Difference between revisions of "Republican Party"

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The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP (Grand Old Party), although the rival Democratic Party is older. Eighteen US presidents have been Republicans. The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S. political spectrum.^[1]^[2]^[3] American conservatism of the Republican Party is not wholly based upon rejection of the political ideology of liberalism, as many principles of American conservatism are based upon classical liberalism.^[4] Rather the Republican Party's conservatism is largely based upon its support of classical liberal principles against the modern liberalism of the Democratic Party that is considered American liberalism in contemporary American political discourse.^[4]

In the 112th Congress, elected in 2010, the Republican Party holds a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and a minority of seats in the Senate. The party holds the majority of governorships as well as the majority of state legislatures.

History

For a more detailed treatment, see History of the United States Republican Party.

File:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg

Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President (1861–1865)

Founded in northern states in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, modernizers, ex-Whigs and ex-Free Soilers, the Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to the dominant Democratic Party and the briefly popular Know Nothing Party. The main cause was opposition to the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise by which slavery was kept out of Kansas. The Republicans saw the expansion of slavery as a great evil. The first public meeting where the name "Republican" was suggested for a new anti-slavery party was held on March 20, 1854 in a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin.^[5]

The first official party convention was held on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. By 1858, the Republicans dominated nearly all northern states. The Republican Party first came to power in 1860 with the election of Lincoln to the Presidency and Republicans in control of Congress and the northern states. It oversaw the saving of the union, the destruction of slavery, and the provision of equal rights to all men in the American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877.^[6]

The Republicans' initial base was in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. With the realignment of parties and voters in the Third Party System, the strong run of John C. Fremont in the 1856 Presidential election demonstrated it dominated most northern states. Early Republican ideology was reflected in the 1856 slogan "free labor, free land, free men."^[7]

"Free labor" referred to the Republican opposition to slave labor and belief in independent artisans and businessmen. "Free land" referred to Republican opposition to plantation system whereby the rich could buy up all the good farm land and work it with slaves, leaving the yeoman independent farmers the leftovers. The Party had the goal of containing the expansion of slavery, which would cause the collapse of the Slave Power and the expansion of freedom.^[8]

Lincoln, representing the fast-growing western states, won the Republican nomination in 1860 and subsequently won the presidency. The party took on the mission of saving the Union and destroying slavery during the American Civil War and over Reconstruction. In the election of 1864, it united with pro-war Democrats to nominate Lincoln on the National Union Party ticket.

The party's success created factionalism within the party in the 1870s. Those who felt that Reconstruction had been accomplished and was continued mostly to promote the large-scale corruption tolerated by President Ulysses S. Grant ran Horace Greeley for the presidency. The Stalwarts defended Grant and the spoils system; the Half-Breeds pushed for reform of the civil service.

The GOP supported business generally, hard money (i.e., the gold standard), high tariffs to promote economic growth, high wages and high profits, generous pensions for Union veterans, and (after 1893) the annexation of Hawaii. The Republicans supported the pietistic Protestants who demanded Prohibition. As the northern post-bellum economy boomed with heavy and light industry, railroads, mines, fast-growing cities and prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to sustain the fast growth.

Nevertheless, by 1890 the Republicans had agreed to the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Commission in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. The high McKinley Tariff of 1890 hurt the party and the Democrats swept to a landslide in the off-year elections, even defeating McKinley himself.

After the two terms of Democrat Grover Cleveland, the election of William McKinley in 1896 is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a realigning election. McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the Panic of 1893, and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit.

20th century

File:President Theodore Roosevelt, 1904.jpg

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States (1901–1909)

File:Dwight D. Eisenhower, official photo portrait, May 29, 1959.jpg

Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (1953-1961)

File:Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg

Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (1981–1989)

The Republicans were cemented as the party of business, though mitigated by the succession of Theodore Roosevelt who embraced trust busting. He later ran on a third party ticket of the Progressive Party and challenged his previous successor William Howard Taft. The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of opposition to the League of Nations, high tariffs, and promotion of business interests.

Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover were resoundingly elected in 1920, 1924, and 1928 respectively. The Teapot Dome scandal threatened to hurt the party but Harding died and Coolidge blamed everything on him, as the opposition splintered in 1924. The pro-business policies of the decade seemed to produce an unprecedented prosperity until the Wall Street Crash of 1929 heralded the Great Depression.

The New Deal coalition of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excepting the two-term presidency of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. African Americans moved into the Democratic Party during Roosevelt's time. After Roosevelt took office in 1933, New Deal legislation sailed through Congress at lightning speed. In the 1934 midterm elections, 10 Republican senators went down to defeat, leaving them with only 25 against 71 Democrats. The House of Representatives was split in a similar ratio.

Republicans in Congress heavily criticized the "Second New Deal" and likened it to class warfare and socialism. The volume of legislation, and the inability of the Republicans to block it, soon elevated the level of opposition to Roosevelt. Conservative Democrats, mostly from the South, joined with Republicans led by Senator Robert Taft to create the conservative coalition, which dominated domestic issues in Congress until 1964. The Republicans recaptured Congress in 1946 after gaining 13 seats in the Senate and 55 seats in the House.

The second half of the 20th century saw election or succession of Republican presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The Republican Party, led by House Republican Minority Whip Newt Gingrich campaigning on the Contract with America, was elected to majorities to both houses of Congress in the Republican Revolution of 1994.

The Senate majority lasted until 2001, when the Senate became split evenly but was regained in the 2002 elections. Both Republican majorities in the House and Senate were held until the Democrats regained control in the mid-term elections of 2006. In the 21st century, the Republican Party has been defined by social conservatism, a preemptive war foreign policy intended to defeat terrorism and promote global democracy, a more powerful executive branch, supply-side economics, support for gun ownership, and deregulation.

In the Presidential election of 2008, the party's nominees were Senator John McCain, of Arizona, for President and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for Vice President. They were defeated by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. In 2009, Republicans Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell were elected to the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia.

2010 was a year of political success for the GOP, starting with the upset win of Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special Senate election for the seat held for many decades by the Kennedy brothers. In the November elections, the GOP recaptured control of the House, increased their number of seats in the Senate, and gained a majority of governorships.^[9] Additionally, Republicans took control of at least 19 Democratic-controlled state legislatures.^[10]

Name and symbols

File:NastRepublicanElephant.jpg

1874 Nast cartoon featuring the first notable appearance of the Republican elephant^[11]

File:GOP Logo1.svg

The red "GOP" logo used by the party for its website

The party's founding members chose the name "Republican Party" in the mid-1850s as homage to the values of republicanism promoted by Thomas Jefferson's Republican party.^[12] The idea for the name came from an editorial by the party's leading publicist Horace Greeley, who called for, "some simple name like 'Republican' [that] would more fitly designate those who had united to restore the Union to its true mission of champion and promulgator of Liberty rather than propagandist of slavery."^[13] The name reflects the 1776 republican values of civic virtue and opposition to aristocracy and corruption.^[14]

The term "Grand Old Party" is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the abbreviation "G.O.P." (or "GOP") is a commonly used designation.^[15]

The traditional mascot of the party is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol.^[16] In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic rooster. This symbol still appears on Indiana, New York,^[17]^{[Dead link]} and West Virginia^[18]^{[Dead link]} ballots.

After the 2000 election, the color red became associated with the GOP, although the party has not officially adopted it. That election night, for the first time, all of the major broadcast networks used the same color scheme for the electoral map: states won by Republican nominee George W. Bush were colored red, and states won by Democratic nominee Al Gore were colored blue. Although the assignment of colors to political parties is unofficial and informal, they have come to be widely recognized by the media to represent the respective political parties (see Political color and Red states and blue states for more details).

Structure and composition

Template:Further2 The Republican National Committee (RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Its current chairman is Reince Priebus. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House or otherwise by the Party's state committees.

The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the Republican National Convention, raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level, there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.

The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate fundraising and strategy committees. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) assists in House races, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates, while the Republican Governors Association (RGA) assists in state gubernatorial races; it is currently chaired by Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia.

Ideology and political positions

Template:Conservatism US Template:Further2

The Republican Party includes fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, neoconservatives, moderates, and libertarians. Prior to the formation of the conservative coalition, which helped realign the Democratic and Republican party ideologies in the mid-1960s, the party historically advocated classical liberalism, paleoconservatism, and progressivism.

Economic policies

Republicans emphasize the role of free markets and individual achievement as the primary factors behind economic prosperity. To this end, they favor laissez-faire economics, fiscal conservatism, and the promotion of personal responsibility over welfare programs.

A leading economic theory advocated by modern Republicans is supply-side economics. Some fiscal policies influenced by this theory were popularly known as Reaganomics, a term popularized during the Presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan. This theory holds that reduced income tax rates increase GDP growth and thereby generate the same or more revenue for the government from the smaller tax on the extra growth.^[19] This belief is reflected, in part, by the party's long-term advocacy of tax cuts. Many Republicans consider the income tax system to be inherently inefficient and oppose graduated tax rates, which they believe are unfairly targeted at those who create jobs and wealth. They believe private spending is usually more efficient than government spending. Republicans oppose the estate tax.

Template:Politics of the United States Most Republicans agree there should be a "safety net" to assist the less fortunate; however, they tend to believe the private sector is more effective in helping the poor than government is; as a result, Republicans support giving government grants to faith-based and other private charitable organizations to supplant welfare spending. Members of the GOP also believe that limits on eligibility and benefits must be in place to ensure the safety net is not abused. Republicans introduced and strongly supported the welfare reform of 1996, which was signed into law by Democratic President Clinton, and which limited eligibility for welfare, successfully leading to many former welfare recipients finding jobs.^[20]^[21]

The party opposes a government-run single-payer health care system, believing such a system constitutes socialized medicine, and is in favor of a personal or employer-based system of insurance, supplemented by Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid, which covers approximately 40% of the poor.^[22] The GOP has a mixed record of supporting the historically popular Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs. Congressional Republicans and the Bush administration supported a reduction in Medicaid's growth rate;^[23] however, congressional Republicans expanded Medicare, supporting a new drug plan for seniors starting in 2006.

In 2011, House Republicans overwhelmingly voted for a proposal named The Path to Prosperity and for major changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and the 2010 Health Care Legislation. Many Republicans support increased health insurance portability, laws promoting coverage of pre-existing medical conditions, a cap on malpractice lawsuits, the implementation of a streamlined electronic medical records system, an emphasis on preventative care rather than emergency room care, and tax benefits aimed at making health insurance more affordable for the uninsured and targeted to promote universal access. They generally oppose government funding for elective abortions.^[24]

Republicans are generally opposed by labor union management and members, and have supported various legislation on the state and federal levels, including right to work legislation and the Taft-Hartley Act, which gives workers the right not to participate in unions, as opposed to a closed shop, which prohibits workers from choosing not to join unions in workplaces. Some Republicans are opposed to increases in the minimum wage, believing that such increases hurt many businesses by forcing them to cut jobs and services, export jobs overseas, and raise the prices of goods to compensate for the decrease in profit.

Separation of powers and balance of powers

File:Bill of Rights Pg1of1 AC.jpg

United States Bill of Rights

Many contemporary Republicans voice support of strict constructionism, the judicial philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted narrowly and as close to the original intent as is practicable rather than a more flexible "living Constitution" model.^[25] Most Republicans point to Roe v. Wade as a case of judicial activism, where the court overturned most laws restricting abortion on the basis of a right to privacy inferred from the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Some Republicans have actively sought to block judges whom they see as being activist judges and have sought the appointment of judges who claim to practice judicial restraint. Other Republicans, though, argue that it is the right of judges to extend the interpretation of the Constitution and judge actions by the legislative or executive branches as legal or unconstitutional on previously unarticulated grounds. The issue of judicial deference to the legislature is a matter of some debate — like the Democrats, most Republicans criticize court decisions that overturn their own (conservative) legislation as overstepping bounds and support decisions that overturn opposing legislation. Some commentators have advocated that the Republicans take a more aggressive approach and support legislative supremacy more firmly.^[26]

The Republican Party has supported various bills within the last decade to strip some or all federal courts of the ability to hear certain types of cases, in an attempt to limit judicial review. These jurisdiction stripping laws have included removing federal review of the recognition of same-sex marriage with the Marriage Protection Act,^[27] the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance with the Pledge Protection Act, and the rights of detainees in Guantanamo Bay in the Detainee Treatment Act. The Supreme Court overruled the last of these limitations in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.

Compared with Democrats, many Republicans believe in a more robust version of federalism with greater limitations placed upon federal power and a larger role reserved for the States. Following this view on federalism, Republicans often take a less expansive reading of congressional power under the Commerce Clause, such as in the opinion of William Rehnquist in United States v. Lopez. Many Republicans on the more libertarian wing wish for a more dramatic narrowing of Commerce Clause power by revisiting, among other cases, Wickard v. Filburn, a case that held that growing wheat on a farm for consumption on the same farm fell under congressional power to "regulate commerce ... among the several States".

President George W. Bush was a proponent of the unitary executive theory and cited it within his Signing statements about legislation passed by Congress.^[28] The administration's interpretation of the unitary executive theory was called seriously into question by Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, where the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that the President does not have sweeping powers to override or ignore laws through his power as commander in chief,^[29] stating "the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails".^[30] Following the ruling, the Bush administration has sought Congressional authorization for programs started only on executive mandate, as was the case with the Military Commissions Act, or abandoned programs it had previously asserted executive authority to enact, in the case of the National Security Agency domestic wiretapping program.

Environmental policies

The Republican Party has long supported the protection of the environment. For example, Republican President Theodore Roosevelt was a prominent conservationist whose policies eventually led to the creation of the modern National Park Service.^[31] Republican President Richard Nixon was responsible for establishing the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.^[32] More recently, California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the support of 16 other states, sued the Federal Government and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the right to set vehicle emission standards higher than the Federal Standard,^[33] a right to which California is entitled under the Clean Air Act.

This association however has shifted as the Democratic Party came to also support environmentalism. For example, Democratic President Bill Clinton did not send the Kyoto Protocol to the U.S. Senate for ratification, as he thought it unfair to the United States.^[34] President George W. Bush also publicly opposed ratification of the Kyoto Protocols on the grounds that they unfairly targeted Western industrialized nations such as the United States while favoring developing Global South polluters such as China and India.

In 2000, the Republican Party adopted as part of its platform support for the development of market-based solutions to environmental problems. According to the platform, "economic prosperity and environmental protection must advance together, environmental regulations should be based on science, the government’s role should be to provide market-based incentives to develop the technologies to meet environmental standards, we should ensure that environmental policy meets the needs of localities, and environmental policy should focus on achieving results processes."^[35]

The Bush administration,^[36] along with several of the candidates that sought the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008,^[37]^[38]^[39] supported increased Federal investment into the development of clean alternative fuels, increased nuclear power, and well as fuels such as ethanol, as a way of helping the U.S. achieve energy independence, as opposed to supporting less use of carbon dioxide-producing methods of generating energy. McCain supports the cap-and-trade policy, a policy that is quite popular among Democrats but much less so among other Republicans. Some Republicans support increased oil drilling in currently protected areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a position that has drawn sharp criticism from some activists.

Social policies

Social services

Some Republicans favor faith-based initiatives. There are some exceptions, especially in the Northeast and Pacific Coast states.

Race

They are generally against affirmative action for women and some minorities, often describing it as a quota system, believing that it is not meritocratic and that is counter-productive socially by only further promoting discrimination. Many Republicans support race-neutral admissions policies in universities but support taking into account the socioeconomic status of the student.^[40]^[41]

Capital punishment

Most of the GOP's membership favors capital punishment and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime.

Gun rights

Republicans generally support gun ownership rights and oppose laws regulating guns, although some Republicans in urban areas sometimes favor limited restrictions on the grounds that they are necessary to protect safety in large cities.

Education

Most Republicans support school choice through charter schools and school vouchers for private schools; many have denounced the performance of the public school system and the teachers' unions. The party has insisted on a system of greater accountability for public schools, most prominently in recent years with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Many Republicans, however, opposed the creation of the United States Department of Education when it was initially created in 1979.

Some in the religious wing of the party support voluntary organized prayer in public schools and the teaching of intelligent design in science classes.

Abortion and related issues

A majority of the GOP's national and state candidates are pro-life and oppose elective abortion on religious or moral grounds.

Although the GOP has voted for increases in government funding of scientific research, some members actively oppose the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research beyond the original lines because it involves the destruction of human embryos (which many consider ethically equivalent to abortion), while arguing for applying research money into adult stem cell or amniotic stem cell research. The stem cell issue has garnered two once-rare vetoes on research funding bills from President Bush, who said the research "crossed a moral boundary".

LGBT issues

The 2004 Republican platform expressed support for the Federal Marriage Amendment to the United States Constitution to define marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman. Generally speaking, most Republicans have opposed government recognition of same-sex unions such as with same-sex marriage. This opposition formed a key method of energizing conservative voters, the Republican base, in the 2004 election. A New York Times and CBS News collaborative poll released in April 2009 reported that 18% of Republicans favored recognition of same-sex marriage.^[42] An August 2010 Fox poll found 19% support.^[43] Historically, most Republicans have opposed permitting LGBT people to serve openly in the military and supported the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. However, majorities of 52% and 58% among Republicans in both 2004 and 2009 opposed the policy and supported open enlistment, according to Gallup polling.^[44]

Groups pushing for LGBT issues inside the party include Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud. Fox News national exit polls of self-described LGBT voters found that 24% voted Republican in 2004 and in 2006. That value was 19% and 31% in 2008 and 2010, respectively.^[45] In 2011, 28% of Republicans supported gay marriage.^[46]

National defense and military spending

Although the Republican Party has always advocated a strong national defense, historically they disapproved of interventionist foreign policy actions. Republicans opposed Woodrow Wilson's intervention in World War I and his subsequent attempt to create the League of Nations. They were also staunchly opposed to intervention in World War II until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Dwight Eisenhower

In 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower was drafted by the Republican party to counter the candidacy of non-interventionist Senator Robert Taft. Eisenhower's campaign was a crusade against the Truman administration's policies regarding "Korea, Communism and Corruption."^[47]

Ronald Reagan

Grenada

On October 25, 1983, at the request of the regional governments, Reagan ordered Operation Urgent Fury, a military invasion of the small, Caribbean island of Grenada, where over a thousand American students and their families were in residence. A Marxist coup d'état had overthrown the established government and shot its leader Maurice Bishop. This was the first actual rollback that destroyed a Communist regime and marked the continued escalation of tensions with the Soviet Union known as the Second Cold War. Democrats had been highly critical of Reagan's anti-Communism in Latin America, but this time Reagan had strong support from the voters and leading Democrats said the invasion was justified.^[48] It built the President's image of decisive strong action a year before the 1984 election, when Mondale said he too would have ordered the invasion. Indeed Mondale attacked Senator Gary Hart, his chief opponent for the Democratic nomination, as isolationist and weak on fighting dictatorships.^[49]

Cold War

Reagan escalated the Cold War, accelerating a reversal from the policy of détente, which began in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.^[50] Reagan then ordered a massive buildup of the United States Armed Forces^[51]

Covert operations

Under a policy that came to be known as the Reagan Doctrine, Reagan and his administration also provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist resistance movements in an effort to "rollback" Soviet-backed communist governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The policy was politically controversial, with liberal Democrats especially angry with Reagan's operations in Latin America.^[49] Covert operations elsewhere, especially in Afghanistan against the Soviets, however, usually won bipartisan support.^[52]

George H. W. Bush

Gulf War 1990–91

For a more detailed treatment, see Gulf War.
On August 1, 1990, Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. President Bush formed an international coalition and secured UN approval to expel Iraq. On January 12, 1991, Congress voted approval for a military attack, Operation Desert Storm, by a narrow margin, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. The vote in the House was 250–183, and in the Senate 52–47. In the Senate 42 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted yes to war, while 45 Democrats and two Republicans voted no. In the House 164 Republicans and 86 Democrats voted yes, and 179 Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent voted no.^[53] The war was short and successful, but Hussein was allowed to remain in power. Arab countries repaid all the American military costs.^[54]

In the 1990s, Republicans opposed the intervention of the United States in the Balkans under President Bill Clinton^[55] and in 2000, George W. Bush ran on a platform that opposed these types of involvement in foreign conflicts.

George W. Bush

Invasion of Afghanistan

After the September 11 attacks in 2001 in New York, Bush launched the War on Terrorism, in which the United States led an international coalition invaded Afghanistan, the base of terrorist Osama bin Laden. This invasion led to the toppling of the Taliban regime. After a surprise raid on bin Laden's compound on May 2, 2011, ordered by Barack Obama, bin Laden was killed and his body disposed of in the sea. There was bipartisan support for this action, with notable Republican and Democratic figures speaking out in support of the raid.

Invasion of Iraq

In 2003, George W. Bush launched the invasion of Iraq, in conjunction with coalition partners, most notably Great Britain. The invasion was described by Bush as being part of the War on Terrorism. Saddam Hussein was captured and executed, but his supporters staged an insurgency that dragged on for years. It was a major election issue in 2004 (when Bush was reelected) and in 2006 and 2008 (when the Democrats won).^[56]

Policies

As a result, some in the Republican Party support unilateralism on issues of national security, believing in the ability and right of the United States to act without external support in matters of its national defense. In general, Republican thinking on defense and international relations is heavily influenced by the theories of neorealism and realism, characterizing conflicts between nations as struggles between faceless forces of international structure, as opposed to being the result of the ideas and actions of individual leaders. The realist school's influence shows in Reagan's Evil Empire stance on the Soviet Union and George W. Bush's Axis of evil.

Republicans secured gains in the 2002 and 2004 elections, with the War on Terror being one of the top issues favoring them. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, some in the party support neoconservative policies with regard to the War on Terror, including the 2001 war in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The doctrine of preemptive war, wars to disarm and destroy potential military foes based on speculation of future attacks rather than in defense against actual attack, has been advocated by prominent members of the Bush administration, but the war within Iraq has undercut the influence of this doctrine within the Republican Party. Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York at the time of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, has stated his support for that policy, saying America must keep itself "on the offensive" against terrorists.

The George W. Bush administration took the position that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to unlawful combatants, saying they apply to soldiers serving in the armies of nation states and not terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda. The Supreme Court overruled this position in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which held that the Geneva Conventions were legally binding and must be followed in regards to all enemy combatants. Prominent Republicans such as John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul strongly oppose the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, which they view as torture.

