Major Political Parties

The USA has a two party system. There are two major political parties in the USA. They are Republicans and Democrats. The symbol of the Republican Party is elephant and that of the Democratic Party is Donkey. There are no clear differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. In general, the Republicans tend to be more conservative to have more support among the upper classes, while the Democrats tend to be more liberal and have more support among the working class and the poor. There are other parties beside these two, but these parties do not play a role in a national politics.

Elections

At first, there are two or more candidates for the Republican Party and two or more candidates for the Democratic Party. Each party has a convention to choose one candidate. After the party conventions, the candidates continue to campaign. Then on Election Day US adult citizens vote for a president in a national election. When citizens vote for a President, they are really voting for the state electors (выборщик, член коллегии выборщиков). Every State has electors. The number of electors = the number of senators + the number of representatives in a state. These are the main steps:

• Citizens of a state vote.

• Their votes are counted.

• One candidate has 51% or more of the votes.

• This candidate wins all the electoral votes of the state.

• The electoral votes of all the states are counted.

• The candidate with the most electoral votes becomes a president.

Words and expressions

amendment – поправка законопроекту

to be divided into – быть разделенным

individual citizens – частные граждане

legislative branch – законодательная власть

executive branch – исполнительная власть

judicial branch – юридическая власть

responsibility – ответственность

to abuse power – злоупотреблять властью

to win the Presidency – завоевать президентство

to pass a bill – принять законопроект

to become a law – стать законом

to veto – налагать вето

to ratify – ратифицировать

"Bill of Rights" – билль о правах

legislative bill – законодательный проект (билль)

government interference – вмешательство правительства

to be proud of – гордиться чем-либо

to preside at – председательствовать

to supplant–вытеснить; занять (чьё-л.) место

legislation– законодательство, законы

jurisdiction– юрисдикция, сфера полномочий

to approve of– одобрять ,утверждать

Task 3. Answer the questions.

1. What main principles is the constitution based on?

2. What are the main features of the federal system of government?

3. There is a belief that if any one part of the government has all, or even most powers, it will become a threat to the freedom of individual citizens. How is the belief realized in reality?

4. How many branches is the Government in the United States divided into?

5. How is the legislative branch of the Government called?

3. What branch of the Government has the responsibility to carry out the law?

4. What branch of the Government do the Supreme Court and lower national Courts make up?

5. Why do President and Congress have almost complete political independence from each other?

6. What happens to a legislative bill passed by Congress, if the President vetoes it?

7. What happens to a treaty with a foreign government signed by the President, if Congress refuses to ratify it?

8. What protects individual rights and freedom of citizens from government interference?

9. What major powers does the Constitution assign to each branch of Government?

10. What is the attitude of the Americans to their system?

Task 4. Say whether the statements given below are true or false.

1. The Constitution's Framers (who drafted the United States Constitution) set out to design a government in which no branch of government could become all powerful.

2. The Constitution's Framers divided the powers of government among lawmakers, judges, and a chief executive, and they made it possible for each group to balance and check each other's powers.

3. It is impossible in the American System to have the leader of one political party win the Presidency, while the other major political party wins most of the seats in Congress.

4. The cornerstones of the Constitution include the system of checks and balances, federalism, and individual rights.

Task 5. Complete the sentences.

1. The executive branch, symbolized by the office of the president of the United States, ___ 2. The legislative branch, symbolized by the U.S. Congress, ___ 3. And the judicial branch, symbolized by the Supreme Court, ___

A) enforces the law.

B) makes the laws.

C) interprets these laws and decides whether they are compatible with the Constitution.

Task 6. Electoral Quiz.

1. The President of the US is elected every ____years.

2. Name the two major political parties in the USA and their animal symbols.

3. What is the name of the type of the election in which political party members vote for their favorite among candidates from their own party?

4. What is the name of the political event at which a political party's Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates are determined and the party platform is formalized?

5. Can everyone living in the US vote for the President?

6. In what month are the US Presidential elections held?

7. Does every state have the same number of Electoral College votes?

8. Who becomes President, the winner of the popular vote or the winner of the Electoral College vote?

9. On what date is a new President of the US inaugurated (sworn into office)?

10. How long does a single term of a US president last?