American Culture amp Society Elective USW ESL Department Autumn 2013 Contents Political parties and elections Democrats and Republicans Politics left wing and right wing The 2012 elections ID: 511532
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Slide1
Politics in the USA
American Culture & Society Elective
USW ESL Department, Autumn 2013Slide2
Contents
Political parties and elections
Democrats and Republicans
Politics: left wing and right wing
The 2012 elections
The importance of US politics
QuestionsSlide3
Political Parties and Elections
The United States has a 2-Party Government system
Every 4 years, the 2 main parties choose one person to run for President
There are other parties, called 3
rd
parties
These include the Green Party, the Tea Party, and The Libertarian Party
However, the expense of the campaign make it impossible for them to winSo the battle is always between the Republicans and the DemocratsSlide4
Democrats and Republicans
In the 2012 election the 2 candidates were
Mitt Romney
and
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is a
Democrat
Mitt Romney was a RepublicanSpeaking simply:
Democrats
are
Left-Wing,
Republicans are Right- Wing
But what does that mean?Slide5Slide6Slide7Slide8Slide9Slide10
What was the
difference between the two candidates in the 2012 election?
Obama
wanted to
Extend healthcare to everyone
Raise taxes on the richest people
Lower taxes on the poorest peoplehelp immigrants who came to the country illegallyLimit future immigrationEnd foreign wars (however, he has failed to end the Iraq and Afghanistan wars). He opposes future wars…but what about Syria?Open talks with IranPass laws to limit global warmingSupport gay rights and the right to abortionRomney
wanted to
Limit healthcare to those with insurance
Lower taxes on the richest people
Lower taxes on big business
Make English the official language, and remove incentives for immigrants
Maintain the US military in Iraq (this also helps US business interests)
Treat Iran toughly – possible military action
Support oil and other companies against anti - global warming laws
Limit gay rights and ban abortionSlide11
Why is US politics important to us?
“When America sneezes, we all catch a cold”
American
Domestic
and
Foreign
affairs affect everyone
Domestic affairs like consumer spending and banking problems have had a huge effect in the worldForeign affairs like wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have killed thousands and made the world a different place.In theory, different presidents would have different effects on these affairsHowever, in reality, many believe the choice of president doesn’t matter
The real power lies with corporate and financial groups, who are not elected.
Some people say that there aren’t really 2 different political parties, there are just 2 sides of one party: the business partySlide12
Donations to US Political Parties
Donations for the 2012 election cycle (Source: OpenSecrets.org)Slide13
Questions
Do you feel more Left Wing or Right wing?
If you were American, who would you have voted for?
What are the main political parties in Korea?
Do different political parties in Korea represent Left and Right?
Is voting an important responsibility of a citizen?
Do you vote?
How do you decide how you will vote?What is your opinion of politics/politicians in Korea?