Other international policies

Israel

The Republican leadership supports a strong Israel, but supports efforts to secure peace in the Middle East between Israel and its Arab neighbors.^[57]

Russia

The Republican party claims U.S. should promote friendship not only between the United States and Russia, but also between Russia and its neighbors. With Russia, the U.S. needs patience, consistency, and a principled reliance on democratic forces. Russia must stop encouraging the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.^[58] The party stress the common interests of the two countries which includes ending terrorism, combating nuclear proliferation, promoting bilateral trade.^[59]

Trade

The party, through former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, has advocated reforms in the United Nations to halt corruption such as that which afflicted the Oil-for-Food Program. Most Republicans oppose the Kyoto Protocol. The party promotes free trade agreements, most notably North American Free Trade Agreement, Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement and now an effort to go further south to Brazil, Peru and Colombia, although some have a protectionist view of trade.

Immigration

Republicans are divided on how to confront illegal immigration between a platform that allows for migrant workers and easing citizenship guidelines, and border enforcement-first approach. In general, pro-growth advocates within the Republican Party support more immigration, and traditional or populist conservatives oppose it. In 2006, the White House supported and Republican-led Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform that would eventually allow millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens, but the House, also led by Republicans, took an enforcement-first approach, and the bill failed to pass the conference committee.^[60]

Political status of Puerto Rico

The Republican Party has expressed its support for the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico to exercise their right to determine a future permanent non-territorial political status with government by consent, full enfranchisement and to be admitted to the union as a fully sovereign U.S. state. 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. The following is a section from the 2008 party platform (unchanged from the 2004 and 2000 platforms).^[61]^[62]^[63]

We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state after they freely so determine. We recognize that Congress has the final authority to define the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with government by consent and full enfranchisement. As long as Puerto Rico is not a state, however, the will of its people regarding their political status should be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S. government.

Voter base

Template:Asof, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents.^[64]

Business community

The GOP is usually seen as the traditionally pro-business party and it garners major support from a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small businesses. Republicans are about 50 percent more likely to be self-employed, and are more likely to work in management.^[65]

Gender

Since 1980, a "gender gap" has seen slightly stronger support for the GOP among men than among women. In the 2006 House races, 43% of women voted for GOP, while 47% of men did so.^[66] In the 2010 midterms, the "gender gap" was reduced with women supporting GOP and Democratic candidates equally 49% to 49%.^[67]^[68]

Race

Currently, most of the Republican voter base is Caucasian. While historically the party had been supporters of rights for African Americans since the 1860s, it lost its leadership position; the GOP has been winning under 15% of the black vote in recent national elections (1980 to 2008). The party has recently nominated African American candidates for senator or governor in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, though none were successful. In the 2010 elections, two African American Republicans were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.^[69] The Republican Party abolished slavery under Abraham Lincoln, defeated the Slave Power, and gave blacks the vote during Reconstruction in the late 1860s. Until the New Deal of the 1930s, blacks supported the GOP by large margins.^[70] Most black voters switched to the Democratic Party in the 1930s when the New Deal offered them employment opportunities, and major figures, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, began to support civil rights. They became one of the core components of the New Deal Coalition. In the South, blacks were able to vote in large numbers after 1965, when a bipartisan coalition passed the Voting Rights Act, and ever since have formed a significant portion (20-50%) of the Democratic vote in that region.^[71]

In recent decades, the party has been moderately successful in gaining support from Hispanic and Asian American voters. George W. Bush, who campaigned energetically for Hispanic votes, received 35% of their vote in 2000 and 44% in 2004.^[72] The party's strong anti-communist stance has made it popular among some minority groups from current and former Communist states, in particular Cuban Americans, Korean Americans, Chinese Americans, and Vietnamese Americans. The election of Bobby Jindal as Governor of Louisiana has been hailed as pathbreaking.^[73] He is the first elected minority governor in Louisiana and the first state governor of Indian descent.^[74] In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain won 55% of white votes, 35% of Asian votes, 31% of Hispanic votes, and 4% of African American votes.^[75] In the 2010 House election, the GOP won 60% of the white votes, 38% of Hispanic votes, and 9% of the African American vote.^[76]

For decades, a greater percentage of white voters identified themselves as Democrats, rather than Republicans. However, since the mid-1990s whites have been more likely to self-identify as Republicans than Democrats.^[77]

Family status

In recent elections, Republicans have found their greatest support among whites from married couples with children living at home.^[78] Unmarried and divorced women were far more likely to vote for Kerry in 2004.^[79]

Income

Low-income voters tend to favor the Democratic Party while high-income voters tend to support the Republican Party. President George W. Bush won 41% of the poorest 20% of voters in 2004, 55% of the richest twenty percent, and 53% of those in between. In the 2006 House races, the voters with incomes over $50,000 were 49% Republican, while those under were 38%.^[66]

Military

Republicans hold a large majority in the armed services, with 57% of active military personnel and 66% of officers identified as Republican in 2003.^[80]

Education

Self-identified Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to have 4-year college degrees. The trends for the years 1955 through 2004 are shown by gender in the graphs below, reproduced from a book published by Joseph Fried.^[81] These graphs depict results obtained by Fried from the National Election Studies (NES) database.

File:Fig 57 - men 4-yr college degrees.JPG

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File:Fig 58 women with 4-yr college degs.JPG

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Regarding graduate-level degrees (masters or doctorate), there is a rough parity between Democrats and Republicans. According to the Gallup Organization: "[B]oth Democrats and Republicans have equal numbers of Americans at the upper end of the educational spectrum — that is, with post graduate degrees..."^[81] Fried provides a slightly more detailed analysis, noting that Republican men are more likely than Democratic men to have advanced degrees, but Democratic women are now more likely than Republican women to have advanced degrees.^[82]

Republicans remain a small minority of college professors, with 11% of full-time faculty identifying as Republican.^[83]

Age

The Democrats do better among younger Americans and Republicans among older Americans. In 2006, the GOP won 38% of the voters aged 18–29.^[66]

Sexual orientation

Exit polls conducted in 2000, 2004, and 2006 indicate that about one quarter of gay and lesbian Americans voted for the GOP. In recent years, many in the party have opposed same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes laws, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, while supporting the use of the don't ask, don't tell policy within the military. Some members of the party, particularly in the Northeast and Pacific coast, support civil unions and adoption rights for same-sex couples.^[84] The opposition to gay rights largely comes from the socially conservative wing of the party.^[85]

Religion

Religion has always played a major role for both parties but, in the course of a century, the parties' religious compositions have changed. Religion was a major dividing line between the parties before 1960, with Catholics, Jews, and Southern Protestants heavily Democratic, and Northeastern Protestants heavily Republican. Most of the old differences faded away after the realignment of the 1970s and 80s that undercut the New Deal coalition. Voters who attend church weekly gave 61% of their votes to Bush in 2004; those who attend occasionally gave him only 47%, while those who never attend gave him 36%. Fifty-nine percent of Protestants voted for Bush, along with 52% of Catholics (even though John Kerry was Catholic). Since 1980, large majorities of evangelicals have voted Republican; 70–80% voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and 70% for GOP House candidates in 2006. Jews continue to vote 70–80% Democratic. Democrats have close links with the African American churches, especially the National Baptists, while their historic dominance among Catholic voters has eroded to 54-46 in the 2010 midterms.^[75] The main line traditional Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians) have dropped to about 55% Republican (in contrast to 75% before 1968). Their church memberships have declined in that time as well as the conservative evangelical churches have grown. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are overwhelmingly Republican and vote in line with the Christian right - George W. Bush received 89% of the Mormon vote.^[86] Bush also received almost 80% of the Muslim vote in the 2000 Presidential election. However, his support among Muslims declined sharply and, by the 2004 election, at least half of those voters supported Democratic candidate John Kerry or a third party candidate.^[87]

File:2004prescountymap2.PNG

This map shows the vote in the 2004 presidential election by county. All major Republican geographic constituencies are visible: red dominates the map, showing Republican strength in the rural areas, while the denser areas (i.e., cities) are blue. Notable exceptions include the Pacific coast, New England, the Black Belt, areas with high Native American populations, and the heavily Hispanic parts of the Southwest.

Location

Since 1980, geographically the Republican "base" ("red states") is strongest in the South, the Midwest, and Mountain West. While it is currently weakest on the West Coast and Northeast, this has not always been the case; historically the northeast was a bastion of the Republican Party with Vermont and Maine being the only two states to vote against Franklin Roosevelt all four times. The Midwest has been roughly balanced since 1854, with Illinois becoming more Democratic and liberal because of the city of Chicago (see below) and Minnesota and Wisconsin more Republican since 1990. Ohio and Indiana both trend Republican. Since the 1930s, the Democrats have dominated most central cities, while the Republicans now dominate rural areas and the majority of suburbs.^[88]

The South has become solidly Republican in national elections since 1980, and has been trending Republican at the state level since then at a slower pace.^[89] In 2004, Bush led Kerry by 70%-30% among Southern whites, who made up 71% of the Southern electorate. Kerry had a 70-30 lead among the 29% of the voters who were black or Hispanic. One-third of these Southern voters said they were white evangelicals; they voted for Bush by 80-20; but were only 72% Republican in 2006.^[66]^[72]

The Republican Party's strongest focus of political influence lies in the Great Plains states, particularly Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, and in the Mountain states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah (Utah gave George W. Bush more than 70% of the popular vote in 2004). These states are sparsely populated with few major urban centers, and have majority white populations, making it extremely difficult for Democrats to create a sustainable voter base there. Unlike the South, these areas have been strongly Republican since before the party realignments of the 1960s. The Great Plains states were one of the few areas of the country where Republicans had any significant support during the Great Depression.

Conservatives and moderates

Republican "conservatives" are strongest in the South, Mountain West and Midwest, where they draw support from social conservatives. The moderates tend to dominate the party in New England, and used to be well represented in all states. From the 1940s to the 1970s under such leaders as Thomas E. Dewey, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller, and Richard Nixon, they usually dominated the presidential wing of the party. Since the 1970s, they have been less powerful, though they are always represented in the cabinets of Republican presidents. In Vermont, Jim Jeffords, a Republican Senator became an independent in 2001 due to growing disagreement with President Bush and the party leadership. In addition, moderate Republicans have recently held the governorships in several New England States, while Lincoln Chafee, a former moderate Republican senator is currently the independent governor of Rhode Island. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, and Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts are notable moderate Republicans from New England. From 1991 to 2007, moderate Republicans served as Governor of Massachusetts.

Some well-known conservative radio hosts, including national figures such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Laura Ingraham, Michael Reagan, Howie Carr, and Michael Savage, as well as many local commentators, support Republican causes, while vocally opposing those of the Democrats.^[90]

Trends

Template:As of, the Republican Party had remained fairly cohesive, as both strong economic libertarians and social conservatives opposed the Democrats, whom they saw as the party of bloated and more secular, liberal government.^[91] Yet, some libertarians have argued that the GOP's policies have grown increasingly restrictive of personal liberties, and has contributed to increasing corporate welfare and national debt.^[92] Some social conservatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the party's support for economic policies that they see as sometimes in conflict with their moral values.^[93]

State and territorial parties

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Template:Col-2

Template:Col-end

Footnotes

↑ Grigsby, Ellen (2008). Analyzing Politics: An Introduction to Political Science. Florence: Cengage Learning, 106–7. ISBN 0495501123. “In the United States, the Democratic Party represents itself as the liberal alternative to the Republicans, but its liberalism is for the most the later version of liberalism—modern liberalism.”
↑ Arnold, N. Scott (2009). Imposing values: an essay on liberalism and regulation. Florence: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0495501123. “Modern liberalism occupies the left-of-center in the traditional political spectrum and is represented by the Democratic Party in the United States.”
↑ Levy, Jonah (2006). The state after statism: new state activities in the age of liberalization. Florence: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0495501123. “In the corporate governance area, the center-left repositioned itself to press for reform."”
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Brian R. Farmer. American political ideologies: an introduction to the major systems of thought in the 21st century. Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company, 2006. Pp. 64.
↑ ''The Origin of the Republican Party'', A.F. Gilman, Ripon College, 1914. Content.wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.
↑ Gould
↑ Gienapp, W (1989). The Origins of the Republican Party.

↑

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(1970). Retrieved on 2011-09-05.

↑ Donald T. Critchlow, The Conservative Ascendancy: How the Republican Right Rose to Power in Modern America (2011) pp 280-312
↑ Khan. Huma. Will Redistricting Be a Bloodbath for Democrats?. ABCNews.com. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
↑ The Third-Term Panic. Cartoon of the Day (2003-11-07). Retrieved on 2011-09-05.
↑ Rutland, RA (1996). The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush. ISBN 0826210902.
↑ The Origins of the Republican Party
↑ Gould, pp. 14–15
↑ The term originated in 1875 in the Congressional Record, referring to the party associated with the successful military defense of the Union as "this gallant old party"; the following year in an article in the Cincinnati Commercial, the term was modified to "grand old party". The first use of the abbreviation "GOP" is dated 1884. See "Grand Old Party," Oxford English Dictionary
↑ Cartoon of the Day: "The Third-Term Panic". Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
↑ accessdate=2010-06-17 Schenectady County. schenectadycounty.com.
↑ Home. Wvsos.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.
↑ "Diving into the rich pool", The Economist, 2011-09-24. Retrieved on 2012-01-13.
↑ Template:Wayback
↑ Template:Wayback
↑ Unsettling Scores: A Ranking of State Medicaid Programs, P. 15^{[Dead link]}
↑ Wachino, V (2005-03-10). The House Budget Committee's Proposed Medicaid and SCHIP Cuts Are Larger Than Those The Administration Proposed. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
↑ Bobby Jindal on the Issues. Ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2010-05-16.
↑ "Supreme Court", On the Issues. Retrieved on 2011-09-05.
↑ McCarthy, AC. Judicial Restraint. Nationalreview.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.
↑ "House to debate court stripping", Washington Times, 2004-07-22. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.
↑ Savage, Charlie. "Bush challenges hundreds of laws", The Boston Globe, 2006-04-30. Retrieved on 2011-09-05.
↑ Cole, D. Why The Court Said No. New York Review of Books. Nybooks.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.
↑ [[[:Template:SCOTUS URL Slip]] Opinion of the court, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, p. 72]
↑ Filler, Daniel. Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation as the Guardian of Democracy. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
↑ Nixon, Richard (1970-07-09). Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.^{[Dead link]}
↑ Schwarzenegger, Arnold. "California will Sue Federal Government", CNN, 2007-12-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
↑ Bush, George W. (2001-03-13). Text of a Letter from the President. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.^{[Dead link]}
↑ "Encourage Market-Based Solutions to Environmental Problems". OnTheIssues. 2000-08-12.
↑ Fact Sheet: Harnessing the Power of Technology for a Secure Energy Future (2007-02-22). Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
↑ Kudlow & Company (2007-03-26). Interview with Rudy Giuliani. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
↑ Issue Watch: Achieving Energy Independence. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
↑ "The Candidates: Rep. Duncan Hunter", Washington Post.com, 2007-10-12. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
↑ "Bush criticizes university 'quota system'", CNN, 2003-01-15. Retrieved on 2010-05-22.
↑ Eilperin, Juliet. "Watts Walks a Tightrope on Affirmative Action", The Washington Post, 1998-05-12. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
↑ "Signs G.O.P. Is Rethinking Stance on Gay Marriage", The New York Times, April 28, 2009. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.
↑ "Fox News Poll", Fox News, August 13, 2010.
↑ Morales, Lymari. "Conservatives Shift in Favor of Openly Gay Service Members", Gallup, June 5, 2009.
↑ "GOP Gains Traction Among Gay Voters By Focusing on Economy, Analyst Says", Fox News, November 6, 2010.
↑ "For First Time, Majority of Americans Support Gay Marriage", Fox News, May 22, 2011.
↑ Gibbs, Nancy. "When New President Meets Old, It's Not Always Pretty", [[Time (magazine)|]], November 10, 2008.
↑ Steven F. Hayward, The age of Reagan: The conservative counterrevolution, 1980-1989, p. 323
↑ ^49.0 ^49.1 Robert Kagan, A twilight struggle: American power and Nicaragua, 1977-1990 (1996) p. 346
↑ Towards an International History of the War in Afghanistan, 1979–89. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (2002). Retrieved on May 16, 2007.^{[Dead link]}
↑ LGM-118A Peacekeeper. Federation of American Scientists (August 15, 2000). Retrieved on April 10, 2007.
↑ Jagmohan Meher, America's Afghanistan war (2004) p 133 online
↑ Dilip Hiro, Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War (2003) p. 300
↑ Gary R. Hess, Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq (2009) pp 153-219
↑ www.spectator.org, March 21, 2011, "Republicans on Kosovo" by W. James Antile,III
↑ Hess, Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq (2009) pp 221-76
↑ Authorization Required. canadiancoalition.com.
↑ Republican Platform adopted at GOP National Convention Aug 12, 2000
↑ 2008 Republican Party Platform, September 1, 2008
↑ Blanton, Dana. "National Exit Poll: Midterms Come Down to Iraq, Bush", Fox News, 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-06. ^{[Dead link]}
↑ 2004 Republican Platform. Gop.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-01.^{[Dead link]}
↑ An Introduction to Puerto Rico's Status Debate. Let Puerto Rico Decide (1998-03-04). Retrieved on 2010-06-17.
↑ 2008 Republican Platform
↑ Democratic Party ID Drops in 2010, Tying 22-Year Low. Gallup.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.
↑ Fried, pp. 104–5, 125.
↑ ^66.0 ^66.1 ^66.2 ^66.3 "Exit Polls", CNN, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
↑ Exit Poll Analysis: Vote 2010 Elections Results. ABC News (2010-11-02). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.
↑ Weeks, Linton (2010-11-03). 10 Takeaways From The 2010 Midterms. NPR. Retrieved on 2011-01-30.
↑ L.A. Holmes. "Black Republicans Win First Congress Seats Since 2003", FoxNews.com, 2010-04-07. Retrieved on 2011-01-30.
↑ In the South, they were often not allowed to vote, but still received some Federal patronage appointments from the Republicans
↑ Harvard Sitkoff, A New Deal for Blacks (1978).
↑ ^72.0 ^72.1 "Exit Polls", CNN, 2004-11-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
↑ "Americas | Profile: Bobby Jindal", BBC News, 2009-02-25. Retrieved on 2010-05-16.
↑ 'Bobby Jindal may become first Indian-American to be US prez'. Deccanherald.com (2009-10-23). Retrieved on 2010-05-16.
↑ ^75.0 ^75.1 "Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History". Pew Research Center. April 30, 2009
↑ The Latino Vote in the 2010 Elections. Pew Research Center (2010-11-03). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.
↑ Fried, p. 321.
↑ Affordable Family Formation–The Neglected Key To GOP’s Future by Steve Sailer
↑ Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election^{[Dead link]} (PDF). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January, 2005. Page 3: "The marriage gap is one of the most important cleavages in electoral politics. Unmarried women voted for Kerry by a 25-point margin (62 to 37 percent), while married women voted for President Bush by an 11-point margin (55 percent to 44 percent). Indeed, the 25-point margin Kerry posted among unmarried women represented one of the high water marks for the Senator among all demographic groups."
↑ Lobe, J. (January 1, 2004). Military More Republican, Conservative Than Public — Poll. LewRockwell.com.. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
↑ ^81.0 ^81.1 Fried, pp. 74–5.
↑ Fried, pp. 76–7.
↑ "Kurtz, H. (March 29, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. The Washington Post.", 2005-03-29. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
↑ Republican Party on the Issues Civil_Rights Republican Party on the Issues. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
↑ A Common Missed Conception: Why religious people are against gay marriage..
↑ Robert Booth Fowler et al., Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices (2004)
↑ Brian Beutler (2010-08-18). GOP Muslims Fear Failure Of Bush Outreach Efforts After Anti-Mosque Furor | TPMDC. Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-29.
↑ "Election 2004", CNN. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
↑ Earl Black and Merle Black. Politics and Society in the South (2005)
↑ Alison Dagnes, Politics on demand: the effects of 24-hour news on American politics (2010) p 53
↑ Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. The Right Nation (2004).
↑ Evans, B. (December 15, 2005). Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians. The Associated Press. Retrieved on 2007-07-11. ^{[Dead link]}
↑ How Huckabee Scares the GOP. By E. J. Dionne. Real Clear Politics. Published December 21, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
↑ Republican • National • Committee. As.gop.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.
↑ Republican • National • Committee. Gu.gop.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.
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↑ [1]^{[Dead link]}
↑ The Republican Party of the Virgin Islands. Virepublicanwomen.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

References

For a more detailed treatment, see Bibliography of the Republican Party.
Template:Refbegin

American National Biography (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries.
Aistrup, Joseph A. The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South (1996)
Barone, Michael. The Almanac of American Politics 2010: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts (2009).
Black, Earl and Merle Black. The Rise of Southern Republicans (2002)
Brennan, Mary C. Turning Right in the Sixties: The Conservative Capture of the GOP (1995)
Conger, Kimberly H. The Christian Right in Republican State Politics (2010) 202 pages; focuses on Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri
Crane, Michael. The Political Junkie Handbook: The Definitive Reference Books on Politics (2004) covers all the major issues explaining the parties' positions
Critchlow, Donald T. The Conservative Ascendancy: How the Republican Right Rose to Power in Modern America (2nd ed. 2011)
Donald, David. Lincoln (1999)
Ehrman, John, The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan (2005)

Fried, J (2008). Democrats and Republicans—Rhetoric and Reality. New York: Algora Publishing.

Frank, Thomas. What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America (2005)
Frum, David. What's Right: The New Conservative Majority and the Remaking of America (1996)

Gould, Lewis (2003). Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans. ISBN 0375507418.

