(Redirected from United States Democratic Party)
The 'Democratic Party' is one of two major
political parties in the
United States, the other being the
Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in the United States and arugably the oldest party in the world.
[1][2]
Since the 2006
midterm elections the Democratic Party is the
majority party for the
110th Congress; the party holds an outright majority in the
House of Representatives and the
Democratic caucus (including two
independents) constitutes a majority in the
United States Senate. Democrats also hold a majority of
state governorships and control a
plurality of
state legislatures. It is currently the largest political party with 72 million registered members, 42.6 percent of the electorate.
[3] The democratic base comprises two widely diverging
demographics. On one hand, there are those in the
working class, who are commonly conservative on social issues. On the other hand, it includes
well-educated and relatively
affluent liberals.
[4]
The Democratic Party traces its origins to the
Democratic-Republican Party, founded by
Thomas Jefferson,
James Madison, and other influential opponents of the
Federalists in 1792. Since the division of the Republican Party in the election of
1912, it has consistently positioned itself to the
left of the Republican Party in economic as well as social matters. The economically left-leaning activist philosophy of
Franklin D. Roosevelt, which has strongly influenced
American liberalism, has shaped much of the party's economic agenda since
1932. Roosevelt's
New Deal coalition usually controlled the national government until 1964. The
civil rights movement of the 1960s, championed by the party despite opposition at the time from its Southern wing, has continued to inspire the party's liberal principles. Since the 1990s the party has pursued centrist economic policies combined with a liberal social agenda.
Current structure and composition
Registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents in millions
[3]
The
Democratic National Committee (DNC) is responsible for promoting Democratic campaign activities. While the DNC is responsible for overseeing the process of writing the Democratic Platform, the DNC is more focused on campaign and organizational strategy than public policy. In presidential elections it supervises the
Democratic National Convention. The national convention is, subject to the charter of the party, the ultimate authority within the Democratic Party when it is in session, with the DNC running the party's organization at other times. The DNC is currently chaired by former Vermont Governor
Howard Dean.
The
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) assists party candidates in House races; its current chairman (selected by the party caucus) is Rep.
Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Similarly the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raises large sums for Senate races. It is currently headed by Senator
Charles E. Schumer of New York. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), currently chaired by Mike Gronstal of Iowa, is a smaller organization with much less funding that focuses on state legislative races. The DNC sponsors the
College Democrats of America (CDA), a student-outreach organization with the goal of training and engaging a new generation of Democratic activists.
Democrats Abroad is the organization for Americans living outside the United States; they work to advance the goals of the party and encourage Americans living abroad to support the Democrats. The
Young Democrats of America (YDA) is a youth-led organization that attempts to draw in and mobilize young people for Democratic candidates, but operates outside of the DNC. The
Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is an organization supporting the candidacies of Democratic gubernatorial nominees and incumbents; it is currently chaired by Governor
Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.
Each state also has a state committee, made up of elected committee members as well as ex-officio committee members (usually elected officials and representatives of major constituencies), which in turn elects a chair. County, town, city and ward committees generally are comprised of individuals elected at the local level. State and local committees often coordinate campaign activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions and in some cases primaries or caucuses, and may have a role in nominating candidates for elected office under state law. Rarely do they have much funding, but in 2005 DNC Chairman Dean began a program (called the "50 State Strategy") of using DNC national funds to assist all state parties and paying for full time professional staffers.
[6]
Ideology and voter base
Composition of the Democratic base according to a 2005 Pew Research Center study.
Since the 1890s, the Democratic Party has favored "
liberal" positions (the term "liberal" in this sense describes
social liberalism, not
classical liberalism). In recent exit polls, the Democratic Party has had broad appeal across all socio-ethno-economic demographics.
[7][8][9] The Democratic base currently consists of a large number of well-educated and relatively affluent liberals as well as those in the socially more conservative working class.
[4] The Democratic Party is currently the nation's largest party. In 2004, roughly 72 million (42.6 percent) Americans were registered Democrats, compared to 55 million (32.5 percent) Republicans and 42 million (24.8 percent) independents.
[3]
Historically, the party has favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, and religious and ethnic minorities; it has opposed unregulated business and finance, and favored progressive income taxes. In foreign policy, internationalism (including interventionism) was a dominant theme from 1913 to the mid 1960s. In the 1930s, the party began advocating welfare spending programs targeted at the poor. The party had a pro-business wing, typified by
Al Smith, that shrank in the 1930s. The
Southern conservative wing shrank in the 1980s. The major influences for liberalism were labor unions (which peaked in the 1936-1952 era), and the
African American wing, which has steadily grown since the 1960s. Since the 1970s,
environmentalism has been a major new component.
In recent decades, the party has adopted a
centrists economic and more
socially progressive agenda, with the voter base having shifted considerably. Once dominated by unionized labor and the
working class, the Democratic base now consists of
social liberals who tend to be well educated with above-average incomes as well as the socially more conservative working class. Today, Democrats advocate
civil liberties, social freedoms, equal rights,
affirmative action,
fiscal responsibility, and a
free enterprise system tempered by government intervention (
mixed economy). The economic policy adopted by the modern Democratic Party, including the former
Clinton administration, may also be referred to as the "
Third Way".
[12] The party believes that government should play a role in alleviating poverty and
social injustice, even if such requires a larger role for government and
progressive taxation.
