Рolitics of the United States

   Chapter 1. 

1.1 Politics of the United States.

   Political parties. 

   The United States is a presidential, federal republic, in which the President of the United States (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.

   The modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since at least 1856. Several other third parties from time to time achieve relatively minor representation at the national and state levels. 

    Democratic Party. 

   The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. It is one of the world's oldest political parties and boasts the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United States. The party contains the most registered voters of any political organization in the world as of 2004, with 72 million voters. Polls taken over the last decade indicate that roughly 35% of American voters self-identify as Democrats.

   Since the 2006 general elections, the Democratic Party has been the majority party in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Democrats also hold a majority of state governorships and control a majority of state legislatures. Barack Obama, the current President of the United States, is the 15th Democrat to hold the office. 

    Republican Party. 

   The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. The party's platform is generally considered right of center in the U.S. political spectrum.

   The Republican Party has the second most registered voters as of 2004 with 55 million, encompassing roughly one-third of the electorate. Polls over the last two years have found that 20% to 34% of Americans self-identify as Republicans.

   There have been eighteen Republican Presidents, compared to fifteen Democrats. Republicans currently fill a minority of seats in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, hold a minority of state governorships, and control a minority of state legislatures. 
 
 
 
 

    1.2 Major youth political organization. 

    The Young Democrats of America. 

   Studies have shown that younger voters tend to vote mostly for Democratic candidates in recent years. Despite supporting Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, the young have voted in favor of the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since Bill Clinton in 1992, and are more likely to identify as liberals than the general population. In the 2004 presidential election, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry received 54% of the vote from voters of the age group 18-29, while Republican George W. Bush received 45% of the vote from the same age group. In the 2006 midterm elections, the Democrats received 60% of the vote from the same age group. Polls suggest that younger voters tend to be more liberal than the general population and have more liberal views than the public on same-sex marriage and universal healthcare, helping Barack Obama carry 66% of their votes in 2008. The Young Democrats of America are an affiliated organization of members of the party younger than 36 that advocates for youth issues and works for youth voter turnout.

   The Young Democrats of America (YDA), founded in 1932, is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party of the United States, although it severed official ties with the Democratic National Committee following passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and became an independent 527 group. The group's membership consists of those Democrats under the age of 36 (although two chapters allow members under the age of 40), and its political activities tend to concentrate on increasing the voter turnout of young Democrats and affecting the issues impacting that demographic group. It tends to be somewhat more focused on political activism than the party at large. 

About YDA. 

   The Young Democrats of America (YDA) is the largest youth-led, national, partisan political organization. YDA mobilizes young people under the age of 36 to participate in the electoral process, influences the ideals of the Democratic Party, and develops the skills of the youth generation to serve as leaders at the local and national level.

   YDA has chartered chapters in 46 states and U.S. territories with over 1,500 local chapters. Our 150,000+ members – including middle school, high school and college students as well as young workers, young professionals and young families – reflects the broad diversity of our nation and the Democratic Party. Our programs engage Young Democrats through their local county, college, or high school chapters, through state and regional programming, and nationally through events like our national convention and issue advocacy work.

   The Young Democrats of America has been the official youth arm of the Democratic Party since 1932. Since 2002, YDA has operated independently of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as a nonfederal 527 political organization.

   YDA’s campaigns and programs are aimed at building a sustainable youth movement. Through trainings, hands-on campaign experience, and leadership opportunities, YDA provides the infrastructure for young people to engage in partisan civic participation and prepares the youth generation to serve as leaders at the local, state, and national level. 

   YDA’s goal is to build a permanent bloc of young Democratic voters. Our tested field model identifies young voters, engages them in peer-to-peer communication and education, and then uses traditional and innovative methods to turn out the vote. 

   During the 2004 election, YDA housed a groundbreaking coordinated campaign called the Young Voter Alliance. For the first time in electoral politics, activist, social justice, cultural, and traditional party organizations came together to create a strategic voter contact program aimed at young people. Independent analysis of the 2004 Alliance program found that we reached voters traditional campaigns did not, adding an extra 5-12% to Democratic turnout in targeted precincts. In 2005 and 2006, YDA further tested and honed our model with effective peer-to-peer voter mobilization programs in 7 states. Initial analysis again points to an increase in young voter turnout and Democratic victories as a result of our peer-to-peer campaigns; the full analysis will be completed by late summer.

   Paid canvasses are the emphasis of our field model, coupled with non-traditional voter identification and outreach through “street teams” – targeting young people where they live, work, go to school, and hangout. YDA’s unique field program targets registered voters under 36 years old who are not registered Republicans, even if they have never voter before. We target high youth-density areas (where voters under the age of 36 make up at least 25% of the voting age population) in targeted local, state, and federal races.

   Our campaigns also employ new media, particularly SMS text messaging and interactions on social networking websites, and we will further experiment with these outreach techniques in 2007 and 2008.

   All campaign staff and volunteers go through a field training program, and trainings for our members are a major element of all of YDA’s national, state, and local activities. Additionally, YDA also supports the locally focused volunteer campaign activities of our 1,500+ chapters all across the country.