, Richard. Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854–1983 (1983)
Judis, John B. and Ruy Teixeira. The Emerging Democratic Majority (2004) two Democrats project social trends
Kleppner, Paul, et al. The Evolution of American Electoral Systems (1983), applies party systems model
Lamis, Alexander P. ed. Southern Politics in the 1990s (1999)
Levendusky, Matthew. The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans (Chicago Studies in American Politics) (2009)
Mayer, George H. The Republican Party, 1854–1966. 2d ed. (1967)
Perlstein, Rick. Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus (2002) broad account of 1964
Perlstein, Rick. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (2009)
Reinhard, David W. The Republican Right since 1945 (1983)
Rutland, Robert Allen. The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush (1996)
Sabato, Larry J. Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election (2005)
Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future (2001) textbook.
Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, Jr. ed. History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2000 (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). Essays on the most important election are reprinted in Schlesinger, The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history (1972)
Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775–2000 (2001), long essays by specialists on each time period:
- includes: "'To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs;": 1820–1865 by Joel H. Silbey; "Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885" by Michael F. Holt; "The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910" by Peter H. Argersinger; "Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930" by Richard "The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955" by Anthony J. Badger; "The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980" by James T. Patterson; and "Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000" by Byron E. Shafer
Shafer, Byron and Richard Johnston. The End of Southern Exceptionalism (2006), uses statistical election data & polls to argue GOP growth was primarily a response to economic change
Steely, Mel. The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich Mercer University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-86554-671-1.
Sundquist, James L. Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States (1983)
Swirski, Peter. Ars Americana Ars Politica. Montreal, London: McGill Queen's University Press (2010). ISBN 978 0773537668
Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America (2004).

Template:Refend

[egrigsby-1] Grigsby, Ellen (2008). Analyzing Politics: An Introduction to Political Science. Florence: Cengage Learning, 106–7. ISBN 0495501123. “In the United States, the Democratic Party represents itself as the liberal alternative to the Republicans, but its liberalism is for the most the later version of liberalism—modern liberalism.”

[sarnold-2] Arnold, N. Scott (2009). Imposing values: an essay on liberalism and regulation. Florence: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0495501123. “Modern liberalism occupies the left-of-center in the traditional political spectrum and is represented by the Democratic Party in the United States.”

[jlevy-3] Levy, Jonah (2006). The state after statism: new state activities in the age of liberalization. Florence: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0495501123. “In the corporate governance area, the center-left repositioned itself to press for reform."”

[Brian_R._Farmer_2006._Pp._64-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Brian R. Farmer. American political ideologies: an introduction to the major systems of thought in the 21st century. Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company, 2006. Pp. 64.

[5] ''The Origin of the Republican Party'', A.F. Gilman, Ripon College, 1914. Content.wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

[Gould2003-6] Gould

[Gienapp1989-7] Gienapp, W (1989). The Origins of the Republican Party.

[Foner-8] 

You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}. Available parameters:

{{cite web |url = |title = |accessdate = |accessdaymonth = |accessmonthday = |accessyear = |author = |last = |first = |authorlink = |coauthors = |date = |year = |month = |format = |work = |publisher = |pages = |language = |doi = |archiveurl = |archivedate = |quote = }}

(1970). Retrieved on 2011-09-05.

[9] Donald T. Critchlow, The Conservative Ascendancy: How the Republican Right Rose to Power in Modern America (2011) pp 280-312

[10] Khan. Huma. Will Redistricting Be a Bloodbath for Democrats?. ABCNews.com. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2012-04-13.

[harpweek-11] The Third-Term Panic. Cartoon of the Day (2003-11-07). Retrieved on 2011-09-05.

[Rutland-12] Rutland, RA (1996). The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush. ISBN 0826210902.

[ushistory-13] The Origins of the Republican Party

[Gould2003p14-14] Gould, pp. 14–15

[GOP1876-15] The term originated in 1875 in the Congressional Record, referring to the party associated with the successful military defense of the Union as "this gallant old party"; the following year in an article in the Cincinnati Commercial, the term was modified to "grand old party". The first use of the abbreviation "GOP" is dated 1884. See "Grand Old Party," Oxford English Dictionary

[harpweek20031107-16] Cartoon of the Day: "The Third-Term Panic". Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

[schenectadycounty-17] ssdate=2010-06-17 Schenectady County. schenectadycounty.com.

[wvsos-18] Home. Wvsos.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.

[19] "Diving into the rich pool", The Economist, 2011-09-24. Retrieved on 2012-01-13.

[Poverty-20] Template:Wayback

[Welfare-21] Template:Wayback

[2007UnsettlingScores-22] Unsettling Scores: A Ranking of State Medicaid Programs, P. 15^{[Dead link]}

[Wachino-23] Wachino, V (2005-03-10). The House Budget Committee's Proposed Medicaid and SCHIP Cuts Are Larger Than Those The Administration Proposed. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.

[ontheissues-24] Bobby Jindal on the Issues. Ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2010-05-16.

[nytimes2008-25] "Supreme Court", On the Issues. Retrieved on 2011-09-05.

[McCarthy-26] McCarthy, AC. Judicial Restraint. Nationalreview.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.

[washingtontimes20040722-27] "House to debate court stripping", Washington Times, 2004-07-22. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.

[boston20060430-28] Savage, Charlie. "Bush challenges hundreds of laws", The Boston Globe, 2006-04-30. Retrieved on 2011-09-05.

[Cole2010-29] Cole, D. Why The Court Said No. New York Review of Books. Nybooks.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.

[SCOTUS-30] [[[:Template:SCOTUS URL Slip]] Opinion of the court, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, p. 72]

[Filler-31] Filler, Daniel. Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation as the Guardian of Democracy. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.

[Nixon-32] Nixon, Richard (1970-07-09). Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.^{[Dead link]}

[Schwarzenegger-33] Schwarzenegger, Arnold. "California will Sue Federal Government", CNN, 2007-12-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.

[BushGW-34] Bush, George W. (2001-03-13). Text of a Letter from the President. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.^{[Dead link]}

[Encourage-35] "Encourage Market-Based Solutions to Environmental Problems". OnTheIssues. 2000-08-12.

[FactSheet-36] Fact Sheet: Harnessing the Power of Technology for a Secure Energy Future (2007-02-22). Retrieved on 2007-11-09.

[Kudlow-37] Kudlow & Company (2007-03-26). Interview with Rudy Giuliani. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.

[IssueWatch-38] Issue Watch: Achieving Energy Independence. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.

[Candidates-39] "The Candidates: Rep. Duncan Hunter", Washington Post.com, 2007-10-12. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.

[affirmativeaction-40] "Bush criticizes university 'quota system'", CNN, 2003-01-15. Retrieved on 2010-05-22.

[Eilperin-41] Eilperin, Juliet. "Watts Walks a Tightrope on Affirmative Action", The Washington Post, 1998-05-12. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.

[nytimes20090429-42] "Signs G.O.P. Is Rethinking Stance on Gay Marriage", The New York Times, April 28, 2009. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.

[foxnews20100813-43] "Fox News Poll", Fox News, August 13, 2010.

[gallup2009-44] Morales, Lymari. "Conservatives Shift in Favor of Openly Gay Service Members", Gallup, June 5, 2009.

[foxnews20101106-45] "GOP Gains Traction Among Gay Voters By Focusing on Economy, Analyst Says", Fox News, November 6, 2010.

[foxnews20110522-46] "For First Time, Majority of Americans Support Gay Marriage", Fox News, May 22, 2011.

[time_2008-47] Gibbs, Nancy. "When New President Meets Old, It's Not Always Pretty", [[Time (magazine)|]], November 10, 2008.

[Hayward-48] Steven F. Hayward, The age of Reagan: The conservative counterrevolution, 1980-1989, p. 323

[Kagan1996-49] 49.0 ^49.1 Robert Kagan, A twilight struggle: American power and Nicaragua, 1977-1990 (1996) p. 346

[wilsoncenter-50] Towards an International History of the War in Afghanistan, 1979–89. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (2002). Retrieved on May 16, 2007.^{[Dead link]}

[fasorg-51] LGM-118A Peacekeeper. Federation of American Scientists (August 15, 2000). Retrieved on April 10, 2007.

[Meher2004-52] Jagmohan Meher, America's Afghanistan war (2004) p 133 online

[Hiro-53] Dilip Hiro, Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War (2003) p. 300

[Hess-54] Gary R. Hess, Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq (2009) pp 153-219

[spectator-55] www.spectator.org, March 21, 2011, "Republicans on Kosovo" by W. James Antile,III

[Hess2009-56] Hess, Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq (2009) pp 221-76

[canadiancoalition-57] Authorization Required. canadiancoalition.com.

[58] Republican Platform adopted at GOP National Convention Aug 12, 2000

[59] 2008 Republican Party Platform, September 1, 2008

[Blanton-60] Blanton, Dana. "National Exit Poll: Midterms Come Down to Iraq, Bush", Fox News, 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-06. ^{[Dead link]}

[Republican2004-61] 2004 Republican Platform. Gop.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-01.^{[Dead link]}

[letpuertoricodecide-62] An Introduction to Puerto Rico's Status Debate. Let Puerto Rico Decide (1998-03-04). Retrieved on 2010-06-17.

[Republican2008-63] 2008 Republican Platform

[Gallup2010-64] Democratic Party ID Drops in 2010, Tying 22-Year Low. Gallup.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

[Fried2008p104-65] Fried, pp. 104–5, 125.

[2006cnnexitpolls-66] 66.0 ^66.1 ^66.2 ^66.3 "Exit Polls", CNN, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.

[abcnews3775-67] Exit Poll Analysis: Vote 2010 Elections Results. ABC News (2010-11-02). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.

[Weeks2010-68] Weeks, Linton (2010-11-03). 10 Takeaways From The 2010 Midterms. NPR. Retrieved on 2011-01-30.

[Holmes2010-69] L.A. Holmes. "Black Republicans Win First Congress Seats Since 2003", FoxNews.com, 2010-04-07. Retrieved on 2011-01-30.

[South-70] In the South, they were often not allowed to vote, but still received some Federal patronage appointments from the Republicans

[Sitkoff-71] Harvard Sitkoff, A New Deal for Blacks (1978).

[2004cnnexitpolls-72] 72.0 ^72.1 "Exit Polls", CNN, 2004-11-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.

[BBC7412-73] "Americas | Profile: Bobby Jindal", BBC News, 2009-02-25. Retrieved on 2010-05-16.

[deccanherald-74] 'Bobby Jindal may become first Indian-American to be US prez'. Deccanherald.com (2009-10-23). Retrieved on 2010-05-16.

[pewresearch-75] 75.0 ^75.1 "Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History". Pew Research Center. April 30, 2009

[pewresearch1790-76] The Latino Vote in the 2010 Elections. Pew Research Center (2010-11-03). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.

[Fried2008p321-77] Fried, p. 321.

[vdare-78] Affordable Family Formation–The Neglected Key To GOP’s Future by Steve Sailer

[wvwv2004-79] Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election^{[Dead link]} (PDF). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January, 2005. Page 3: "The marriage gap is one of the most important cleavages in electoral politics. Unmarried women voted for Kerry by a 25-point margin (62 to 37 percent), while married women voted for President Bush by an 11-point margin (55 percent to 44 percent). Indeed, the 25-point margin Kerry posted among unmarried women represented one of the high water marks for the Senator among all demographic groups."

[Lobe-80] Lobe, J. (January 1, 2004). Military More Republican, Conservative Than Public — Poll. LewRockwell.com.. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.

[Fried2008p74-81] 81.0 ^81.1 Fried, pp. 74–5.

[Fried2008p76-82] Fried, pp. 76–7.

[Kurtz2005-83] "Kurtz, H. (March 29, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. The Washington Post.", 2005-03-29. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.

[ontheissues2007-84] Republican Party on the Issues Civil_Rights Republican Party on the Issues. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

[Slate-85] A Common Missed Conception: Why religious people are against gay marriage..

[Fowler-86] Robert Booth Fowler et al., Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices (2004)

[Beutler-87] Brian Beutler (2010-08-18). GOP Muslims Fear Failure Of Bush Outreach Efforts After Anti-Mosque Furor | TPMDC. Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-29.

[CNN.com_Election_2004-88] "Election 2004", CNN. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.

[Black2005-89] Earl Black and Merle Black. Politics and Society in the South (2005)

[Dagnes-90] Alison Dagnes, Politics on demand: the effects of 24-hour news on American politics (2010) p 53

[Wooldridge-91] Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. The Right Nation (2004).

[ABC273-92] Evans, B. (December 15, 2005). Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians. The Associated Press. Retrieved on 2007-07-11. ^{[Dead link]}

[scare-93] How Huckabee Scares the GOP. By E. J. Dionne. Real Clear Politics. Published December 21, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2008.

[94] Republican • National • Committee. As.gop.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

[95] Republican • National • Committee. Gu.gop.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

[96] Republican • National • Committee. Mp.gop.com (2007-09-01). Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