The Democratic Party, once dominant in the
Southeastern United States, is now strongest in the Northeast (
Mid-Atlantic and
New England),
Great Lakes Region, as well as along the
Pacific Coast (especially
Coastal California), including
Hawaii. The Democrats are also strongest in
major cities. Recently, Democratic candidates have been faring better in some southern states, such as
Virginia,
Arkansas, and
Florida, and in the Rocky Mountain states, especially
Colorado and
Montana.
Social Liberals
Main articles: Modern liberalism in the United States,
Liberalism in the United States,
Progressivism in the United States
Opinions of liberals in a 2005 Pew Research Center study.
, also refered to as progessives or Modern liberals, constitute a large part, circa 45.6 percent, of the Democratic voter base. Liberals, thereby form the largest united typological demographic within the Democratic base. Today, modern American liberalism, a variant of social liberalism, is the party's main ideology. Social liberals, many of whom are college-educated professionals, tend to be centrist on economic issues, yet are quite left-leaning on social issues. According to the Pew Research Center liberals constitute roughly 19 percent of the electorate with 92 percent of American liberals favoring the Democratic Party.
[4] While college-educated professionals were mostly Republican until the 1950s; they now comprise perhaps the most vital component of the Democratic Party.
[14]
A majority of liberals favor diplomacy over military action,
stem-cell research, the legalization of
same-sex marriage, secular government, stricter
gun control and environmental protection laws as well as the preservation of
abortion rights. They tend to be rather divided on free trade agreements and organizations such as
NAFTA. Most liberals oppose increased military standing and the display of the
Ten Commandments in public buildings. Immigration and cultural diversity is deemed positive. As a result liberals favor
cultural pluralism, a system in which immigrants retain their native culture in addition to adopting their new culture.
[4] This ideological group differs from the traditional organized labor base. According to the Pew Research Center, a plurality of 41% resided in
mass affluent households and 49% were college graduates, the highest figure of any typographical group. It was also the fastest growing typological group between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
[4] Liberals include most of academia
[17] and large portion of the professional class.
[7][8][9]
Many
progressive Democrats are descendants of the
New Left of Democratic presidential candidate Senator
George McGovern of South Dakota; others were involved in the presidential candidacies of
Vermont Governor
Howard Dean and U.S. Rep.
Dennis Kucinich of
Ohio; and still others are disaffected former members of the
Green Party. The
Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a caucus of progressive Democrats, and is the single largest Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives. Its members have included
Dennis Kucinich,
John Conyers (Michigan),
Jim McDermott (Washington),
John Lewis (Georgia), the late Senator
Paul Wellstone (Minnesota),
Barbara Lee (California),
Sherrod Brown (Ohio), and
Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Academia
Percent of faculty members identifying as liberal and conservative by discipline.
Academicians, intellectuals and the highly
educated overall constitute an important part of the Democratic voter base.
Academia in particular tends to be
liberal.A 2005 survey, nearly three quarters, 72%, of full-time faculty members identified as liberal, while 15% identified as conservative. The
social sciences and
humanities were the most liberal disciplines while business was the most
conservative. Another survey by UCLA conducted in 2001/02, found a plurality, 47.6% of professors identifying as liberal, 34.3% as moderate, and 18% as conservative.
[21] Percentages of professors who identified as liberal ranged from 49% in business to over 80% in
political science and the humanities.
[17] In a 2004 survey of 1,000
economists registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans by a 2.5 to 1 ratio. The majority of economists favored "''safety regulations, gun control, redistribution, public schooling, and anti-discrimination laws''," while opposing "''tighter immigration controls, government ownership of enterprise and tariffs''."
[23] Among sociologists and anthropologists, Democrats outnumber Republicans 20 to 1.
[24] The liberal inclination of American professors is largely attributed to the liberal outlook of the highly educated. The more educated a person is, the most likely he or she is to be liberal as the percentage of liberals increases along with educational attainment.
[25] This trend stands in direct contrast to the patterns of the Democratic party as a whole: the more educated someone is, the less likely he or she is to vote Democratic, as the percentage of GOP voters increases up to the undergraduate level.
9
Another recent survey by the
American Enterprise Institute, a
conservative think tank, detailed the strong majority of Democrats among professors at some of the country's most prestigious universities. According to the study Democrats outnumber Republicans 18 to 1 at
Brown University, 26 to 1 at
Cornell University and 18 to 1 in the
University of California system with 9 Democrats for each Republican at
UC Berkeley, the system's flagship school.
[26] Among those with graduate degrees overall, the majority voted Democrat in the 1996,
[27] 2000,
[7] 2004
[8]
and 2006 elections.
[9] Male professors at more advanced stages of their careers as well as those at elite institutions tend be the most liberal. At elite universities, 87% of faculty identified as liberal.
[17] Social scientists, such as Brett O'Bannon of
DePauw University, have pointed out that the liberal opinions of professors seem to have little if any effect on the political orientation of students.
[25]
Professionals
While professionals, those who have a college education and whose work revolves around the conceptualization of ideas, have supported the Democratic Party since by a slight majority since 2000. Between 1988 and 2000, professionals favored Democrats by a 12 percentage point marging. While the professional class was once a stronghold of the Republican Party it has become increasingly split between the two parties, leagning in favor of the Democratic Party. The increasing support for Democratic canidates among professionals may be traced to the prevelance of social liberal values among this group.
