The USA : politics and elections A two-party system : Democrats favour social programmes, help the poor Republicans

favour big business, private enterprise Also several minor parties called third parties Primaries/ caucuses: In each party , presidential candidates are designated by party conventions after primary elections. Some states only hold primary elections, primaries, some only hold caucuses, others use a combination of both. Primary elections are run by state and local governments Caucuses ( = comit electoral) are private events run by parties themselves. Usually a primary or caucus is an indirect election; it determines how many delegates each partys national convention will receive for their respective state. These delegates in turn select their presidential nominee at the partys national convention. The electoral college Voters elect an electoral college which then elects the President; in fact voters cast a ballot for a slate of members (= a provisory list of candidates) of the U.S electoral college. Most states establish a winner take all system which means that the ticket that wins a plurality of votes wins all of that states allocated electoral votes. [Maine and Nebraska dont use this method] Each states winning slate of electors then meets at their respective states capital on the first Monday after the first Wednesday in December to cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for President and Vice President. Although Electoral College members can technically vote for anyone under the U.S Constitution, 24 states have laws to punish faithless electors ( who do not cast their electoral vote for the person whom they have pledged to elect) In early January the Total Electoral College Vote count is opened by the sitting Vice President ( who acts in his capacity as President of the Senate) and the count is read aloud in front of The Congress. Important legislation under Barack Obamas presidency:

1.The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009) called the Stimulus Act or the Recovery Act Primary aim: to save and create jobs Secondary objectives: provide temporary relief for those worst hit by the recession; invest in infrastructure, education, health and green energy. 2. The Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act ( 2010) Aims: extend provisions of previous laws and of the Stimulus Act; stimulate the economy ( notably with an extension of the unemployment benefits) 3. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( 2010) The principal Health Care reform legislation: a reform of the private health insurance industry, a reform of public health insurance programs, an increase of insurance coverage, extension of the access to insurance to 30 million Americans. Many states have challenged the constitutionality of this Act. It still faces legal difficulties 4. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) It has brought significant changes to financial regulations in the US. 5. the Dont Ask Dont Tell Repeal Act (2010), It establishes a legal process to end the Dont Ask Dont Tell policy, preventing openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the U.S forces. Other important events: 1.Gradual withdrawal from Irak and increase in troops in Afghanistan. 2.May , 1, 2011: military operation which resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. 3.The United States debt-ceiling crisis in 2011. There was a debate in Congress about increasing the debt ceiling, and a complex deal was reached: the debt ceiling was raised ,and the proposed increases to future government spending were reduced. 4. The Democrats did not fare well in the 2010 midterm elections : they suffered many defeats in national and state elections, as many seats switched to Republican control and Republicans recaptured the majority in the House of Representatives 5. The Tea Party

The fiscally focused and quasi-libertarian Tea Party movement became a vocal force which mobilized voters in 2010 for Republican candidates nationwide. Their name is a reference to the Boston Tea Party , a protest by colonists to a British tax on tea in 1773 . They demonstrated by dumping British tea taken from ships in the harbor. Their aims: favour free enterprise, oppose taxation, reduce government spending , reduce national debt and federal budget deficit. The presidential election in 2012 It will be held on Tuesday , November 6th , 2012; it will be the 57th quadriennal presidential election; presidential electors will elect the President and Vice President of the USA on December 17th, 2012. The incumbent President is running for a second and final term. It will coincide with / the United state elections : ( 1/3 of senators will face reelection; 33 of them) the United States House of Representatives ( it occurs every two years) to elect members for the 113th Congress . Eleven gubernatorial elections Many elections for state legislatures ( = corps lgislatif) too After Super Tuesday, March 6th 2012, the primaries ended. Mitt Romney has won 6 primaries out of 10. Rick Santorum is not far behind. Next Important date: November 6th , 2012: election. The USA: American Constitution A federal republic with power shared between federal governments and state governments The constitution defines its principles: it is written and codified in one document Each citizen knows his political rights and duties and the functions and powers of the state. The Constitution was put in operation in 1789. It has been modified and expanded by 27 amendments. The first amendments constitute the Bill of Rights ( dclaration des droits) (1791) and define: the citizens basic rights, the states basic rights

The constitution is a fundamental law which defines the limits of the sphere of action of the federal government , it assigns the specific duties and responsibilities to the three branches of power So there is a practical separation of the three fundamental powers so that each can check and balance the other two Chart of the three fundamental powers

The legislative power in the states Each state has a Senate and a House of Representatives and the Governor is at the head of the state. Laws vary from one state to another but federal law is above state law The judicial power in the states The Supreme Court is at the head of the system States establish their own laws , prisons, police forces and courts.

Interest groups or lobbies exert direct pressure on lawmakers to influence public policy decisions on special issues. The USA : geography and symbols The USA is made up of fifty states ( including Hawai and Alaska) and US territories in the Caribbean Islands ( Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico) as well as in the Pacific ( Samoa, Guam , Midway, Wake Island) The flag= the Star-Spangled Banner/ the Stars and Stripes/ the Old Glory It is composed of 50 white stars on a blue background and 13 red and white stripes ( corresponding to the thirteen original colonies: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, Rhode Island and Providence plantations) The Great Seal is used to authenticate certain documents and was first used publicly in 1782 The obverse of the seal shows the national coat of arms ( used on official documents , passports, military insignia, flags.. The national coat of arms: a bald eagle with wings outstretched supports the seal ; it holds a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon ( = the 13 original colonies)

and an olive branch in its right talon ( 13 leaves = the 13 original colonies). This shows that the USA has a strong desire for peace but will always be ready for war. The eagle turns its head towards the olive branch ( symbolizes a preference for peace) In its beak it clutches a scroll with the motto E Pluribus Unum Over its head theres a glory with 13 stars on a blue background It holds a shield with the colours of the flag. The reverse of the seal appears on the reverse of one-dollar bills ; it shows an unfinished pyramid consisting of 13 layers ( = the 13 original colonies); theres an eye in the triangle ( the eye of Providence watches over the pyramid), the date is in Roman numerals ( July 4th, 1776 Independence Day); there are two mottos ( Annuit Coeptis = the Providence has approved of our undertakings; Novus Ordo Seclorum = a new order of the ages, freely taken from Virgil)