4 the democratic party
TRANSCRIPT
Unit II Lesson 4
Political Parties in America: The Democrats
Essential Question:• Why do Americans believe what they do about
politics and what role do families, schools and media play in the changing or perpetuating of these political beliefs?
• In what ways do Americans participate in their political system?
• How does participation vary among various racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the nation?
• How have political parties developed, how are they organized, and what effect do they have on the political process?
Now that you understand the political spectrum and terms like
“liberal” and “conservative” we can begin to talk about the two
major political parties in America: Democrats and Republicans!
Republicans Democrats
Anarchy
First up The Democrats!First Up: The Democrats!
“Liberal”
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Be More Racially Diverse. On
average 90% of African-Americans and 65% of Latinos vote
Democrat. (Asian-Americans favor both political parties
about equally)
90%
65%
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Live on the East or West Coast
or in “Urban Areas” (Big Cities). California, New York, and
other coastal areas have historically been solidly Democrat
2012
2008
“Urban”
“Urban”
First up The Democrats!More on the Democrats!
Medicare
Medicaid
“Peachcare” Affordable Care Act
“Obamacare”
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Support more social-welfare programs.
Democratic legislatures and presidents created Medicare, Medicaid,
Social Security and the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) and have
historically raised taxes on the upper class to pay for these programs
What Kind?
*Believe in targeted tax cuts for the lower and middle classes.
Democrats believe the middle class is the “economic engine” that
drives America and support “progressive tax rates” that require the
wealthy to “pay their fare share”
“Progressive
Tax Rate”
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Be from the middle class and
lower incomes (Refer to your last note for the reason why:)
Four Notes to Go…
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Favor greater government investment
in clean energy. Democrats believe there is no way to “drill” to
energy independence and instead support raising taxes on the
upper class to help subsidize wind, solar, and hydroelectric power
Upper Class
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Be LESS likely to spend on “defense”
(the military) and are MORE likely to spend on public education.
Democrats would like to see a more balanced budget that directs
money away from the armed forces and towards American schools
Defense
Two Left…
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Favor broader regulations on
firearm ownership and support a ban on all assault weapons.
Democrats advocate increased background checks, mandatory
waiting periods, and a full prohibition against the private
ownership of semi-automatic weaponry
“Gun-Control”
Last Note…
Democratic Voters Tend To: *Support Marriage Equality and are “Pro-
Choice” regarding Abortion*. Democrats feel abortion is a decision best
left to a woman and her doctor and should be kept a legal “choice”. They
also believe gays and lesbians should have the same legal rights as
heterosexual couples
“Pro-
Choice”
“Pro-Marriage
Equality ”
Two Things to
Remember:
“Liberal” “Conservative”
REMEMBER I:
REMEMBER II:
All of the things we talked about today
are GENERALIZATIONS; there are
always EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
First up The Democrats!That’s The Democrats!
Tomorrow the Republicans!
Democrats tend to attract more:
A.Liberals
B.Moderates
C.Conservatives
D.Individuals with no political ideology
The strongest and most consistent group of
supporters of the Democratic Party in recent
presidential elections has been:
A.Asian-Americans
B.African-Americans
C.Cuban-Americans
D.Indian-Americans
A member of which of the following
demographic groups would be LEAST likely
to support a Democratic candidate for
president?
A.African-American
B.Urban
C.Upper income
D.Under thirty years of age
Which of the following groups is LEAST
likely to vote for a Democratic candidate?
A.Pro-Choicers
B.Latinos and Hispanics
C.The Lower and Middle Class
D.Pro-Lifers
Which of the following religious groups
traditionally has most consistently supported
the Democratic Party?
A.Evangelical Christians
B.Hindus
C.Jews
D.Muslims
Generally, the Democratic coalition consists of which of the following groups in the
electorate?
A.Wealthy businessmen, southerners, and Midwesterners
B.Rural voters, African-Americans, and Hispanics
C.Jewish voters, urban voters, and Hispanic-Americans
D.Minorities, southerners, and urban voters