[33]
Labor
Since the 1930s, a critical component of the Democratic Party coalition has been
organized labor. Labor unions supply a great deal of the money, grass roots political organization, and voting base of support for the party. The historic decline in union membership over the past half century has been accompanied by a growing disparity between public sector and private sector union membership percentages. The three most significant labor groupings in the Democratic coalition today are the
AFL-CIO and
Change to Win labor federations, as well as the
National Education Association, a large, unaffiliated
teachers' union. Both the AFL-CIO and Change to Win have identified their top legislative priority for 2007 as passage of the
Employee Free Choice Act. Other important issues for labor unions include supporting
industrial policy (including
protectionism) that sustains unionized
manufacturing jobs, raising the
minimum wage and promoting broad social programs such as
social security and
universal health care.
Working class
While the American
working class has lost much of its political strength with the decline of
labor unions,
[35] it remains a stronghold of the Democratic Party and continues as an essential part of the Democratic base. Today roughly a third of the American public is estimated to be working class with circa 52% being either members of the working or
lower classes.
[34][37] Yet, as those with lower
socio-economic status are less likely to vote, the working and lower classes are underrepresented in the electorate. The working class is largely distinguished by highly routinized and closely supervised work. It consists mainly of
clerical and
blue collar workers.
[34] Even though most in the working class are able afford an adequate standard of living, high economic insecurity and possible personal benefit from an extended social safety net, make the majority of working class person left-of-center on economic issues. Most working class Democrats differ from most liberals, however, in their socially more conservative views. Working class tend to be more religious and likely to belong to an ethnic minority. Socially conservative and disadvantaged Democrats are among the least educated and lowest earning ideological demographics. In 2005, only 15% had a college degree, compared to 27% at the national average and 49% of liberals, respectively. Together socially conservative and the financially disadvantaged comprised roughly 54% of the Democratic base.
[4] The continued importance of the working class votes manifests itself in recent CNN exit polls, which show the Democratic Party garner the majority of votes from those with low
incomes and little education.
[7][8][9]
Civil libertarians
Civil libertarians also often support the Democratic Party because its positions on such issues as
civil rights and
separation of church and state are more closely aligned to their own than the positions of the Republican Party, and because the Democrats' economic agenda may be more appealing to them than that of the
Libertarian Party. They oppose gun control, the "
War on Drugs,"
protectionism,
corporate welfare, governmental borrowing, and an
interventionist foreign policy. The Democratic Freedom Caucus is an organized group of this faction.
Conservatives
In the
House of Representatives, the
Blue Dog Democrats, a caucus of fiscal and social conservatives and moderates, primarily southerners, forms part of the Democratic Party's current faction of
Conservative Democrats. They have acted as a unified voting bloc in the past, giving its forty plus members some ability to change legislation and broker compromises with the
Republican Party's leadership.
Pro-life Democrats are sometimes classified as conservatives on the basis of
social conservatism.
Centrists
Though
centrist Democrats differ on a variety of issues, they typically foster a mix of political views and ideas. Compared to other Democratic factions, they are mostly more supportive of the use of military force, including the war in Iraq, and are more willing to reduce government welfare, as indicated by their support for
welfare reform and
tax cuts. One of the most influential factions is the
Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a non-profit organization that advocates
centrist positions for the party. The DLC hails President
Bill Clinton as proof of the viability of
third way politicians and a DLC success story. Former Representative
Harold Ford, Jr. of
Tennessee is its current chairman.
Ethnic Minorities
A large portion of the Democratic voting base are
ethnic minorities. The Democrats positions on affirmative action, labor unions, and immigration have a strong appeal to many ethnic minorities.
African Americans
From the end of the Civil War,
African Americans favored the Republican Party. However, they began drifting to the Democratic Party in the 1930s, as
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs gave economic relief to all minorities, including African Americans and
Hispanics. Support for the
Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s by Democratic presidents
John F. Kennedy and
Lyndon B. Johnson helped give the Democrats even larger support among the African American community, although their position also alienated the
Southern White population.
Hispanics
The Hispanic population, particularly the large
Mexican American population in the
Southwest and large
Puerto Rican and
Dominican populations in the
Northeast, have been strong supporters of the Democratic Party. Hispanics tend to be working class and, therefore, have left-leaning economic but socially conservative views. They are commonly opposed to
homosexuality and
abortion, but favor liberal views on immigration. In the
1996 U.S. Presidential Election, Democratic President
Bill Clinton recieved 72 percent of the Hispanic vote. Since then, however, the Republican Party has gained increasing support from the Hispanic community, especially among Hispanic protestants and
pentacostals. Along with Bush's much more liberal views on immigration, President Bush was the first Republican president to gain 40 percent of the Hispanic vote (he did so in the
2004 U.S. Presidential Election). Yet, the Republican Party's support among Hispanics eroded in the
2006 mid-term elections, droping from 44 to 30 percent, with the Democrats gaining in the Hispanic vote from 55 percent in 2004 to 69 percent in 2006.
[2][3] The shift in the Hispanic population's support back to the Democratic party was largely dued to the
Immigration Debate which was sparked by
H.R. 4437, a Republican supported enforcement only bill concerning
illegal immigration.
Asian Americans
The Democratic Party also has strong support in the small but growing
Asian American population. The Asian population had been a stronghold of the Republican Party until the
1992 Presidential in which
George H. W. Bush won 55% of the Asian vote, compared to
Bill Clinton winning 31%, and
Ross Perot winning 15% of the Asian vote. Originally, the vast majority of Asian Americans consisted of
Vietnamese refugees and
Filipinos, the latter being economically and socially conservative. The Democratic party made gains among the Asian American population starting with 1996 and in 2006, won 62% of the Asian vote. This is dued to demographic shifts in the Asian American community, with growing numbers of
Chinese and
Asian Indian immigrants that are typically economic centrist and
social progressives.
