty}}
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==External Links==
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{{United States topics}}
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*[http://www.gop.com/ Official GOP Site]
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*[http://nyyrcrecord.blogspot.com/ New York Young Republican Record]
  
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Revision as of 19:35, May 21, 2008

Republican Party
"Republican Party Elephant" logo
Party Chairman Mike Duncan
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell
House Speaker
House Leader John Boehner
Founded 1854
Headquarters 310 First Street SE
Washington, D.C.
20003
Political ideology Conservatism
Fiscal conservatism
Neoconservatism
Political position Fiscal: Economic liberalism
Social: Conservative
International affiliation International Democrat Union
Color(s) Red (unofficial)
Website www.gop.com

The Republican Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. The current President of the United States, George W. Bush, is a member of the party – and by rules common to both major U.S. parties, its head. Of the two major U.S. parties, the Republican party is the moderate/center-right party. The party has been very successful in Presidential elections: 18 of the 27 US Presidents since 1861 have been Republicans and since that same year a Republican has won 23 of the last 37 presidential elections.

The party was born in the early 1850s by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town northwest of Milwaukee. The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. At the Jackson convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in Michigan. Since its inception, its chief opposition has been the Democratic Party.

Symbol

1877 Thomas Nast drawing of the Republican elephant
Official logo of the GOP.

The official symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. Although the elephant had occasionally been associated with the party earlier, a political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol[1]. In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Republican party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic cock. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.

A political term referring to the party is "G.O.P.", which was originally an acronym of "Grand Old Party". The term was coined in 1875.

Ideology

The fundamental philosophy and political ideals of the Republican Party are founded on the idea that societal health is rooted in personal responsibility and actions. The Republican Party holds the belief that all material things are earned, not owed. This is seen most often in the party's push for lower taxes. This is fought for in an attempt to treat all citizens equally despite income, race, gender, or religion. They also see taxes as a drag on the economy, and believe private spending is usually more efficient than public spending.

Republicans also show concerns about having big government in charge of such vital issues as food, shelter, or health care, as they believe the private sector and/or the individual are better suited to control their own lives. President Ronald Reagan who became a Republican in the early 1960s after being a New Dealer at one time, has been quoted as saying "Government is not the solution, it is the problem."

The party tends to hold both conservative and libertarian stances on social and economic issues respectively. Major policies that the party has recently supported include a conservative foreign policy, including War on Terror, liberations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and strong support for democracy especially in the Middle East. Many party members and politicians have shown a distrust of the United Nations due to the organization's incompetent bureaucracy, anti-capitalist undertone, corruption on the Security Council and in UN humanitarian programs. Along with demanding radical reforms in the UN, many Republican politicians also opposes the Kyoto Protocol due the protocol's unfair application to certain countries (especially the United States) and the fact that it prevents economic growth and slows the reduction of poverty.

The Republican Party generally supports free trade, especially NAFTA and CAFTA. It is responsible for a series of across-the-board tax cuts since 2001 that have bolstered the economy and reduced the punitive aspect of the income tax. It has sought business deregulation, reduction of environmental regulations that restrict fair use of land and property, and other policies that are pro-capitalism. It supports gun ownership rights, and enterprise zones (low taxes for investing in poverty areas). On social issues the majority of its national and state candidates usually favor the death penalty, call for stronger state-level control on access to abortion, support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage at the federal level and by the states, favor faith-based charitable initiatives, support school choice and homeschooling, social welfare benefit reform, and oppose reverse racism, such as racial quotas.

In recent years the party has called for much stronger accountability in the public schools, especially through the "No Child Left behind Act" of 2001 (which also increased federal funding for schools). The party is split on the issue of federally funding embryonic stem cell research that involves the cloning and killing of human embryos. Many in the party think it unethical to force tax payers who believe this type of research is morally wrong to finance it. Historically Republicans have had a strong belief in individualism, limited government, and business entrepreneurship.

History

John C. Frémont ran as the first Republican for President in 1856, using the political slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Frémont." Although Frémont's bid was unsuccessful, the party grew especially rapidly in Northeastern and Midwestern states, where slavery had long been prohibited, culminating in a sweep of victories in the Northern states and the election of Lincoln in 1860, ending 60 years of dominance by the slavery-supporting Democrats and ushering in a new era of Republican dominance based in the immigrant and industrial north and on the end of slavery.

