Introduction
California is one of the most populous states in the United States and due to this fact it plays a very critical role in major elections especially presidential bids. The state had the most number of representatives in the year 2000 with 52 of them and also in 2004 when it had 54 members. Currently, there are seven official political parties recognized by the electoral commission in that state. These political parties include the following; democratic, Green, Peace and Freedom, American Independents, Libertarian, Republican, and Natural law parties.
The behavior of Political Parties at State Level
California joined the United States union in the year 1851, the time when Democrats also structured the state Democratic Party. This party did not last for long and soon split into two factions; the pro-North and pro-south wings. William Gwin who was also a senator by the time led the southern faction while Broderick David from San Francisco headed the Northern wing. Broderick won the senator seat in 1857, only to be killed two years later (Baldassare 22). This unexpected and vicious factionalism resulted in to shift of voters to the new Republican Party in 1860. Abraham benefitted from this incidence by scooping the four electoral votes from the state. Gwin soon fled the country to take cover in Mexico. Republican Party was inspired by a belief that managing the states was a public concern or was to be a “people’s issue”.
Basically, the republic idea of having elected leaders with qualified credentials govern the qualified voters was a way of tackling democrats who held a belief in the majority rules. However, it’s pertinent to note that these two are not opposites. Due to the idea of having few elite individuals rule the people, the republic has been termed the conservative ruler by the affluent and powerful. On the other hand, the Democratic Party has been closely associated with democracy philosophy (Wright and Schaffner 39). Democrats care about the social welfare, rights of the minority groups, the underprivileged and the suppressed. Due to the rivalry of trying to create a decisive meaning and ideal governance, democrats and republicans have grown to become the most principal parties in the US Polity. This hence depicts the rest as side players.
Libertarians believe that every individual has to enjoy his or her freedom and exercise his/her responsibility as a citizen of the United States. The party does not care about whoever is in power so long as every individual is given freedom as a person (Baldassare 22). So regardless of whether the government is by the people or some few qualified persons, libertarians would demand that for instance, there is no pornography, fines on prostitution, pro-choice and no sodomy. The government is hence a guide to what the people do and not a structured way of protecting or ordering them (Gerston and Christensen 28). Libertarian idea of governance needs a very knowledgeable and compassionate population.
Republican has also had its own fair share of obstacles having split into liberal splinter group and the conservative splinter group. Hiram Johnson, a Republican candidate was elected governor of the state after a tactful Lincoln – Roosevelt campaign to champion reforms in 1910 (Baldassare 23). Despite the split, both liberals and conservatives were able to control the statehouse uninterrupted for 22 years since 1917 causing democrats’ fortunes to sink very low. The third parties in the state of California have had some remarkable success since the “I know Nothing Initiative” in 1855. The notable incidence was the nomination of a presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt from the Progressive Party and his Running Mate Hiram Johnson. This combination was able to defeat the dominant political parties Democratic and Republicans in the state votes (Gerston and Christensen 28).
Democrats enjoy a very strong voter registration history yet were able to win in California only three presidential elections in 48 years from 1948 to 1992. Richard Nixon won electoral votes three times with George Murphy winning in 1964, Ronal Regan in 1966 and 1970 as a governor and a presidential candidate again in 1980 and 1984. Democrats came to win later on in 1996 when Bill Clinton clinched 51% of the electorate (Wright and Schaffner 371).