Others
The Democratic Party also has strong support among the
Native American population, particularly in
Arizona,
New Mexico,
Montana,
North Dakota, and
South Dakota.
Jewish communities tend to be a stronghold for the Democratic Party, with more than 70% of Jewish voters having cast their ballots for the Democrats in the 2004 and 2006 elections.
Recent issue stances
Economic issues
Minimum wage
Democrats favor a higher
minimum wage, and more regular increases, in order to assist the working poor. The
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 is an early component of the Democrats' agenda during the
110th Congress. In 2006, the Democrats supported six state ballot initiatives to increase the minimum wage; all six initiatives passed.
Renewable energy and oil
Democrats have opposed tax cuts and incentives to oil companies, favoring a policy of developing domestic
renewable energy. Democratic governors have led the way in this issue, such as
Montana's state-supported wind farm and "clean coal" programs.
Fiscal responsibility
Democrats believe that theirs is the party best able to achieve
fiscal responsibility. Democrats increasingly call for responsible tax policies and government spending that keeps the
budget deficit under control. The Democratic-led House of Representatives reinstated the
PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) budget rule at the start of the
110th Congress.
[43] DNC Chairman
Howard Dean has cited
Bill Clinton's presidency as a model for fiscal responsibility.
Health care and insurance coverage
Democrats call for "affordable and quality health care," and many advocate an expansion of government intervention in this area. Many Democrats favor a national health insurance system in a variety of forms to address the rising costs of modern health insurance. Some Democrats, such as Rep.
John Dingell and Senator
Edward Kennedy, have called for a program of "
Medicare for All."
[44]
Some Democratic governors have supported purchasing
Canadian drugs, citing lower costs and budget restrictions as a primary incentive. Recognizing that unpaid insurance bills increase costs to the service provider, who passes the cost on to health-care consumers, many Democrats advocate expansion of health insurance coverage.
Environment
The Democratic Party generally sides with
environmentalists and favors conservation of natural resources together with strong environmental laws against pollution. Democrats support preservation of endangered lands and species, clean land management and regulation on pollutants.
The most contentious and concerning environmental issue championed by the party is
global warming. Democrats, most notably former Vice President
Al Gore, have pressed for stern regulation of
greenhouse gases.
College education
Most Democrats have the long term aim of having low-cost, publicly funded college education with low tuition fees (like in much of continental Europe) which should be available to every eligible American student, or alternatively, with increasing state funding for student financial aid such as the
Pell grant or college tuition tax-deduction.
[45][46]
Trade agreements
The Democratic Party has a mixed record on
international trade agreements that reflects a diversity of viewpoints in the party. The liberal and
cosmopolitan wing of the party, including the intellgentsia and college-educated professionals overall tend to favor
globalization, while the organized labor wing of the party opposes it.
[47] In the 1990s, the Clinton administration and a number of prominent Democrats pushed through a number of agreements such as the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since then, the party's shift away from free trade became evident in the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) vote, with 15 House Democrats voting for the agreement and 187 voting against.
[48][49]
In his 1997 ''Acheiving Our Country'',
philosopher Richard Rorty,
professor at
Stanford University states that economic globalization "invites two responses from the Left. The first is two insist that the inequalities between nations need to be mitigated... The second is to insist that the primary responsibility of each democratic nation-state is to its own least advantaged citizens... the first response suggests that the old democracies should open their borders, whereas the second suggests that they should close them. The first response comes naturally to academic leftists, who have always been internationally minded. The second comes naturally to members of trade unions, and to marginally employed people who can most easily be recruited into right-wing populist movements." (p. 88)
[47]
Alternate Minimum Tax
While the Democratic Party is in support of a progressive tax structure, it has vowed to adjust the
Alternate Minimum Tax (AMT). The tax was originally designed to tax the rich but now may affect many mass affluent households, especially those with
incomes between $75,000 to $100,000. The party proposed to re-adjust the tax in such manner as to restore its initial intention. According to a 2007 Reuters News Report, "House Ways and Means Committee Chairman
Charles Rangel has said he will push for permanent AMT relief for those taxpayers who were never meant to pay it."
[51]
Social issues
Discrimination
The Democratic Party supports
Equal Opportunity for all Americans regardless of sex, age, race, sexual orientation, religion, creed, or national origin.
The Democratic Party mostly supports
affirmative action as a way to redress past discrimination and ensure equitable employment regardless of ethnicity or gender, but opposes the use of quotas in hiring. Democrats also strongly support the
Americans with Disabilities Act to prohibit discrimination against people on the basis of physical or mental disability.
Same-sex marriage and
LGBT rights
The Democratic Party is divided on the subject of
same-sex marriage. Some members favor
civil unions for same-sex couples, liberals commonly favor legalized marriage, and others are opposed to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. The 2004 Democratic National Platform stated that marriage should be defined at the state level and it repudiated the
Federal Marriage Amendment. Almost all agree, however, that discrimination against persons because of their sexual orientation is wrong, support
adoption rights for same sex couples, and also oppose the military's "
Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Reproductive rights
Most members of the Democratic Party believe that all women should have access to
birth control, and supports public funding of contraception for poor women. The Democratic Party, in its national platforms since 1992, has called for
abortion to be "safe, legal and rare"—namely, keeping it legal by rejecting laws that allow governmental interference in abortion decisions, and reducing the number of abortions by promoting both knowledge of reproduction and contraception, and incentives for adoption. When Congress voted on the
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2003, Congressional Democrats were split, with a minority—including current Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid—supporting the ban, and the majority of Democrats opposing the legislation.
