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| Chapter 9: Political Parties |
| What Government Does and Why It Matters |
| Politics1 is a nonpartisan Web site that provides an extensive list of political parties in the United States. For this exercise, visit the below website for one of the following parties: Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens, Peace and Freedom, Natural Law, or Reform.
www.politics1.com/parties.htm |
| 1. Did the site clearly explain the philosophy of the party? Explain its philosophy. |
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| 2. Did the site clearly explain the party’s position on major issues? List the issues and give the party’s position. |
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| 3. If this is a minor party, what was the basis for its separation from the two major parties? Does the minor party have any issues that might be taken over by one of the major parties? Explain. |
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| 4. If this is a major party, does the Web site emphasize middle-of-the-road or more extremist policies? Explain. |
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| 5. Do political parties, in your opinion, want to discuss issues or personalities with the U.S. public? Explain. |
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| 6. Were you surprised by the number of third parties in American politics? What role, if any, have they played in elections? |
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