[97] [1]^{[Dead link]}

[98] The Republican Party of the Virgin Islands. Virepublicanwomen.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-17.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{AmericanPoliticalParty
+{{Redirect|GOP}}
-  | party_name = Republican Party
+{{Distinguish|American Republican Party|Democratic-Republican Party|National Republican Party}}
-  | party_articletitle = Republican Party (United States)
+{{pp-semi-indef}}{{pp-move-indef}}
-  | party_logo = [[Image:Cjjfdjfty.png|200px|"Republican Party Elephant" logo]]
+<!-- Before changing the position section of the infobox, please review past discussions on the talk page (in the archives if not found on the main page) and start a discussion yourself before making any changes if you still plan on doing so. -->
-  | website = [http://www.gop.com www.gop.com]
+{{Infobox political party
-  | headquarters = 310 K Street SE<br> [[Washington, D.C.]]<br>20003
+  |name          = Republican Party
-  | chairman = [[Reince Priebus]]
+  |logo          = [[File:Republicanlogo.svg|220px]]
-  | houseleader = [[John Boehner]]
+ |colorcode     = #FF5663
- | senateleader = [[Mitch McConnell]]
+ |chairman      = [[Reince Priebus]] ([[Wisconsin|WI]])
- | foundation = 1854
+ |leader1_title = Senate Leader
-  | ideology = [[moderate|Centrism]]<br>[[Conservative|Conservatism]]<br>[[Classical Liberalism]]<br>[[Neoconservatism]]
+ |leader1_name  = [[Mitch McConnell]] ([[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Minority Leader]]) ([[Kentucky|KY]])<br/> [[Jon Kyl]] ([[Assistant party leaders of the United States Senate|Minority Whip]]) ([[Arizona|AZ]])
-  | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]
+  |leader2_title = House Leader
-  | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]
+ |leader2_name  = [[John Boehner]] ([[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]]) ([[Ohio|OH]])<br/> [[Eric Cantor]] ([[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Leader]]) ([[Virginia|VA]])<br/> [[Kevin McCarthy (California politician)|Kevin McCarthy]] ([[Party whips of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Whip]]) ([[California|CA]])
-  | international = [[International Democrat Union]]
+  |leader3_title = Chair of Governors Association
-  | colors = [[Red states and blue states|Red]] (unofficial)
+ |leader3_name  = [[Bob McDonnell]] ([[Virginia|VA]])
-  | footnotes =
+ |founded       = 1854
+ |predecessor   = [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]]<br/>[[Free Soil Party]]
+  |headquarters  = 310 First Street NE<br/>[[Washington, D.C.]] 20003
+  |student_wing  = [[College Republicans]]
+  |youth_wing    = [[Young Republicans]] [[Teenage Republicans]]
+  |ideology      = [[Conservatism]] ([[Conservatism in the United States|American]])<br/> {{•}}[[Classical liberalism]]<br/> {{•}} [[Fiscal conservatism]]<br/>{{•}} [[Social_conservatism_in_the_United_States|Social conservatism]]<br/> ''Factions'' <br/> {{•}}[[Traditionalist conservatism]]<br/>{{•}} [[Libertarian conservatism]]<br/>{{•}} [[Neoliberalism]]<br/>{{•}} [[Neoconservatism]]
+  |blank1_title = Position in [[Political parties in the United States|national political spectrum]]
+  |blank1 = [[Center-right]]
+  |international  = [[International Democrat Union]]
+  |colors         = [[Red states and blue states|Red]] (unofficial)
+  |seats1_title   = [[United States Senate|Seats in the Senate]]
+ |seats1        = {{Infobox political party/seats|47|100|hex=#ff5663}}
+ |seats2_title  = [[United States House of Representatives|Seats in the House]]
+ |seats2        = {{Infobox political party/seats|242|435|hex=#ff5663}}
+ |seats3_title  = [[Governor (United States)|Governor]]ships
+ |seats3        = {{Infobox political party/seats|29|50|hex=#ff5663}}
+ |seats4_title  = [[State legislature (United States)|State Upper House Seats]]
+ |seats4        = {{Infobox political party/seats|1001|1921|hex=#ff5663}}
+ |seats5_title  = [[State legislature (United States)|State Lower House Seats]]
+ |seats5        = {{Infobox political party/seats|3021|5410|hex=#ff5663}}
+ |website       = {{URL|http://www.gop.com/}}
+ |country       = United States
 }}
-The '''Republican Party''' or informally the '''GOP''' (short for Grand Old Party), is one of the two major political parties in the [[United States]].  The Republican Party is [[pro-life]] , while the [[Democratic Party]] is [[pro-abortion]].
-In the past, the Republican voter coalitions have generally comprised businessmen, military veterans and evangelical Protestants. Some groups have realigned: blacks went from the GOP to the Democrats in the 1930s, while white Southerners became Republicans in the 1980s. Catholics switched from 80% Democratic in 1960 to 50-50 in recent years, primarily due to the embrace of [[abortion]] by the Democrats. In recent years youth and better educated professionals have moved to the Democrats, while blue collar workers have become more Republican, again due to the abortion issue.
+The '''Republican Party''' is one of the [[Two-party system|two]] [[Major party|major]] contemporary [[political parties in the United States]], along with the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the '''GOP''' (Grand Old Party), although the rival Democratic Party is older. Eighteen US presidents have been Republicans. The [[Party platform|party's platform]] generally reflects [[Conservatism in the United States|American conservatism]] in the [[Politics of the United States|U.S. political spectrum]].<ref name="egrigsby">{{cite book |last=Grigsby |first=Ellen|title=Analyzing Politics: An Introduction to Political Science |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2008 |location=Florence |isbn=0495501123 | pages = 106–7 |quote=''In the United States, the Democratic Party represents itself as the liberal alternative to the Republicans, but its liberalism is for the most the later version of liberalism—modern liberalism.''}}</ref><ref name="sarnold">{{cite book |last=Arnold |first=N. Scott |title=Imposing values: an essay on liberalism and regulation |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |location=Florence |isbn=0495501123 | page = 3 |quote=''Modern liberalism occupies the left-of-center in the traditional political spectrum and is represented by the Democratic Party in the United States.''}}</ref><ref name="jlevy">{{cite book |last=Levy |first= Jonah |title=The state after statism: new state activities in the age of liberalization |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2006 |location=Florence |isbn=0495501123 | page = 198 |quote=''In the corporate governance area, the center-left repositioned itself to press for reform."}}</ref> American conservatism of the Republican Party is not wholly based upon rejection of the political ideology of [[liberalism]], as many principles of American conservatism are based upon [[classical liberalism]].<ref name="Brian R. Farmer 2006. Pp. 64">Brian R. Farmer. ''American political ideologies: an introduction to the major systems of thought in the 21st century''. Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company, 2006. Pp. 64.</ref> Rather the Republican Party's conservatism is largely based upon its support of classical liberal principles against the [[social liberalism|modern liberalism]] of the [[Factions in the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] that is considered [[American liberalism]] in contemporary American political discourse.<ref name="Brian R. Farmer 2006. Pp. 64"/>
-The Republican Party was created in 1854 by anti-slavery activists. It soon swept to control of all the northern states, and in 1860 elected [[Abraham Lincoln]] president.  The South seceded, and the Union side of the [[American Civil War]] was directed by Lincoln and the new party, with help from "War Democrats." The GOP (as it was also called from the 1880s) dominated the elections of the [[Third Party System]] (1854-1894) as well as the [[Fourth Party System]] or Progressive Era (1894-1932).  However the Democrats built a liberal [[New Deal Coalition]] under President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and dominated the [[Fifth Party System]], 1932-1966, with the GOP only electing Eisenhower in that era.  The [[Sixth Party System]], since 1968, has been dominated by the GOP.
+In the [[112th United States Congress|112th Congress]], elected in [[United States House of Representatives elections, 2010|2010]], the Republican Party holds a majority of seats in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and a minority of seats in the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. The party holds the majority of [[governor (United States)|governor]]ships as well as the majority of [[List of U.S. state legislatures|state legislatures]].
-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's most recent candidate [[Arizona]] Senator [[John McCain]], together with his running mate Alaska Governor [[Sarah Palin]], lost the 2008 presidential election to Democrat [[Barack Obama]] and his running mate [[Joe Biden]].
+==History==
+{{Main|History of the United States Republican Party}}
+[[File:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Abraham Lincoln]], the first Republican President (1861–1865)]]
-It is important to vote for someone who's more conservative on the issues rather than for a Republican because anyone can join a party and be they can be a [[RINO]].
+Founded in northern states in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, modernizers, ex-[[Whig Party (United States)|Whigs]] and ex-[[Free Soil]]ers, the Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to the dominant [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and the briefly popular [[Know Nothing|Know Nothing Party]]. The main cause was opposition to the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]], which repealed the [[Missouri Compromise]] by which slavery was kept out of Kansas. The Republicans saw the expansion of slavery as a great evil. The first public meeting where the name "Republican" was suggested for a new anti-slavery party was held on March 20, 1854 in a schoolhouse in [[Ripon, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/tp&CISOPTR=46379&CISOSHOW=46363 |title='&#39;The Origin of the Republican Party'&#39;, A.F. Gilman, Ripon College, 1914 |publisher=Content.wisconsinhistory.org |date= |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
-== Symbol ==
+The first official party convention was held on July 6, 1854 in [[Jackson, Michigan]]. By 1858, the Republicans dominated nearly all northern states. The Republican Party first came to power in 1860 with the election of Lincoln to the Presidency and Republicans in control of Congress and the northern states. It oversaw the saving of the union, the destruction of slavery, and the provision of equal rights to all men in the [[American Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], 1861-1877.<ref name=Gould2003>Gould</ref>
-[[image:The_off_year_nast_1877.jpg|left|thumb|1877 Thomas Nast drawing of the Republican elephant]]
-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 some Midwestern states was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic cock. The eagle still appears on Indiana ballots.
+The Republicans' initial base was in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and the upper [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]. With the [[Realigning election|realignment]] of parties and voters in the [[Third Party System]], the strong run of [[John C. Fremont]] in the [[United States presidential election, 1856|1856 Presidential election]] demonstrated it dominated most northern states. Early Republican ideology was reflected in the 1856 slogan "free labor, free land, free men."<ref name=Gienapp1989>{{cite book|last=Gienapp|first=W|title=The Origins of the Republican Party|page=168|publisher=|location=|year=1989|url=}}</ref>
-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.
+"Free labor" referred to the Republican opposition to slave labor and belief in independent artisans and businessmen. "Free land" referred to Republican opposition to plantation system whereby the rich could buy up all the good farm land and work it with slaves, leaving the [[yeoman]] independent farmers the leftovers. The Party had the goal of containing the expansion of slavery, which would cause the collapse of the [[Slave Power]] and the expansion of freedom.<ref name=Foner>{{cite web|author=|title=Free soil, free labor, free men|work=|publisher=|location=|year=1970|url=|accessdate=2011-09-05}}</ref>
-==Ideology==
+Lincoln, representing the fast-growing western states, won the Republican nomination in 1860 and subsequently won the presidency. The party took on the mission of saving the Union and destroying slavery during the American Civil War and over [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]. In the [[United States presidential election, 1864|election of 1864]], it united with pro-war Democrats to nominate Lincoln on the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]] ticket.
-Historically, 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 Deal]]er at one time, has been quoted as saying "Government is not the solution, it is the problem."
+The party's success created factionalism within the party in the 1870s. Those who felt that Reconstruction had been accomplished and was continued mostly to promote the large-scale corruption tolerated by President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] ran [[Horace Greeley]] for the presidency. The Stalwarts defended Grant and the [[spoils system]]; the [[Half-Breed (politics)|Half-Breed]]s pushed for reform of the [[civil service]].
-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]], liberating 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 GOP supported business generally, hard money (i.e., the [[gold standard]]), [[Tariffs in American history|high tariffs to promote economic growth, high wages and high profits]], generous pensions for Union veterans, and (after 1893) the annexation of [[Hawaii]]. The Republicans supported the pietistic Protestants who demanded [[Prohibition]]. As the northern post-bellum economy boomed with heavy and light industry, railroads, mines, fast-growing cities and prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to sustain the fast growth.
-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.
+Nevertheless, by 1890 the Republicans had agreed to the [[Sherman Antitrust Act]] and the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. The high [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890 hurt the party and the Democrats swept to a landslide in the off-year elections, even defeating McKinley himself.
-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.
+After the two terms of Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]], the election of [[William McKinley]] in [[United States presidential election, 1896|1896]] is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a [[realigning election]]. McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the [[Panic of 1893]], and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit.
-In recent years, the Republican party has downplayed its emphasis on small government. Under the administration of [[George W. Bush]], the federal government has been expanded to record levels, surpassing even the Great Depression era <ref>http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm</ref>. Additionally, the Bush administration has acted to nationalize the country's banking institutions in an effort to stymie the decline of the U.S. economy<ref>http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12078933</ref>
+===20th century===
+[[File:President Theodore Roosevelt, 1904.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[List of Presidents of the United States|26th]] President of the United States (1901–1909)]]
+[[File:Dwight D. Eisenhower, official photo portrait, May 29, 1959.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dwight Eisenhower]], [[List of Presidents of the United States|34th]] President of the United States (1953-1961)]]
+[[File:Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ronald Reagan]], [[List of Presidents of the United States|40th]] President of the United States (1981–1989)]]
+The Republicans were cemented as the party of business, though mitigated by the succession of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] who embraced [[trust busting]]. He later ran on a third party ticket of the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive Party]] and challenged his previous successor [[William Howard Taft]]. The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of opposition to the [[League of Nations]], high tariffs, and promotion of business interests.
-== History ==
+[[Warren G. Harding]], [[Calvin Coolidge]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] were resoundingly elected in [[United States presidential election, 1920|1920]], [[United States presidential election, 1924|1924]], and [[United States presidential election, 1928|1928]] respectively. The [[Teapot Dome scandal]] threatened to hurt the party but Harding died and Coolidge blamed everything on him, as the opposition splintered in 1924. The pro-business policies of the decade seemed to produce an unprecedented prosperity until the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] heralded the [[Great Depression]].
-[[File:GOP-presidents.jpg|thumb|300px|GOP Presidents by Andy Thomas; clockwise from far right: Nixon, Ford, Lincoln, GHW Bush, Reagan, GW Bush, Eisenhower, Roosevelt]]
-The party  began in 1854, at the start of the [[Third Party System]]. The '''GOP''' (or "Grand Old Party" as it was nicknamed after 1880) dominated national politics, including most of the [[Fourth Party System]] until 1932. Then the [[Fifth Party System]] (or "New Deal Coalition") was dominant until the late 1960s.  Since 1968 the GOP has won 7 of 11 presidential elections (losing in 1976, 1992, 1996 and 2008). Its great rival is the [[U.S. Democratic Party, history|Democratic Party]].
+The [[New Deal coalition]] of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excepting the two-term presidency of Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. [[African American]]s moved into the Democratic Party during Roosevelt's time. After Roosevelt took office in 1933, New Deal legislation sailed through Congress at lightning speed. In the 1934 midterm elections, 10 Republican senators went down to defeat, leaving them with only 25 against 71 Democrats. The House of Representatives was split in a similar ratio.
-===Third Party System: 1854-1894===
+Republicans in Congress heavily criticized the "Second New Deal" and likened it to [[class conflict|class warfare]] and [[socialism]]. The volume of legislation, and the inability of the Republicans to block it, soon elevated the level of opposition to Roosevelt. Conservative Democrats, mostly from the South, joined with Republicans led by Senator [[Robert Taft]] to create the [[conservative coalition]], which dominated domestic issues in Congress until 1964. The Republicans recaptured Congress in 1946 after gaining 13 seats in the Senate and 55 seats in the House.
-The Republican party began as a spontaneous grass roots protest against the [[Kansas-Nebraska Act]] of 1854, which allowed slavery into western territories where it had been forbidden by earlier compromises.  The creation of the new party, along with the death of the [[Whig Party]], realigned American politics. The central issues were new, as were the voter alignments, and the balance of power in Congress. The central issues became slavery, race, civil war and the reconstruction of the Union into a more powerful nation, with rules changed that gave the vote to former slaves.
-====Issues: Slavery====
+The second half of the 20th century saw election or succession of Republican presidents [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]]. The Republican Party, led by House Republican Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]] campaigning on the ''[[Contract with America]]'', was elected to majorities to both houses of Congress in the [[Republican Revolution]] of 1994.
-Republican activists denounced the Kansas-Nebraska act as proof of the power of the [[Slave Power]]--the powerful class of slaveholders who were conspiring to control the federal government and to spread slavery nationwide. The name "Republican" gained such favor in 1854 because "[[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]]" was the paramount political value the new party meant to uphold. The name also echoed the former Jeffersonian party of the [[First Party System]]. The party founders adopted the name "Republican" to indicate it was the carrier of "republican" beliefs about civic virtue, and opposition to aristocracy and corruption. <ref> Gould (2003) pp 14-15; republicanism is explored in depth by Foner (1970).</ref>
-Two small cities of the Yankee diaspora, Ripon, Wisconsin, and Jackson, Michigan, claim the birthplace honors. <ref>There is also a myth that the town of Exeter, New Hampshire was first by six months, but nothing came of the secret meeting there and scholars dismiss the claim.</ref> Ripon held the first county convention on March 20, 1854. Jackson held the first statewide convention where delegates on July 6, 1854 declared their new party opposed to the expansion of slavery into new territories and  selected a state-wide slate of candidates. The Midwest took the lead in forming state party tickets, while the eastern states lagged a year or so. There were no efforts to organize the party in the South, apart from a few areas adjacent to free states. The new party was sectional, based in the northeast and northern Midwest--areas with a strong Yankee presence. It had only scattered support in slave states before the Civil War.<ref> There was some strength in border cities such as St. Louis, Louisville, Wheeling, and Baltimore.</ref>
+The Senate majority lasted until 2001, when the Senate became split evenly but was regained in the 2002 elections. Both Republican majorities in the House and Senate were held until the Democrats regained control in the [[United States elections, 2006|mid-term elections of 2006]]. In the 21st century, the Republican Party has been defined by [[Social_conservatism_in_the_United_States|social conservatism]], a [[preemptive war]] foreign policy intended to defeat terrorism and promote global democracy, a more powerful [[Executive (government)|executive branch]], [[supply-side economics]], support for gun ownership, and deregulation.
+In the [[United States presidential election, 2008|Presidential election of 2008]], the party's nominees were Senator [[John McCain]], of Arizona, for President and Alaska Governor [[Sarah Palin]] for Vice President. They were defeated by Senator [[Barack Obama]] of Illinois and Senator [[Joe Biden]] of Delaware. In 2009, Republicans [[Chris Christie]] and [[Bob McDonnell]] were elected to the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia.
-The first presidential nomination in 1856 when to an obscure western explorer [[John C. Fremont]], as the party crusaded against the Slave Power with the slogan, "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free men, Fremont and victory!"  Democrats warned darkly that disunion and Civil War would result.  The remnants of the Know Nothing movement prevented the new party from sweeping the North, and the Democrats elected [[James Buchanan]]. By 1858 the Know Nothings were  gone and the Republicans swept the North.  The 1860 election seemed a certain victory, for the party had majorities in states with a majority of the electoral votes.  In the event the opposition split three ways, and [[Abraham Lincoln]] coasted to an easy victory, carrying 18 states with 190 electoral votes, while the opposition carried 15 states (mostly in the South) with 123 electoral votes. Lincoln had 1.9 million popular votes.
+was a year of political success for the GOP, starting with the upset win of [[Scott Brown]] in the Massachusetts special Senate election for the seat held for many decades by the Kennedy brothers. In the [[United States elections, 2010|November elections]], the GOP recaptured control of the House, increased their number of seats in the Senate, and gained a majority of governorships.<ref>Donald T. Critchlow, ''The Conservative Ascendancy: How the Republican Right Rose to Power in Modern America'' (2011)  pp 280-312</ref> Additionally, Republicans took control of at least 19 Democratic-controlled state legislatures.<ref>Khan. Huma. [http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-historic-win-state-legislatures-vote-2010-election/story?id=12049040#.T4eD_NnhdeM Will Redistricting Be a Bloodbath for Democrats?]. ABCNews.com. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2012-04-13.</ref>
-====Modernization====
+==Name and symbols==
-Besides opposition to slavery, the new party put forward a modernizing vision --emphasizing higher education, banking, railroads, industry and cities, while promising free homesteads to farmers. It vigorously argued that free-market labor was superior to slavery and the very foundation of civic virtue and true American values -  this is the "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men" ideology explored by historian Eric Foner <ref> Foner, Eric. ''Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men''. 1993.  </ref>. The Republicans absorbed the previous traditions of its members, most of whom had been [[Whig Party|Whigs]], and some of whom had been Democrats or members of third parties (especially the [[Free Soil Party]] and Know-Nothings (American Party). Many [[U.S. Democratic Party, history|Democrats]] who joined up were rewarded with governorships. <ref> They included [[Nathaniel P. Banks]] of Massachusetts, [[Kinsley Bingham]] of Michigan, [[William H. Bissell]] of Illinois, [[Salmon P. Chase]] of Ohio, [[Hannibal Hamlin]] of Maine, [[Samuel J. Kirkwood]] of Iowa, [[Ralph Metcalf]] of New Hampshire, [[Lot Morrill]] of Maine, and [[Alexander Randall]] of Wisconsin).</ref> or seats in the U.S. Senate.<ref> The senators included Bingham and Hamlin, as well as [[James R. Doolittle]] of Wisconsin, [[John P. Hale]] of New Hampshire, [[Preston King]] of New York, [[Lyman Trumbull]] of Illinois, and [[David Wilmot]] of Pennsylvania.</ref> Since its inception, its chief opposition has been the Democratic Party, but the amount of flow back and forth of prominent politicians between the two parties was quite high from 1854 to 1896.
+[[File:NastRepublicanElephant.jpg|thumb|1874 [[Thomas Nast|Nast]] cartoon featuring the first notable appearance of the Republican elephant<ref name=harpweek>{{cite web|author=|title=The Third-Term Panic|work=Cartoon of the Day|publisher=|location=|date=2003-11-07|url=http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7|accessdate=2011-09-05}}</ref>]]
-====Ethnocultural voting====
+[[File:GOP Logo1.svg|thumb|The red "GOP" logo used by the party for its website]]
-Historians have explored the ethnocultural foundations of the party, along the line that ethnic and religious groups set the moral standards for their members, who then carried those standards into politics.  The churches also provided social networks that politicians used to sign up voters.  The pietistic churches, heavily influenced by the revivals of the [[Second Great Awakening]], emphasized the duty of the Christian to purge sin from society.  Sin took many forms--alcoholism, polygamy and slavery became special targets for the Republicans. The Yankees, who dominated New England, much of upstate New York, and much of the upper Midwest were the strongest supporters of the new party.  This was especially true for the pietistic Congregationalists and Presbyterians among them and (during the war), the Methodists, along with Scandinavian Lutherans.  The Quakers were a small tight-knit group that was heavily Republican.  The liturgical churches (Roman Catholic, Episcopal, German Lutheran), by contrast, largely rejected the moralism of the GOP; most of their adherents voted Democratic. <ref> Kleppner (1979) has extensive detail on the voting behavior of groups.</ref>
-====Politics 1854-1860====
+The party's founding members chose the name "Republican Party" in the mid-1850s as homage to the values of [[Republicanism in the United States|republicanism]] promoted by [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s Republican party.<ref name=Rutland>{{cite book|last=Rutland|first=RA|title=The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush| publisher=|location=|year=1996|page=2|isbn=0826210902}}</ref> The idea for the name came from an editorial by the party's leading publicist Horace Greeley, who called for, "some simple name like 'Republican' [that] would more fitly designate those who had united to restore the Union to its true mission of champion and promulgator of Liberty rather than propagandist of slavery."<ref name=ushistory>[http://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htm The Origins of the Republican Party]</ref> The name reflects the 1776 [[Republicanism in the United States|republican]] values of civic virtue and opposition to aristocracy and corruption.<ref name=Gould2003p14>Gould, pp. 14–15</ref>
-[[John C. Frémont]] ran as the first Republican nominee for [[President of the United States|President]] in 1856, using the [[political slogan]]: "[[United States Free Soil Party#Positions|Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men]], Frémont." Although Frémont's bid was unsuccessful, the party showed a strong base. It dominated in New England, New York and the northern Midwest, and had a strong presence in the rest of the North. It had almost no support in the South, where it was roundly denounced in 1856-60 as a divisive force that threatened civil war. The election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] in 1860 ended the domination of the fragile coalition of pro-slavery southern Democrats and conciliatory northern Democrats which had existed since the days of [[Andrew Jackson]]. Instead, a new era of Republican dominance based in the industrial and agricultural north ensued. Republicans still often refer to their party as the "party of Lincoln" in honor of the first Republican President.
-{{See also|Third Party System}}
-====Civil War: 1861-1865====
