‘Two broad coalitions with more ideological differences within them than between them.’ To what extent is this still an accurate description of the Democratic and Republican parties?
‘Two broad coalitions with more ideological differences within them than between them.’ To what extent is this still an accurate description of the Democratic and Republican parties? (30 marks)
American politics back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was said to be all bipartisanship. There were liberal Democrats and conservative democrats; as well as conservative Republicans and moderate Republicans. The two parties at this time were non-ideological and both encompassed a huge philosophical range.
It can be argued that political parties now actually have more political differences within the parties than between them this can be argued due to the fact that both the Democrat and the Republican parties have their conservative and liberal/moderate wings. For example the Democratic Party is divided into groupings such as the southern conservative Democrats with conservative views on most social, economic and foreign issues whereas the northern liberal democrats such as the late Kennedy, with liberal views on policy issues, and from 1980s the ‘New Democrats’ as well as Gore’s Democratic Leadership Council, highlighting a variety of differences within a political party in America. Similarly the Republicans have also been internally divided, having a variety of splits to do with social and fiscal conservatives, compassionate conservatives and neo conservatives. Therefore the Republican Party is often split between its more conservative and more moderate wings of the party.
However, now parties have become more polarised at the same time this internal division has still remained. The Democratic Party nowadays has now become more liberal party, especially since the 1960s with the loss of the southern wing in America. Whereas the Republican Party was now become more of a conservative party since Reagan was put in charge of the Republican party. Under the recent influence of the Tea Party movement for example Sarah Palin was part of the Republican Party campaigned in 2009
American politics back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was said to be all bipartisanship. There were liberal Democrats and conservative democrats; as well as conservative Republicans and moderate Republicans. The two parties at this time were non-ideological and both encompassed a huge philosophical range.
It can be argued that political parties now actually have more political differences within the parties than between them this can be argued due to the fact that both the Democrat and the Republican parties have their conservative and liberal/moderate wings. For example the Democratic Party is divided into groupings such as the southern conservative Democrats with conservative views on most social, economic and foreign issues whereas the northern liberal democrats such as the late Kennedy, with liberal views on policy issues, and from 1980s the ‘New Democrats’ as well as Gore’s Democratic Leadership Council, highlighting a variety of differences within a political party in America. Similarly the Republicans have also been internally divided, having a variety of splits to do with social and fiscal conservatives, compassionate conservatives and neo conservatives. Therefore the Republican Party is often split between its more conservative and more moderate wings of the party.
However, now parties have become more polarised at the same time this internal division has still remained. The Democratic Party nowadays has now become more liberal party, especially since the 1960s with the loss of the southern wing in America. Whereas the Republican Party was now become more of a conservative party since Reagan was put in charge of the Republican party. Under the recent influence of the Tea Party movement for example Sarah Palin was part of the Republican Party campaigned in 2009