With the end of the Civil War came the upheavals of Reconstruction under Democratic President Andrew Johnson (who had bitter disputes with the Republicans in Congress, who eventually impeached him) and Ulysses S. Grant, a Republican. For a brief period, Republicans assumed control of Southern politics (due especially to the former slaves receiving the vote while it was denied to many whites who had participated in the Confederacy), forcing drastic reforms and frequently giving former slaves positions in government. After Reconstruction came to an end, the southern states became known as the "Solid South", giving overwhelming majorities of its electoral votes and Congressional seats to the Democrats until 1964.

States' rights had been a cause in the pre-Republican era, control of the federal government led the Republican Party to be known as the Party of the Union. The unity among veterans that developed in the North after the war led to a string of military men as President, and an era of international expansion and domestic protectionism. As the rural Northern antebellum economy mushroomed with industry and immigration, supporting the rights of the individual, innovation, invention, opportunity, entrepreneurship and business became the hallmarks of Republican policy proposals. From the Reconstruction era up to the turn of the century, the Republicans benefited from the Democrats' racist origin and their association with the Confederate States of America. The Republican Party, therefore dominated national politics--albeit with strong competition from the Democrats, especially during the 1880s. With the two-term presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, the party became known for its strong advocacy of commerce, industry, and veterans' rights, which continues to this day.

During the 1880s and 1890s, the Republicans struggled against the Democrats' efforts, winning several close elections and losing two to Grover Cleveland (in 1884 and 1892).

The election of William McKinley in the United States presidential election of 1896 is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a realigning election. The progressive, protectionist, political and beloved McKinley was the last Civil War veteran elected President and embodied the Republican ideals of economic progress, invention, education, and patriotism. He confirmed the Republicans as a pro-enterprise party; his campaign manager, Marcus Hanna was a highly effective political strategist and fund-raiser which meant McKinley outspent his radical rival William Jennings Bryan by a large margin.

After McKinley's assassination, President Theodore Roosevelt tapped McKinley's Industrial Commission for his trust-busting ideas and continued the federal and nationalist policies of his predecessor. In order to ensure fair competition in the economy Roosevelt took steps to abolish "trusts" or cartels which then dominated many key markets within the economy. This led Republicans into conflict with the most powerful commercial interests in the country, led by John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world.

Roosevelt decided not to run again in 1908 and chose William Howard Taft to replace him, but the widening division between progressive and conservative forces in the party resulted in a third-party candidacy for Roosevelt on the United States Progressive Party, or "Bull Moose" ticket in the United States presidential election of 1912. Roosevelt finished ahead of Taft, but the split in the Republican vote resulted in a decisive victory for Democrat Woodrow Wilson, temporarily interrupting the Republican era.

The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of high tariffs, the promotion of business interests, opposition to the League of Nations, and overall isolationism after Wilson's turbulent internationalism. Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover were resoundingly elected in 1920, 1924, and 1928 respectively. These years saw the party firmly committed to laissez-faire economics, but the Great Depression cost it the presidency with the election of socialist Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932. Roosevelt's New Deal Coalition controlled American politics for the next two decades, concluding with the two-term presidency of popular World War II hero Dwight Eisenhower.

The post-war emergence of the United States as one of two superpowers and rapid social change caused the Republican Party to divide into a conservative wing (dominant in the West and Southeast) and a liberal wing (dominant in New England) - combined with a residual base of inherited Midwestern Republicanism active throughout the century. A Republican like Senator Robert Taft of Ohio represented the Midwestern wing of the party that continued to oppose New Deal reforms and continued to champion isolationism. Thomas Dewey of New York represented the Northeastern wing of the party that was closer to Democratic liberalism and internationalism. In the end, the isolationists were marginalized by those who supported a strong U.S. role in opposing the Soviet Union throughout the world, as embodied by President Eisenhower. However, this development did not represent the end of the story. The seeds of conservative dominance in the Republican party were planted in the nomination of conservative Barry Goldwater over liberal Nelson Rockefeller as the Republican candidate for the United States presidential election of 1964.

Any enduring Republican majority, however, was put on hold when the Watergate Affair caused Richard Nixon to resign under a threat of impeachment by elements within the Democratic Party opposed to U.S. efforts to fight communist totalitarianism. Gerald Ford succeeded Nixon under the 25th Amendment and struggled to forge a political identity separate from his predecessor. The taint of Watergate and the nation's economic difficulties contributed to the election of Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976, a Washington outsider who would later be regarded as the worst president of the 20th century.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination and easily beat Carter with his strong communication skills and message of economic freedom and strength against the Soviet Union. Reagan produced a major realignment with his 1980 and 1984 landslides. In 1980 the Reagan coalition was possible because of Democratic losses in most social-economic groups. In 1984 Reagan won nearly 60% of the popular vote and carried every state except his Democrat opponent Walter Mondale's home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia, creating a record 525 electoral vote total (of 538 possible). Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3,761 votes [2], meaning Reagan came within less than 3,800 votes of winning in all fifty states.