+The term "Grand Old Party" is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the abbreviation "G.O.P." (or "GOP") is a commonly used designation.<ref name=GOP1876> The term originated in 1875 in the ''Congressional Record'', referring to the party associated with the successful military defense of the Union as "this gallant old party"; the following year in an article in the Cincinnati ''Commercial'', the term was modified to "grand old party". The first use of the abbreviation "GOP" is dated 1884. See "Grand Old Party," ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''</ref>
-Lincoln proved brilliantly successful in uniting the factions of his party to fight for the Union.<ref> Goodwyn 2005</ref> However he usually fought the [[Radical Republicans]] who demanded harsher measures. Most Democrats at first were [[War Democrats]], and supportive until the fall of 1862. When Lincoln added the abolition of slavery as a war goal, many war Democrats became "peace Democrats." All the state Republican parties accepted the antislavery goal except Kentucky. In Congress, the party passed major legislation to promote rapid modernization, including a national banking system, high tariffs, an income tax, many excise taxes, paper money issued without backing ("greenbacks"), a huge national debt, homestead laws, and aid to education and agriculture. The Republicans denounced the peace-oriented Democrats as [[Copperheads]] and won enough [[War Democrats]] to maintain their majority in 1862; in 1864, they formed a coalition with many War Democrats as the "National Union Party" which reelected Lincoln easily, then folded back into the Republican party. During the war, upper middle-class men in major cities formed [[Union League]]s, to promote and help finance the war effort.
+The traditional mascot of the party is the elephant. A political cartoon by [[Thomas Nast]], published in ''[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's Weekly]]'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol.<ref name=harpweek20031107>[http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7 Cartoon of the Day: "The Third-Term Panic"]. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.</ref> In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]] was the [[eagle]], as opposed to the Democratic [[rooster]]. This symbol still appears on Indiana, New York,<ref name=schenectadycounty>{{cite web|author=|title=Schenectady County|publisher=schenectadycounty.com|location=Schenectady County, New York|year=|url=http://www.schenectadycounty.com/FullStory.aspx?m=320&amid=930 accessdate=2010-06-17}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=May 2010}} and West Virginia<ref name=wvsos>{{cite web|author=|title=Home|publisher=Wvsos.com|year=|url=http://www.wvsos.com/elections/ballots/barbourgen.pdf|accessdate=2010-06-17}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=May 2010}} ballots.
-====Reconstruction: Blacks, Carpetbaggers and Scalawags====
+After the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 election]], the color red became associated with the GOP, although the party has not officially adopted it. That election night, for the first time, all of the major broadcast networks used the same color scheme for the electoral map: states won by Republican nominee George W. Bush were colored red, and states won by Democratic nominee [[Al Gore]] were colored blue. Although the assignment of colors to political parties is unofficial and informal, they have come to be widely recognized by the media to represent the respective political parties ''(see [[Political color]] and [[Red states and blue states]] for more details)''.
-In [[Reconstruction]], how to deal with the ex-Confederates and the freed slaves, or [[Freedmen]], were the major issues. By 1864, [[Radical Republicans]] controlled Congress and demanded more aggressive action against slavery, and more vengeance toward the Confederates. Lincoln held them off, but just barely. Republicans at first welcomed President [[Andrew Johnson]]; the Radicals thought he was one of them and would take a hard line in punishing the South. Johnson however broke with them and formed a loose alliance with moderate Republicans and Democrats. The showdown came in the Congressional elections of 1866, in which the Radicals won a sweeping victory and took full control of Reconstruction, passing key laws over the veto. Johnson was impeached by the House, but acquitted by the Senate. With the election of [[Ulysses S. Grant]] in 1868, the Radicals had control of Congress, the party and the Army, and attempted to build a solid Republican base in the South using the votes of [[Freedmen]], [[Scalawags]] and [[Carpetbaggers]], supported directly by U.S. Army detachments. Republicans all across the South formed local clubs called [[Union League]]s that effectively mobilized the voters, discussed issues, and when necessary fought off [[Ku Klux Klan]] attacks. Thousands died on both sides.
-Grant supported radical reconstruction programs in the South, the 14th Amendment, and equal civil and voting rights for the freedmen. Most of all he was the hero of the war veterans, who marched to his tune. The party had become so large that factionalism was inevitable; it was hastened by Grant's tolerance of high levels of corruption typified by the [[Whiskey Ring]]. The "[[Liberal Republican]]s" split off in 1872 on the grounds that it was time to declare the war finished and bring the troops home. Many of the founders of the GOP joined the movement, as did many powerful newspaper editors. They nominated [[Horace Greeley]], who gained unofficial Democratic support, but was defeated in a landslide. The depression of 1873 energized the Democrats. They won control of the House and formed "[[Redeemers|Redeemer]]" coalitions which recaptured control of each southern state, in some cases using threats and violence.
+==Structure and composition==
+{{further2|[[Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties]]}}
+The [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Its current chairman is [[Reince Priebus]]. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House or otherwise by the Party's state committees.
-Reconstruction came to an end when the contested election of 1876 was awarded by a special [[Electoral Commission (United States)|electoral commission]] to Republican [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] who promised, through the unofficial [[Compromise of 1877]], to withdraw federal troops from control of the last three southern states. The region then became the [[Solid South]], giving overwhelming majorities of its electoral votes and Congressional seats to the Democrats until 1964.
+The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the [[Republican National Convention]], raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level, there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.
-In terms of racial issues, "White Republicans as well as Democrats solicited black votes but reluctantly rewarded blacks with nominations for office only when necessary, even then reserving the more choice positions for whites. The results were predictable: these half-a-loaf gestures satisfied neither black nor white Republicans. The fatal weakness of the Republican party in Alabama, as elsewhere in the South, was its inability to create a biracial political party.  And while in power even briefly, they failed to protect their members from Democratic terror. Alabama Republicans were forever on the defensive, verbally and physically." [Woolfolk p 134]
+The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate [[fundraising]] and strategy committees. The [[National Republican Congressional Committee]] (NRCC) assists in House races, and the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]] (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates, while the [[Republican Governors Association]] (RGA) assists in state gubernatorial races; it is currently chaired by Governor [[Bob McDonnell]] of Virginia.
-Social pressure eventually forced most [[Scalawags]] to join the conservative/Democratic Redeemer coalition. A minority persisted and formed the "tan" half of the "Black and Tan" Republican party, a minority in every southern state after 1877. (DeSantis 1998)
-====Gilded Age: 1877-1894====
+==Ideology and political positions==
-The "GOP" (as it was now nicknamed) split into factions in the late 1870s. The Stalwarts, followers of Senator Conkling, defended the spoils system. The Half-Breeds, who followed Senator [[James G. Blaine]] of Maine, pushed for [[Civil service reform]]. Independents who opposed the spoils system altogether were called "[[Mugwumps]]". In 1884 they rejected [[James G. Blaine]] as corrupt and helped elect Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]]; most returned to the party by 1888.
+{{Conservatism US}}
+{{Further2|[[Factions in the Republican Party (United States)]]}}
-As the Northern post-bellum economy boomed with heavy and light industry, railroads, mines, and fast-growing cities, as well as prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to keep the fast growth going. They supported big business generally, hard money (i.e. the [[gold standard]]), high [[tariff]]s, and high pensions for Union veterans. By 1890, however, the Republicans had agreed to the [[Sherman Anti-Trust Act]] and the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. The high [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890 hurt the party and the Democrats swept to a landslide in the off-year elections, even defeating McKinley himself.
+The Republican Party includes [[Fiscal conservatism|fiscal conservatives]], [[Social_conservatism_in_the_United_States|social conservatives]], [[Neoconservatism|neoconservatives]], [[moderate]]s, and [[Libertarianism|libertarians]]. Prior to the formation of the conservative coalition, which helped realign the Democratic and Republican party ideologies in the mid-1960s, the party historically advocated [[classical liberalism]], [[paleoconservatism]], and [[American progressivism|progressivism]].
-====Ethnocultural Voters: pietistic Republicans versus liturgical Democrats====
-From 1860 to 1912, the Republicans took advantage of the association of the Democrats with "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion". Rum stood for the liquor interests and the tavern keepers, in contrast to the GOP, which had a strong dry element. "Romanism" meant Catholics, especially Irish Americans, who ran the Democratic party in every big city, and whom the Republicans denounced for political corruption. "Rebellion" stood for the Confederates who tried to break the Union in 1861, and the [[Copperheads]] in the North who sympathized with them.
+===Economic policies===
+Republicans emphasize the role of [[free market]]s and individual achievement as the primary factors behind economic prosperity. To this end, they favor [[laissez-faire|laissez-faire economics]], fiscal conservatism, and the promotion of [[Responsibility assumption|personal responsibility over welfare programs]].
-Demographic trends aided the Democrats, as the German and Irish Catholic immigrants were Democrats, and outnumbered the English and Scandinavian Republicans. During the 1880s and 1890s, the Republicans struggled against the Democrats' efforts, winning several close elections and losing two to Grover Cleveland (in [[U.S. presidential election, 1884|1884]] and [[U.S. presidential election, 1892|1892]]).
+A leading economic theory advocated by modern Republicans is [[supply-side economics]]. Some fiscal policies influenced by this theory were popularly known as [[Reaganomics]], a term popularized during the Presidential administrations of [[Ronald Reagan]]. This theory holds that reduced income tax rates increase [[GDP]] growth and thereby generate the same or more revenue for the government from the smaller tax on the extra growth.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.economist.com/node/21530093 | work=The Economist | title=Diving into the rich pool | date=2011-09-24 | accessdate=2012-01-13}}</ref> This belief is reflected, in part, by the party's long-term advocacy of tax cuts. Many Republicans consider the income tax system to be inherently inefficient and oppose graduated tax rates, which they believe are unfairly targeted at those who create jobs and wealth. They believe private spending is usually more efficient than government spending. Republicans oppose the [[estate tax]].
-Religious lines were sharply drawn [Kleppner 1979]. Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Scandinavian Lutherans and other pietists in the North were tightly linked to the GOP. In sharp contrast, liturgical groups, especially the Catholics, Episcopalians, and German Lutherans, looked to the Democratic party for protection from pietistic moralism, especially prohibition.  Both parties cut across the class structure, with the Democrats more bottom-heavy.
-Cultural issues, especially prohibition and foreign language schools became important because of the sharp religious divisions in the electorate. In the North, about 50% of the voters were pietistic Protestants (Methodists, Scandinavian Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Disciples of Christ) who believed the government should be used to reduce social sins, such as drinking. Liturgical churches (Roman Catholics, German Lutherans, Episcopalians) comprised over a quarter of the vote and wanted the government to stay out of the morality business. Prohibition debates and referenda heated up politics in most states over a period of decade, as national prohibition was finally passed in 1918 (and repealed in 1932), serving as a major issue between the wet Democracy and the dry GOP.<ref> See  Kleppner (1979)</ref>
+{{Politics of the United States}}
-===Fourth Party System: 1896-1932: The Progressive Era ===
+Most Republicans agree there should be a "safety net" to assist the less fortunate; however, they tend to believe the private sector is more effective in helping the poor than government is; as a result, Republicans support giving government grants to faith-based and other private charitable organizations to supplant welfare spending. Members of the GOP also believe that limits on eligibility and benefits must be in place to ensure the safety net is not abused. Republicans introduced and strongly supported the [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act|welfare reform of 1996]], which was signed into law by Democratic President Clinton, and which limited eligibility for welfare, successfully leading to many former welfare recipients finding jobs.<ref name=Poverty>{{wayback|title=Welfare Reforms Reduce Poverty|publisher=House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources|date=2006-04-28|url=http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/welfare/042806welfarereport.pdf|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5oAXfUewC|archivedate=2010-03-12|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref><ref name=Welfare>{{wayback|title=Welfare Reforms Reduce Welfare Dependence|publisher=House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources|date=2006-02-26|url=http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/welfare/022706welfare.pdf|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5oAXfUcct|archivedate=2010-03-12|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref>
-The election of [[William McKinley]] in 1896 was a [[realigning election]] that changed the balance of power, and introduced new rules, new issues and new leaders. It did not, however, see the emergence of a new major party.  The Republican sweep of the 1894 Congressional elections presaged the McKinley landslide of 1896, which was repeated in 1900, thus locking the GOP in full control of the national government and most northern state governments. The GOP made major gains as well in the border states.  The [[Fourth Party System]] was dominated by Republican presidents, with the exception of the two terms of Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]], 1912-1920.
-====McKinley and realignment====
+The party opposes a government-run [[single-payer health care]] system, believing such a system constitutes [[socialized medicine]], and is in favor of a personal or employer-based system of insurance, supplemented by [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] for the elderly and [[Medicaid]], which covers approximately 40% of the poor.<ref name=2007UnsettlingScores>[http://www2.citizen.org/hrg/medicaid/assets/reports/2007UnsettlingScores.pdf Unsettling Scores: A Ranking of State Medicaid Programs, P. 15]{{dead link|date=January 2011}}</ref> The GOP has a mixed record of supporting the historically popular [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], Medicare and Medicaid programs. Congressional Republicans and the Bush administration supported a reduction in Medicaid's growth rate;<ref name=Wachino>{{cite web|last=Wachino|first=V|title=The House Budget Committee's Proposed Medicaid and SCHIP Cuts Are Larger Than Those The Administration Proposed|work=|publisher=[[Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]]|location=|url=http://www.cbpp.org/3-10-05health.htm|date=2005-03-10|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref> however, congressional Republicans expanded Medicare, supporting a new drug plan for seniors starting in 2006.
-McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the [[Panic of 1893]], and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit. He denounced [[William Jennings Bryan]], the Democratic nominee, as a dangerous radical whose plans for "Free Silver" at 16-1 (or [[Bimetallism]]) would bankrupt the economy.
-McKinley relied heavily on industry and the middle classes for his support and cemented the Republicans as the party of business; his [[campaign manager]], Ohio's [[Mark Hanna]], developed a detailed plan for getting contributions from the business world, and McKinley outspent his rival [[William Jennings Bryan]] by a large margin.  McKinley was the first president to promote [[pluralism]], arguing that prosperity would be shared by all ethnic and religious groups.
+In 2011, House Republicans overwhelmingly voted for a proposal named [[The Path to Prosperity]] and for major changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and the [[Health care reform in the United States#Key reform drivers for the 2010 reforms|2010 Health Care Legislation]]. Many Republicans support increased health insurance portability, laws promoting coverage of pre-existing medical conditions, a cap on malpractice lawsuits, the implementation of a streamlined [[electronic medical records]] system, an emphasis on preventative care rather than emergency room care, and tax benefits aimed at making health insurance more affordable for the uninsured and targeted to promote universal access. They generally oppose government funding for elective abortions.<ref name=ontheissues>{{cite web|author=|title=Bobby Jindal on the Issues|work=|publisher=Ontheissues.org|location=|year=|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Bobby_Jindal.htm|accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref>
+Republicans are generally opposed by [[trade union|labor union]] management and members, and have supported various legislation on the state and federal levels, including [[right to work]] legislation and the [[Taft-Hartley Act]], which gives workers the right not to participate in unions, as opposed to a [[closed shop]], which prohibits workers from choosing not to join unions in workplaces. Some Republicans are opposed to increases in the [[minimum wage]], believing that such increases hurt many businesses by forcing them to cut jobs and services, export jobs overseas, and raise the prices of goods to compensate for the decrease in profit.
-====Roosevelt and Progressivism====
+===Separation of powers and balance of powers===
-[[Theodore Roosevelt]], who became president in 1901, had the most dynamic personality in the nation.  Roosevelt had to contend with men like Senator [[Mark Hanna]], whom he outmaneuvered to gain control of the convention in 1904 that renominated him. More difficult to handle was conservative House Speaker [[Joseph Gurney Cannon]].
+[[File:Bill of Rights Pg1of1 AC.jpg|thumb|[[United States Bill of Rights]]]]
-Roosevelt achieved modest legislative gains in terms of railroad legislation and pure food laws. He was more successful in Court, bringing antitrust suits that broke up the [[Northern Securities]] trust and [[Standard Oil]].  Roosevelt moved left in his last two years in office but was unable to pass major Square Deal proposals.
+Many contemporary Republicans voice support of [[strict constructionism]], the judicial philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted narrowly and as close to the original intent as is practicable rather than a more flexible "living Constitution" model.<ref name=nytimes2008>{{cite news|author=|title=Supreme Court|work=On the Issues|publisher=|location=|year=|url=http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/issues/judges.html|accessdate=2011-09-05}}</ref><!--It's only McCain's position, so a better ref would be good, but any comparison of the 2008 Republican candidates should show them all agreeing.--> Most Republicans point to [[Roe v. Wade]] as a case of [[judicial activism]], where the court overturned most laws restricting abortion on the basis of a [[privacy law|right to privacy]] inferred from the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] and the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]]. Some Republicans have actively sought to block judges whom they see as being [[judicial activism|activist judges]] and have sought the appointment of judges who claim to practice [[judicial restraint]]. Other Republicans, though, argue that it is the right of judges to extend the interpretation of the Constitution and judge actions by the legislative or executive branches as legal or [[Constitutionality|unconstitutional]] on previously unarticulated grounds. The issue of [[judicial deference]] to the legislature is a matter of some debate&nbsp;— like the Democrats, most Republicans criticize court decisions that overturn their own (conservative) legislation as overstepping bounds and support decisions that overturn opposing legislation. Some commentators have advocated that the Republicans take a more aggressive approach and support legislative supremacy more firmly.<ref name=McCarthy>{{cite web|last=McCarthy|first=AC|title=Judicial Restraint|publisher=Nationalreview.com|year=|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTZmYzY4YzkzYzYxMjY4MzAxZjI4NDdjMmVlYTNmMDQ|accessdate=2010-06-17}}</ref>
-Roosevelt did succeed in naming his successor Secretary of War [[William Howard Taft]] who easily defeated Bryan again in 1908.
+The Republican Party has supported various bills within the last decade to strip some or all federal courts of the ability to hear certain types of cases, in an attempt to limit judicial review. These [[jurisdiction stripping]] laws have included removing federal review of the recognition of same-sex marriage with the [[Marriage Protection Act of 2007|Marriage Protection Act]],<ref name=washingtontimes20040722>{{cite news|author=|title=House to debate court stripping|publisher=Washington Times|location=Washington, D.C.|date=2004-07-22|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040722-121146-3494r.htm|accessdate=2010-06-17}}</ref> the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance with the [[Pledge Protection Act]], and the rights of detainees in Guantanamo Bay in the [[Detainee Treatment Act]]. The Supreme Court overruled the last of these limitations in ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]''.
+Compared with Democrats, many Republicans believe in a more robust version of [[federalism]] with greater limitations placed upon [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] power and a larger role reserved for the States. Following this view on federalism, Republicans often take a less expansive reading of congressional power under the [[Commerce Clause]], such as in the opinion of [[William Rehnquist]] in ''[[United States v. Lopez]]''. Many Republicans on the more libertarian wing wish for a more dramatic narrowing of Commerce Clause power by revisiting, among other cases, ''[[Wickard v. Filburn]]'', a case that held that growing wheat on a farm for consumption on the same farm fell under congressional power to [[Commerce Clause|"regulate commerce ... among the several States"]].
-====Progressive insurgents vs. Conservatives====
+President George W. Bush was a proponent of the [[unitary executive theory]] and cited it within his [[Signing statement (United States)|Signing statement]]s about legislation passed by Congress.<ref name=boston20060430>{{cite news |title=Bush challenges hundreds of laws |work=The Boston Globe |publisher= |location= |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/04/30/bush_challenges_hundreds_of_laws/ |accessdate=2011-09-05 |first=Charlie |last=Savage |authorlink=Charlie Savage |date=2006-04-30}}</ref> The administration's interpretation of the unitary executive theory was called seriously into question by ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'', where the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that the President does not have sweeping powers to override or ignore laws through his power as commander in chief,<ref name=Cole2010>{{cite web|last=Cole|first=D|title=Why The Court Said No|work=New York Review of Books|publisher=Nybooks.com|year=|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19212|accessdate=2010-06-17}}</ref> stating "the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails".<ref name=SCOTUS>[{{SCOTUS URL Slip|05|05-184}} Opinion of the court, ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'', p. 72]</ref> Following the ruling, the Bush administration has sought Congressional authorization for programs started only on executive mandate, as was the case with the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006|Military Commissions Act]], or abandoned programs it had previously asserted executive authority to enact, in the case of the [[National Security Agency]] [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|domestic wiretapping program]].
-The GOP was divided between insurgents and stand-patters (liberals and conservatives, to use 21st century terms). [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was an enormously popular president (1901-1909), and he transferred the office to [[William Howard Taft]]. Taft, however, did not have TR's enormous popularity nor his ability to bring rival factions together. When Taft sided with the standpatters under Speaker [[Joe Cannon]] and Senate leader [[Nelson Aldrich]], the insurgents revolted. Led by [[George Norris]] the insurgents took control of the House away from Cannon and imposed a new system whereby committee chairmanships depended on seniority (years of membership on the committee), rather than party loyalty.
+===Environmental policies===
+The Republican Party has long supported the protection of the environment. For example, Republican President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was a prominent conservationist whose policies eventually led to the creation of the modern [[National Park Service]].<ref name=Filler>{{cite web|author=Filler, Daniel|title=Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation as the Guardian of Democracy|url=http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~thomast/essays/filler/filler.html|accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> Republican President [[Richard Nixon]] was responsible for establishing the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] in 1970.<ref name=Nixon>{{cite web|author=Nixon, Richard|title=Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970|date=1970-07-09|url=http://www.epa.gov/history/org/origins/reorg.htm|accessdate=2007-11-09}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> More recently, [[California]] Republican Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], with the support of 16 other states, [[filing (legal)|sued]] the [[Federal government of the United States|Federal Government]] and the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] for the right to set vehicle emission standards higher than the [[United States emission standards|Federal Standard]],<ref name=Schwarzenegger>{{cite news|author=Schwarzenegger, Arnold|title=California will Sue Federal Government|date=2007-12-07|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/20/california.emissions/|accessdate=2008-01-08|publisher=CNN}}</ref> a right to which California is entitled under the [[Clean Air Act]].
+This association however has shifted as the Democratic Party came to also support environmentalism. For example, Democratic President [[Bill Clinton]] did not send the [[Kyoto Protocol]] to the U.S. Senate for ratification, as he thought it unfair to the United States.<ref name=BushGW>{{cite web|author=Bush, George W.|title=Text of a Letter from the President|date=2001-03-13|url=http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010314.html|accessdate=2007-11-09}}{{Dead link|date=February 2009}}</ref> President [[George W. Bush]] also publicly opposed ratification of the Kyoto Protocols on the grounds that they unfairly targeted Western industrialized nations such as the United States while favoring developing [[North-South divide|Global South]] polluters such as China and India.
-The tariff issue was pulling the GOP apart. Roosevelt tried to postpone the issue but Taft had to meet it head on in 1909 with the [[Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act]].  Eastern conservatives led by [[Nelson A. Aldrich]] wanted high tariffs on manufactured goods (especially woolens), while Midwesterners called for low tariffs.  Aldrich tricked them by lowering the tariff on farm products, which outraged the farmers.  In a stunning comeback the Democrats won control of the House in  1910, as the GOP rift between insurgents and conservatives widened.
+In 2000, the Republican Party adopted as part of its platform support for the development of market-based solutions to environmental problems. According to the platform, "economic prosperity and environmental protection must advance together, environmental regulations should be based on science, the government’s role should be to provide market-based incentives to develop the technologies to meet environmental standards, we should ensure that environmental policy meets the needs of localities, and environmental policy should focus on achieving results processes."<ref name=Encourage>{{cite journal|title=Encourage Market-Based Solutions to Environmental Problems|journal=OnTheIssues|date=2000-08-12}}</ref>
