Texas Government: Political Parties

QUESTION

Go to http://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz and take the political quiz. When you are finished it will initially show which presidential candidate you most agree with on the issues. We are not interested in the candidate but in the political party so on that results page, click on the “party” tab to see which party you most agree with .

In your post, explain your results:

1. Write a summary of your quiz results: which party (not candidate) did you have the most in common with, and on what percentage of the issues did you agree with that party?  If you identified most with a minor party, also mention which of the two major parties (Republican or Democrat) you most agreed with. Explain your reaction to the results.
2. Using evidence from at least one solid academic source, explain how likely your party is to see electoral success both at the level of Texas government and at the level of the national (US) government in the next election, which occurs in November 2022 (if you most identified with a minor third party, you can assess the electoral chances of the major party you most identified with instead).
3. The results of the quiz are calculated by comparing your answers to the national party platform, which is different from the state party platform. Find a policy proposal – which may come in the form of them promoting a new law, a change to an existing law, the repeal of a law, an executive order, etc. – from the official Texas party platform (which will be posted somewhere on the official state party website) and make an evidence-based argument for or against it (if the party you most identify with does not have a Texas chapter, you may use the state platform of the major party you most agreed with). Use and cite evidence from at least one solid academic source to make your case for or against the party’s policy proposal. I am not looking for an explanation or justification of your opinion or beliefs about the policy proposal, but an evidence-based argument that uses statistics, research studies, case studies, expert analysis or the like from cited, solid academic sources to back up your position. State your position clearly and back it up with evidence.
4. Respond to another student’s post. Choose a student who responded to a different topic/option than you did. Your response should be more than just opinion – you may agree or disagree with their position but you must use and cite solid academic sources to make your case in order to deepen and extend the discussion.

ANSWER

Political Parties

I identified with the Peace and Freedom political party and agreed with 80% of the issues they support. I also identified with the Democratic Party the most of the two major parties, with a 66% vote (My Political Parties, n.d.). My political beliefs lean toward collectivism, progressive, big government, unilateralism, environmentalism, tender, democratic socialism, left-wing, and political correctness. I was surprised by the results because I do not entirely agree with all the mentioned ideologies, specifically political correctness and militarism. I neither support the idea that the government should use whatever force necessary to protect against threats (militarism) nor entirely agree with the political correctness ideologies. I feel political correctness policies curtail individual and academia’s freedom of expression.

The Democratic Party is likely to see electoral success at the national but not state level. According to forecasts, Democrats are slightly ahead of Republicans with a 41% to 40% vote (Pew Research Center, 2022). However, recent polls show that Democrats are likely to lose their narrow majority in the House but might retain control of the Senate (European Parliamentary Research Service, 2022). A republican-controlled House will put a legislative gridlock in various policy areas, forcing President Biden to depend on executive orders for regulatory action. In Texas, the Democratic Party is less likely to see electoral success. The party received 53% unfavorable and only 34% favorable ratings (University of Texas, 2022). These statistics indicate that Republican Party is more likely to retain control in Texas.

A policy proposal by Texas’ Democratic Party relates to allowing critical race theory (CRT) to be taught in schools. I support this proposal because it makes meaningful contributions to social justice in our society. According to Ledesma and Calderón (2015), CRT in education advocates for outcomes that may remedy racial inequalities in our society. CRT also exposes post-racial ideologies and sociohistorical constructs affecting various facets of daily life and educational opportunities across the K-20 pipeline (Ledesma & Calderón, 2015). The authors reveal that CRT will help root our racism even when others deny its existence. In the wake of reverse racism sentiments, CRT will help clarify to both its opponents and proponents what constitutes racism.

References

European Parliamentary Research Service. (2022). The 2022 US mid-term elections Legislation meets politics. European Parliament. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2022/733706/EPRS_BRI(2022)733706_EN.pdf

Ledesma, M. C., & Calderón, D. (2015). Critical race theory in education: A review of past literature and a look to the future. Qualitative Inquiry, 21(3), 206-222.

My Political Parties. (2022, April 30). ISideWith. https://www.isidewith.com/profile/4881127442/parties

Pew Research Center. (2022, October 20). Midterm Voting Intentions Are Divided, Economic Gloom Persists. Pew Research Center – U.S. Politics & Policy. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/10/20/midterm-voting-intentions-are-divided-economic-gloom-persists/

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