An Overview of US Politics

1
An Overview of US Politics

• Understanding the inner workings of government

2
Breakdown of Powers
3
Three Branches of Government

• Legislative
• This branch, known as congress, has the power to
  make laws
• There are two houses that comprise congress
• Senate-each state is represented by two members
• House of Representatives-each state is
  represented proportionally by population

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Three Branches of Government

• Executive
• This branch is headed by the President. He has
  no power to make laws or interpret them, however
  he is responsible to preserve, protect and defend
  the laws.

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Three Branches of Government

• Judicial
• This branch is responsible for administering
  justice interpreting the law.
• Upholds the constitution and all statutes and
  regulations pursuant to it.

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Important Government Roles

• President
• Vice President
• Speaker of the House
• Secretary of State

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President

• The President is the head of the executive branch
  and plays a large role in making Americas laws.
  His job is to approve the laws that Congress
  creates. When the Senate and the House approve a
  bill, they send it to the President. If he agrees
  with the law, he signs it and the law goes into
  effect.
• If the President does not like a bill, he can
  refuse to sign it. When he does this, it is
  called a veto. If the President vetoes a bill, it
  will most likely never become a law. Congress can
  override a veto, but to do so two-thirds of the
  Members of Congress must vote against the
  President.
• Despite all of his power, the President cannot
  write bills. He can propose a bill, but a member
  of Congress must submit it for him.
• In addition to playing a key role in the
  lawmaking process, the President has several
  duties. He serves as the American Head of State,
  meaning that he meets with the leaders of other
  countries and can make treaties with them.
  However, the Senate must approve any treaty
  before it becomes official.
• The President is also the Chief of the
  Government. That means that he is technically the
  boss of every government worker.
• Also, the President is the official head of the
  U.S. military. He can authorize the use of troops
  overseas without declaring war. To officially
  declare war, though, he must get the approval of
  the Congress.
• The President and the Vice-President are the only
  officials chosen by the entire country. Not just
  anyone can be President, though. In order to be
  elected, one must be at least 35 years old. Also,
  each candidate must be a natural-born U.S.
  citizen and have lived in the U.S. for at least
  14 years. When elected, the President serves a
  term of four years. The most one President can
  serve is two terms, for a total of eight years

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Vice-President

• In politics, a vice president is a. politician
  whose primary job is to replace the president on
  the event of his or her death or resignation.
  Vice presidents are either elected jointly with
  the president as his or her running mate, elected
  separately, or appointed independently after the
  president's election.
• Governments with vice presidents generally have
  only one person in this role at any time. If the
  president is not present, dies, resigns, or is
  otherwise unable to fulfill his or her duties,
  the vice president will generally serve as
  president. In many presidential systems, the vice
  president does not wield much day-to-day
  political power, but is still considered an
  important member of the cabinet
• As President of the Senate, the Vice President
  has two primary duties to cast a vote in the
  event of a Senate deadlock and to preside over
  and certify the official vote count of the U.S.
  Electoral College.

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Speaker of the House

• The Speaker in the United States is, by
  tradition, the head of the majority party in the
  House of Representatives, outranking the Majority
  Leader. However, the Speaker usually does not
  participate in debate (though he or she has the
  right to do so) and rarely votes on the floor.
• The Speaker is responsible for ensuring that the
  House passes legislation supported by the
  majority party. In pursuing this goal, the
  Speaker may utilize his or her power to determine
  when each bill reaches the floor. He or she also
  chairs the majority party's House steering
  committee. While the Speaker is the functioning
  head of the House majority party, the same is not
  true of the President pro tempore of the Senate,
  whose office is primarily ceremonial and
  honorary.
• When the Speaker and the President belong to the
  same party, the Speaker normally plays a less
  prominent role as the leader of the majority
  party.