The Democratic Party opposes attempts to reverse the 1973 Supreme Court decision ''
Roe v. Wade'', which declared abortion to be a Constitutionally-protected right, and ''
Planned Parenthood v. Casey'' which lays out the legal framework in which government action alleged to violate that right is assessed by courts. As a matter of the
right to privacy and of
gender equality, many Democrats believe all women should have the ability to choose to abort without governmental interference. They believe that each woman, conferring with her conscience, has the right to choose for herself whether abortion is morally correct. Many Democrats also believe that poor women should have a right to publicly funded abortions.
Stem cell research
The Democratic Party has voiced overwhelming support for all
stem cell research with federal funding. In his 2004 platform,
John Kerry affirmed his support of federally funded stem-cell research "under the strictest ethical guidelines." He explained, "We will not walk away from the chance to save lives and reduce human suffering."
Foreign policy issues
Invasion of Afghanistan
Democrats in the House of Representatives and United States Senate near-unanimously voted for the
authorization of military force against "those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States" in Afghanistan in 2001, supporting the
NATO coalition invasion of the nation. Most elected Democrats continue in their support of the Afghanistan conflict, and some have voiced concerns that the Iraq War is shifting too many resources away from the presence in Afghanistan.
Iraq War
In 2002, Democrats were divided as most in the Senate voted for the
authorization of the use of force against Iraq while a majority of Democrats in the House (81 for, 126 against) voted against it. Since then, many prominent Democrats have expressed regret about this decision, such as former Senator
John Edwards, and have called it a mistake, while others, such as Senator
Hillary Clinton have criticized the conduct of the war but not repudiated their initial vote for it. Amongst lawmakers, Democrats are the most vocal critics of the
Iraq War and the President's management of the war. Democrats in the House of Representatives near-unanimously supported a
non-binding resolution disapproving of President Bush's decision to send
additional troops into Iraq in 2007. Congressional Democrats overwhelmingly supported military funding legislation which included a provision that set "a timeline for the withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq" by
March 31 2008, but also would leave combat forces in Iraq for purposes such as targeted counter-terrorism operations.
[52][53] After a veto from the president, and a failed attempt in Congress to override the veto,
[54] the
U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 was passed by Congress and signed by the president after the timetable was dropped.
Unilateralism
Democrats usually oppose the doctrine of
unilateralism, which dictates that the United States should use military force without any assistance from other nations whenever it believes there is a threat to its security or welfare. They believe the United States should act in the international arena in concert with strong alliances and broad international support. This was a major foreign policy issue of
John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign; his platform attributed rifts with international allies to unilateralism.
In a general sense, the modern Democratic Party is more closely aligned with the
international relations theories of
liberalism,
neoliberalism, and
functionalism than
realism and
neorealism, though realism has some influence on the party.
Legal issues
Torture
Democrats are opposed to use of
torture against individuals apprehended and held prisoner by the military of the United States, and deny that categorizing military prisoners as
unlawful combatants excludes them from the rights granted under the
Geneva Conventions. Democrats contend that torture is inhumane, decreases the United States' moral standing in the world, and produces questionable results.
USA PATRIOT Act
All Democrats in the U.S. Senate except for
Wisconsin Senator
Russ Feingold voted for the original
USA PATRIOT Act legislation. After voicing concerns over the "invasion of privacy" and other
civil liberty restrictions of the Act, the Democrats split on the renewal in 2006. Most Democratic Senators voted to renew it, while most Democratic Representatives voted against renewal. It should be noted renewal was only allowed after many of the most invasive clauses in the Act were removed or curbed.
Right to privacy
The Democratic Party believes that individuals should have a
right to privacy, and generally supports laws which place restrictions on law-enforcement and intelligence agency monitoring of U.S. citizens. Some Democratic Party officeholders have championed consumer-protection laws that limit the sharing of consumer data between corporations. Most Democrats believe that government should not regulate consensual non-commercial sexual conduct (among adults), as a matter of personal privacy.
Crime and gun control
Democrats often focus on methods of crime prevention, believing that preventive measures save taxpayers' money in prison, policing and medical costs, and prevent crime and murder. They emphasize improved community policing and more on-duty police officers in order to help accomplish this goal. The party's platform in 2000 and 2004 cited crackdowns on
gangs and
drug trafficking as preventive methods. The party's platforms have also addressed the issue of domestic violence, calling for strict penalties for offenders and protection for victims.
With a stated goal of reducing crime and homicide, the Democratic Party has introduced various
gun control measures, most notably the
Gun Control Act of 1968, the
Brady Bill of 1993 and Crime Control Act of 1994. However, many Democrats, especially rural, Southern, and Western Democrats, favor fewer restrictions on firearm possession and warned the party was defeated in the 2000 presidential election in rural areas because of the issue.
[55] In the national platform for 2004, the only statement explicitly favoring gun control was a plan calling for renewal of the 1994
Assault Weapons Ban.
