http://www.pbs.

org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/

Political Parties

Political Parties are an organized group of people who seek to control a government. In
democratic countries, political parties compete against one another in elections to keep or
gain control of a government. They are active at all levels of government, local, state and
federal.

Political Parties are necessary to democratic government, especially representative

democracies. A representative democracy is when people elect representatives to act as
their agents in making and enforcing laws. Political Parties help to organize elections and
how to select people who will run for political office (like the senate, the House of
Representatives…)

Usually a dictatorship will only allow one political party-the one that controls the
government and they tightly control who can run for election.

Democrat or Republican?

America, in general, has two political parties that control politics. There are other parties
but they rarely have an impact on the government in a direct way. One of the other parties
is the GREEN party and Ralph Nader runs as their choice for President.

Below are a two sets of descriptions. Entirely on your own with no help from friends pick
which column you agree with.

Choice A Choice B
-support the farmers of America --support of immigrants and African
which includes passing legislation that Americans-historically
benefits them --government needs to provide for the
-support the owners of business and people, take care of them
industry (think about what you will want --“big” government, with lots of federal
when you grow up) powers
-government should be “smaller”, it should --government should run things not the
not interfere in a citizens life individual
-less spending --more spending
-less taxes --more taxes
- importance of strong military --diplomacy
Obama Issues McCain

Abortion

Gay Marriage/Gay Rights

National Security
-Iraq
-Iran, role of diplomacy

Gun Laws

Energy
-fuel
Healthcare

Economy
-taxes
-bail out
Immigration

Death Penalty

Education

Social Security

Healthcare
Should the Government… Your Answer

Tax ppl more to provide services for ppl in

need?
To fund the arts, libraries and other social
services
Or should we take away from military
funding to do that?

Interfere in the lives of the individual

citizen?
Focus on diplomacy? Or should we build up
our military instead?

Negotiate and talk with Dictators?

Should we expect more of our citizens to
help out others?
Drill in Alaska and off shore for oil? OR
should it be a combination of oil and funding
research for renewable sources of energy?
Or do we forget oil entirely and focus on
renewable energy? Do we use and promote
ethanol even while it contributes to world
starvation?
Control healthcare and make it universal?

Privatize social security? Or should they

continue to run it?
Leave the middle east right away or should
there be phased pull out, or no plans to pull
out?
Give amnesty to illegal immigrants? Or
should they be deported or fined?
Control the economic market? if yes-all the
time or only during times of crisis? Was the
economic “bail out” fair?

Give more money to schools or allow for

vouchers?

What about abortion, firearms, death penalty? Why are they not in the above chart?