Democratic Party: Key Ideas & Principles (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

Social and moral issues

• The Democratic Party has consistently adopted more liberal positions on social and moral issues

• Overall, Democratic social policy has shifted from protection of established liberal rights to an active defence against conservative rollback

Hillary Clinton: 2016 election

• Abortion rights were strongly supported

  • Clinton pledged to protect Roe v Wade and expand access to reproductive healthcare, particularly following Republican-led state restrictions

• LGBTQ+ rights were prioritised

  • This included support for same-sex marriage following Obergefell v Hodges (2015)

• Gun control measures

  • These focused on expanding background checks after mass shootings such as the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub attack

Joe Biden: 2020 election

• Abortion access became more central

  • Biden committed to codifying Roe v Wade into federal law in response to conservative Supreme Court appointments

• Racial justice was a key issue

  • Particularly following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, with Democrats supporting police reform and anti-discrimination legislation

• LGBTQ+ protections expanded

  • This included opposition to Trump-era bans on transgender people serving in the military

Joe Biden: 2024 election

• Reproductive rights dominated social policy

  • Especially after Dobbs v Jackson (2022), with Biden campaigning on restoring abortion protections nationwide

• Gun reform efforts continued

  • Building on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022), which expanded background checks

• Transgender rights and anti-discrimination policies featured prominently

  • Democrats opposed state-level restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare

Governmental intervention

• The Democratic Party generally supports a mixed economy with significant government intervention to promote equality and economic stability

• Democratic economic policy has recently become more interventionist, reflecting public demand for government action during unforeseen crises

Government provision of social welfare

• Democrats consistently support an expanded welfare state to reduce inequality and protect vulnerable groups

• Its welfare policy has evolved toward broader provision and federal responsibility

Liberals, moderates and conservatives

• Rather than focussing on the names of specific factions, it is more important to understand the issues that cause division within a party

Factions within the Democratic Party

• The Democratic Party contains several factions with differing ideological priorities

  • These factions create internal tension but also shape Democratic policymaking by forcing compromise between ideological ambition and electoral practicality

1. Progressive Democrats

• Progressive Democrats advocate extensive economic redistribution and social reform

• Key figures include Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have pushed policies such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal

• They argue that government should play a central role in reducing inequality

• While Medicare for All has not passed, progressives successfully influenced the Inflation Reduction Act (2022), securing the largest-ever federal investment in climate change mitigation

2. Moderate Democrats

• Moderate Democrats prioritise pragmatism and electability

• Figures such as Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer represent this faction

• They favour incremental reform to maintain broad electoral appeal

• Their influence is evident in Biden’s rejection of Medicare for All in favour of expanding the Affordable Care Act through a public option proposal

3. Centrist Democrats

• Centrist Democrats emphasise bipartisan cooperation, often representing swing districts

• Senators such as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema significantly shaped policy by opposing parts of Biden’s social spending agenda

  • For example, forcing reductions to Build Back Better and shaping the final Inflation Reduction Act

4. Blue Dog Democrats

• Blue Dog Democrats focus on fiscal restraint and moderation, particularly in conservative-leaning districts

  • Although diminished in size, they have historically influenced budget negotiations and deficit reduction measures

5. Congressional Progressive Caucus

• The Congressional Progressive Caucus acts as an organised bloc, using its voting power to extract concessions

  • In 2021, its members threatened to block the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act unless it was paired with social spending, influencing negotiations over the Build Back Better agenda