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Secretary of State

• In the United States federal government,
  Secretary of State has the unique meaning of the
  official responsible for foreign policy. In most
  other countries, this official is called the
  foreign secretary or foreign minister. The U.S.
  Secretary of State is head of the United States
  Department of State. In the presidential line of
  succession the Secretary of State is the
  highest-ranking member of the Cabinet, and fourth
  overall. The Secretary of State is also the first
  cabinet member in the order of precedence, and
  there is a space between the Secretary of State
  and other cabinet members where the order allows
  room for former presidents and first ladies, and
  widows of U.S. presidents. The position is widely
  regarded as the senior most of the cabinet.
• Performs such duties as the President is
  required, in accordance with the United States
  Constitution, relating to correspondence,
  commission, or instructions to U.S. or consuls
  abroad, and to conduct negotiations with foreign
  representatives. The Secretary has also served as
  principal adviser to the President in the
  determination of U.S. foreign policy and in
  recent decades has become responsible for overall
  direction, coordination, and supervision of
  interdepartmental activities of the U.S.
  Government overseas, excepting certain military
  activities.

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State Government

• Three branches
• Executive-headed by the state Governor who
  oversees city Mayors
• Legislative-run by the state Senators
• Judicial-headed by the state supreme court which
  hears appeals from the lower state courts

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Types of Laws

• Supreme
• Laws as outlined by the Constitution
• State
• Laws passed by state governor and state
  legislator
• Local
• City laws that are upheld by local law
  enforcement

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Types of Political Parties

• Democrat
• Oldest party in the world, Congress majority
• Republican
• Nicknamed the Grand Old Party (GOP)
• Libertarian
• Largest third party, founded in 1971
• Constitution
• Green

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Democratic Party

• Generally favors liberal positions and a large
  government role
• 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
• Advocates more social freedoms, affirmative
  action, balanced budget, and a free enterprise
  system tempered by government intervention (mixed
  economy).
• Also favors affordable and quality healthcare
  with governments help, environment protection,
  low cost college tuition, equal opportunity
  employment, women's right, stem cell research,
  dependence on other countries in time of war,
  right to privacy and gun control.

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Republican Party

• The Republican Party is the more socially
  conservative and economically libertarian of the
  two major parties. The party generally supports
  lower taxes and limited government in most
  economic areas allowing for more economic
  freedom.
• Opposed to abortion, doubt affirmative action
  (getting minorities represented in higher
  education) and does not approve stem cell
  research.
• In favor of capital punishment, gun ownership
  rights, prayer in schools as well as creationism,
  allowing government to act in time of war without
  support from other countries.
• Much more moral minded, based on evangelical
  and fundamentalist teachings.

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Libertarian Party

• Adoption of laissez-faire principles which would
  reduce the state's role in the economy.
• Protection of property rights.
• Minimal government bureaucracy, the government's
  responsibilities should be limited to the
  protection of individual rights from the
  initiation of force and fraud.
• Strong civil liberties positions, including
  privacy protection, freedom of speech, freedom of
  association, and sexual freedom.
• No government interference in reproductive
  rights, including access to abortion.
  (Right-libertarians and Libertarians for Life
  usually do not support abortion, but they believe
  that the federal government has no say in
  regulating the procedure).
• Support for the unrestricted right to the means
  of self-defense (such as gun rights, the right to
  carry mace or pepper spray, etc).
• Abolition of laws against what are called
  victimless crimes (prostitution, driving without
  a seatbelt, use of controlled substances,
  fraternization, etc.).
• Opposition to regulations on how businesses
  should run themselves (e.g., smoking)
• A foreign policy of free trade and
  non-interventionism.
• Support for a fiscally responsible government
  including a hard currency (commodity-based money
  supply as opposed to fiat currency).
• Abolition of all forms of taxpayer-funded
  assistance (welfare, food stamps, public housing,
  etc.)

