The National Electoral Context for the Case Studies
Democrats vs Republicans
Abortion
Affirmative Action
Crime
Environment
Labor vs. Business
School Prayer and other religious issues
September 11
Social Security
Taxes

The National Electoral Context for the Case Studies

Congressional elections do not take place in isolation. Whereas what goes on in the district is clearly important, events taking place outside the district also matter. In this simulation, the national context is set to mirror what is actually happening in the real world. This will affect strategic decisions; for example, when President Clinton was unpopular, Republicans attacked Democratic candidates by linking them to Clinton. Skillful congressional campaigning will involve incorporating the national context.

Because the national context within the simulation will be the same national context happening in the real world, the classroom teacher must adapt this section to current times. Below, I identify three aspects of the national circumstances, and lay out their effects. Regular updates to the simulation web site will address changes in the national context; teachers are also encouraged to discuss with students how what is happening in the larger world may affect the congressional elections in this simulation.

Among the important national issues to consider:

1. The Republicans have a narrow hold on Congress and a president who was elected by a very small margin (if even). This implies that President Bush may have some legitimacy issues to deal with, especially among Democrats and African-Americans (recall the many voting irregularities faced by African-American voters). It suggests a heightened sense of partisanship in the country, and sharp divisions between the two parties.
2. The economy is doing poorly as of this writing. Even before September 11 (see below), the economy was not doing well. This might put the Republicans somewhat on the defensive with regard to economic issues. It might also increase the importance of economic issues to voters and make economy-based appeals even more crucial during the campaign.
3. September 11 happened. Its political effects are probably yet to be seen. As I write this, September 11 has led to a fair bit of consensus among political actors about how to best serve American interests. There has been some difference (details of the airline security bill) but generally little about September 11 is partisan, yet. That may change; when it does, it will affect the strategies each party uses.

To summarize, national factors need to be considered in congressional campaigns. Since these change so often, teachers will need to use the simulation as a teaching tool to help students see the national political mood of the country, and to help students discover how this mood affects congressional voters and elections.

Democrats vs Republicans

The information presented in the each of the cases does not explain all of the issue positions for each of the candidates. Unless otherwise noted, students can assume that candidates hold issue positions common to their political party.(1) Where there are exceptions, these will be spelled out in the text of the case.

This section lays out some of the major differences between the two political parties across a wide range of issues. A brief discussion of each position is included as well. These are general statements of party belief; in the real world, there are exceptions to each of the statements made below.

Moreover, issues that are painted black and white here often are anything but. For example, consider the abortion issue. Most people think of abortion as being a two-sided issue: pro-life or pro-choice. While somewhat useful, this distinction does not capture all the variance in this issue. Most people are not, in fact, strictly pro-life or pro-choice, but favor some sorts of restrictions. Many pro-life people would be willing to legalize abortion in the cases of rape and incest, or if the mother's health was at stake. Many pro-choice people are comfortable with outlawing third-trimester abortions, or requiring minors to get the consent of their parents.

While the dimensions on which the parties differ are numerous, the most basic rules explaining Democrat and Republican differences are as follows: Democrats tend to favor using the power of government to regulate the economy; Republicans favor a more hands-off approach in economic matters. To this end, Democrats tend to favor a larger role for the federal government; Republicans favor placing most government powers at the state level.

Since Democrats are more likely to see intervention by the government in the economy as a good thing and Republicans are more likely to see federal government intervention as a problem, this affects their economic policies greatly. Democrats have traditionally been the party of higher taxes and more government spending while Republicans have favored lower taxes and less government spending.

This general position statement can be extended to other issues fairly easily. For example, what should we do about airport security? Democrats are more likely to favor a larger government role, including making airport security screeners federal employees. Republicans are less likely to favor a larger government role. They would continue to leave airport security in the hands of private companies, although they would put them under federal supervision. Or, consider health insurance. Democrats are more likely to favor a larger federal role, perhaps even including national health insurance. Republicans are unlikely to favor solutions that mean so much federal involvement.

Some specific issues and party tendencies are presented below. Remember that each issue is not as black and white as depicted here; each has shades of gray. Unless otherwise specified, candidates may feel free to move around within gray areas.

1. Abortion. Democrats tend to be pro-choice, Republicans tend to be pro-life. But, there are shades of gray here (see the discussion above).