The so-called "Reagan Democrats" were Democrats before the Reagan years, and afterwards, but who voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 (and for George H.W. Bush in 1988), producing their landslide victories. They lived in the Northeast and were attracted to Reagan's libertarian-conservative views, and to his strong stance on national security issues.

Reagan's Vice-President, George H.W. Bush, a World War II war hero, was elected in 1988 but was defeated in 1992 as domestic issues took prominence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end of the Cold War. Democratic challenger Bill Clinton strategically repositioned the Democrats to the right. Ross Perot's candidacy was instrumental in Clinton's victory as he took Republican votes with his criticism of deficits. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, and Clinton, still a largely unknown quantity in American politics with 41% of the popular vote took office. Despite his loss, George H.W. Bush left office in 1993 with a 56 percent job approval rating.

House Republican Minority Whip Newt Gingrich-led the "Republican Revolution" of 1994 and its famous Contract With America. It was the first time since 1952 that the Republicans secured control of both houses of U.S. Congress, which, with the exception of the Senate during 2001-2002, lasted until the 2006 mid-term elections. Democrats had controlled both houses of Congress for the forty years preceding 1994, with the exception of the 1981-1987 Congresses (in which Republicans controlled the Senate).

In the 1994 mid-term election, Republican congressional candidates ran on a platform of promising floor votes to force members of Congress to go on record on a series of popular reforms -- something the Democrats had stifled for decades. These measures and others formed the Contract with America, which represented the first effort to have a party platform in a mid-term election. Seven of the ten Contract items actually became Law. The budget reforms, coupled with reduced defence spending after the Cold War, and the earlier Reagan Tax Cuts for Business Research and Development in the 1980s, led to a high tech consumer boom, rising incomes for all groups, and unprecedented, sustained economic growth in the late 1990s. Democratic President Bill Clinton opposed some of the social agenda initiatives but he co-opted the proposals for welfare reform and a balanced federal budget. The result was a major change in the welfare system, which conservatives hailed and liberals bemoaned. One Contract item, which required Democrats in a two-thirds majority to pass a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, failed.

In 1995, a budget battle with President Clinton led to the brief shutdown of the federal government, an event which contributed to Clinton's victory in the 1996 election. That year the Republicans nominated Bob Dole, who was unable to transfer his success in Senate leadership to a viable presidential campaign. Ross Perot ran again (this time on Reform Party ticket), once again draining away a large percentage of Dole's support and insuring Clinton another term after the majority of Americans voters voted against him.

With the election of George W. Bush (son of former president George H. W. Bush) in an extremely close 2000 election, the Republican party controlled both the presidency and both houses of Congress for the first time since 1952. However, after Vermont senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent aligned with the Democrats in June of 2001, Republicans lost control of the Senate by a single seat.

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, however, Bush pursued a "War on Terrorism" that included the liberation of Afghanistan from the radical Islamist Taliban regime and the USA PATRIOT act. By early 2002, the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan. On March 20, 2003, U.S. and allied nations initiated "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to liberate the Iraqi people from the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. By May 1, 2003, the regime of Saddam was declared officially over. Once US and allied military forces entered Iraq, they discovered that various international terrorists had been given sanctuary by Saddam and ran their terrorist operations from Iraq. Notable terrorists found included Muhammad Zaidan aka Abu Abbas and Sabri Khalil al-Banna aka Abu Nidal.

The Republican Party fared well in the 2002 midterm elections, solidifying its hold on the House and regaining control of the Senate, in the run-up to the liberation of Iraq. This marked just the third time since the Civil War that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress in a midterm election (others were 1902 and 1934).

Bush was renominated without opposition for the United States presidential election, 2004 and titled his political platform "A Safer World and a More Hopeful America". It expressed Bush's commitment to winning the War on Terror, ushering in an Ownership Era, and building an innovative economy to compete in the world.

On November 2, 2004, Bush was re-elected, while Republicans gained seats in both houses of Congress, leaving Democrats in disarray. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 Electoral College votes. In that election, he also received more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate, 62.0 million votes. Democrat challenger, Senator John Kerry, carried a 19 states and the District of Columbia, earning him 251 Electoral College votes and 48 percent of the popular vote to Bush's 51 percent, the first popular majority since his father was elected in 1988. That election also marked the seventh consecutive election in which the Democratic nominee failed to reach that threshold.

The counties where Bush led in the popular vote amount to 83% of the geographic area of the U.S. (excluding Alaska, which did not report results by borough/census area, but had all electoral districts but one of the two in Juneau vote for Bush).

The election marked the first time an incumbent president was reelected while his political party increased its numbers in both houses of Congress since Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 election. It was the first time for a Republican since William McKinley in the 1900 election.

Presidential dominance

Washington painting at the Oval Office.JPG

In terms of winning presidential elections, the Republican Party has been the most successful political party in U.S. history. Since the American Civil War, Grover Cleveland is the only non-incumbent Democrat who has won the office of President of the United States under "ordinary" circumstances (meaning no third party, no Great Depression, no disputed count in Illinois, no assassination of the previous president, no Watergate).

From 1860 through 1912, 10 men were elected President of the United States -- Grover Cleveland being the only Democrat.

Woodrow Wilson, who won in 1912, only won because William Howard Taft (the Republican incumbent) split the party vote with former President Theodore Roosevelt who ran as the Progressive Party candidate. Wilson only garnered 41.6% of the popular vote, compared to a combined 50.6% of Roosevelt and Taft.

Following Wilson, there were three more Republicans. It took a major economic depression to get another Democrat elected (in 1932).

John F. Kennedy (the next Democratic non-incumbent to win the White House) won the United States presidential election, 1960 as the result of voter fraud in Chicago (and several other locations), with a mere 0.2% difference in the popular vote.

It took the aftermath of the Watergate matter to get the next, non-incumbent Democrat elected in 1976 in a very close election in which Democrat Jimmy Carter received 50.1% of the popular vote to Gerald Ford's 48.0%. 5,000 popular votes in the State of Ohio would have made the difference.

The next non-incumbent Democrat victory occurred in 1992, in which third party candidate H. Ross Perot took away 19% of the popular vote from the Republican candidate, incumbent George H.W. Bush. And even though Bill Clinton was twice elected, he never once had a majority of the vote (43.0% in 1992; 49.2% in 1996). More people (the majority of voters) voted against Clinton for President than ever voted for him.

Since the birth of the Republican Party, the average Republican margin of victory over their opponents in Presidential elections has been around 12% to the Democrat's margin of victory over their opponents at around 8%. Also since the birth of the Republican Party, Democrats only garnered a majority of the vote a total of 7 times in 38 elections, while Republicans earned a majority 17 times in those same 38 elections.

In the 20th century, only 7 U.S. Presidents gained a larger margin of victory over their opponents in their second election. Five of those seven were Republicans. It must be noted that this statistic cannot be applied to incumbents who entered office without being elected, as their re-election was actually their first election -- i.e. Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford)

  • Nixon from a 0.7% margin of victory in 1968 to a 23.2% MOV in 1972.
  • Reagan from a 9.7% MOV in 1980 to a 18.2% MOV in 1984.
  • FDR from a 17.% MOV in 1932 to a 24.3% MOV in 1936.
  • Eisenhower from a 10.7% MOV in 1952 to a 15.4% MOV in 1956.
  • McKinley from a 4.2% MOV in 1896 to a 6.1% MOV in 1900.
  • Clinton from a 5.6% MOV in 1992 to a 8.5% MOV in 1996.
  • GWB from a -0.5% MOV in 2000 to a 2.8% MOV in 2004.

Of the 11 U.S. presidents to be re-elected (i.e. elected a second time) since the Civil War, 7 were Republicans and only 4 Democrats. All seven of those Republicans were re-elected with a higher percentage of the vote , while only 3 of those Democrats received a greater percentage for their re-election bid. And this doesn't even include Franklin Delano Roosevelt's third and fourth terms, where victory margins diminished in his third and forth terms.)

Contemporary Party

The contemporary Republican Party represents a wide array of interests such as the conservative evangelicals and the economic libertarians. The party has had some internal conflict over attitudes about how governments should run and how large they should be, what the party stands for, and what the party's attitude towards neo-conservatism should be especially in regard to foreign policy. The party is also divided over immigration issues with some members (such as George W. Bush) favoring workers visas and permits and some other members favoring strict control of immigration and strong action against illegal immigration. Unlike the Democratic party, the Republican party routinely allows dissenting factions such as the Log Cabin Republicans to speak at National Conventions.

Presidents from the party

  1. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
  2. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
  3. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)
  4. James Garfield (1881)
  5. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)
  6. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
  7. William McKinley (1897-1901)
  8. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
  9. William Howard Taft (1909-1913)
  10. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
  11. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
  12. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
  13. Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961)
  14. Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
  15. Gerald Ford (1974-1977)
  16. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
  17. George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
  18. George W. Bush (2001-2009)

See Also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7
  2. ↑ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1984&fips=27&f=1&off=0&elect=0

External Links

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