Democratic | Green Party Information

A Look at the Green Party Beliefs

March 24, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

The United States political system is made up of two major political parties. Everyone knows about the Democratic and Republican parties. However, there are also political parties that branch off of these parties and have their own beliefs and political agendas. One of those parties is known as the Green Party.

The Green Party to an outsider might appear to be a small branch of the Democratic Party but it really has some extremely different views. Here is a look at some of the views and political agendas of the Green Party.

The Iraq War. The Green Party believes that there should be an immediate withdrawal of the troops in Iraq. When the troops are gone there will be a oversight committee that is provided by the United Nations.

Privacy. The Green Party wants an immediate end to the Patriot Act and any other laws that invade the privacy of citizens. The Green Party sees these types of laws as extra ways for the government to invade the personal lives of its citizens.

Military Budgets. The Green Party would ideally want to take a majority of the money that goes to the military and send it over to environmental and social issues. This is because the party believes that there should be more support for living creatures than promoting the destruction of other societies.

Environmental Factors. The Green Party believes that the United States should be more involved with environmental concerns. They believe that there should be more restrictions on greenhouse gases and companies that are responsible for these gases.

Abortions. The Green Party would ideally want to provide all women with access to safe abortions.

Filed Under: Green Party Of Tennessee Tagged With: Democratic, United Nations, United State

Understanding the Political Symbols of the Main Political Parties

March 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Every political party in the United States has a unique logo or symbol. These logos and symbols represent the political party and what they stand for. Every character, color and piece on that logo represents an ideal or part of the political party. Here is a closer look at the various factors that go into some of the political party symbols or logos.

Colors. There are millions of different colors that can be used. However, when it comes to political symbols chances are there are only three colors being used. These colors include red, white and blue. Political symbols that use the color red are usually those that for the Republican Party, while blue is for liberal or Democratic Party symbols and white is for the third party candidate or an independent party.

Direction. The direction of the symbol can also help you understand what party it is. If the symbol is facing to the left it stands for liberalism and Democratic, while if it faces right it is for conservatism or the Republican party. If a symbol faces the center it stands for a combination of central ideals and liberalism.

Animals. Many political parties use an animal as part of their political symbol. The main political symbol for the Democratic Party is that of a donkey. The donkey is usually blue with a red head and faces the left side. The political symbol for the Republic Party is an elephant which is red and blue and races the right. There is also three white stars in the blue area. The Independent Party usually has a bald eagle that holds a bunch of arrows, there is an American flag behind the eagle and it faces straight forward.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Democratic, Republic Party, Republican

How to Get Involved With the Tea Party Movement

February 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

In the United States there used to be two major political parties. There was the Democrats and Republicans. However, in the past year or two a political movement known as the Tea Party movement has started to develop across the nation.

The main objective of the Tea Party movement is to try to directly communicate with Washington the complaints that it has against how the government and those in office are spending the tax payer’s money. The Tea Party movement gained massive momentum right after President Obama was elected and many people believe that it was in response to his massive stimulus spending bill or the bank/automotive industry bailouts.

If you are considering joining the Tea Party movement there are a few things that you can do to join up with this quickly forming third political party.

Visit The Tea Party Website. It is a good idea to go over the Tea Party’s statements and core values. All of these are available on the Tea Party’s website, teapartypatriots.org. Before you join up with this political movement you will want to make sure that the majority of their core values and beliefs are similar to yours.

Attend Tea Party Events. There are dozens of Tea Party events on the local and national scale. Tea Party events can range from having a one on one meeting with the political candidates, a political fundraisers or even a political rally. Most Tea Party events are listed on the Tea Party’s website and are available for anyone who wishes to attend the public events.

Vote for Tea Party Candidates. At the moment most candidates are still running under the Republican title but they are really Tea Party candidates. You will want o make sure that you are voting for candidates that have the same philosophy and views as the Tea Party.

Filed Under: Grassroots Movements Tagged With: Democratic, Politics, Republican, Tea Party movement

A Quick Rant about Politicking

December 8, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I don’t normally get too involved in politics. Most of the time I can see the merits of both sides. I guess I’m not too liberal or too conservative. I fit somewhere right in the middle. Watching the recent lame duck Congress tread water, however, really has me steamed. Here we sit in a recession and they have the gall to create gridlock.

One of the most infuriating subjects is the Bush tax cuts. I think it’s great that the Democrats want to extend them for people earning under $250,000 a year. That means that people like you and me can save a little bit of money during a time when we need it most. Even if the tax cuts weren’t extended, though, I would still see them for what they were: expired tax cuts. And yet, Republicans continue to tell us that the President wants to raise taxes. It’s not really a tax hike. It’s an expiration of tax cuts. There’s a big difference, and those people know it.

See, this is one of the reasons that I have to keep my mouth shut when it comes to politics. As far as I can tell, the current system consistently prevents itself from making real headway that would fix our economy and turn the country around. The people that we vote into office, though, don’t think about those things. They think about how they can get re-elected. While people like us keep looking to find tax tips in order to save some money on our earnings, savings and investments. I wish that these Tea Party Republicans would try to fix things, but that’s unlikely seeing as how none of them believe that a federal government even can work.

There is little that the individual can do except try to make a good life for her family. At least I have the knowledge that I’m leading a good life instead of spreading lies and causing more problems.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Democratic, Lame duck (politics), President of the United States, Republican, Tax, Tax cut, United States, United States Congress

Dollar Obstacles for Third Parties

November 29, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Third parties in American politics have rarely enjoyed much more than marginal success before being relegated to the pages of history. Part of the reason is the winner takes all voting system that the United States uses. Compared to the parliamentary system used by most European democracies, the United States places a heavy burden on third parties to not only compete with established parties but to win elections. To put this into a historical perspective the National Socialist Party in Germany won only a little more than a third of the vote in elections. This was enough to put the Nazis into power. In the United States, it is difficult to imagine a third party ever gaining power.

The example of the Nazis shows that an entrenched two-party system can help to prevent radicals from gaining power. The counter to that argument is that a system that forces so much compromise that there are only two camps puts a limitation of fresh ideas. In modern American politics, the Democrats and the Republicans are both supported by the same business interests. Campaign donations flood into to both parties often from the same donors.

Even President Barack Obama, who ran on a format of “change” accepted a record amount of money from Wall street interests prior to his election in 2008. Obama took in a record amount of donations from small donors on the Internet, but he did even this amount could not stop him from accepting huge donations from established business interests.

The example of Obama shows part of the difficulty for a third party in getting established in the present American system. Even if a party such as the Green Party were to raise a huge amount of campaign funds from grass roots donations, the established parties have access to almost unlimited campaign funding from businesses.

In elections were the victors are often determined by dollars spent on advertising, third parties face steep odds.

Filed Under: Candidates Tagged With: Barack Obama, Democratic, Democrats, Germany, President, Republican, United States, White House

Third Parties Strive for the White House

November 24, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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Breaking the strangle hold of the two party system has proven to be difficult for American political parties. The Democrats and the Republican have dominated the American political system since the end of the Civil War in 1865. While many political parties have made attempts to challenge the power structure, few have been able to make a dent.

One feature of successful third parties has been a dominate personality that achieved success or fame prior to joining with a third party. Former President Theodore Roosevelt challenged his chosen successor sitting-President William Taft. Taft and Roosevelt broke over progressive versus conservative practices in the Republican Party. When Roosevelt was unable to gain the Republican nomination in 1912, he founded his own party, the “Bull Moose Party” and bested Taft in the general election. While Roosevelt might have earned more votes than his Republican rival the action opened the door for Democrat Woodrow Wilson to gain the White House.

The election remains significant because it was one of the few times that the Democrats were able to gain the White House in that era. It is also important because it was the last time that a third party candidate finished as high as second in a Presidential election. That it took a previously popular President get that close shows the difficulty that third parties face when trying to break through to a major political victory.

There have been other attempts by third party candidates to break stranglehold of the Democrats and the Republicans. One of the most prominent was the campaign of former Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968. Wallace had been made famous by his resistance to segregation in the South. His campaign capitalized on the resentment many Americans had to changing times. Wallace was able to make a significant showing in the South, but his campaign wilted once he ventured the general election. Like Roosevelt, Wallace’s party was little more than one dynamic politician.

Filed Under: Green Party Of Tennessee Tagged With: Democratic, George Wallace, Progressive Party (United States 1912), Republican, Theodore Roosevelt, United States, White House, William Howard Taft

Democrats offer Small Change from Republicans

November 9, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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There is an old clichéd adage to never bring up politics or religion at dinner parties. The ensuing discussions often become heated and result in hurt feelings that ruin the party. While religion remains difficult waters to enter, politics hopefully has evolved into something that could be discussed reasonably amongst friends.

Even though health political discussion is ideal, the rhetoric has become ugly since Barrack Obama’s election. The FBI even issued a warning for domestic terrorism as right wing militias have risen in prominence with the election of a Democratic president. It is not surprising that groups of people have reacted violently when listening to right wing announcers on radio.

Personalities like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh earn millions of dollars by pounding on war drums against the supposed left-wing conspiracy to turn the nation socialist. Despite their venom, Obama has walked the line as a centrist. Tax rates remain nearly the same as they were prior to his election, and banking laws have not radically changed.

The gridlocked American political process makes it difficult for major changes in legislation to pass. Filibusters are regularly used to combat even the slightest change in policy. Even Obama’s supposedly radical healthcare plan resembled what Republican Governor Mitt Romney passed in Massachusetts.

If Obama did not hold the label of Democrat or run under the political slogan of “hope and change” then his actions would hardly merit the public outcry and calls for revolution. Going over the tops sells and spewing venom earned Limbaugh and Beck healthy paychecks.

Rather than screaming that Obama lied or that the Democrats are too radical, Beck and Limbaugh should investigate former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. During his administration the upper tier tax rate was more than 90 percent. Using those figures makes the debate between Republican and Democrat seem almost pointless. The parties might push different policies, but the difference appears minute at best.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, Beck, Democratic, Glenn Beck, Mitt Romney, Republican, Rush Limbaugh, United States

No Political Skeleton Ever Forgotten

November 5, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

Can people with political aspirations ever make a mistake? Looking at the Kentucky Senate race between Rand Paul and Jack Conway the answer is no.