History
Main articles: History of the United States Democratic Party
The Democratic Party evolved from the
Anti-federalist factions that opposed the
fiscal policies of
Alexander Hamilton in the early 1790s when
Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison organized the
Democratic-Republican Party. The party's favored states' rights, strict construction of the Constitution, opposition to a national bank, and opposition to moneyed interests. It ascended to power in the
election of 1800. After the
War of 1812, the party's chief rival, the
Federalist Party, disbanded. The party faction that supported many of the old Jeffersonian principles was later led by
Andrew Jackson and
Martin Van Buren, and the
Whig Party became the chief rival of the Democrats until the 1850s. As the Democrats became increasingly associated with "
The Slave Power," and the Whigs splintered over the issue of slavery and faded away, the
Republican Party emerged in the 1850s in opposition to the expansion of slavery and in support of modernization.
The Democrats split over the choice of a successor to President
James Buchanan along Northern and Southern lines, while the Republican Party gained an ascendancy in the
election of 1860. As the
American Civil War broke out, Northern Democrats were divided into
War Democrats and
Peace Democrats. Most War Democrats rallied to President
Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans'
National Union Party. The Democrats benefited from white Southerners' resentment of
Reconstruction after the war and consequent hostility to the Republican Party. After
Redeemers ended Reconstruction in the 1870s, and the disenfranchisement of African Americans took place in the 1890s, the South, voting Democratic, became known as the "
Solid South." Though Republicans continued to control the White House until 1884, the Democrats remained competitive. The party was dominated by pro-business
Bourbon Democrats led by
Samuel J. Tilden and
Grover Cleveland, who represented mercantile, banking and railroad interests, opposed imperialism and overseas expansion, fought for the gold standard, opposed bimetallism, and crusaded against corruption, high taxes, and tariffs. Cleveland was elected to non-consecutive presidential terms in 1884 and 1892.
Agrarian Democrats demanding
free silver overthrew the Bourbon Democrats in 1896 and nominated
William Jennings Bryan for the presidency (a nomination repeated by Democrats in 1900 and 1908). Bryan waged a vigorous campaign attacking Eastern moneyed interests, but he lost to Republican
William McKinley. The Democrats took control of the House in 1910 and elected
Woodrow Wilson as president in 1912 and 1916. Wilson led Congress to, in effect, put to rest the issues of tariffs, money, and antitrust that had dominated politics for 40 years with new progressive laws. The
Great Depression in 1929 that occurred under Republican President
Herbert Hoover and the Republican Congress set the stage for a more liberal government; the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives nearly uninterrupted from 1931 until 1995 and won most presidential elections until 1968.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, elected to presidency in 1932, came forth with government programs called the
New Deal. New Deal liberalism meant the promotion of social welfare, labor unions, civil rights, and regulation of business. The opponents, who stressed long-term growth, support for business, and low taxes, started calling themselves "conservatives."
Issues facing parties and the United States after the
Second World War included the
Cold War and the
Civil Rights Movement. Republicans attacted conservatives and white Southerners from the Democratic coalition with their resistance to New Deal and
Great Society liberalism and the Republicans' use of the
Southern Strategy. African Americans, who traditionally supported the Republican Party, began supporting Democrats following the ascent of the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights movement. The Democratic Party's main base of support shifted to the
Northeast, marking a dramatic reversal of history.
Bill Clinton was elected to the presidency in 1992 and 1996 and governed as a
New Democrat while the Democratic Party lost control of Congress in the
election of 1994 to the Republican Party; the Democratic Party
regained majority control of Congress in 2006. Some of the party's key issues in the early 21st century have included the methods of how to combat terrorism, homeland security, labor rights, environmentalism, and the preservation of liberal government programs.
Presidential tickets
[1] Resigned from office.
[2] Died in office.
[3] Died before the electoral votes were cast.
[4] Thomas Eagleton was the original vice presidential nominee, but withdrew his nomination less than a month after receiving it.
2008 nomination
Main articles: 2008 Democratic presidential candidates,
United States presidential election, 2008
2004 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee
John Edwards, former Alaska Senator
Mike Gravel, Connecticut Senator
Christopher Dodd, Delaware Senator
Joe Biden, Illinois Senator
Barack Obama, and Rep.
Dennis Kucinich of Ohio have declared their candidacies for the Democratic presidential nomination. New York Senator
Hillary Clinton has declared being in the race, and has formed a presidential exploratory committee. New Mexico Governor
Bill Richardson has also formed an exploratory committee. Other possible candidates include 2000 Democratic Presidential nominee
Al Gore as well as retired General
Wesley Clark. Former Iowa Governor
Tom Vilsack became a candidate and later withdrew his candidacy. 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee
John Kerry, former Virginia Governor
Mark Warner, Wisconsin Senator
Russ Feingold, and Indiana Senator
Evan Bayh, once considered possible candidates, have announced that they will not be seeking the party's presidential nomination in 2008.
Senator Clinton has a lead in recent national
opinion polls for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Many recent polls have put Senator Obama, and former Senator Edwards behind Clinton.
Symbols and name
In the 1790s, the
Federalists deliberately used the terms "Democrat" and "Democratic Party" as insults against Jeffersonians. For example, in 1798,
George Washington wrote that "you could as soon scrub the blackamore white, as to change the principles of a profest Democrat; and that he will leave nothing unattempted to overturn the Government of this Country."
[56] By the 1830s, however, the term that had once been considered an insult became the party's name. In the late 19th century, the term "The Democracy" was in common use for the party.
The most common symbol for the party is the
donkey, although the party itself never officially adopted this symbol.