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Constitution Party

• Advocates a Bible-based platform which it claims
  to reflect original intent of the U.S.
  Constitution and the principles of the U.S.
  Declaration of Independence.
• Supports reducing the role of the United States
  federal government through cutting bureaucratic
  regulation, reducing spending, and replacing the
  income tax with a tariff-based revenue system
  supplemented by excise taxes.
• Encourage the idea that the United States
  terminate its participation in international
  lending institutions, such as the World Bank,
  International Monetary Fund, and the
  Export-Import Bank. It also urges the government
  to immediately terminate all subsidies, tax
  preferences, and investment guarantees that
  encourage U.S. businesses to invest in foreign
  property and to seek to collect all foreign
  debts owed to it.
• The party is pro-life and thus opposes euthanasia
  and abortion. The party supports a States' right
  to administer the death penalty to those
  convicted of "capital crimes" which, it should be
  noted, are not necessarily limited to murder but
  usually equate to such in modern American
  society.
• The party also opposes government recognition of
  same-sex unions, and believes state and local
  governments have the right to criminalize
  "offensive sexual behavior". The party further
  opposes pornography, believing the government
  needs to take a stand against it. Viewing
  gambling as destructive and contributing to
  crime, the party opposes legalized gambling as
  well as government's support of gambling
  organizations. However, the party opposes federal
  anti-drug laws

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Green Party

• Emphasize environmentalism, non-hierarchical
  participatory democracy, social justice, respect
  for diversity, peace and nonviolence.

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Political Jargon

• Caucus
• a meeting of supporters or members of a political
  party or movement.
• Electoral College
• the 538 President Electors who meet every 4 years
  to cast the electoral votes for President and
  Vice President of the United States.
• Swing State
• those states that are not firmly rooted in either
  the Republican or Democratic party

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Caucus

• One meaning is a meeting of members of a
  political party or subgroup to coordinate
  members' actions, choose group policy, or
  nominate candidates for various offices. The term
  is frequently used to discuss the caucuses used
  by some states to select presidential nominees
• Another meaning is for a subgrouping of elected
  officials that meet on the basis of shared
  affinities or ethnicities, usually to affect
  policy. At the highest level, in Congress and
  many state legislatures, Democratic and
  Republican members organize themselves into a
  caucus (occasionally called a "conference").
• Of the many Congressional caucuses, one of the
  best-known is the Congressional Black Caucus, a
  group of African-American members of Congress.
  Another prominent example is the Congressional
  Hispanic Caucus, whose members voice and advance
  issues affecting Hispanics in the United States,
  including Puerto Rico. In a different vein, the
  Congressional Internet Caucus is a bipartisan
  group of Members who wish to promote the growth
  and advancement of the Internet. Other
  congressional caucuses such as the Out of Iraq
  Caucus, are openly organized tendencies or
  political factions (within the House Democratic
  Caucus, in this case), and strive to achieve
  political goals.

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Electoral College

• Each state is allocated as many electors as it
  has Representatives and Senators in the United
  States Congress. Since the most populous states
  have the most seats in congress, they also have
  the most electors.
• Electors are chosen by the state and local
  representatives, which have been elected by the
  people living within the state.
• Although ballots list the names of the
  presidential candidates, voters within the 50
  states and the District of Columbia are actually
  choosing Electors from their state when they vote
  for President and Vice President. These
  Presidential Electors in turn cast the official
  (electoral) votes for those two offices. Although
  the nationwide popular vote is calculated by
  official and media organizations, it does not
  determine the winner of the election.
• A candidate must receive a majority of votes from
  the electoral college (currently 270) to win the
  Presidency. If in either election for President
  or Vice-President no one receives a majority, the
  election is determined by Congress.
• Potential elector candidates are nominated by
  their state political parties in the summer
  before the Election Day. The U.S. Constitution
  allows each state to choose its own means for the
  nomination of electors.
• The system is designed to require presidential
  candidates to appeal to many different types of
  interests, rather than those of a specific region
  or state.

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Swing State

• A swing state (also, battleground state) in
  United States presidential politics is a state in
  which no candidate has overwhelming support,
  meaning that any of the major candidates have a
  reasonable chance of winning the state's
  electoral college votes. Such states are targets
  of both major political parties in presidential
  elections, since winning these states is the best
  opportunity for a party to gain votes. Non-swing
  states are sometimes called safe states, because
  one candidate has strong enough support that they
  can safely assume they will win the state's
  votes.

