1. Benedict Gombocz

2. 
Major parties
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Democratic Party (left-wing)
Republican Party (right-wing)
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Major ideologies
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Liberalism
Conservatism

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President: Barack Obama (D-IL)
Vice President: Joe Biden (D-DE)
Speaker of the House: John Boehner (R-OH)
Chief Justice: John Roberts (R-IN)
Senate Majority Leader: Harry Reid (D-NV)
Senate Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

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Liberalism: belief in the value of social and political change in order to achieve progress; favors
abandoning old ideas in favor of new ones
Conservatism: a political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society
and opposing radical changes; favors preserving old ways and minimizing change

5. 
Democratic Party:
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Traces its roots back to Democratic-Republican party;
founded in 1828 (see slide 7) and is oldest political party in
the world.
There have been 15 Democratic presidents; first was
Andrew Jackson (7th president, 1829-1837) and most recent
is the current president, Barack Obama, who has served
since 2009.
Has sponsored a socially liberal and progressive platform
since the 1930s.
Had a dominant conservative wing based in rural South
until the late 20th century, but it has all but vanished.
Today, its Congressional caucus is made up of progressives,
liberals, and centrists.
Currently claims a minority of seats in the House of
Representatives and a majority of seats in the United States
Senate, as well as a minority of state governorships and
control of a minority of state legislatures as of the 113th
Congress, following the 2012 elections.
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Republican Party:
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Also collectively known as the GOP (for Grand Old Party).
Founded by anti-slavery advocates in 1854; ruled politics nationally
for most of the 72-year period from 1860-1932.
There have been 18 Republican presidents; first was Abraham
Lincoln (16th president, 1861-1865) and most recent having been
George W. Bush (43rd president, 2001-2009).
Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney was most recent
Republican presidential candidate.
Currently sponsors a platform centered around American
conservatism, in contrast to the Democratic Party, whose
members advocate more liberal policies.
American conservatism of Republican Party is not entirely centered
on dismissing political ideology of liberalism as some ideals of
American conservatism are based on classical liberalism.
Instead, conservatism of Republican Party is principally based
upon its support of traditional standards against modern liberalism
of Democratic Party that is viewed as American liberalism in
modern American political discourse.
Currently claims a majority of seats in United States House of
Representatives and a minority of seats in United States Senate in
113th Congress elected in 2012.
Also currently has a majority of governorships as well as majority of
state legislatures.

6. 
Republican presidents:
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1. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
2. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
3. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)
4. James A. Garfield (1881)
5. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)
6. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
7. William McKinley (1897-1901)
8. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
9. William Howard Taft (1909-1913)
10. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
11. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
12. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
13. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
14. Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
15. Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
16. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
17. George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
18. George W. Bush (2001-2009)
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Democratic presidents:
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1. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
2. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
3. James K. Polk (1845-1849)
4. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
5. James Buchanan (1857-1861)
6. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)
7. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889; 1893-1897)
8. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
9. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
10. Harry S Truman (1945-1953)
11. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
12. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
13. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
14. Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
15. Barack Obama (2009-present)

7. 
Democratic Party
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Liberal
Favor minimum wages and progressive taxation, i.e., higher
tax rates for higher income brackets
Favor decreased military spending
Support gay marriage (some Democrats oppose)
Abortion should not be outlawed; support Roe v. Wage
(some Democrats oppose)
Oppose death penalty
Believe in community and social responsibility
Traditionally strong in: Northeast (see slide 9)
Symbol: Donkey
Color: Blue
Founded in: 1828 (modern), 1792 (historical)
Website: www.democrats.org
Senate Leader: Harry Reid (D-NV)
Chairperson: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Famous presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt,
William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge,
Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon,
Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George
W. Bush
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Republican Party
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Conservative
Favor lower taxes for everyone (especially wealthy) and
believe salaries should be set by free market
Favor increasing military spending
Oppose gay marriage (some Republicans support)
Abortion should be outlawed; oppose Roe v. Wade (some
Republicans support)
Support death penalty
Believe in individual rights and justice
Traditionally strong in: Southeast (see slide 9)
Symbol: Elephant
Color: Red
Founded in: 1854
Website: www.gop.com
Senate Leader: Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Chairperson: Reince Priebus (R-WI)
Famous presidents: Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B.
Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama

8. 
Gender
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Race/Ethnicity
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Both women and men divided
African Americans generally vote for Democrats
European Americans divided
Hispanic Americans generally vote for Democrats
(excluding Cubans)
Native Americans divided
Socioeconomic levels
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Upper class divided
Middle class divided
Lower class divided

9. 
Democratic Party
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Strong mainly in: Northeast, Pacific Northwest
(excludes Alaska), and part of Midwest
Republican Party
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Strong mainly in: Southeast, Southwest, Rocky
Mountains region, and part of Midwest

10. 
Conservatives
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Favor small government and minimum regulation; believe
most services should be provided by private sector in free
market; believe in accurate understanding of Constitution
Believe government should minimize taxing and spending;
priority should be cutting spending to balance budget;
higher profit earners should spend (credits); duty of people
is charity
Oppose same-sex marriage and abortion and embryonic
stem cell research; support the right to bear arms, capital
punishment, and personal liability as an individual
Believe individuals must exercise personal liability and it is
government’s role to hold them liable, even with harsh
punishments; laws are passed to reflect the best interest of
society as a whole
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Liberals
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Favor maximum regulation and services such as free
universal health care to be provided by government to all
citizens
Believe government should provide more services (such as
health care) to less fortunate and increase taxes if needed;
high-profit earners must pay higher percentage of their
profits as taxes
Support same-sex marriage; abortion should be legal;
support embryonic cell research; support limitations and
regulation around the right to bear arms
Believe people should rely on government to provide
structure; laws are passed to defend each individual for an
equal society, at times at the cost of economic freedom, if
needed

11. 
Democrats
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1980: Jimmy Carter (liberal)
1984: Walter Mondale (liberal)
1988: Michael Dukakis (liberal)
1992: Bill Clinton (liberal)
1996: Bill Clinton (liberal)
2000: Al Gore (liberal)
2004: John Kerry (moderate)
2008: Barack Obama (moderate)
2012: Barack Obama (moderate)
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Republicans
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1980: Ronald Reagan (conservative)
1984: Ronald Reagan (conservative)
1988: George H. W. Bush (moderate)
1992: George H. W. Bush (moderate)
1996: Bob Dole (conservative)
2000: George W. Bush (moderate)
2004: George W. Bush (moderate)
2008: John McCain (moderate)
2012: Mitt Romney (moderate)

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AL: Robert Bentley (R)
AK: Sean Parnell (R)
AZ: Jan Brewer (R)
AR: Mike Beebe (D)
CA: Jerry Brown (D)
CO: John Hickenlooper (D)
CT: Dan Malloy (D)
DE: Jack Markell (D)
FL: Rick Scott (R)
GA: Nathan Deal (R)
HI: Neil Abercrombie (D)
ID: Butch Otter (R)
IL: Pat Quinn (D)
IN: Mike Pence (R)
IA: Terry Branstad (R)
KS: Sam Brownback (R)
KY: Steve Beshear (D)
LA: Bobby Jindal (R)
ME: Paul LePage (R)
MD: Martin O’Malley (D)
MA: Deval Patrick (D)
MI: Rick Snyder (R)
MN: Mark Dayton (D)
MS: Phil Bryant (R)
MO: Jay Nixon (D)
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MT: Steve Bullock (D)
NE: Dave Heineman (R)
NV: Brian Sandoval (R)
NH: Maggie Hassan (D)
NJ: Chris Christie (R)
NM: Susana Martinez (R)
NY: Andrew Cuomo (D)
NC: Pat McCrory (R)
ND: Jack Dalrymple (R)
OH: John Kasich (R)
OK: Mary Fallin (R)
OR: John Kitzhaber (D)
PA: Tom Corbett (R)
RI: Lincoln Chafee (D)
SC: Nikki Haley (R)
SD: Dennis Daugaard (R)
TN: Bill Haslam (R)
TX: Rick Perry (R)
UT: Gary Herbert (R)
VT: Peter Shumlin (D)
VA: Bob McDonnell (R)
WA: Jay Inslee (D)
WV: Earl Ray Tomblin (D)
WI: Scott Walker (R)
WY: Matt Mead (R)