+The [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]],<ref name=FactSheet>{{cite web|title=Fact Sheet: Harnessing the Power of Technology for a Secure Energy Future|date=2007-02-22|url=http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070222-2.html|accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> along with several of the [[Republican Party (United States) presidential candidates, 2008|candidates that sought the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008]],<ref name=Kudlow>{{cite web|author=Kudlow & Company|title=Interview with Rudy Giuliani|date=2007-03-26|url=http://www1.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/03/interview_with_rudy_giuliani_1.html|accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name=IssueWatch>{{cite web|title=Issue Watch: Achieving Energy Independence|url=http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Energy|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071107193334/http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Energy|archivedate=2007-11-07|accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name=Candidates>{{cite news|title=The Candidates: Rep. Duncan Hunter|work=Washington Post.com|date=2007-10-12|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/10/01/DI2007100101460.html|accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> supported increased Federal investment into the development of clean alternative fuels, increased [[nuclear power]], and well as fuels such as [[ethanol]], as a way of helping the U.S. achieve [[North American energy independence|energy independence]], as opposed to supporting less use of carbon dioxide-producing methods of generating energy. McCain supports the [[Emissions trading|cap-and-trade]] policy, a policy that is quite popular among Democrats but much less so among other Republicans. Some Republicans support increased [[oil well|oil drilling]] in currently protected areas such as the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]], a position that has drawn sharp criticism from some activists.
-Roosevelt sided with the insurgents and, after long indecision, decided to run against Taft for the 1912 nomination. Roosevelt had to steamroll over insurgent Senator [[Robert LaFollette]] of Wisconsin, turning an ally into an enemy.  Taft outmaneuvered Roosevelt and controlled the convention. Roosevelt walked out and formed a third party, the "Progressive" or "Bull Moose" party. Very few officeholders supported him, and the new party collapsed by 1914. With the GOP vote divided in half, Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]] easily won the 1912 election, and was narrowly reelected in 1916.
+===Social policies===
+====Social services====
+Some Republicans favor [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives|faith-based initiatives]]. There are some exceptions, especially in the Northeast and Pacific Coast states.
-====State and local politics====
+====Race====
-The Republicans welcomed the [[Progressive Era]] at the state and local level.  The first important reform mayor was [[Hazen S. Pingree]] of Detroit (1890-97) who was elected governor of Michigan in 1896. In New York City the Republicans joined nonpartisan reformers to battle [[Tammany Hall]], and elected Seth Low (1902-03). Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones was first elected mayor of Toledo as a Republican in 1897, but was reelected as an independent when his party refused to renominate him.  In Iowa Senator Albert Cummins came up with the "Iowa Idea" that blamed the trust or monopoly problem on the high tariff, angering the eastern industrialists and factory workers. Many Republican civic leaders, following the example of [[Mark Hanna]], were active in the [[National Civic Federation]], which promoted urban reforms and sought to avoid wasteful strikes.
+They are generally against [[affirmative action]] for women and some minorities, often describing it as a [[racial quota|quota system]], believing that it is not [[meritocratic]] and that is counter-productive socially by only further promoting [[discrimination]]. Many Republicans support race-neutral admissions policies in universities but support taking into account the socioeconomic status of the student.<ref name=affirmativeaction>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/15/bush.affirmativeaction/|work=CNN|title=Bush criticizes university 'quota system'|date=2003-01-15|accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref><ref name= Eilperin >{{cite news|last=Eilperin|first=Juliet|title=Watts Walks a Tightrope on Affirmative Action|publisher=The Washington Post|date=1998-05-12|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa051298.htm|accessdate=2007-01-22}}</ref>
-====Harding-Coolidge-Hoover, 1920-1932====
+====Capital punishment====
-The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of opposition to the League of Nations, high tariffs, and promotion of business interests. [[Warren G. Harding]], [[Calvin Coolidge]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] were resoundingly elected in the elections of 1920, 1924 and 1928 as the Democrats were deeply split on prohibition and religion. The breakaway efforts of Senator [[Robert LaFollette]] in 1924 failed to stop a landslide for Coolidge, and his movement fell apart.  The [[Teapot Dome Scandal]] threatened to hurt the party but Harding died and Coolidge blamed everything on him, as the opposition splintered in 1924. The pro-business policies of the decade seemed to produce an unprecedented prosperity--until the Wall Street Crash of 1929 heralded the [[Great Depression]].  Although the party did very well in large cities and among ethnic Catholics in presidential elections of 1920-24, it was unable to hold those gains in 1928. By 1932 the cities--for the first time ever--had become Democratic strongholds.
+Most of the GOP's membership favors [[capital punishment]] and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime.
-The African American vote held for Hoover in 1932, but started moving toward Roosevelt. By 1940 the majority of northern blacks were voting Democratic. Southern blacks who could vote (in border states) were split; disenfranchised blacks in the South probably preferred the Republicans.
+====Gun rights====
+Republicans generally support [[Gun politics in the United States|gun ownership rights]] and oppose laws regulating guns, although some Republicans in urban areas sometimes favor limited restrictions on the grounds that they are necessary to protect safety in large cities.
-The [[Great Depression]] cost Hoover the presidency with the [[U.S. presidential election, 1932|1932 landslide election]] of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Roosevelt's [[New Deal coalition]] controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excepting the two-term presidency of Republican [[Dwight Eisenhower]].
+====Education====
+Most Republicans support [[school choice]] through [[charter school]]s and [[school voucher]]s for private schools; many have denounced the performance of the public school system and the teachers' unions. The party has insisted on a system of greater accountability for public schools, most prominently in recent years with the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] of 2001. Many Republicans, however, opposed the creation of the [[United States Department of Education]] when it was initially created in 1979.
-==Fifth Party System: 1932-1980 ==
+Some in the religious wing of the party support voluntary [[School prayer|organized prayer in public schools]] and the teaching of [[intelligent design]] in science classes.
-Minority parties tend to factionalize and after 1936 the GOP split into a conservative faction (dominant in the West and Southeast) and a liberal faction (dominant in the Northeast) &ndash; combined with a residual base of inherited progressive Republicanism active throughout the century.   [[U.S. presidential election, 1936|In 1936]] Kansas governor [[Alf Landon]] and his young followers defeated the [[Herbert Hoover]] faction.  Landon generally supported most New Deal programs, but carried only two states in the Roosevelt landslide.
-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]], governor of New York, represented the Northeastern wing of the party. Dewey did not reject the New Deal programs, but demanded more efficiency, more support for economic growth, and less corruption. He was more willing than Taft to support Britain in 1939-40. After the war the isolationists wing strenuously opposed the [[United Nations]], and was half-hearted in opposition to world Communism. Senator [[William F. Knowland]] of California, sobriquet ''Senator from Formosa'' (Taiwan).
+====Abortion and related issues====
+A majority of the GOP's national and state candidates are [[pro-life]] and oppose elective [[abortion]] on religious or moral grounds.
+Although the GOP has voted for increases in government funding of scientific research, some members actively oppose the federal funding of [[embryonic stem cell]] research beyond the original lines because it involves the destruction of human [[embryo]]s (which many consider ethically equivalent to abortion), while arguing for applying research money into [[adult stem cell]] or amniotic stem cell research. The stem cell issue has garnered two once-rare vetoes on research funding bills from President Bush, who said the research "crossed a moral boundary".
-[[Dwight Eisenhower]], an internationalist allied with the Dewey wing, challenged Taft in 1952 on foreign policy issues. The two men were not far apart on domestic issues. Eisenhower's victory broke a 20 year Democratic lock on the White House.  Eisenhower did not try to roll back the New Deal, but he did expand the Social Security system and built the Interstate Highway system.
+====LGBT issues====
+The 2004 Republican platform expressed support for the [[Federal Marriage Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution]] to define marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman.
+Generally speaking, most Republicans have opposed government recognition of same-sex unions such as with [[Same-sex marriage in the U.S.|same-sex marriage]]. This opposition formed a key method of energizing conservative voters, the Republican base, in the 2004 election. A ''New York Times'' and [[CBS News]] collaborative poll released in April 2009 reported that 18% of Republicans favored recognition of same-sex marriage.<ref name=nytimes20090429>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/us/politics/28web-nagourney.html|title=Signs G.O.P. Is Rethinking Stance on Gay Marriage|date=April 28, 2009|work=The New York Times|accessdate=August 23, 2010}}</ref> An August 2010 Fox poll found 19% support.<ref name=foxnews20100813>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/081310_RoundupPoll.pdf|title=Fox News Poll|date=August 13, 2010|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> Historically, most Republicans have opposed permitting [[LGBT]] people to serve openly in the military and supported the "[[don't ask, don't tell]]" policy. However, majorities of 52% and 58% among Republicans in both 2004 and 2009 opposed the policy and supported open enlistment, according to Gallup polling.<ref name=gallup2009>{{cite news|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/120764/conservatives-shift-favor-openly-gay-service-members.aspx|title=Conservatives Shift in Favor of Openly Gay Service Members|publisher=[[The Gallup Organization|Gallup]]|date=June 5, 2009|first=Lymari|last=Morales}}</ref>
-The conservatives in 1964 made a comeback under the leadership of [[Barry Goldwater]] who defeated [[Nelson Rockefeller]] as the Republican candidate in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964 presidential convention]]. Goldwater was strongly opposed to the New Deal and the United Nations, but he rejected isolationism and containment, calling for an aggressive anti-Communist foreign policy.
+Groups pushing for LGBT issues inside the party include [[Log Cabin Republicans]] and [[GOProud]]. Fox News national [[exit polls]] of self-described LGBT voters found that 24% voted Republican in 2004 and in 2006. That value was 19% and 31% in 2008 and 2010, respectively.<ref name=foxnews20101106>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/06/gop-gains-traction-gay-voters-focusing-economy-analyst-says/|title=GOP Gains Traction Among Gay Voters By Focusing on Economy, Analyst Says|publisher=Fox News|date=November 6, 2010}}</ref> In 2011, 28% of Republicans supported gay marriage.<ref name=foxnews20110522>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/22/time-majority-americans-support-gay-marriage/|publisher=Fox News|title=For First Time, Majority of Americans Support Gay Marriage|date=May 22, 2011}}</ref>
-Any long-term movement toward the GOP was interrupted by the [[Watergate Scandal]], which forced Nixon to resign in 1974 under threat of impeachment. [[Gerald Ford]] succeeded Nixon and gave him a full pardon--thereby giving the Democrats a powerful issue they used to sweep the 1974 off-year elections. Ford never fully recovered, and in 1976 he barely defeated [[Ronald Reagan]] for the nomination. The taint of Watergate and the nation's economic difficulties contributed to the election of Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]] in [[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]], running as a Washington outsider.
+==National defense and military spending==
+Although the Republican Party has always advocated a strong national defense, historically they disapproved of interventionist foreign policy actions. Republicans opposed [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s intervention in [[World War I]] and his subsequent attempt to create the [[League of Nations]]. They were also staunchly opposed to intervention in [[World War II]] until the Japanese attack on [[Pearl Harbor]].
+===Dwight Eisenhower===
+In 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower was drafted by the Republican party to counter the candidacy of [[Non-interventionism|non-interventionist]] Senator [[Robert Taft]]. Eisenhower's campaign was a crusade against the [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] administration's policies regarding "[[Korea]], [[Communism]] and Corruption."<ref name="time 2008">{{Cite news
+| url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1857862,00.html
+| publisher=''[[Time (magazine)|]]''
+| date=November 10, 2008
+| title=When New President Meets Old, It's Not Always Pretty|first=Nancy|last=Gibbs}}</ref>
-====Strength of Parties 1977====
+===Ronald Reagan===
-How the Two Parties Stood after the 1976 Election:
+====Grenada====
+On October 25, 1983, at the request of the regional governments, Reagan ordered ''[[Operation Urgent Fury]]'', a military invasion of the small, Caribbean island of [[Grenada]], where over a thousand American students and their families were in residence. A Marxist coup d'état had overthrown the established government and shot its leader [[Maurice Bishop]]. This was the first actual [[rollback]] that destroyed a Communist regime and marked the continued escalation of tensions with the Soviet Union known as the [[Cold War (1979–1985)|Second Cold War]]. Democrats had been highly critical of Reagan's anti-Communism in Latin America, but this time Reagan had strong support from the voters and leading Democrats said the invasion was justified.<ref name=Hayward>Steven F. Hayward, '' The age of Reagan: The conservative counterrevolution, 1980-1989'', p. 323</ref> It built the President's image of decisive strong action a year before the 1984 election, when Mondale said he too would have ordered the invasion. Indeed Mondale attacked Senator [[Gary Hart]], his chief opponent for the Democratic nomination, as isolationist and weak on fighting dictatorships.<ref name=Kagan1996>Robert Kagan, ''A twilight struggle: American power and Nicaragua, 1977-1990'' (1996) p. 346</ref>
-{| class=wikitable
+====Cold War====
-! Party
+Reagan escalated the [[Cold War]], accelerating a reversal from the policy of [[détente]], which began in 1979 under President [[Jimmy Carter]] following the [[Soviet war in Afghanistan|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]].<ref name=wilsoncenter >{{cite web|url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&event_id=12594|title=Towards an International History of the War in Afghanistan, 1979–89|accessdate=May 16, 2007|year=2002|publisher=The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> Reagan then ordered a massive buildup of the [[United States Armed Forces]]<ref name=fasorg>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/icbm/lgm-118.htm|title=LGM-118A Peacekeeper|accessdate=April 10, 2007|date=August 15, 2000|publisher=Federation of American Scientists}}</ref>
-! Republican
-! Democratic
-! Independent
-|-
-! Party ID (Gallup)
-| 22%
-| 47%
-| 31%
-|-
-! Congressmen
-| 181
-| 354
-|
-|-
-! House
-| 143
-| 292
-|
-|-
-! Senate
-| 38
-| 62
-|
-|-
-! % House popular vote nationally
-| 42%
-| 56%
-| 2%
-|-
-| align=right | in the East
-| 41%
-| 57%
-| 2%
-|-
-| align=right | in the South
-| 37%
-| 62%
-| 2%
-|-
-| align=right | in the Midwest
-| 47%
-| 52%
-| 1%
-|-
-| align=right | in the West
-| 43%
-| 55%
-| 2%
-|-
-! Governors
-| 12
-| 37
-| 1
-|-
-! rowspan=2 | State Legislators
-| 2,370
-| 5,128
-| 55
-|-
-| 31%
-| 68%
-| 1%
-|-
-! State legislature control
-| 18
-| 80
-| 1 *
-|-
-| align=right | in the East
-| 5
-| 13
-| 0
-|-
-| align=right | in the South
-| 0
-| 32
-| 0
-|-
-| align=right | in the Midwest
-| 5
-| 17
-| 1 *
-|-
-| align=right | in the West
-| 8
-| 18
-| 0
-|-
-! States' one party control<br>of legislature and governorship
-| 1
-| 29
-| 0
-|-
-|}
-<nowiki>*</nowiki>The unicameral Nebraska legislature, in fact controlled by the Republicans, is technically nonpartisan.
-Source: Everett Carll Ladd Jr. ''Where Have All the Voters Gone? The Fracturing of America's Political Parties'' (1978) p.6
+====Covert operations====
+Under a policy that came to be known as the [[Reagan Doctrine]], Reagan and his administration also [[Covert U.S. regime change actions|provided overt and covert aid]] to [[anti-communist]] [[Guerrilla warfare|resistance movements]] in an effort to "[[rollback]]" Soviet-backed communist governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The policy was politically controversial, with liberal Democrats especially angry with Reagan's operations in Latin America.<ref name=Kagan1996>Robert Kagan, ''A twilight struggle: American power and Nicaragua, 1977-1990'' (1996) p 29</ref> Covert operations elsewhere, especially in Afghanistan against the Soviets, however, usually won bipartisan support.<ref Name=Meher2004>Jagmohan Meher, ''America's Afghanistan war'' (2004) [http://books.google.com/books?id=JR4xbUD0Lv8C&pg=PA133&dq=afghanistan+cambodia+%22moral+boost%22+inauthor:Meher&hl=en&ei=LqdkToniHInbiAK-x8SgCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=afghanistan%20cambodia%20%22moral%20boost%22%20inauthor%3AMeher&f=false p 133 online]</ref>
-====Moderate Republicans of 1940-80====
+===George H. W. Bush===
-The term ''Rockefeller Republican'' was used 1960-80 to designate a faction of the party holding "moderate" views similar to those of the late [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[governor of New York]] from 1959 to 1974 and vice president under President [[Gerald Ford]] in 1974-77. Before Rockefeller, [[Tom Dewey]], governor of New York 1942-54 and GOP presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948 was the leader. [[Dwight Eisenhower]] reflected many of their views. An important leader in the 1950s was Connecticut Republican Senator [[Prescott Bush]], father and grandfather of presidents of [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]]. After Rockefeller left the national stage in 1976, this faction of the party was more often called "moderate Republicans," in contrast to the conservatives who rallied to [[Ronald Reagan]].
+====Gulf War 1990–91====
-Historically, Rockefeller Republicans were moderate or liberal on domestic and social policies. They favored New Deal programs, including regulation and welfare. They were very strong supporters of civil rights. They were strongly supported by big business on Wall Street (New York City). In fiscal policy they favored balanced budgets and relatively high tax levels to keep the budget balanced. They sought long-term economic growth through entrepreneurships, not tax cuts. In state politics, they were strong supporters of state colleges and universities, low tuition, and large research budgets. They favored infrastructure improvements, such as highway projects. In foreign policy they were internationalists, and anti-Communists. They felt the best way to counter Communism was sponsoring economic growth (through foreign aid), maintaining a strong military, and keeping close ties to [[NATO]]. Geographically their base was the Northeast, from Pennsylvania to Maine.
+{{Main|Gulf War}}
+On August 1, 1990, [[Iraq]], led by [[Saddam Hussein]], [[Invasion of Kuwait|invaded]] [[Kuwait]]. President Bush formed an international coalition and secured UN approval to expel Iraq. On January 12, 1991, Congress voted approval for a military attack, [[Operation Desert Storm]], by a narrow margin, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. The vote in the House was 250–183, and in the Senate 52–47. In the Senate 42 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted yes to war, while 45 Democrats and two Republicans voted no. In the House 164 Republicans and 86 Democrats voted yes, and 179 Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent voted no.<ref name=Hiro>Dilip Hiro, ''Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War'' (2003) p. 300</ref> The war was short and successful, but Hussein was allowed to remain in power. Arab countries repaid all the American military costs.<ref name=Hess>Gary R. Hess, ''Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq'' (2009) pp 153-219</ref>
-====Suburbia====
+In the 1990s, Republicans opposed the intervention of the United States in the [[Balkans]] under President Bill Clinton<ref name=spectator >www.spectator.org, March 21, 2011, "Republicans on Kosovo" by W. James Antile,III</ref> and in 2000, George W. Bush ran on a platform that opposed these types of involvement in foreign conflicts.
-The suburban electorate passed the city electorate in the 1950s, as Eisenhower showed unusually strength there. The history of suburban politics is encapsulated in Nassau County (New York), just east of New York City, where a moderate Republican party machine operated. Despite predictions that the New Deal spelled the demise of the political machine, Nassau provided fertile ground for a party organization that rivaled its big city Democratic counterparts. The traditionally GOP county underwent a booming expansion during 1945-60, with an influx of new residents, many with previous Democratic party affiliations. In established villages and new housing developments such as [[Levittown]], under the canny leadership of J. Russel Sprague, the party used patronage and community organizing techniques to build its base among ethnic voters, young people, and new homeowners. The party expanded beyond its white Protestant base, with Italian Americans becoming particularly prominent in party leadership. Sprague was both party leader and county executive. That post was created in 1936 under a new charter engineered by Sprague to update a municipal apparatus unable to meet the infrastructure and development needs of a county that by 1960 had 1.3 million residents. Democrats and reformers had promoted charter revision for decades, and some consolidation of government services did take place. As county "boss," Sprague ruled with an iron hand. Nassau's pluralities for such candidates as Governor Thomas E. Dewey and President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Sprague's fundraising prowess made him a force in national party politics. He advocated a moderate, middle-of-the-road position that recognized expectations created by the New Deal while criticizing what were claimed to be Democratic excesses. After leaving elective office and party leadership, Sprague became a major campaign issue when the Democrats, in a 1961 historic upset, won the county executive post by both lambasting Sprague, tainted by a racetrack-stock scandal, and criticizing the developer-friendly "Spragueland" regime that had governed Nassau for decades. Soon after Sprague died in 1969, the Nassau GOP regained its control of the county government and reestablished virtual one-party rule until the 1990s.<ref> Marjorie Freeman Harrison, "Machine Politics Suburban Style: J. Russel Sprague and the Nassau County (New York) Republican Party at Midcentury."  PhD dissertation Columbia U. 2005. 388 pp.
-DAI 2005 66(5): 1925-A. DA3174807  </ref>
-An even longer reign of power characterized GOP machine control of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a rural and suburban area south of Philadelphia. William McClure controlled the GOP from 1875 until his death in 1907; his son John J. McClure, was in control from 1907 until his death in 1965. McLarnon (1998) has four main findings. First, political machines were not confined to big cities; the demographic and political peculiarities of suburban counties lent themselves to continued domination by political machines long after the heyday of the city machine had passed. Secondly, neither the New Deal, immigration restriction, nor the rise of organized labor destroyed all the old Republican machines. Delaware was one of several similar counties in southeastern Pennsylvania where the GOP continued to hold sway throughout the 20th century. Thirdly, not all blacks switched their electoral loyalties to the Democratic party in 1936. The black population of Chester, Delaware County's industrial city, generally voted Republican for offices below the presidential level. Finally, the citizens of Delaware County supported and continues to support the Republican machine because the machine delivered and continues to deliver those things that the citizens want most. At the beginning of the century, the machine provided food, work, and police protection to Chester's European and black immigrants. During Prohibition, it supplied the county with liquor. Through the Depression, patronage and close alliances with local industrialists kept a significant portion of machine loyalists employed. In the 1950s and 1960s the machine kept taxes low, initiated a war on organized vice, successfully defeated all threats to home rule, and discouraged blacks from settling in historically white communities. The trash was collected, the snow plowed, the streets repaired. The buses ran on time, the playgrounds and parks were clean, and the schools acceptably average. These were the most important concerns of a majority of county's citizens. While the citizens and their concerns changed over time, two things seem to have remained constant: the McClures', and their successors' ability to read and react to the needs of the electorate; and the fact that rarely, if ever, has a desire for honest, democratic government been high on Delaware County voters' list of priorities.<ref>John Morrison McLarnon, "Ruling Suburbia: A Biography of the McClure Machine of Delaware County, Pennsylvania."  PhD dissertation U. of Delaware 1998. 616 pp.  DAI 1998 58(12): 4780-A. DA9819160   </ref>
+===George W. Bush===
+====Invasion of Afghanistan====
+After the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001 in New York, Bush launched the [[War on Terrorism]], in which the United States led an international coalition [[Invasions of Afghanistan#U.S.-led invasion|invaded Afghanistan]], the base of terrorist [[Osama bin Laden]]. This invasion led to the toppling of the [[Taliban]] regime. After a surprise raid on bin Laden's compound on May 2, 2011, ordered by Barack Obama, bin Laden was killed and his body disposed of in the sea. There was bipartisan support for this action, with notable Republican and Democratic figures speaking out in support of the raid.
-====Rise of the right====
+====Invasion of Iraq====
-[[Barry Goldwater]] crusaded against the Rockefeller Republicans, beating Rockefeller narrowly in the California primary of 1964. That set the stage for a conservative resurgence, based in the South and West, in opposition to the Northeast.  Brennan (1995) stresses that conservatives in the late 1950s and early 1960s had many internal problems to overcome before they could mount an effective challenge to the hegemony of the distrusted Eastern Establishment, typified by [[Nelson A. Rockefeller]]. The conservative movement had some newspapers and magazines (especially [[William F. Buckley]]'s ''National Review'') and one charismatic national leader, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. The movement gained momentum once they had established a unity out of diverse elements on the Right with a common commitment to a militant anticommunism, and once they had succeeded in mobilizing a grassroots base inside a number of state and local organizations in the Sun Belt on behalf of a draft Goldwater campaign in 1960. Although Nixon was acceptable to the conservatives, they worried that he compromised with Rockefeller in 1960. His defeat in 1960 removed a major obstacle and also gave ammunition to those who wanted "a choice, not an echo" (to echo a Goldwater slogan). After 1960 liberals and moderates in the Republican party failed to appreciate the magnitude of the challenge they faced on the grass-roots level. They too readily equated their conservative opponents in the party with the "lunatic fringe" and did not take them seriously until they found themselves deposed by a grass roots insurgency of the sort unknown in the party since 1912.<ref> Brennan (1995) p, 59</ref> Goldwater's landslide defeat opened the way to a liberal Democratic resurgence, but did little to help the liberal wing of the GOP. The failures of the Great Society, especially  a wave of major urban riots and a surge in violent crime, led to major gains in 1966, and to Nixon's election in the chaotic 1968 election. The Democrats became deeply divided on the Vietnam war (which did not divide the GOP), and on issues of race, when Alabamian [[George C. Wallace]] set up a third party that carried much of the deep South.