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Process of Electing a President

• Every four years, Americans elect a President and
  Vice President, thereby choosing both national
  leaders and a course of public policy. There are
  4 stages
• The pre-nomination-In these elections, state
  party members get to vote for the candidate that
  will represent their party in the upcoming
  general election.
• The national conventions -At the end of the
  primaries and caucuses, each party holds a
  national convention to finalize the selection of
  one Presidential nominee. During this time, each
  Presidential candidate chooses a running-mate (or
  Vice-Presidential candidate).
• The general election campaign-Candidates campaign
  throughout the country in an attempt to win the
  support of voters.
• The electoral college phase-in which the
  President and Vice President are officially
  elected by state electors

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Presidential Eligibility

• At least 35 years old
• A natural born citizen of the United States
• A resident of the United States for 14 years
• Candidates usually must receive the backing of a
  major political party. This is not strictly
  required in order to be considered a serious
  candidate.

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2008 Presidential Candidates

• Leading Democrats
• Hillary Clinton
• Barack Obama
• John Edwards
• Leading Republicans
• Mitt Romney
• Mike Huckabee
• Fred Thompson

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Hillary Clinton

• Focus on strengthening the middle class through
  lower taxes, affordable healthcare, making
  education accessible,
• Universal Healthcare through lower premiums
  through tax credits, no discrimination,
  reliability even when changing jobs.
• As president, one of Hillary's first official
  actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of
  Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National
  Security Council. She would direct them to draw
  up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home
  starting with the first 60 days of her
  Administration.
• Womens equality rights of fair pay, right to
  choose and starting their own businesses
• Hillary strives for a greener America by a cut in
  foreign oil imports and increase energy research
  funding.
• We need a return to transparency and a system of
  checks and balances, to a president who respects
  Congress's role of oversight and accountability
  through increasing government transparency and
  cutting waste and corruption.

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Barack Obama

• He will increase investments in infrastructure,
  energy independence, education, and research and
  development modernize and simplify our tax code
  so it provides greater opportunity and relief to
  more Americans and implement trade policies that
  benefit American workers and increase the export
  of American goods.
• Obama will develop domestic incentives that
  reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when
  they plant trees, restore grasslands, or
  undertake farming practices that capture carbon
  dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Obama will invest in biofuels and fuel
  infrastructure, and the research of energy
  alternatives.
• Obama will make available a new national health
  plan to all Americans, including the
  self-employed and small businesses, to buy
  affordable health coverage that is similar to the
  plan available to members of Congress. The Obama
  plan will have the following features
• Guaranteed eligibility, comprehensive benefits
  and affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
  
• Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops
  from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat
  brigades each month, and have all of our combat
  brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will
  make it clear that we will not build any
  permanent bases in Iraq.

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John Edwards

• John Edwards has a bold plan to transform
  America's health care system and provide
  universal health care for every man, woman and
  child in America. It involves lower costs,
  better care and requiring everyone to have it.
• He would consider raising taxes on corporations
  and the wealthy to fund programs such as
  universal health care.
• Edwards believes we should completely withdraw
  all combat troops from Iraq within nine to ten
  months and prohibit permanent U.S. military bases
  in Iraq. After withdrawal, we should retain
  sufficient forces in Quick Reaction Forces
  located outside Iraq, in friendly countries like
  Kuwait, to prevent an Al Qaeda safe haven, a
  genocide, or regional spillover of a civil war.
• Edwards has outlined a Working Society initiative
  to lift 12 million Americans out of poverty in a
  decade and beat poverty over the next 30 years.
  In the Working Society, everyone who is able to
  work hard will be expected to work and, in turn,
  be rewarded for it.
• Raise minimum wage
• create a million short-term jobs to help
  individuals move into permanent work.
• invest more in rural community colleges
• Improve dilapidated housing

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Mitt Romney

• Dramatically increase federal spending on
  research, development, and demonstration projects
  that hold promise for diversifying our energy
  supply and increasing our energy efficiency.
• My healthcare plan would allow people to purchase
  private insurance, not government insurance. No
  government-managed health care and no increase in
  taxes.
• Governor Romney believes that Roe v. Wade should
  be overturned so that the issue of abortion can
  be returned to the American people and their
  elected representatives at the state and federal
  level. He also supports a Federal Marriage
  Amendment defining marriage as between one man
  and one woman.
• Governor Romney believes that parents who want to
  home school their kids should be able to do so.
  To help them, he will provide a tax credit to
  help defray the educational expenses of parents
  who home school their kids.
• I believe securing Iraqi civilians requires
  additional troops. I support adding five brigades
  in Baghdad and two regiments in Al-Anbar
  province. Success will require rapid deployment.
  Our strategy in Iraq must change. Our military
  mission, for the first time, must include
  securing the civilian population from violence
  and terror. It is impossible to defeat the
  insurgency without first providing security for
  the Iraqi people.