As far as state politics are concerned, it’s evident that the state of California has been very critical particularly in determining the presidential candidate and ultimate president of the union. In the case of the 2000 elections, California was dominated by democrats. This is because the state contributed 52 of the electoral college votes needed to secure the bid to the white house. Currently, the state contributes 55 votes out of the 270, which is above 20 percent. The state was very vital in 2000 for fundraising as well. It’s estimated that Kerry – Edwards’s campaign was able to raise over 20 percent of their finances from California (Lawrence 29). This was way over any largest amount afforded from any other state. Bush – Cheney trial on the other hand managed to raise 13 percent from that state which was second to contributions from Bush’s backyard Texas. The state is expected to remain loyal to the Democratic Party since most Latinos and some whites had to a great extent solidified their control within national and state governmental entrustment of the party. California voted in favor of democrats in 2008 and is expected to do the same in 2012 (Lawrence 29)
Involvement by Parties in Local Politics
Local politics in californium are a bit complex. The state has suffered what has come to be christened as the constitutional crisis by other competitors. Problems faced include ratification procedure by Supreme Court in which Rose Bird was ousted; the recall of Governor gray in 2003; tax revolt and passing the term limits for elected officials in californium (Lawrence 29). The US’s most populous state has had stiff competition turning it into a two-horse race between democrats and republicans after a very long period of domination by republicans from the 1950s until the elections in 1992. The only exception was again the victory of Jimmy carter in 1964.
Apart from the above problems, the state also faces divisive issues mostly water rights which culminates in wars over water in California. The state lacks a very rainfall season hence water is limited. Though the canals, dams and pipelines are well networked, they heavily rely on mountain runoffs. Most water is found in the north while the south is the one more populated. In this regard, ballot propositions concerning the promotion of peripheral canals have not succeeded. The land is another critical political issue causing divisiveness (Gerston and Christensen 28). Most landowners influence the prices of their investments and determine what to do with the property. Local politics are therefore prone to end up in crises over local school boards and other land-use policies. Sites for Construction of jails, a new airport and even dumpsites cannot be cited.
Besides the land and water politics, gang problems are very prevalent in the region. This is because gun control has not been managed well (Wright and Schaffner 369). The laws restrict gun possession but do not ban the sale of semi-automatic weaponry. The party politics are therefore not very practical in the region since they do not want to risk losing supporters (Lawrence 29). David. However, these parties have provided clear party platforms. American Independents support the enactment of constitutional amendments that would mandate all government departments to protect human rights. The party supports equal labor for equal compensation and also fair treatment with regard to property control and ownership. The party addresses the AIDS concern in the region as a public health concern calling on the state government to revise its expenditure rather than treat the issue as a civil rights matter (Gerston and Christensen 28). The party totally opposes experimenting educational systems on innocent and unsuspecting children especially through sex and sensitivity education.
Since it’s perceived that most of the gang activities in Californian have a lot to do with the hate crime ideology, Democrats have set up an initiative to lobby against hate crimes. Through this, the party is seeking to safeguard all persons. This initiative has been expanded to include more FBI involvement so that indiscriminate justice can be applied to people regardless of sexual orientations, race, or even disability (Gerston and Christensen 31). Concerning child education, Democratic Party is very vibrant in its participation and support of the “No child left behind” plan. This plan has seen even more Latinos get enrolled in school. Parties lobbyists in the regions are very confident with the plan since they believe that when children attained the highest level of education, it would translate to a future success that will benefit the entire community and nation at large (Lawrence 30). Concerning the state’s stance on gay marriage, the democrats have indicated that every human being has a right to equal opportunity, respect, privacy and dignified treatment despite his/her sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians should not be discriminated against on these grounds.
The green party supports indiscriminate freedom to get married and all the benefits thereof. The party is against government discriminatory ban based on gender or sexual orientation. The party has greatly supported child rights and the right to health care for everyone. Libertarian, Natural and Peace and Freedom parties support equal sex, education and healthcare rights
Conclusion
This paper has focused on the major political parties’ behavior in California and how the state is a key item of the US. At personal levels, many residents have been consistent and have recently favored Democratic Party. As a state, the influence of the region is increasing at a very fast rate in terms of funding and voters.
Works Cited
Baldassare, Mark. California- The New Millennium. California: University of California Press, 2002. Print.
Gerston, Larry and Christensen, Terry. California Politics and Government. A Realistic Approach. (2008). Stamford, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning Publishers
Lawrence, David. California: The Politics of Diversity.6th ed. (2009). Stamford, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning Publishers.
Wright, Gerald and Schaffner, Brian. The Influence of Party: Evidence from the State Legislatures. American Political Science Review 96.3 (2002):367-379.