+In 2003, George W. Bush launched the [[Iraq War|invasion of Iraq]], in conjunction with coalition partners, most notably Great Britain. The invasion was described by Bush as being part of the War on Terrorism. Saddam Hussein was captured and executed, but his supporters staged an insurgency that dragged on for years. It was a major election issue in 2004 (when Bush was reelected) and in 2006 and 2008 (when the Democrats won).<ref name=Hess2009>Hess, ''Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq'' (2009) pp 221-76</ref>
-As Goldwater faded to a lesser role after 1964, a new conservative hero emerged: in the largest and most trendy state film star [[Ronald Reagan]] was elected governor of California in 1966 and reelected in 1970.
+===Policies===
+As a result, some in the Republican Party support [[unilateralism]] on issues of national security, believing in the ability and right of the United States to act without external support in matters of its national defense. In general, Republican thinking on defense and [[international relations]] is heavily influenced by the theories of [[neorealism (international relations)|neorealism]] and [[Political realism|realism]], characterizing conflicts between nations as struggles between faceless forces of international structure, as opposed to being the result of the ideas and actions of individual leaders. The realist school's influence shows in Reagan's [[Evil empire|Evil Empire]] stance on the [[Soviet Union]] and George W. Bush's [[Axis of evil]].
-With the rise of conservatism the national Republican Party became more ideologically homogeneous. This change occurred as conservative politicians and voters joined the party and their liberal counterparts abandoned the GOP. Events in New York State during the 1960s and 1970s facilitated this transformation. Here, ideological conservatives formed a third party for the express purpose of changing a state GOP that both symbolized and contributed to the national GOP's liberal viewpoint. The [[Conservative Party, New York|Conservative Party]] relied on the state's unique election law to crash the New York GOP, either by forcing its way in or by imposing a lethal electoral price.  The GOP-Conservative Party relationship began in 1962 at sword's point but achieved a high degree of harmony in 1980. Initially, New York Republicans, led by Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]], successfully marginalized the new party. As the conservative movement matured, however, the balance of power began to shift. When Nixon was elected president in 1968, the Conservative Party gained an external ally who proved invaluable. The third party achieved partial acceptance in 1970 with the election of [[James Buckley]] to the Senate. For much of the ensuing decade, however, Conservatives struggled with success suffering a series of damaging setbacks. Only in the late 1970s, did the party recover when it embraced a more modest agenda. Finally, the 1980 election settled the overall contours of the relationship between the two parties. Conservatives formed their party to force the state GOP to the right, to drive liberal Republicans from office, and allow ideologically conservative national Republicans to succeed in the state. By 1980, it had achieved these goals changing the nature of politics in the state. This resolution affected politics beyond the state by diminishing the importance of ideological liberals in the national GOP, thus freeing a more ideologically consistent national Republican Party to promote the rise of conservatism.<ref> Timothy J. Sullivan, "Crashing the Party: The New York State Conservative and Republican Parties, 1962-1980."  PhD dissertation U. of Maryland, College Park 2003. 458 pp.  DAI 2004 64(11): 4181-A. DA3112508  </ref>
+Republicans secured gains in the [[United States congressional elections, 2002|2002]] and [[United States congressional elections, 2004|2004 elections]], with the [[War on Terror]] being one of the top issues favoring them. Since the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], some in the party support [[neoconservatism|neoconservative]] policies with regard to the War on Terror, including the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 war in Afghanistan]] and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].
-====Realignment: The South becomes Republican====
+The doctrine of [[preemptive war]], wars to disarm and destroy potential military foes based on speculation of future attacks rather than in defense against actual attack, has been advocated by prominent members of the Bush administration, but the war within Iraq has undercut the influence of this doctrine within the Republican Party. [[Rudy Giuliani]], mayor of New York at the time of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a candidate for the Republican [[United States presidential election, 2008|presidential nomination in 2008]], has stated his support for that policy, saying America must keep itself "on the offensive" against terrorists.<!--I'm pretty sure we can come up with an equivalent McCain quote. Anyone want to try?-->
-In the century after Reconstruction ended in 1877, the white South identified with the [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]. The Democrats' lock on power was so strong, the region was called the "Solid South." The Republicans controlled certain parts of the Appalachian mountains, but they sometimes did compete for statewide office in the border states. Before 1964, the southern Democrats saw their party as the defender of the southern way of life, which included a respect for states' rights and an appreciation for traditional southern values. They repeatedly warned against the aggressive designs of Northern liberals and Republicans, as well as the civil rights activists they denounced as "outside agitators." Thus there was a serious barrier to becoming a Republican.
-However, since 1964, the Democratic lock on the South has been broken. The long-term cause was that the region was becoming more like the rest of the nation and could not long stand apart in terms of racial segregation. Modernization that brought factories, businesses, and cities, and millions of migrants from the North; far more people graduated from high school and college. Meanwhile the cotton and tobacco basis of the traditional South faded away, as former farmers moved to town or commuted to factory jobs.
+The George W. Bush administration took the position that the [[Geneva Conventions]] do not apply to [[unlawful combatant]]s, saying they apply to soldiers serving in the armies of [[nation state]]s and not [[List of designated terrorist organizations|terrorist organizations]] such as [[Al-Qaeda]]. The Supreme Court overruled this position in ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]'', which held that the Geneva Conventions were legally binding and must be followed in regards to all enemy combatants. Prominent Republicans such as [[John McCain]], [[Mike Huckabee]], and [[Ron Paul]] strongly oppose the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, which they view as torture.
-The immediate cause of the political transition involved civil rights. The [[civil rights movement]] caused enormous controversy in the white South with many attacking it as a violation of states' rights. When segregation was outlawed by court order and by the Civil Rights acts of 1964 and 1965, a die-hard element resisted integration, led by Democratic governors [[Orval Faubus]] of Arkansas, [[Lester Maddox]] of Georgia, and, especially [[George Wallace]] of Alabama. These populist governors appealed to a less-educated, blue-collar electorate that on economic grounds favored the Democratic party, but opposed segregation. After passage of the Civil Rights Act most Southerners accepted the integration of most institutions (except public schools). With the old barrier to becoming a Republican removed, traditional Southerners joined the new middle class and the Northern transplants in moving toward the Republican party. Integration thus liberated Southern politics, just as [[Martin Luther King]] had promised. Meanwhile the newly enfranchised black voters supported Democratic candidates at the 85-90% level.
+==Other international policies==
+===Israel===
+The Republican leadership supports a strong [[Israel]], but supports efforts to secure peace in the
+Middle East between Israel and its [[Arab]] neighbors.<ref name=canadiancoalition >{{cite web|url=http://canadiancoalition.com/adbusters01/|title=Authorization Required|publisher=canadiancoalition.com}}</ref>
-The South's transition to a Republican stronghold took decades. First the states started voting Republican in presidential elections--the Democrats countered that by nominating Southerners who could carry some states in the region, such as [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976 and 1980, and [[Bill Clinton]] in 1992 and 1996; the strategy did not work with [[Al Gore]] in 2000, or [[John Edwards]] in 2004. Then the states began electing Republican senators to fill open seats caused by retirements, and finally governors and state legislatures changed sides. Georgia was the last state to fall, with [[Sonny Perdue]] taking the governorship in 2002. Republicans aided the process with systematic gerrymandering that protected the African American and Hispanic vote (as required by the Civil Rights laws), but split up the remaining white Democrats so that Republicans mostly would win. In 2006 the Supreme Court endorsed nearly all of the redistricting engineered by [[Tom DeLay]] that swung the Texas Congressional delegation to the GOP in 2004.
+===Russia===
+The Republican party claims U.S. should promote friendship not only between the United States and Russia, but also between Russia and its neighbors. With Russia, the U.S. needs patience, consistency, and a principled reliance on democratic forces. Russia must stop encouraging the proliferation of [[weapons of mass destruction]].<ref>Republican Platform adopted at GOP National Convention Aug 12, 2000</ref> The party stress the common interests of the two countries which includes ending [[terrorism]], combating [[nuclear proliferation]], promoting [[bilateral trade]].<ref>2008 Republican Party Platform, September 1, 2008</ref>
-In addition to its white middle class base, Republicans attracted strong majorities from the evangelical Christian vote, which had been nonpolitical before 1980. The national Democratic Party's support for liberal social stances such as [[abortion]] drove many former Democrats into a Republican party that was embracing the conservative views on these issues. Conversely, liberal Republicans in the northeast began to join the Democratic Party. In 1969 in ''The Emerging Republican Majority'', [[Kevin Phillips]], argued that support from Southern whites and growth in the [[Sun Belt]], among other factors, was driving an enduring Republican electoral [[realigning election|realignment]]. Today, the South is again solid, but the reliable support is for Republican presidential candidates. Exit polls in 2004 showed that Bush led Kerry by 70-30% among whites, who comprised 71% of the Southern voters. Kerry had a 90-9% lead among the 18% of the voters who were black. One third of the Southerners said they were white evangelicals; they voted for Bush by 80-20%.<ref> See [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.3.html exit polls]</ref>
+===Trade===
+The party, through former U.N. Ambassador [[John R. Bolton|John Bolton]], has advocated reforms in the [[United Nations]] to halt corruption such as that which afflicted the [[Oil-for-Food Program]]. Most Republicans oppose the [[Kyoto Protocol]]. The party promotes [[free trade]] agreements, most notably [[North American Free Trade Agreement]], [[Dominican Republic&nbsp;– Central America Free Trade Agreement]] and now an effort to go further south to Brazil, Peru and Colombia, although some have a protectionist view of trade.
-===Reagan Era===
+===Immigration===
+Republicans are divided on how to confront [[illegal immigration]] between a platform that allows for migrant workers and easing citizenship guidelines, and border enforcement-first approach. In general, pro-growth advocates within the Republican Party support more immigration, and traditional or populist conservatives oppose it. In 2006, the White House supported and Republican-led Senate passed [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006|comprehensive immigration reform]] that would eventually allow millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens, but the House, also led by Republicans, took an enforcement-first approach, and the bill failed to pass the [[conference committee]].<ref name=Blanton>{{cite news|last=Blanton|first=Dana|title=National Exit Poll: Midterms Come Down to Iraq, Bush|publisher=[[Fox News]]|date=2006-11-08|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228104,00.html|accessdate=2007-01-06}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref>
-In 1980, [[Ronald Reagan]] won the Republican nomination and easily beat Carter and a breakaway Republican 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.
+===Political status of Puerto Rico===
+The Republican Party has expressed its support for the [[United States nationality law|U.S. citizens]] of [[Puerto Rico]] to exercise their right to determine a future permanent non-territorial political status with government by consent, full enfranchisement and to be admitted to the union as a fully sovereign [[U.S. state]]. 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. The following is a section from the 2008 party platform (unchanged from the 2004 and 2000 platforms).<ref name=Republican2004>{{cite web|url=http://www.gop.com/media/2004platform.pdf|title=2004 Republican Platform|publisher=Gop.com|date=|accessdate=2010-08-01}}{{dead link|date=January 2011}}</ref><ref name=letpuertoricodecide >{{cite web|url=http://www.letpuertoricodecide.com/status.php|title=An Introduction to Puerto Rico's Status Debate|publisher=Let Puerto Rico Decide|date=1998-03-04|accessdate=2010-06-17}}</ref><ref name=Republican2008>[http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf 2008 Republican Platform]</ref>
+<blockquote>We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state after they freely so determine. We recognize that Congress has the final authority to define the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with government by consent and full enfranchisement. As long as Puerto Rico is not a state, however, the will of its people regarding their political status should be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S. government.</blockquote>
-Running on a "Peace Through Strength" platform to combat the Communist threat and massive tax cuts to revitalize the economy, Reagan's strong but genial persona proved too much for the ineffective and sour Carter in 1980. Reagan's election also gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time in decades. Dubbed the "Reagan Revolution" he fundamentally altered several long standing debates in Washington, namely dealing with the Soviet threat and reviving the economy. His election saw the conservative wing of the party gain control. While reviled by liberal opponents in his day, his proponents contend his programs provided unprecedented economic growth, and spurred the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Currently regarded as one of the most popular and successful presidents in the modern era (1960-present), he inspired Conservatives to greater electoral victories by being re-elected in a landslide against Walter Mondale in 1984 but oversaw the loss of the Senate in 1986.
+==Voter base==
+{{Asof|2010}}, [[The Gallup Organization|Gallup]] polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 38% as independents.<ref name=Gallup2010>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/145463/Democratic-Party-Drops-2010-Tying-Year-Low.aspx |title=Democratic Party ID Drops in 2010, Tying 22-Year Low |publisher=Gallup.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
+===Business community===
+The GOP is usually seen as the traditionally pro-business party and it garners major support from a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small businesses. Republicans are about 50 percent more likely to be self-employed, and are more likely to work in management.<ref name=Fried2008p104>Fried, pp. 104–5, 125.</ref>
-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 were primarily ethnic Catholics in the Northeast and were frustrated by their seeing abandonment on cultural issues by the Democratic party's national leaders.
+===Gender===
+Since 1980, a "gender gap" has seen slightly stronger support for the GOP among men than among women. In the 2006 House races, 43% of women voted for GOP, while 47% of men did so.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls>{{cite news|title=Exit Polls|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|date=2006-11-07|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref> In the 2010 midterms, the "gender gap" was reduced with women supporting GOP and Democratic candidates equally 49% to 49%.<ref name=abcnews3775>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vote-2010-elections-results-midterm-exit-poll-analysis/story?id=12003775|title=Exit Poll Analysis: Vote 2010 Elections Results|publisher=ABC News|date=2010-11-02|accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref><ref name=Weeks2010>{{cite web|last=Weeks|first=Linton|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131039717|title=10 Takeaways From The 2010 Midterms|publisher=NPR|date=2010-11-03|accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref>
-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.
+===Race===
+Currently, most of the Republican voter base is [[White American|Caucasian]]. While historically the party had been supporters of rights for African Americans since the 1860s, it lost its leadership position; the GOP has been winning under 15% of the black vote in recent national elections (1980 to 2008). The party has recently nominated African American candidates for senator or governor in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, though none were successful. In the 2010 elections, two African American Republicans were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.<ref name=Holmes2010>{{cite news|author=L.A. Holmes|url=http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/03/black-republicans-win-first-congress-seats-2003|title=Black Republicans Win First Congress Seats Since 2003|publisher=FoxNews.com|date=2010-04-07|accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref> The Republican Party abolished slavery under [[Abraham Lincoln]], defeated the [[Slave Power]], and gave blacks the vote during [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction in the late 1860s]]. Until the [[New Deal]] of the 1930s, blacks supported the GOP by large margins.<ref name=South>In the South, they were often not allowed to vote, but still received some Federal patronage appointments from the Republicans</ref> Most black voters switched to the Democratic Party in the 1930s when the New Deal offered them employment opportunities, and major figures, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, began to support civil rights. They became one of the core components of the [[New Deal Coalition]]. In the South, blacks were able to vote in large numbers after 1965, when a bipartisan coalition passed the [[Voting Rights Act]], and ever since have formed a significant portion (20-50%) of the Democratic vote in that region.<ref name=Sitkoff>Harvard Sitkoff, ''A New Deal for Blacks'' (1978).</ref>
-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 recent decades, the party has been moderately successful in gaining support from [[Hispanic]] and [[Asian American]] voters. George W. Bush, who campaigned energetically for Hispanic votes, received 35% of their vote in 2000 and 44% in 2004.<ref name=2004cnnexitpolls>{{cite news|title=Exit Polls|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.4.html|date=2004-11-02|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref> The party's strong anti-communist stance has made it popular among some minority groups from current and former Communist states, in particular [[Cuban American]]s, [[Korean American]]s, [[Chinese American]]s, and [[Vietnamese American]]s. The election of [[Bobby Jindal]] as Governor of Louisiana has been hailed as pathbreaking.<ref name=BBC7412>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7907412.stm|title=Americas &#124; Profile: Bobby Jindal|publisher=BBC News|date=2009-02-25|accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref> He is the first elected minority governor in [[Louisiana]] and the first state governor of [[Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin|Indian]] descent.<ref name=deccanherald >{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/31998/bobby-jindal-may-become-first.html|title='Bobby Jindal may become first Indian-American to be US prez'|publisher=Deccanherald.com|date=2009-10-23|accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref> In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain won 55% of white votes, 35% of Asian votes, 31% of Hispanic votes, and 4% of African American votes.<ref name=pewresearch>"[http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1209/racial-ethnic-voters-presidential-election?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History]". Pew Research Center. April 30, 2009</ref> In the 2010 House election, the GOP won 60% of the white votes, 38% of Hispanic votes, and 9% of the African American vote.<ref name=pewresearch1790>{{cite web|author=|title=The Latino Vote in the 2010 Elections|work=|publisher=Pew Research Center|location=|date=2010-11-03|url=http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1790/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-hispanic-vote|accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref>
-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 defense 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.
+For decades, a greater percentage of white voters identified themselves as Democrats, rather than Republicans. However, since the mid-1990s whites have been more likely to self-identify as Republicans than Democrats.<ref name=Fried2008p321>Fried, p. 321.</ref>
-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.
+===Family status===
+In recent elections, Republicans have found their greatest support among whites from married couples with children living at home.<ref name=vdare>[http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2005/05/08/affordable-family-formation-the-neglected-key-to-gops-future/ Affordable Family Formation–The Neglected Key To GOP’s Future] by Steve Sailer</ref> Unmarried and divorced women were far more likely to vote for Kerry in 2004.<ref name=wvwv2004>[http://www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election]{{dead link|date=January 2011}} ([[PDF]]). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January, 2005. Page 3: "The marriage gap is one of the most important cleavages in electoral politics. Unmarried women voted for Kerry by a 25-point margin (62 to 37 percent), while married women voted for President Bush by an 11-point margin (55 percent to 44 percent). Indeed, the 25-point margin Kerry posted among unmarried women represented one of the high water marks for the Senator among all demographic groups."</ref>
-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.
+===Income===
+Low-income voters tend to favor the Democratic Party while high-income voters tend to support the Republican Party. President George W. Bush won 41% of the poorest 20% of voters in 2004, 55% of the richest twenty percent, and 53% of those in between. In the 2006 House races, the voters with incomes over $50,000 were 49% Republican, while those under were 38%.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls/>
-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.
+===Military===
+Republicans hold a large majority in the armed services, with 57% of active military personnel and 66% of officers identified as Republican in 2003.<ref name=Lobe>{{cite web|url=http://google.com/search?q=cache:GDeFkKSDCpoJ:www.lewrockwell.com/ips/lobe43.html+army+percent+Republican&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us|title=Lobe, J. (January 1, 2004). Military More Republican, Conservative Than Public&nbsp;— Poll. ''LewRockwell.com''.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
-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).
+===Education===
+Self-identified Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to have 4-year college degrees. The trends for the years 1955 through 2004 are shown by gender in the graphs below, reproduced from a book published by Joseph Fried.<ref name=Fried2008p74>Fried, pp. 74–5.</ref> These graphs depict results obtained by Fried from the National Election Studies (NES) database.
-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.
+[[File:Fig 57 - men 4-yr college degrees.JPG|thumb|375px]]
+[[File:Fig 58 women with 4-yr college degs.JPG|thumb|375px]]
-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]], won 251 Electoral votes and 48% of the popular vote to Bush's 51%. It was the first time anyone won a popular majority since 1988. 2004 marked the seventh consecutive election in which the Democratic nominee failed to reach that threshold.
+Regarding graduate-level degrees (masters or doctorate), there is a rough parity between Democrats and Republicans. According to the Gallup Organization: "[B]oth Democrats and Republicans have equal numbers of Americans at the upper end of the educational spectrum&nbsp;— that is, with post graduate degrees..."<ref name=Fried2008p74/> Fried provides a slightly more detailed analysis, noting that Republican men are more likely than Democratic men to have advanced degrees, but Democratic women are now more likely than Republican women to have advanced degrees.<ref name=Fried2008p76>Fried, pp. 76–7.</ref>
-== Contemporary Party ==
+Republicans remain a small minority of college professors, with 11% of full-time faculty identifying as Republican.<ref name=Kurtz2005>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html|title=Kurtz, H. (March 29, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.|accessdate=2007-07-02|date=2005-03-29}}</ref>
-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.
+===Age===
-==2009==
+The Democrats do better among younger Americans and Republicans among older Americans. In 2006, the GOP won 38% of the voters aged 18–29.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls/>
-After smashing defeats in 2006 and 2008, the GOP lost control of Congress, the White House, and many states. They confront president who still retains some popularity, but have been able to chip away at support for his domestic policies, as the [[recession of 2008]] continues to drag on.  In June 2009 public opinion was favorable toward Obama personally, but increasingly dubious about his plans to overhaul health care, rescue the auto industry and close the prison at Guantánamo Bay. But with a positive job approval rating of 51% , Obama has the backing of most Democrats, even as Republicans turn negative, with only 23% supporting him.  Support for Obama's foreign policies and terrorism policies remains high at 57-59%.  Meanwhile the GOP weaknesses were glaring: the June poll found that the Republican Party is viewed favorably by only 28% of Americans, the lowest rating ever in a New York Times/CBS News poll. In contrast, 57% said that they had a favorable view of the Democratic Party.<ref> [Jeff Zeleny and Dalia Sussman, "Obama Poll Sees Doubt on Budget and Health Care [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/us/politics/18poll.html?th&emc=th ''New York Times'' June 17, 2009]</ref>
-== GOP (Frisbee team) ==
+===Sexual orientation===
+Exit polls conducted in 2000, 2004, and 2006 indicate that about one quarter of gay and lesbian Americans voted for the GOP. In recent years, many in the party have opposed [[same-sex marriage]], adoption by same-sex couples, inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes laws, the [[Employment Non-Discrimination Act]], while supporting the use of the [[don't ask, don't tell]] policy within the military. Some members of the party, particularly in the Northeast and Pacific coast, support [[civil union]]s and adoption rights for same-sex couples.<ref name=ontheissues2007>{{cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Republican_Party.htm#Civil_Rights Republican Party on the Issues|title=Civil_Rights Republican Party on the Issues|accessdate=2007-02-21}}</ref> The opposition to gay rights largely comes from the socially conservative wing of the party.<ref name=Slate>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2091413/|title=A Common Missed Conception: Why religious people are against gay marriage.}}</ref>
-The term GOP may also refer to one of the frisbee teams of Carleton College, located in Northfield, MN.[https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/rec/club/?item_id=43089]
+===Religion===
+Religion has always played a major role for both parties but, in the course of a century, the parties' religious compositions have changed. Religion was a major dividing line between the parties before [[United States presidential election, 1960|1960]], with Catholics, Jews, and Southern Protestants heavily Democratic, and Northeastern Protestants heavily Republican. Most of the old differences faded away after the realignment of the 1970s and 80s that undercut the New Deal coalition. Voters who attend church weekly gave 61% of their votes to Bush in [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]]; those who attend occasionally gave him only 47%, while those who never attend gave him 36%. Fifty-nine percent of Protestants voted for Bush, along with 52% of Catholics (even though [[John Kerry]] was Catholic). Since 1980, large majorities of [[evangelism|evangelicals]] have voted Republican; 70–80% voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and 70% for GOP House candidates in [[United States general elections, 2006|2006]]. Jews continue to vote 70–80% Democratic. Democrats have close links with the African American churches, especially the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptists]], while their historic dominance among Catholic voters has eroded to 54-46 in the 2010 midterms.<ref name=pewresearch>{{cite web|author=|url=http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1791/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-religion-vote|title=Religion in the 2010 Elections|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=2010-11-03|accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref> The main line traditional Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians) have dropped to about 55% Republican (in contrast to 75% before 1968). Their church memberships have declined in that time as well as the conservative evangelical churches have grown. Members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly known as [[Mormon]]s, are overwhelmingly Republican and vote in line with the [[Christian right]] - George W. Bush received 89% of the Mormon vote.<ref name=Fowler>Robert Booth Fowler et al., ''Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices'' (2004)</ref> Bush also received almost 80% of the [[Muslim]] vote in the 2000 Presidential election. However, his support among Muslims declined sharply and, by the 2004 election, at least half of those voters supported [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate John Kerry or a third party candidate.<ref name=Beutler>{{cite web|author=Brian Beutler|url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/republican-muslims-to-gop-youre-on-thin-ice.php|title=GOP Muslims Fear Failure Of Bush Outreach Efforts After Anti-Mosque Furor &#124; TPMDC|publisher=Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com|date=2010-08-18|accessdate=2010-08-29}}</ref>