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Mike Huckabee

• I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.
  I am also opposed to stem-cell research.
• Every child should have the opportunity for a
  quality education that teaches the fundamental
  skills needed to compete in a global economy.
  Art and music - the secret, effective weapons
  that will help us to be competitive and creative.
  It is crucial that children flex both the left
  and right sides of the brain.
• We can make health care more affordable by
  reforming medical liability adopting electronic
  record keeping making health insurance more
  portable from one job to another expanding
  health savings accounts to everyone, not just
  those with high deductibles and making health
  insurance tax deductible for individuals and
  families as it now is for businesses. Low income
  families would get tax credits instead of
  deductions. We don't need all the government
  controls that would inevitably come with
  universal health care. When I'm President,
  Americans will have more control of their health
  care options, not less.
• Completely eliminate all federal income and
  payroll taxes. The FairTax will replace the
  Internal Revenue Code with a consumption tax. All
  of us will get a monthly rebate that will
  reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the
  poverty line, so that we're not taxed on
  necessities. That means people below the poverty
  line won't be taxed at all. We'll be taxed on
  what we decide to buy, not what we happen to
  earn. (approx. 23 sales tax)
• I support and have consistently supported passage
  of a federal constitutional amendment that
  defines marriage as a union between one man and
  one woman.
• We have to explore, we have to conserve, and we
  have to pursue all avenues of alternative energy
  nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal,
  biodiesel, and biomass.
• Concerning Iraq, I am focused on winning.
  Withdrawal would have serious strategic
  consequences for us and horrific humanitarian
  consequences for the Iraqis.

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Fred Thompson

• A new tax code that gets the government out of
  our citizens pocketbooks, while enhancing U.S.
  competitiveness abroad. Dissolution of the IRS
  as we know it.
• Access to affordable, portable health care can be
  made available for all Americans without imposing
  new mandates or raising taxes. Current government
  programs must also be streamlined and improved so
  that those who truly need help can get the health
  care they need. Provide opportunities to choose
  a healthcare provider
• Increasing our energy independence and investing
  in alternative energy sources will also produce a
  healthier environment.
• Supports pro-life and traditional marriage
• Thompson is in favor of maintaining a state of
  combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Both, in his
  view are vital fronts in the war on terrorism.

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Ron Paul (a candidate not in the lead, but worth
noting at least)

• Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I.
  Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and
  allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves
  about our lives. We need to eliminate the income
  tax. Concerning social security, we should cut
  payroll taxes and give workers the opportunity to
  seek better returns in the private market.
• The war in Iraq was sold to us with false
  information. The area is more dangerous now than
  when we entered it. We should exit immediately.
• I support giving educational control back to
  parents, who know their children better than any
  politician in D.C. ever will.
• The right of an innocent, unborn child to life is
  at the heart of the American ideals of liberty.
  My professional and legislative record
  demonstrates my strong commitment to this
  pro-life principle.
• Regarding health care, by removing federal
  regulations, encouraging competition, and
  presenting real choices, we can make our health
  care system the envy of the world once again.
• It is an outrage that waiters, waitresses, and
  other service-sector employees have to pay taxes
  on the tips they earn.
• The true antidote to racism is liberty. Liberty
  means having a limited, constitutional government
  devoted to the protection of individual rights
  rather than group claims. Liberty means
  free-market capitalism, which rewards individual
  achievement and competence - not skin color,
  gender, or ethnicity.
• I am a co-sponsor of legislation designed to
  encourage the development of alternative and
  sustainable energy. H.R. 550 extends the
  investment tax credit to solar energy property
  and qualified fuel cell property, and H.R. 1772
  provides tax credits for the installation of wind
  energy property.

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The Rest is up to YOU!!

• Now that you are a little more educated, be sure
  to turn out and vote this year!