Preview

The Pros And Cons Of Party Control Of Government

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
201 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Pros And Cons Of Party Control Of Government
INTRODUCTION
We live in an era of unprecedented frequency of change in partisan control of government. Since at least 1994, neither of the United
States’ two main political parties can be said to have had a lock on control of the House, the Senate, or the presidency.

Incredibly, the seven elections from 1998 to 2010 produced six different combinations of party control: a Democratic president with a
Republican Congress (1998), a Republican president with a divided
Congress (2000), a Republican president with a Republican
Congress (2002, 2004), a Republican president with a Democratic
Congress (2006), a Democratic president with a Democratic
Congress (2008), and a Democratic president with a divided
Congress (2010).

Earned Income
60

50

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Party funding has been a controversial subject. On the one hand limitations to party funding would mean that parties would be constricted and possibly unable to spread campaign messages, but without limitation there is a danger of corruption through the promise of donation for political favours. For example, before the 2010 election, accountancy firms donated money to the conservative party in the hopes that in return they would be able to establish government contracts. Tony Blair was also involved with a scandal which suggested that he had taken a £1 million donation in return of exempting Formula one form the ban on the advertisement of tobacco. Despite there being legislation created by parliament to prevent these activities there has still been incidents of foul play.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Barone, M. & McCutchen, C. (2011). Almanac of American Politics 2012. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.…

    • 2051 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    It's no secret that the Republican party is now more well-known for their fear mongering and obstructionist tactics than legislating or having any real interest in governing. As many of you may remember, Republicans came under heavy criticism last year for trying to derail the Iran Nuclear Deal through a combination of dangerous propaganda. They attempted to poison public opinion and recklessly interfered with the negotiation process which could have had disastrous consequences. In an underhanded, some have even suggested treasonous move, 47 Republicans lead by Senator Tom Cotton and signed by GOP Presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Rand Paul had sent an open letter to Iran…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A political party is an organization that seeks political power by presenting and electing its candidates to office so their philosophy and positions become public policy. During and between elections, a political party plays a fundamental roles in strengthening democratic regimes.…

    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition to the argument of the affluent as rational voters, Gilens and Page argues in their article, “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups and Average Citizens” that politics is not a zero sum game because the views of the average citizens correlate with some of the preference of elites. But his data insufficient because his definition of affluent voters differs from the definition of affluent voters in this paper. Gilens “affluent” respondents in his study, were households with an annual income of only $146,000, as opposed to the .01% who make more than over 100 million dollars annually. Although the affluent voters Gilens describe make more than the average voter, and more than low income voters, their views are still highly correlated to one another because the gap between their incomes are not as significant. As demonstrated with people in the higher income bracket, the more money they earn the more involved they are with politics because of the policies that can…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mules vs. Elephants

    • 1603 Words
    • 7 Pages

    As George Washington retired from his presidential position in 1796, he left a grim reminder to the people of the newly independent United States of America: the independence of states, peace at home and abroad, safety, prosperity, and liberty are all dependent upon the unity between states. To promote the national strength, he urges the people to place their identity as Americans above those of their state, region, and interests. In fear of the impeding sectionalism, Washington included a fair warning to the people of the United States, the dangers of political parties to the government and the country as a whole. The idea of political parties, although warned thoroughly by our very first president, continuously solidified itself into the core of American government until it has become two standing pillars of modern politics: the Democratic Mules and its counterpart, the Republican Elephants. In 21st century politics, these two reigning parties, both having changed and altered their focus over time, have maintained a core value system, ideas beliefs, and key constituencies, which are made apparent throughout political campaigns; no better evidence than the 2012 political party platforms articulates the political position which each party represents.…

    • 1603 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    24 The present era is known as the era of divided government. Neither party has consistently held on to the presidency. Congress is also usually controlled by the opposing party as well.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    * This presidential election gave voters two more divisions of political parties to choose from. The Democratic-Republican political party split. It was one of the closest races yet in the election, leaving Andrew Jackson with a win over Adams.…

    • 2515 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are some harsh realities the Democratic Party must face. Hillary Clinton lost the Electoral College and the Presidency to President Donald Trump. The election saw historically low favorability for both Presidential candidates, who currently poll far below progressive Democratic Senators, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This paper explores differences between the democratic and the republican parties in the US from main aspects: international role and relations, the economy and social issues. One is a jackass and one is an elephant. Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave, while Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United states in the twenty-first century is mainly a two-party system. Despite the fact that more than two political parties remain, numerous of American citizens favor to choose between the two big factions, now called Democrats and Republicans, exchanged principle, focuses, beliefs, and delegates innumerable periods in American history.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The political party compromise in Congress is considered part of the democratic process but often takes suggested legislation and laws, which are needed and helpful for the public, and makes the original legislation or law impotent or useless. The merits of the original legislation or law is watered down by the creation, presentation, and ratification process due to amendments or additions based on party lines. A non-compromising ratification process can only be accomplished if the creation, presentation and voting processes are changed making Congressional party line votes and alliances impossible. There should be no compromise in Congress and the only consideration when voting on these far reaching legislative actions is what is best for…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Before the tools of survey research came into common use, politicians and political analysts had little problem interpreting aggregate congressional election results. It was widely believed that economic conditions and presidential politics shaped the electoral prospects of congressional candidates. It is no great challenge to interpret…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties can be traced back to the early 1790s. Initially, the Federalists, or broad constructionists, favored the growth of federal power and a strong central government. The Federalists promulgated a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which meant that they believed that the government could do anything by the implied powers of the Constitution. On the contrary, the Democratic-Republicans favored the protection of states’ rights and the strict containment of federal power. The Democratic-Republicans were strict constructionists and they believed only in the enumerated powers of the Constitution. Up until 1800, these descriptions of the two political parties were very accurate. However, the Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe presidencies reveal that these characterizations were accurate only to a certain extent. However, it is important to note that these characterizations were only inaccurate mainly because of the presidencies themselves. During their presidencies, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe were forced to compromise their political views in the face of war, economic pressure, and threats to the Union. Therefore, these labels can only be considered true to a certain extent.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    People argue that the dominance of the upper class in politics does not cause them to poorly represent the lower class. Patrick Flavin argues this because he analyzes to see if as public opinion becomes more conservative across the states, elected officials voting behavior also become more conservative. He then compares the responsiveness with different amounts of rich and poor voter turnout. He concludes that an increase in voter turnout of the lower class does not improve representation (2012). While the amount of poor voter turnout may not be the cause of bad representation, they still are not well represented. Pew Research Center gathered data showing that the most financially struggling usually support democratic candidates more than republican. This shows elected representatives might be more republican than the public wants (2015). If the representatives are not equally derived from the different classes, there can still not be accurate representation. Regardless of the amount of poor who vote, upper class representatives will not be as motivated to benefit the lower class. Joshua Kalla and David Brookman conducted a field experiment on access to members of congress in which political organization contacted 191 congressional offices requesting meetings to discuss a pending bill. They randomly identified the organization’s members as either constituents or as campaign donors. The results…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays