Explain the main ideas and policies of the Republican Party
Point 1 - Fiscal Conservatsm
Low tax, mostly enforced by the tea party with ‘taxed enough already’
EX: The $1.6 trillion Bush tax cuts were fscal conservatsm at work.
Balanced budgets
EX: ‘taxpayer protectoo ppeege’, promoted by Governor Norquist, was an ant-tax pledge, which 95%
of all Republican congressional candidate and incumbents, and all but one republican nominee
candidate signed in 2012.
EX: In successive years the Republican Party has adopted the ‘Paup Ryao buegets’ which are extensively
fscal conservatve budgets
Flair: low tax is more so supported in the republican party due to the tea party with ‘taxed enough
already’
Flair: Republican speaker Boehner overruled the Hastert rule, going against fundamental republican
principles (fscal responsibility by promotng, and consequently passing, a suspension of the debt
ceiling, which allowed the government to borrow more, in order to fx economic issues.
Point 2 - Small Government - Federalism:
Republicans believe in federalism and deference to the states under the 10th amendment
EX: Obamacare was a partsan vote in which no House Republicans voted in favour of it following Senate
amendments → It was opposed as the federal govt having too much power over states requiring
citzens to pay a tax
Gun Rights - Republicans are heavily infuenced by big fnancial backing of NRA → they believe that gun
laws should defer to states + federal government shouldn’t intervene → they oppose all gun control
laws as seen in the 2012 party platorm, opposing federal interventon + promotng the decisions in SC
decision (DC V. Heller / McDonald V. Chicago)
Flair → Republicans don’t always defer to states and their value of ‘federalism’ is questoned → hey
were regularly in-favour of federal interference in states with medical marijuana laws → these bills have
failed in the house 6 tmes since 2003.
Point 3 - Hawkish Foreign Policy/ Increasing Defence Spending
George w. Bush was very much an advocate of the US having a strong foreign policy
EX: Bush had extensive support of his party for the ‘Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution of 2002’,
EX: 215 (96.4%) of 223 Republican Representatives voted for the resolution.
EX: 1 (2%) of 49 Republican senators voted against the resolution
Flair: This sheer support can be claimed to have been a result of the 9/11 bombings rather than a genuine
ideological backing of intervention in the Middle East.
Flair 2: Moreover, it can be claimed that the government were mislead into believing that Saddam Hussein
was trying to revive programmes to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Point 4 - Unsympathetc to Alternatve Lifestyle:
Republican Party Platorm states their oppositon to LGBT rights, Ethnic Minority rights + Women’s
rights → largely a result of traditonal/religious values.
EX: LGBT → DOMA → voted overwhelmingly in favour of defning marriage between a man + a woman,
not recognising same-sex marriage
EX: LGBT → Ronald Reagan appointed Chair of Secretary of Defence 1981 → they implemented a policy
which excluded homosexuals from military service + discharged many homosexuals already in the
service.
Minority Rights - Voter ID laws were implemented in 12 Republican states to curb the ascendance of
minorites and youth voters to the polls.
Flair: It can be claimed that the ID laws were implemented as a campaign strategy by Republicans
rather than an actual oppositon to minority rights
Point 1 - Fiscal Conservatsm
Low tax, mostly enforced by the tea party with ‘taxed enough already’
EX: The $1.6 trillion Bush tax cuts were fscal conservatsm at work.
Balanced budgets
EX: ‘taxpayer protectoo ppeege’, promoted by Governor Norquist, was an ant-tax pledge, which 95%
of all Republican congressional candidate and incumbents, and all but one republican nominee
candidate signed in 2012.
EX: In successive years the Republican Party has adopted the ‘Paup Ryao buegets’ which are extensively
fscal conservatve budgets
Flair: low tax is more so supported in the republican party due to the tea party with ‘taxed enough
already’
Flair: Republican speaker Boehner overruled the Hastert rule, going against fundamental republican
principles (fscal responsibility by promotng, and consequently passing, a suspension of the debt
ceiling, which allowed the government to borrow more, in order to fx economic issues.
Point 2 - Small Government - Federalism:
Republicans believe in federalism and deference to the states under the 10th amendment
EX: Obamacare was a partsan vote in which no House Republicans voted in favour of it following Senate
amendments → It was opposed as the federal govt having too much power over states requiring
citzens to pay a tax
Gun Rights - Republicans are heavily infuenced by big fnancial backing of NRA → they believe that gun
laws should defer to states + federal government shouldn’t intervene → they oppose all gun control
laws as seen in the 2012 party platorm, opposing federal interventon + promotng the decisions in SC
decision (DC V. Heller / McDonald V. Chicago)
Flair → Republicans don’t always defer to states and their value of ‘federalism’ is questoned → hey
were regularly in-favour of federal interference in states with medical marijuana laws → these bills have
failed in the house 6 tmes since 2003.
Point 3 - Hawkish Foreign Policy/ Increasing Defence Spending
George w. Bush was very much an advocate of the US having a strong foreign policy
EX: Bush had extensive support of his party for the ‘Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution of 2002’,
EX: 215 (96.4%) of 223 Republican Representatives voted for the resolution.
EX: 1 (2%) of 49 Republican senators voted against the resolution
Flair: This sheer support can be claimed to have been a result of the 9/11 bombings rather than a genuine
ideological backing of intervention in the Middle East.
Flair 2: Moreover, it can be claimed that the government were mislead into believing that Saddam Hussein
was trying to revive programmes to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Point 4 - Unsympathetc to Alternatve Lifestyle:
Republican Party Platorm states their oppositon to LGBT rights, Ethnic Minority rights + Women’s
rights → largely a result of traditonal/religious values.
EX: LGBT → DOMA → voted overwhelmingly in favour of defning marriage between a man + a woman,
not recognising same-sex marriage
EX: LGBT → Ronald Reagan appointed Chair of Secretary of Defence 1981 → they implemented a policy
which excluded homosexuals from military service + discharged many homosexuals already in the
service.
Minority Rights - Voter ID laws were implemented in 12 Republican states to curb the ascendance of
minorites and youth voters to the polls.
Flair: It can be claimed that the ID laws were implemented as a campaign strategy by Republicans
rather than an actual oppositon to minority rights