[57] The origins of this symbol are unknown, but several theories have been proposed. According to one theory, in its original form, the jackass was born in the intense mudslinging that occurred during the presidential race of
1828 in which
Andrew Jackson was sometimes called a jackass by his opponents. A
political cartoon depicting Jackson riding and directing a donkey (representing the Democratic Party) was published in 1837. A political cartoon by
Thomas Nast in an 1870 edition of ''
Harper's Weekly'' revived the donkey as a symbol for the Democratic Party. Cartoonists followed Nast and used the donkey to represent the Democrats, and the elephant to represent the Republicans.
In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Democratic Party in
Midwestern states such as
Indiana,
Kentucky,
Oklahoma and
Ohio was the
rooster, as opposed to the Republican
eagle. This symbol still appears on Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Indiana
ballots. For the majority of the 20th century,
Missouri Democrats used the
Statue of Liberty as their ballot
emblem. This meant that when
Libertarian candidates received
ballot access in Missouri in 1976, they could not use the Statue of Liberty, their national symbol, as the ballot emblem. Missouri Libertarians instead used the
Liberty Bell until 1995, when the
mule became Missouri's state animal. From 1995 to 2004, there was some confusion among voters, as the Democratic ticket was marked with the Statue of Liberty, and it seemed that the Libertarians were using a donkey.
Although both major political parties (and many minor ones) use the traditional American red, white, and blue colors in their marketing and representations, since election night
2000 the color blue has become the identified color of the Democratic Party, while the color red has become the identified color of the opposition
Republican Party. That night, for the first time, all major broadcast television networks used the same color scheme for the electoral map:
blue states for
Al Gore (Democratic nominee) and red states for
George W. Bush (Republican nominee). Since then, the color blue has been widely used by the media to represent the party, much to the confusion of non-American observers, as blue is the traditional color of the
right and red the color of the
left outside of the United States (c.f. red for the
Liberals and blue for the
Conservatives in
Canada, or red for
Labour and blue for
Conservative in the
United Kingdom). Blue has also been used by party supporters for promotional efforts (e.g BuyBlue, BlueFund) and by the party itself, which in 2006 unveiled the "Red to Blue Program" to support Democratic candidates running against Republican incumbents in the
2006 midterm elections.
Jefferson-Jackson Day is the most common name given to the annual fundraising celebration held by local chapters of the Democratic Party. It is named after Presidents
Thomas Jefferson and
Andrew Jackson, whom the party regards as its distinguished early leaders.
The song "
Happy Days Are Here Again" is the unofficial song of the Democratic Party. It was used prominently when
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated for president at the
1932 Democratic National Convention and remains a sentimental favorite for Democrats today. More recently, the emotionally similar song "
Beautiful Day" by the band
U2 has become a favorite theme song for Democratic candidates.
John Kerry used the song during his 2004 presidential campaign, and it was used as a celebratory tune by several Democratic Congressional candidates in 2006.
[58][59]
State parties
★
Alabama Democratic Party [4]
★
Alaska Democratic Party [5]
★
Arizona Democratic Party [6]
★
Democratic Party of Arkansas [7]
★
California Democratic Party [8]
★
Colorado Democratic Party [9]
★
Democratic State Central Committee of Connecticut [10]
★
Delaware Democratic Party [11]
★
Florida Democratic Party [12]
★
Democratic Party of Georgia [13]
★
Democratic Party of Hawaii [14]
★
Idaho Democratic Party [15]
★
Democratic Party of Illinois [16]
★
Indiana Democratic Party [17]
★
Iowa Democratic Party [18]
★
Kansas Democratic Party [19]
★
Kentucky Democratic Party [20]
★
Louisiana Democratic Party [21]
★
Maine Democratic Party [22]
★
Maryland Democratic Party [23]
★
Massachusetts Democratic Party [24]
★
Michigan Democratic Party [25]
★
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party [26]
★
Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi [27]
★
Missouri Democratic Party [28]
★
Montana Democratic Party [29]
★
Nebraska Democratic Party [30]
★
Nevada Democratic Party [31]
★
New Hampshire Democratic Party [32]
★
New Jersey Democratic State Committee [33]
★
Democratic Party of New Mexico [34]
★
New York State Democratic Committee [35]
★
North Carolina Democratic Party [36]
★
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party [37]
★
Ohio Democratic Party [38]
★
Oklahoma Democratic Party [39]
★
Democratic Party of Oregon [40]
★
Pennsylvania Democratic Party [41]
★
Rhode Island Democratic Committee [42]
★
South Carolina Democratic Party [43]
★
South Dakota Democratic Party [44]
★
Tennessee Democratic Party [45]
★
Texas Democratic Party [46]
★
Utah Democratic Party [47]
★
Vermont Democratic Party [48]
★
Democratic Party of Virginia [49]
★
Washington State Democratic Party [50]
★
West Virginia Democratic Party [51]
★
Democratic Party of Wisconsin [52]
★
Wyoming Democratic Party [53]
See also
★
Democratic organizations
★
List of notable Democrats
★
Political party strength in the United States
★
List of fictional United States Democrats
References
1. Party of the People: A History of the Democrats, Jules Witcover, , , , 2003,
2. Democratic Party, Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Accessed August 21, 2007. [1]
3. Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'.
4. Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
5. Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'.
6. Dean's List Dan Gilgoff
7. CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.
8. CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.
9. CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.
10. Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
11. Neuhart, P. (22 January, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'.
12. Democratic Leadership Council. (1 June, 1998). About the Third Way.
13. Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
14. Judis, B. J. (11 July, 2003). The trouble with Howard Dean. ''Salon.com''.
15. Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
16. Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
17. Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.
18. CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.
19. CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.
20. CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.
21. Shea, C. (12 October 2003). What liberal academia? ''The Bosoton Globe''.
22. Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.
