Fundamentals of US Politics

In order to fully understand whats going on in the current world of politics, it is crucial to, first, understand the basics. ESKOP has provided a short summary of the central U.S. government systems that you should know about, and how they work.

3 Branches of Government

Legislative Branch

2 Houses (Bicameral)

The Upper House

AKA the Senate, 100 Senators total, 2 per state
Smaller of the two, more limited on power
Indirect elections - The people vote for the entity who they want to make the vote for a senator

The Lower House

The House of representatives has 435 seats, the number of members per state is based on state population
Direct elections - The people elect through plurality of votes for representatives (AKA majority rules)

Executive Branch

The President

Enforces the laws made by congress
Appoints heads of federal agencies ( EX. the cabinet)
Can accept or veto (reject) laws (But ⅔ of congress is able to override a veto)
General electron is held where the people can choose which president to vote for after candidates have been chosen by national conventions
The electoral college - A form of indirect voting, the majority rules for the state and then the president is picked based on the number of states in support of them.

The Cabinet

Consists of 15 officials appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate;
They deal with day-to-day affairs with less lengthy process then the other branches
Serve as the president's advisory confidants.

Purposes Served

Deals with administration of the federal government; divided into 15 Executive branches, each led by a member of the cabinet

Judicial Branch

Consists of Judges and Courts on Federal, State, and Local levels

Purposes served

This branch solves legal disputes between two parties using knowledge and interpretation of the law
This branch interprets and applies the constitution and the laws made by the other two branches
This branch has the power of judicial review - The ability to change or remove laws if they prove to be incompatible with the constitution

The US uses Common law - The judicial decisions have the right to make new binding laws for future similar cases and reject existing laws made by the other 2 branches, this system gives the judicial branch equal power to the other 2 branches

The Two Parties of politics

Democratic Party

Left leaning
Generally in support of government involvement in the economy
Supports the social safety net (SSN) - Programs under the SSN give assistance to those families and individuals in America struggling financially
Usually in support of government interference in social aspects of the country including but not limited to: medical aid, education, diversity, natural environment preservation, and tax reforms.

Republican Party

Right leaning/Conservatism
Supports economic liberalism - The ideology that supports a market economy with individual companies pursuing their own interests with very little government interference - pro-business and pro-capitalism
Strong support of the Laissez-faire ideology - The idea that the government should not interfere with capitalism and private owned businesses