   Peer-to-peer campaigns not only help us build a youth voting bloc and get out the vote for elections, but are also an organizing tool for growing our membership and activist base. Using chapter leaders and members as paid and volunteer organizers on campaigns allows us to build long-lasting relationships with voters for the future while cultivating additional members. Interrelated, reinforcing campaign and chapter building activities lead to a truly sustainable organization for the Young Democrats and a stronger young voter movement.¹ 
 

   State-based and local organizing are the cornerstones of our efforts to build a permanent bloc of young Democratic voters. As a result, YDA has evolved our campaign model into a year-round effort to grow and sustain our chapter network with direct financial support and staff assistance. Dubbed the State Partnership Program, YDA has created a matching grant  
program to assist state and local chapters with everything from hiring full-time Executive Directors to running voter contact programs to organizing trainings to developing websites.

   The premise is simple: states submit a plan and we provide up to 67% of the funding for their programming, staff, and campaigns. Working with their local chapters to foster cooperation and buy-in, state presidents submit a detailed program based action plan and budget for their organization. The YDA staff reviews all applications based on pre-set criteria and makes recommendations to a committee of national and regional YDA representatives for final approval. This process helps hold states to a high standard, as they know their application and progress will be reviewed by their peers.

   Once approved, states enter into a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with YDA regarding the specifics of their program, financial obligations, and timeline. YDA funds State Partnership Programs with matching grants: up to a 67% match for paid campaign activities; 50% for state Executive Directors; 50% for chapter building activities, trainings, and issue advocacy work; and 33% for volunteer-led campaign activities. States must raise a portion of their budget from local donors before YDA will approve the MOU.

   To date, 15 states have been approved for State Partnership Programs. Five states have year-round, full-time Executive Directors in place (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania) and we expect Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia to add staff in the coming months. Additional campaign staff will also be hired in states with targeted elections in 2007, including Kentucky and Virginia.

   While we continue to perfect the model, the State Partnership Program is an ideal framework for YDA’s large membership and locally-driven programs. State Partnerships foster relationships between local and state leaders as well as with state chapters and the national staff. YDA is improving our application process for 2008 to allow for more emphasis on national targets.² 

   The Young Republicans. 
 

   The Young Republicans is an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization and chapters in individual states.

   Young Republican Clubs are both social and political in nature. Many of them sponsor various social events and networking events for members. In addition, Young Republican Clubs assist Republican political candidates and causes. There are many examples of Young Republicans seeking and winning elective office.

   The oldest Young Republican club in the country is the New York Young Republican Club, Inc. in New York City.

   The Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) has limited control over its State Federations. A few states, including Montana, act as both a state & local chapter, while a majority of states, including Texas & California, grant strong autonomy to individual clubs. Some Federations include a Regional Chair to handle issues of clubs in the same city or plan larger events in a particular part of the state.

   State Federations elect a Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, National Committee Man & National Committee Woman. Depending on the state, Vice-Chair, Immediate Past Chair, or other Directors are also elected to form the Executive Committee.

   Voting rights at State Meetings are giving to each member of the Executive Committee, as well as Regional Chairs and Club Presidents. The State Chair, National Committee Man, and National Committee Women serve on the National Governing Board and elect U.S. Regional Directors, a National Chair, Co-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, assistants, and others.

   Most clubs are allowed to form after having a small group of active members, those who pay club dues and are under 41 years of age, and by having the club pay a fee to its state governing body on an annual basis.

   Presently, the National Federation does not collect dues from either its State Federations or its club members, raising money only through attendance at national events and from private donations. The YRNF is technically not associated with the Republican Party. The YRNF owns the trademark to the term "Young Republican" and the YRNF logo.

   On June 3, 2006, the Florida Federation of Young Republicans officially adopted "Florida Federation of Young Professional Republicans" as an alternative name for promotions in a move to target Republicans who are beyond their mid-twenties. It is the first state federation to adopt such a name change.

   At the Montana Republican State Convention in June 2006, the Montana Young Republicans changed their name to the Montana Republican Young Professionals. 

   About YRs. 

   The Young Republicans (YRs) are the oldest political youth organization in the United States. Important to the growth of the Republican Party, the YRs reach out to registered Republicans, 18 to 40 years of age, and provide them with better political knowledge and understanding of the issues of the day.

   The first organized effort of the YRs began in New York City in 1859; three years after the Republican Party selected its first presidential candidate. A year later, the YRs played a critical role in helping elect Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President in American history.

   It was not until 1931 that the YRs were organized nationally. West Point graduate George H. Olmsted began to attract the attention of the leaders of the national Republican Party, and he was invited to meet with President Herbert Hoover at the White House. President Hoover, so impressed with his visit with Olmsted, asked the young man to head the Young Republican division of the Republican Party, which Olmsted did. In 1935, the Young Republican division officially became the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF), and the YRNF elected Olmsted as the organization's first president.

   Since its creation, the YRNF has established itself as the premier Republican grassroots organization in the nation, providing essential grassroots support for Republican candidates and conservative issues on the local, state and national levels.

   The YRNF has a solid record of producing future Republican Party leaders - including Governors, Senators, Congressmen, nationally recognized campaign consultants, and community leaders.

   Through recruiting, training and mobilizing people, the YRNF presents an opportunity for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Through community involvement in political issues, charitable projects and participation in political campaigns, YRs work to improve the world in which we live.

   While the YRs are best known for political activism and service to our communities, YR events also provide a great opportunity for interaction amongst membership. This interaction allows for the exchange of ideas, networking, and friendships that will last a lifetime.

   The YRs provide different opportunities for different people. No matter what your long-term goals may be, the YRs serve as the building blocks for a successful future.³