23. Klein, D. B. & Stern, C. (6 December, 2004) Economists' policy views and voting. ''Public Choice Journal''.
24. Stannard, M. B. (29 April, 2007). Montgomery McFate's Mission Can one anthropologist possibly steer the course in Iraq?. ''San Francisco Chronicle''.
25. O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.
26. Chow, C. (October, 2002) New Study Reveals Extreme Partisan Bias Among Faculty. ''Accuracy in Academia''.
27. CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.
28. CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.
29. CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.
30. CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.
31. Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.
32. O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.
33.
34. The American Class Structure, , Dennis, Gilbert, Wadsworth Publishing, 1998, 0-534-50520-1
35. What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century, , Michael, Zweig, Cornell University Press, 2004, 0-8014-8899-0
36. The American Class Structure, , Dennis, Gilbert, Wadsworth Publishing, 1998, 0-534-50520-1
37. Society in Focus, , William, Thompson, Pearson, 2005, 0-205-41365-X
38. The American Class Structure, , Dennis, Gilbert, Wadsworth Publishing, 1998, 0-534-50520-1
39. Pew Research Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.
40. CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.
41. CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.
42. CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.
43. Day Two: House passes new budget rules
44. Medicare for All (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
45. Clinton Joins Key Senate Democrats to Release Report on "The College Cost Crunch"
46. Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
47. Rorty, R. (1997). ''Acheiving Our Country: Leftist Though In Twenthieth Century America''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
48. CAFTA Reflects Democrats' Shift From Trade Bills Jonathan Weisman
49. CAFTA Vote Outs "Bush Democrats" John Nichols
50. Rorty, R. (1997). ''Acheiving Our Country: Leftist Though In Twenthieth Century America''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
51. Smith, D. (14 April, 2007). Democrat says middle class tax relief a priority. ''Reuters''.
52. Congress passes Iraq bill, veto awaits Anne Flaherty .
53. US Democrats push for 2008 Iraq exit
54. Democrats fail to override Bush on war funding
55. Democrat Killer? Sasha Abramsky
56. George Washington to James McHenry, September 30, 1798 Transcript.
57. History of the Democratic Donkey. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
58. Local roast becomes political pep rally for Democrats Michael Gruss
59. 'The Democrats are ready to lead' Michael Scherer
Bibliography
Surveys
★ Finkelman, Paul and Peter Wallenstein, eds. ''Encyclopedia of American Political History'' (2001)
★ Jensen, Richard. ''Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854-1983'' (1983)
★ Kleppner, Paul et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), advanced scholarly essays.
★ Rutland, Robert Allen. ''The Democrats: From Jefferson to Clinton'' (1995). short popular history
★
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)
★ Schlisinger, Galbraith. ''Of the People: The 200 Year History of the Democratic Party'' (1992) popular essays by scholars.
★ Taylor, Jeff. ''Where Did the Party Go?: William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy'' (2006), for history and ideology of the party.
★ Witcover, Jules. ''Party of the People: A History of the Democrats'' (2003), 900 page popular history
Since 1992
★
Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 2006: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (2005) covers all the live politicians with amazing detail.
★ Dark, Taylor, ''The Unions and the Democrats: An Enduring Alliance'' (2001)
★
Judis, John B. and
Ruy Teixeira. ''The Emerging Democratic Majority'' (2004) demography is destiny
★ Patterson, James T. ''Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush vs. Gore'' (2005) well balanced scholarly synthesis.
★
Sabato, Larry J. ''Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election'' (2005), scholarly study.
★
Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. ''The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future'' (2001) scholarly textbook.
Before 1992
★
Blum, John Morton. ''The Progressive Presidents: Roosevelt, Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson'' (1980)
★ Fraser, Steve and Gary Gerstle, eds. ''The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980'' (1990)
★ Kleppner, Paul. ''The Third Electoral System 1853-1892: Parties, Voters, and Political Cultures'' (1979), major study of voting patterns in every state
★ Ladd Jr., Everett Carll with Charles D. Hadley. ''Transformations of the American Party System: Political Coalitions from the New Deal to the 1970s'' 2nd ed. (1978).
★ Lawrence, David G. ''The Collapse of the Democratic Presidential Majority: Realignment, Dealignment, and Electoral Change from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton'' (1996)
★ Milkis, Sidney M. and Jerome M. Mileur, eds. ''The New Deal and the Triumph of Liberalism'' (2002)
★ Milkis, Sidney M. ''The President and the Parties: The Transformation of the American Party System Since the New Deal'' (1993)
★ Nichols, Roy Franklin. ''The Democratic Machine, 1850-1854'' (1923)
★ Patterson, James T. ''Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974'' (1997) well balanced scholarly synthesis.
★ Rae, Nicol C. ''Southern Democrats'' Oxford University Press. 1994. focus on 1964 to 1992.
★
Remini, Robert V. ''Martin Van Buren and the Making of the Democratic Party'' (1959)
★ Silbey, Joel H. ''The American Political Nation, 1838-1893'' (1991)
★ Sundquist, James L. ''
Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States'' (1983)
External links
★
Democratic National Committee − Official website
★
Democratic Senate Caucus
★
Democratic House Caucus
★
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
★
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
★
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
★
Democratic Governors Association
★
Democratic Attorneys General Association
★
College Democrats of America
★
Young Democrats of America
★
Democrats Abroad
★
2004 National Platform (
PDF),
HTML version
★
Charter & Bylaws (
PDF)
★
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