Even though there is no footage of the incidents Paul has had to answer for pranks he supposedly committed in college. In one of the incidents Paul joined an organization that was critical of Christianity. In the more ridiculous case, Paul supposedly helped to tie up a female student to “force” her to bow before the fake god ‘Aqua Buddha”. Paul has refused to comment on the incidents, which occurred more than 25 years ago. Paul’s refusal to address the stories has led his opponent to feature them in attack ads. The ads challenge seemingly Paul’s faith and seek comments on actions that appear to have practically no impact on the election.

The surprising aspect of the ads is that Paul is the Republican candidate and Conway is the Democrat. The roles have been reversed in this odd election cycle and the Democrat is attempting to out-Christian his opponent. Paul has refused to discuss the incidents and has gone as far as walking off the stage during a debate while refusing to shake Conway’s hand. Paul accused Conway of not “being a man” and of deflecting from the campaign. Paul has also stated that he will not debate Conway or any candidate that would dare to “question his religion”.

The woman in the bizarre “Aqua Buddha” hazing incident has refused to come forward, and the mystery surrounding continues. Despite the odd nature of the apparent hazing, a question of statute of limitations comes into play. Should candidates have to answer for their behavior as teenager or 20-year-olds decades after the fact? Even if the moral answer is no, the race between Paul and Conway is significant because it shows that no skeleton no matter how obscure, bizarre or old can be completely buried.

Can people with political aspirations ever make a mistake? Looking at the Kentucky Senate race between Rand Paul and Jack Conway the answer is no.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Attack ad, Christianity, Democratic, Jack Conway, Kentucky, Kentucky Senate, Rand Paul, Republicans

Political Truth

October 22, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Cover of Jimmy Carter

Part of the difficulty in the political process is that what people say they want does not equal votes at the polls. When polled potential voters will often complain that politicians do not tell the truth. Yet, when politicians tell the truth voters often respond with anger. When President Jimmy Carter made a speech that said the American public needs to cut back on oil consumption and begin to live within its financial means it helped to get him thrown out of office in record fashion.

President Ronald Reagan served up a different speech than Carter. His campaign pushed the notion that America was the greatest nation on the planet and that Americans had no reason to be ashamed of their lifestyles. Polling also reveals that Americans have a negative view of elected officials. Recent polls in particular have shown that Congress has all time low approval ratings. Even though Americans disapprove of the performance of their senators and representatives, incumbents win reelections at astonishingly high rates. Polls show that most voters do not trust elected officials, but when asked about their own elected officials voters report high levels of trust.

The contradiction is well known to marketers. Focus groups will often say that they love products and would buy them. When it comes time to actually buy the product members of the focus group will balk when the bill arrives. Politics influences society far more than marketing studies, and falling to create positive policies can cause a society to rot or even collapse. Politicians that give voters the truth and tell them about the need to work and improve damage their own careers.

Societies have collapsed due to over indulgence of resources. Yet telling people to sacrifice might lead to voter alienation. In an ironic twist, perhaps the best way to serve the public is to paint a picture of optimism as a candidate and take a pragmatic route in office.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, Democratic, Jimmy Carter, Official, Republican, Ronald Reagan, United States, Voting

Political Parties in the U.S.

October 5, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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For over 150 years, the U.S. has been primarily a two-party country, although in recent years, third parties have started to gain ground. Currently, the two main parties are the Democrats and Republicans. Political parties date back to the time of George Washington, even though he didn’t belong to a party and hoped that political parties wouldn’t develop.

Beginning in the late 1700s, political parties were becoming part of the government system. The early political parties weren’t called Republicans or Democrats; they were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Supportive of a strong national government, the Federalists wanted to focus on development of manufacturing and commercial resources. By contrast, the Anti-Federalists were concerned about too much governmental power and wanted to promote the country’s agricultural heritage. Because these early parties weren’t well organized, they evaluating dissolved or fractured into smaller groups.

By the 1820s, political parties were once again developing and this time, the system would take root. The Democrats and the Whigs, which followed the Anti-Federalists and Federalists respectively, united supporters and began to drive politics and the elections. In 1928, the Democrats elected Andrew Jackson and pushed a limited government philosophy. Those who opposed this idea and wanted to use national power to facilitate a market economy formed the Whig party. Both parties campaigned vigorously and used the media of the day to promote their platforms. As a result political parties became viewed as a necessary part of the process.

From this time to the middle of the 20th century, two main parties, evolving into the modern Democratic and Republican parties, dominated the U.S. political landscape. Third parties, which include independents and those not associated with either of the major parties, have developed over the years in response to dissatisfaction with the two-party system. Some of the third parties include Libertarian party and the Green Party. The Green party actually has state-level organization such as the Green Party of Tennessee, Green Party of Texas, and the Maine Green Independent Party.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Andrew Jackson, Democratic, George Washington, Green Party of Texas, Maine Green Independent Party, Political party, Republican, United States