2. Affirmative action. Democrats tend to favor affirmative action, Republicans tend to oppose it. Again, there are shades of gray. Some Democrats might favor giving preference to minorities when all else is equal, but might oppose quotas (requiring a certain percentage of positions to be given to minorities). Some Republicans might oppose affirmative action in some areas but might be willing to see it used when clear benefits of diversity can be shown. The amount race or gender "counts" might also determine whether a Republican or Democrat finds a particular plan acceptable.

3. Crime. Democrats tend to be more concerned with the root causes of crime. They oppose mandatory minimum sentences and "three strikes" provisions as not allowing judges to take into account the specific circumstances of defendants. They tend to focus more on social programs to minimize the despair potential criminals might feel. Many, but not all, Democrats oppose the death penalty. Republicans tend to be harder on crime, favoring longer sentences, capital punishment, and restrictions on parole.

4. Environment. Democrats tend to favor the classic command-and-control mode of environmental policymaking, creating strict laws to limit environmental pollution and forcing companies to comply. Democrats tend to be very pro-environment. Republicans, on the other hand, take more of a business angle on this issue. They emphasize the economic impact of environmental (and other) regulation, noting how these types of laws cost businesses money. They prefer solutions that are less sweeping and take into account the cost of regulations for business. They also favor more market-based approaches that offer companies tax incentives for complying with environmental standards.

5. Labor vs. Business. Democrats tend to be the party of organized labor, favoring workers' rights. Republicans tend to agree more with business interests than with labor. They would favor restrictions on the rights of some unions to strike.

6. School Prayer and other religious issues. Republicans are closer to what we call the "Religious Right." As such, they are more likely to favor laws restricting abortion, implementing school prayer, hanging the Ten Commandments in schools and courtrooms, etc. Democrats, while not anti-God (nobody wants to be accused of being anti-God), prefer to limit the role of religion in public life. They tend to favor much stronger separation of church and state.

7. September 11. At this writing, it is too soon to assess partisan differences in terms of how the events of September 11 will be dealt with. We know that historically, Republicans tended to favor larger defense budgets and the use of military action as opposed to diplomacy. We also know that Republicans on average tended to be somewhat more isolationist than Democrats; Republicans particularly opposed American involvement as the world's policeman. Finally, on average, Republicans tended to be stronger allies of Israel than did Democrats, although there are many exceptions to this rule.

How does September 11 change things? For now, there has been remarkable consensus on how this new war is being handled, and on the new role the United States has had to assume in the world. Both Democrats and Republicans are talking about spending large amounts of money on military campaigns. Both Republicans and Democrats are talking about engaging in "nation building" in Afghanistan. And, both parties continue to be perplexed by the Middle East.

Differences emerge, particularly as concerns domestic responses to terrorism (see above on airport security). Democrats also have a stronger record on civil liberties; Republicans are more likely to favor wiretap authorization and other such measures. Many of the affairs related to September 11 But, international affairs are now in a state of flux, and, for now, widespread agreement. The coming months and years will determine how long this agreement lasts and what differences might arise to break this new consensus.

8. Social Security. Democrats favor the current system much as it is, although they want to see more protection for the money currently in the Social Security system. Before September 11, George W. Bush had a proposal in place to somewhat privatize the system. This would have allowed people to take part of their Social Security contributions and invest it on their own. This plan has fallen far off the national agenda in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

9. Taxes. Republicans tend to favor lower taxes and Democrats tend to favor higher taxes. For Republicans, who have less ambitious ideas for what the national government should do, there is simply less need to collect tax revenue. For Democrats, who favor a more expansive federal government, taxes are a necessary means to pull this off.

Moreover, each party has a different view on who should pay taxes. Democrats favor a 'Robin Hood' policy - they tax the rich and redistribute income to the poor. Republicans will often concentrate their tax breaks on the rich, arguing that doing so encourages rich people to invest in the economy (such as by using their tax cut to spend money). This spending, some Republicans argue, will lead to a healthier economy. (2)

END NOTES

1. This assumption is employed for two reasons. First, to list all possible issues in each case study and discuss where the candidates stand would lengthen each case study to the point where it would not be useful to the students. Second, in most cases, this assumption is plausible in practice. Relatively few Congress members from each party deviate wildly from the positions listed above. Thus, this section is a reasonable approximation for where candidates stand on issues.

2. For example, when someone buys a car, the car dealer, salesperson, automaker, assembly line worker, etc. all make money. With this money, these people are in better economic shape. Cutting the taxes of a poor person, the Republicans argue, will not have this big a ripple effect on the economy.