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GITELSON CHAPTER 6: MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES & MINOR/THIRD PARTIES

Pages 23-26; 200; 270-280; 283-286, 288F, 291F, 295, 299-300

[www.calvoter.org/cvf/parties.html or www.co.la.ca.us/rovelec/scripts/facts.html or www.lagop.org/voterin.html]

California has eight official political parties. You can select one of them

or register decline to state / non-partisan and be known as an independent G 158-159

Two major parties in the U.S.: 1. Democrats / Democratic Party (D) G 156-158, G 160F

2. Republicans / Republican Party (R ) (GOP) G 157-158 and 160F

Six minor parties in California: 3. American Independent Party (AIP) G 168

4. Peace and Freedom Party (PF)

5. Libertarian Party (L) G 154, G 171

6. Natural Law Party (NL)

7. Green Party (G) G 168, G 171

8. Reform Party (Rfm) G 168 center, G 169F, G 171

Democratic Party (D): Originated with the Anti-Federalists and Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans (Republicans). Name later changed to Democrat [pp. 270-274; 299-300, summary; 807, center--sec. B, D, E].

(Majority party in number of registered voters since Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal)

(Minority party in number of seats in Congress since 1994 [see pp. 200, top, 275F, 283F] )

National: www.democrats.org

State: www.ca-democratic-party.org

Republican Party /GOP (R): founded shortly before Civil War ; first presidential candidates were John

Fremont and Abraham Lincoln [pp. 270-274; 299-300, summary; 807, center--sections. C, D, E].

(Majority party in number of seats in Congress since 1994 [see pp. 200, top, 275 F, 283F, S 32, S71, S117, S144]

(Minority party in number of registered voters since Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal)

National: www.rnc.org

State: www.cagop.org

County: www.lagop.org

American Independent Party(AIP) / Taxpayers Party: founded for the 1968 election by its first presidential nominee, George Wallace, S31, S125, to end the Vietnam war. Opposes abortion. Affiliated at the national level with the Constitution Party, founded in 1992 [pp. 284; 286F; 291F; 292, top; 300, top].

National: www.aipca.org/

State: www.aipca.org/

Peace and Freedom Party (PF): founded for the l968 election by people active in the farmworker, civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements. Nominated Benjamin Spock, author of Baby and Child Care, for vice president in 1972 and for president in 1976

[pp. 284; 292, top ].

State: www.peaceandfreedom.org/

County: www.sonic.net/~emcfarla/pfpage.html

Libertarian Party (L): founded for the 1972 election to advocate individual freedom and liberties through the elimination of most laws and government powers. Would eliminate federal taxes and tariffs. Nominated financial analyst Harry Browne for president in 1996

[pp. 284, bottom-285; 286F, 291F].

National: www.lp.org

State: www.ca.lp.org

Natural Law Party (NL): Founded for the 1992 election to apply the principles of the meditation techniques of the Marharishi Mahesh Yogi to solve social problems [pp. 284 ; 300, top].

National: www.natural-law.org

State: www.natural-law.org/states/california/california.html

Green Party (G): Part of a global environmental and social justice movement founded in 1990 in California. In 1996 its first U.S. presidential nominee was consumer advocate Ralph Nader, author of Unsafe at Any Speed. He was renominated in 2000 [pp. 23-26, top; 284; 300].

National: www.greens.org/usa (also http://www.gpusa.org)

State: www.greens.org/california

Reform Party (Rfm): The 1992 independent presidential candidacy of Ross Perot calling for deficit reduction and other reforms led to the founding of the Reform Party which nominated him for president In 2000 former Republican Pat Buchanan was its nominee.

in 1996 [pp. 12F; 284; 286F; 291F; 300; top].

National: www.reformparty.org

State: california.reformparty.org

2/19/01