Blog #2: Political Parties

Hey, what's up you guys! It's ya girl, Kris. Today, we're going to take a look at the different political parties in America.

First of all, a political party is an organized group of people with common values and goals. Their goal is to get their candidates elected to office (ex: the Republican Party succeeded when Trump became president.). Political parties are linkage institutions, which means that they connect the general public to the government. Imagine that you are a young adult who just turned 18. You have some opinions on controversial issues, but the world of government is confusing, and you're not sure who to give your vote to. This is where political parties come into play. Political parties, each already equipped with a strong set of political beliefs, can serve as a beacon for people in this situation. If one resonates with most beliefs of the Democratic Party, it's much easier to vote for Democratic candidates and rely on representatives' opinions than to research about current events and laws. In summary, political parties play a large role on the political socialization of the general public.

The logos of some prominent political parties in America. It is much easier to side with one of these nine parties than to individually form an opinion on every single political idea in America.

As mentioned in my first post, I am a solid liberal. This means that my views tend to align with those of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party believes in unity and empowerment. As a result, Democrats tend to support same-sex marriage, efforts against racial and gender discrimination, and reducing the gap between socioeconomic classes. They also support reducing the cost of a college education, using renewable energy, and rewarding common interest over self-interest. Most of the Democratic Party's views directly oppose those of the Republican Party, who believes in America exceptionalism and economic freedom. Republicans tend to believe that marriage should be kept between one man and one woman, and that implementing government programs to combat racial and gender discrimination is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

The following quote is taken from the Democratic Party's website:

“...we will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws;...revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war...off our streets."

Democrats believe in stricter laws to regulate gun usage and ownership. They believe that this will help to prevent terrorism, domestic abuse, and general gun violence. Democrats tend to encourage change, which is why they support gun control reforms. They also believe that a larger government that ensures that the people are protected and equal is better than a smaller government, which is why they believe that gun violence should be controlled using new laws and national policies. However, the website of the Democratic Party is biased in that they attributed some of the failures of America to the mistakes of the Republican Party without explanation. They also focused on the successes of the country under the Democratic Party’s leadership while using words with strong positive connotations, such as “hard work” and “empowerment”. This positive wording will likely cause the uninformed public to automatically assume that the mission of the Democratic Party is the "correct" one.

Democratic and Republican-leaning states "fighting" against each other. As mentioned, their views are often complete opposites, which leads to "fights" similar to the one pictured above.

"Appearing at the nation's largest, privately-owned solar and roofing company, Attorney General Jerry Brown today denounced Texas oil-funded Proposition 23, and called on Meg Whitman to be honest with Californians about her plans to dismantle the state's program to fight global warming."

This quote appears in a press release on California Governor Jerry Brown’s website. The press release appears to have been written in 2014, before he was re-elected as governor. Here, Brown publicly denounces Proposition 23, which would put a halt to California’s efforts against global warming. Further in the article, he mentions his dedication to creating jobs, growing our economy, and using clean and renewable energy. This quote demonstrates one way in which Brown’s beliefs align with those typical to liberals (who tend to identify as Democrats). According to an article by the LA Times, liberals tend to display greater concern for global warming and believe that humans are responsible. Brown’s efforts against the use of fossil fuels and for the implementation of government programs suggest that he agrees that humans play a large role in the growth of global warming. This press release is likely biased, as it was written by a supporter of Brown for his website. Because it was written while he was running for California governor, he was likely portrayed as passionate and heroic in order to garner the public’s votes. The author writes that Brown has “vigorously defended” California’s laws and programs that are “embraced by half of California’s counties”.

That's all for today! See you all next time! :)