-==Presidents from the party==
+[[File:2004prescountymap2.PNG|thumb|300px|This map shows the vote in the 2004 presidential election by county. All major Republican geographic constituencies are visible: red dominates the map, showing Republican strength in the rural areas, while the denser areas (i.e., cities) are blue. Notable exceptions include the Pacific coast, New England, the [[Black Belt (U.S. region)|Black Belt]], areas with high [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] populations, and the [[:File:New 2000 hispanic percent.gif|heavily Hispanic]] parts of the Southwest.]]
-# [[Abraham Lincoln]] (1861-1865)
-# [[Ulysses S. Grant]] (1869-1877)
-# [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] (1877-1881)
-# [[James Garfield]] (1881)
-# [[Chester A. Arthur]] (1881-1885)
-# [[Benjamin Harrison]] (1889-1893)
-# [[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)
+===Location===
+Since 1980, geographically the Republican "base" ("[[Red states and blue states|red states]]") is strongest in the [[Southern United States|South]], the Midwest, and [[Mountain States|Mountain West]]. While it is currently weakest on the West Coast and Northeast, this has not always been the case; historically the northeast was a bastion of the Republican Party with [[Vermont]] and [[Maine]] being the only two states to vote against [[Franklin Roosevelt]] all four times. The [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] has been roughly balanced since 1854, with [[Illinois]] becoming more Democratic and liberal because of the city of Chicago (see below) and [[Minnesota]] and [[Wisconsin]] more Republican since 1990. [[Ohio]] and [[Indiana]] both trend Republican. Since the 1930s, the Democrats have dominated most central cities, while the Republicans now dominate rural areas and the majority of suburbs.<ref name="CNN.com Election 2004">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html|title=Election 2004|accessdate=2007-06-01|work=CNN}}</ref>
+The South has become solidly Republican in national elections since 1980, and has been trending Republican at the state level since then at a slower pace.<ref name=Black2005>Earl Black and Merle Black. ''Politics and Society in the South'' (2005)</ref> In 2004, Bush led Kerry by 70%-30% among Southern whites, who made up 71% of the Southern electorate. Kerry had a 70-30 lead among the 29% of the voters who were black or Hispanic. One-third of these Southern voters said they were white evangelicals; they voted for Bush by 80-20; but were only 72% Republican in 2006.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls/><ref name=2004cnnexitpolls/>
-==Notable Republicans (Non-presidential)==
+The Republican Party's strongest focus of political influence lies in the [[Great Plains]] states, particularly [[Oklahoma]], [[Kansas]], [[Nebraska]], [[South Dakota]], and [[North Dakota]], and in the [[Mountain states]] of [[Idaho]], [[Wyoming]], and [[Utah]] (Utah gave George W. Bush more than 70% of the popular vote in 2004). These states are sparsely populated with few major urban centers, and have majority white populations, making it extremely difficult for Democrats to create a sustainable voter base there. Unlike the South, these areas have been strongly Republican since before the party realignments of the 1960s. The Great Plains states were one of the few areas of the country where Republicans had any significant support during the [[Great Depression]].
-*[[James G. Blaine]] (1830 - 1893): Senator from [[Maine]], presidential nominee
-*[[Joseph Gurney Cannon]] (1836 - 1926): [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]]
-*[[Charles Curtis]] (1860 - 1936): United States [[Vice President]], a Native American
-*[[Charles G. Dawes]] (1865 - 1951): United States Vice President
-*[[Tom Dewey]] (1902 - 1971): Governor of [[New York]]; presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948
-*[[John C. Frémont]] (1813 - 1890): First Republican candidate for president
-*[[Mark Hanna]] (1837 - 1904): Senator from [[Ohio]], manager of 1896 campaign
-*[[George Frisbie Hoar]] (1826 - 1904): Senator from [[Massachusetts]]
-*[[Charles Evans Hughes]]: Governor of New York; presidential nominee in 1916, United States Secretary of State, [[Chief Justice of the United States]]
-*[[William Fife Knowland]] (1908 - 1974), Senator from [[California]], Senate Majority Leader from 1953-1955, Senate Minority Leader from 1955-1959
-*[[Henry Cabot Lodge]] (1850 - 1924): Senator from [[Massachusetts]], foreign policy spokesman
-*[[Joseph McCarthy]] (1908 - 1957): Senator from [[Wisconsin]] and noted anti-communist
-*[[Thomas Brackett Reed]] (1839 - 1902): Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
-*[[Nelson Rockefeller]] (1908 - 1979): Vice President, Governor of New York, leader of liberals
-*[[Thaddeus Stevens]] (1792 - 1868): Senator from [[Pennsylvania]], leader of Radicals in Civil War and Reconstruction
-*[[Charles Sumner]] (1811 - 1874): Senator from Massachusetts, leader of Radicals in Civil War and Reconstruction
-*[[Henry Stimson]]: Secretary of War for Taft and FDR, Secretary of State for Hoover
-*[[Robert Taft]] (1889 - 1953): Senator from Ohio and presidential hopeful, leader of conservatives
-*[[Strom Thurmond]] (1902 - 2003): the oldest serving senator in history (from [[South Carolina]])
-*[[Arthur H. Vandenberg]] (1884 - 1951): Senator from Michigan, leader of internationalism in 1940s
-*[[Earl Warren]] (1891 - 1974): Vice presidential nominee, [[Governor of California]], and [[Chief Justice of the United States]]
-*[[John McCain]]: Senator from [[Arizona]], presidential nominee in 2008
-*[[Sarah Palin]]: Governor of [[Alaska]], vice-presidential nominee in 2008
-*[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]: Governor of [[California]]
-*[[Jesse Helms]] (1921 - 2008): Senator from North Carolina
-==See Also==
+===Conservatives and moderates===
-*[[RINO]] - '''R'''epublicans '''i'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly
+Republican "conservatives" are strongest in the South, Mountain West and Midwest, where they draw support from [[Social_conservatism_in_the_United_States|social conservatives]]. The moderates tend to dominate the party in New England, and used to be well represented in all states. From the 1940s to the 1970s under such leaders as [[Thomas E. Dewey]], Dwight D. Eisenhower, [[Nelson Rockefeller]], and Richard Nixon, they usually dominated the presidential wing of the party. Since the 1970s, they have been less powerful, though they are always represented in the cabinets of Republican presidents. In [[Vermont]], [[Jim Jeffords]], a Republican Senator became an [[independent (politician)|independent]] in 2001 due to growing disagreement with President Bush and the party leadership. In addition, moderate Republicans have recently held the governorships in several [[New England]] States, while [[Lincoln Chafee]], a former moderate Republican senator is currently the independent governor of Rhode Island. Senators [[Olympia Snowe]] and [[Susan Collins]], both of Maine, and Senator [[Scott Brown]] of [[Massachusetts]] are notable moderate Republicans from New England. From 1991 to 2007, moderate Republicans served as Governor of Massachusetts.
-*[[Previous Breaking News/Republicans|Articles about '''Republicans''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
-==Bibliography==
+Some well-known conservative radio hosts, including national figures such as [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Sean Hannity]], [[Glenn Beck]], [[Neal Boortz]], [[Laura Ingraham]], [[Michael Reagan]], [[Howie Carr]], and [[Michael Savage (commentator)|Michael Savage]], as well as many local commentators, support Republican causes, while vocally opposing those of the Democrats.<ref name=Dagnes>Alison Dagnes, ''Politics on demand: the effects of 24-hour news on American politics'' (2010) p 53</ref>
-===Historical===
-*''American National Biography'' (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries.
-* Abramson, Paul R.  et al. ''Change and Continuity in the 2004 and 2006 Elections'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Change-Continuity-2004-2006-Elections/dp/0872894150/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221785751&sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]
-* Batchelor, John Calvin.  ''"Ain't You Glad You Joined the Republicans?" A Short History of the GOP.'' 1996. 399 pp.  well-written popular history, well illustrated
-* Chace, James. ''1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs - The Election That Changed the Country.'' (2004). 323 pp.
-* ''Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections'' (4th ed 2003) 1600pp, vast compilation of data, esp., since 1945
-* Foner, Eric. ''Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War (1970), influential history of ideas and ideology; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=90104191 online edition]
-*Gienapp, William E. ''The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1856'' (1987), quantitative voting studies, by state
-* Goldberg, Robert Alan. ''Barry Goldwater'' (1995),
-*Gould, Lewis. ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans'' (2003), the best scholarly overview.
-* Hodgson, Godfrey. ''The World Turned Right Side Up: A History of the Conservative Ascendancy in America'' (1996). by British journalist
-*, Richard. ''Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854-1983'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=15326916 online edition]
-*, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971)
-*Kleppner, Paul, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), applies party systems model
-*Kleppner, Paul. ''The Third Electoral System 1853-1892: Parties, Voters, and Political Cultures'' (1979), analysis of voting behavior, with emphasis on region, ethnicity, religion and class. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24451028 online edition]
-*Marcus, Robert. ''Grand Old Party: Political Structure in the Gilded Age, 1880-1896'' 1971.
-*Morgan, H. Wayne. ''From Hayes to McKinley; National Party Politics, 1877-1896'' (1969) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94446383 online edition], good survey of era
-*Mayer, George H. ''The Republican Party, 1854-1966.'' 2nd ed. (1967), narrative.
-*Parmet, Herbert S. ''Eisenhower and the American Crusades'' (1972) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14967951 online edition]
-* Patterson, James T. ''Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft'' (1972)
-*Perlstein, Rick. ''Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus'' (2002) well written, broad account of 1964
-*Perlstein, Rick. ''Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America'' (2008), 896pp; covers 1965 to 1972
-* Reinhard, David W. ''The Republican Right since 1945'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=91954887 online edition]
-*Rutland, Robert Allen. ''The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush'' (1996) popular narrative
-*Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775-2000'' (2001), long essays by specialists on each time period: [http://www.amazon.com/Contesting-Democracy-Substance-Structure-Political/dp/0700611398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221785707&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
-**includes: "'To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs;": 1820–1865 by Joel H. Silbey; "Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885" by Michael F. Holt; "The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910" by Peter H. Argersinger; "Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930" by Richard; "The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955" by Anthony J. Badger; "The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980" by James T. Patterson; and "Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000" by Byron E. Shafer
-*Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, Jr. ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2000'' (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). For each election includes good scholarly history and selection of primary document. Essays on the most important election are reprinted in Schlesinger, ''The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history'' (1972)
-* Smith, Richard Norton. An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover, (1987) full-length scholarly biography.
-*Summers, Mark Wahlgren. ''Rum, Romanism & Rebellion: The Making of a President, 1884'' (2000) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=104865169 online edition]
-* Sundquist, James L. ''Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=29223022 online edition]
-* Thelen, David. ''Robert M. La Follette and the Insurgent Spirit'' 1976. short interpretive biography
-===Since 1980===
-*Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 2008: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (2007) covers all incumbent Congressmen and governors with amazing detail.  New edition published every two years since 1975.
-* Aistrup, Joseph A. ''The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South'' (1996)
-* Black, Earl and Black, Merle.  ''The Rise of Southern Republicans.'' (2002). 442 pp.
-* Cannon, Lou. ''President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime'' (2000), [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=88989671 online edition]
-*  Critchlow, Donald T. ''The Conservative Ascendancy: How the GOP Right Made Political History'' (2007), by a leading conservative historian
-* Edwards, Lee.  ''The Conservative Revolution: The Movement That Remade America.'' (1999). 391 pp.  by a conservative
-*Ehrman, John, ''The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan'' (2005) by a conservative historian
-* Frank, Thomas. ''What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'' (2005), a liberal attack  [http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America/dp/B000FTWB3K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198072365&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
-* Green, John Robert. ''The Presidency of George Bush.'' (2000). 1989-1993
-* Lamis, Alexander P. ed. ''Southern Politics in the 1990s'' (1999)
-* Layman, Geoffrey. ''The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics.'' (2001). 435pp.
-* Levy, Peter B. ''Encyclopedia of the Reagan-Bush Years'' Greenwood Press, 1996 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=77341841 online edition]
-* Lublin, David.  ''The Republican South: Democratization and Partisan Change.'' Princeton U. Press, 2004. 272 pp.  [http://www.amazon.com/Republican-South-Democratization-Partisan-Change/dp/0691130477/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198072384&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
-* Patterson, James T. ''Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush vs. Gore.'' (2005), standard scholarly synthesis.
-* Pemberton, William E. ''Exit with Honor: The Life and Presidency of Ronald Reagan'' (1998) favorable biography by historian; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=49534236 online edition]
-* Reeves, Richard. ''President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination'' (2005) detailed analysis by conservative historian
-* Rymph, Catherine.  ''Republican Women: Feminism and Conservatism from Suffrage through the Rise of the New Right.'' U. of North Carolina Press, 2006. 338 pp.
-* Sabato, Larry J. ed. ''The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency'' (2007), in-depth essays by scholars
-*Sabato, Larry J. ''Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election'' (2005).
-* Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. ''The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future'' (2001).
-* Schaller, Michael and Rising, George.  ''The Republican Ascendancy: American Politics, 1968-2001.'' Harlan Davidson, 2002. 210 pp.  Short survey by liberal scholars
-* Steely, Mel.  ''The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich.'' Mercer U. Press, 2000. 431 pp.
-* Taylor, Andrew J.  ''Elephant's Edge: The Republicans as a Ruling Party.''  2005. 336 pp. academic study of how GOP turned small advantages into power [http://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Edge-Republicans-Ruling-Party/dp/0275985369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198072452&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
-* Wilentz, Sean. ''The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008'' (2008) by a liberal historian. [http://www.amazon.com/Age-Reagan-History-1974-2008/dp/0060744804/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221786281&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
-*Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America'' sophisticated study by two British journalists (2004). [http://www.amazon.com/Right-Nation-Conservative-Power-America/dp/B000F71124/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198072420&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
-====Notes====
+==Trends==
-<references/>
+{{As of|2004}}, the Republican Party had remained fairly cohesive, as both strong [[Economic liberalism|economic libertarians]] and [[Social_conservatism_in_the_United_States|social conservatives]] opposed the Democrats, whom they saw as the party of bloated and more secular, liberal government.<ref name=Wooldridge>Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''The Right Nation'' (2004).</ref> Yet, some libertarians have argued that the GOP's policies have grown increasingly restrictive of personal liberties, and has contributed to increasing [[corporate welfare]] and [[national debt]].<ref name=ABC273>{{cite web|url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2730251|title=Evans, B. (December 15, 2005). Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians. ''The Associated Press''|accessdate=2007-07-11}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Some social conservatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the party's support for economic policies that they see as sometimes in conflict with their moral values.<ref name="scare">[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/huckabees_rebellion.html How Huckabee Scares the GOP]. By [[E. J. Dionne]]. [[Real Clear Politics]]. Published December 21, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2008.</ref>
-==External Links==
+==State and territorial parties==
-*[http://www.gop.com/ Official GOP Site]
+{{Col-begin}}
-*[http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf 2008 Republican Platform (pdf download)]
+{{Col-2}}
-*[http://nyyrcrecord.blogspot.com/ New York Young Republican Record]
+* [[Alabama Republican Party]] [http://www.algop.org/]
-*[http://www.house.gov/hensarling/rsc/doc/rsc_action_plan.pdf The RSC’s Action Plan for House Republicans], Republican Study Committee, May 20, 2008
+* [[Republican Party of Alaska]] [http://alaskarepublicans.com/]
-*[http://www.house.gov/hensarling/rsc/doc/rsc_action_plan_(broad).pdf A Detailed Action Plan For House Republicans: Bold, Simple, and Different than the Democrats], Republican Study Committee, May 20, 2008
+* [[Arizona Republican Party]] [http://www.azgop.org/]
-*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/republicans/ What Liberals Say - Category: Republicans], [[Accuracy In Media]]
+* [[Republican Party of Arkansas]] [http://www.arkansasgop.org/]
+* [[California Republican Party]] [http://www.cagop.org/]
+* [[Colorado Republican Party]] [http://www.cologop.org/]
+* [[Connecticut Republican Party]] [http://www.ctgop.org/]
+* [[Republican State Committee of Delaware]] [http://www.delawaregop.com/]
+* [[Republican Party of Florida]] [http://www.rpof.org/]
+* [[Georgia Republican Party]] [http://www.gagop.org/]
+* [[Hawaii Republican Party]] [http://www.gophawaii.com/]
+* [[Idaho Republican Party]] [http://www.idgop.org/]
+* [[Illinois Republican Party]] [http://www.ilgop.org/]
+* [[Indiana Republican Party]] [http://www.indgop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Iowa]] [http://www.iowagop.org/]
+* [[Kansas Republican Party]] [http://www.ksgop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Kentucky]] [http://www.rpk.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Louisiana]] [http://www.lagop.com/]
+* [[Maine Republican Party]] [http://www.mainegop.com/]
+* [[Maryland Republican Party]] [http://www.mdgop.org/]
+* [[Massachusetts Republican Party]] [http://www.massgop.com/]
+* [[Michigan Republican Party]] [http://www.migop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Minnesota]] [http://www.mngop.com/]
+* [[Mississippi Republican Party]] [http://www.msgop.org/]
+* [[Missouri Republican Party]] [http://www.mogop.org/]
+* [[Montana Republican Party]] [http://www.mtgop.org/]
+* [[Nebraska Republican Party]] [http://www.negop.org/]
+* [[Nevada Republican Party]] [http://www.nevadagop.org/]
+{{Col-2}}
+* [[New Hampshire Republican State Committee]] [http://www.nhgop.org/]
+* [[New Jersey Republican State Committee]] [http://www.njgop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of New Mexico]] [http://www.gopnm.org/]
+* [[New York Republican State Committee]] [http://www.nygop.org/]
+* [[North Carolina Republican Party]] [http://www.ncgop.org/]
+* [[North Dakota Republican Party]] [http://www.ndgop.com/]
+* [[Ohio Republican Party]] [http://www.ohiogop.org/]
+* [[Oklahoma Republican Party]] [http://www.okgop.com/]
+* [[Oregon Republican Party]] [http://www.orgop.org/]
+* [[Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania]] [http://www.pagop.org/]
+* [[Rhode Island Republican Party]] [http://www.rigop.org/]
+* [[South Carolina Republican Party]] [http://www.scgop.com/]
+* [[South Dakota Republican Party]] [http://www.southdakotagop.com/]
+* [[Tennessee Republican Party]] [http://www.tngop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Texas]] [http://www.texasgop.org/]
+* [[Utah Republican Party]] [http://www.utgop.org/]
+* [[Vermont Republican Party]] [http://www.vtgop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Virginia]] [http://www.vagop.com/]
+* [[Washington State Republican Party]] [http://www.wsrp.org/]
+* [[West Virginia Republican Party]] [http://www.wvgop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of Wisconsin]] [http://www.wisgop.org/]
+* [[Wyoming Republican Party]] [http://www.wygop.org/]
+* [[Republican Party of American Samoa]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://as.gop.com/StatesMapPage.aspx |title=Republican • National • Committee |publisher=As.gop.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
+* [[District of Columbia Republican Committee]] [http://www.dcgop.com/]
+* [[Republican Party (Guam)|Guam Republican Party]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://gu.gop.com/StatesMapPage.aspx |title=Republican • National • Committee |publisher=Gu.gop.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
+* [[Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands)|Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://mp.gop.com/StatesMapPage.aspx |title=Republican • National • Committee |publisher=Mp.gop.com |date=2007-09-01 |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
+* [[Republican Party of Puerto Rico]] <ref>[http://www.goppr.org/index.php.en ]{{dead link|date=January 2012}}</ref>
+* [[Republican Party of the Virgin Islands]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virepublicanwomen.com/id2.html |title=The Republican Party of the Virgin Islands |publisher=Virepublicanwomen.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
+{{Col-end}}
-[[Category:United States]]
+==See also==
-[[Category:United States Political Parties]]
+{{Portal|Politics|Conservatism|United States}}
-[[Category:United States Political Organizations]]
+{{div col|2}}
-[[Category:Featured articles]]
+* [[Factions in the Republican Party (United States)]]
-[[Category:Modernization]]
+* [[List of African American Republicans]]
-[[Category:Conservatives]]
+* [[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets]]
+* [[Political party strength in U.S. states]]
+* [[Republican In Name Only]]
+* [[South Park Republican]]
+* [[Libertarian Republican]]
+* [[International Democrat Union]]
+{{div col end}}
+{{College Republicans}}
+==Footnotes==
+{{Reflist|30em}}
+==References==
+{{Main|Bibliography of the Republican Party}}
+<!-- alphabetical order please -->
+{{Refbegin|2}}
+* ''American National Biography'' (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries.
+* Aistrup, Joseph A. ''The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South'' (1996)
+* [[Michael Barone (pundit)|Barone, Michael]]. ''The Almanac of American Politics 2010: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (2009).
+* Black, Earl and Merle Black. ''The Rise of Southern Republicans'' (2002)
+* Brennan, Mary C. ''Turning Right in the Sixties: The Conservative Capture of the GOP'' (1995)
+* Conger, Kimberly H. ''The Christian Right in Republican State Politics'' (2010) 202 pages; focuses on Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri
+* Crane, Michael. ''The Political Junkie Handbook: The Definitive Reference Books on Politics'' (2004) covers all the major issues explaining the parties' positions
+* Critchlow, Donald T. ''The Conservative Ascendancy: How the Republican Right Rose to Power in Modern America'' (2nd ed. 2011)
+* Donald, David. ''Lincoln'' (1999)
+* Ehrman, John, ''The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan'' (2005)
+* {{cite book|last=Fried|first=J|title=Democrats and Republicans—Rhetoric and Reality|publisher=Algora Publishing|location=New York|year=2008|isbn=|url=}}
+* Frank, Thomas. ''What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'' (2005)
+* [[David Frum|Frum, David.]] ''What's Right: The New Conservative Majority and the Remaking of America'' (1996)
+* {{cite book|last=Gould|first=Lewis|title=Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans|publisher=|location=|year=2003|isbn=0375507418|url=}}
+* , Richard. ''Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854–1983'' (1983)
+* [[John Judis|Judis, John B.]] and [[Ruy Teixeira]]. ''The Emerging Democratic Majority'' (2004) two Democrats project social trends
+* Kleppner, Paul, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), applies party systems model
+* Lamis, Alexander P. ed. ''Southern Politics in the 1990s'' (1999)
+* Levendusky, Matthew. ''The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans'' (Chicago Studies in American Politics) (2009)
+* Mayer, George H. ''The Republican Party, 1854–1966.'' 2d ed. (1967)
+* Perlstein, Rick. ''Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus'' (2002) broad account of 1964
+* Perlstein, Rick. ''Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America'' (2009)
+* Reinhard, David W. ''The Republican Right since 1945'' (1983)
+* Rutland, Robert Allen. ''The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush'' (1996)
+* [[Larry Sabato|Sabato, Larry J.]] ''Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election'' (2005)
+*Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. ''The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future'' (2001) textbook.
+* [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.|Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, Jr.]] ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2000'' (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). Essays on the most important election are reprinted in Schlesinger, ''The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history'' (1972)
+* Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775–2000'' (2001), long essays by specialists on each time period:
+** includes: "'To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs;": 1820–1865 by Joel H. Silbey; "Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885" by Michael F. Holt; "The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910" by Peter H. Argersinger; "Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930" by Richard "The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955" by Anthony J. Badger; "The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980" by James T. Patterson; and "Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000" by Byron E. Shafer
+* Shafer, Byron and Richard Johnston. ''The End of Southern Exceptionalism'' (2006), uses statistical election data & polls to argue GOP growth was primarily a response to economic change
+* Steely, Mel. ''The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich'' Mercer University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-86554-671-1.
+* Sundquist, James L. ''Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States'' (1983)
+* Swirski, Peter. Ars Americana Ars Politica. Montreal, London: McGill Queen's University Press (2010). ISBN 978 0773537668
+* Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''[[The Right Nation]]: Conservative Power in America'' (2004).
+{{Refend}}

Difference between revisions of "Republican Party"

Revision as of 16:27, April 27, 2012

Contents

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