THE USA PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTIONS 2016

1. Democrats and Republicans

This comparison examines the differences between the policies and political positions of
the Democratic and Republican parties on major issues such as taxes, the role of
government, entitlements (Social Security, Medicare), gun control, immigration,
healthcare, abortion and gay rights. These two parties dominate America's political
landscape but differ greatly in their philosophies and ideals.
Complete the grid below by looking up the information online. Sometimes the answer is
already given. Sometimes two or more options are given (printed in italics), choose the
correct option(s). Look up the words you dont understand in an online dictionary, for
example: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com.
Philosophy
Economic
Ideas

Social and
human ideas
Stance on
Military
issues

Liberal / Conservative
Left-wing / Right-wing

Liberal / Conservative
Left-wing / Right-wing

Minimum wages and progressive

taxation, i.e., higher tax rates for
higher income brackets. Born out
of anti-federalist ideals but evolved
over time to favour more
government regulation.

Believe taxes shouldn't be increased

for anyone (including the wealthy) and
that wages should be set by the free
market.

Based on community and social

responsibility

Based on individual rights and justice

Decreased spending

Increased spending

While support for the death penalty

is strong among Democrats,

A large majority of Republicans

support the death penalty.

Stance on
Gay Marriage
Stance on
Abortion
Stance on
Death Penalty

opponents of the death penalty are

a substantial fraction of the
Democratic base.
Stance on
Taxes

Progressive (high income earners

should be taxed at a higher rate).
Generally not opposed to raising
taxes to fund government.

Tend to favor a "flat tax" (same tax

rate regardless of income). Generally
opposed to raising taxes.

Government regulations are needed

to protect consumers.

Government regulations hinder free

market capitalism and job growth.

Stance on
Immigration

There is greater overall support in

the Democratic party for a
moratorium on deporting - or
offering a pathway to citizenship to
- certain undocumented
immigrants. e.g. those with no
criminal record, who have lived in
the U.S. for 5+ years.

Republicans are generally against

amnesty for any undocumented
immigrants. They also oppose
President Obama's executive order
that put a moratorium on deporting
certain workers. Republicans also fund
stronger enforcement actions at the
border.

Traditionally
strong in
states

California / Oklahoma / Kansas /

Texas / Massachusetts / New York

California / Oklahoma / Kansas /

Texas / Massachusetts / New York

www.democrats.org

www.gop.com

Franklin Roosevelt (FDR), John F.

Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Woodrow
Wilson, Jimmy Carter, Barack
Obama

Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt,

Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Richard
Nixon

Stance on
Government
Regulation
Healthcare
Policy

Symbol
Colour
Founded in
Website
Famous
Presidents

2. Third parties
Although they do not get a lot of media attention, there are other parties in the USA as
well. The term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in
the United States other than one of the two major parties (Republican Party and
Democratic Party).
Give a few examples of third parties in the USA:

3. 2016 Presidential election: general facts

Complete the grid below.

2016 USA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: GENERAL FACTS

Candidates

Democrat
(+vicepresident)
Republican (+
vice-president)
Other (+party)

Date
Previous president
(+ vice)
Likely winner
according to most
recent nationwide
polls
Most important
other candidates
for nomination as
candidate in
primaries

Democrat

Republican

Campaign slogan

Clinton

Trump

4. Previous presidents
In November, the 45th president of the USA will be elected. Who were the ten previous
ones? Complete the grid.
Term

President

Vice-president

Party
(D/R)

5. Electing the President. How does it work?

Watch the video Electing the US President in plain English. Afterwards recap in your own
words using the screenshots as cues.

popular vote < > individual states

most state-wide votes

more influence > more people

congressional districts based on

population

candidate who wins the voting in a

state
> wins electors

number of electors = number of

districts in a state + number of US
senators = always 2

win the majority of 538 = 270 electors

> become the president-elect

president-elect is sworn in as the

next president

6. Trump or Clinton? Who is who?

a Who Is Donald Trump?
Fill in the gaps with the following formal words. The synonyms in brackets may help you.
platform (policy) revenue (profits) amassed (collected) rhetoric (speeches)
mogul (powerful businessman) real estate (property) disputed (questioned)
vehemently (strongly) unconventional (unusual) pageants (shows)
financially (economically) indulged in (abused) maintain (keep)

Reality TV host and business (1) Donald Trump is first

and foremost a (2) successful business magnate and
investor. His start came as a result of his father, Fred Trump,
who had already (3) a real estate fortune before his
death. Donald Trump has controlled his fathers company
since the 1970s. He has primarily invested in hotel and
casino (4), and filed for business bankruptcy four times.
He is also very well known for naming business holdings
after himself, including buildings, video games, buffets,
magazines, clothing lines, and many others. Trump also
owns a large number of golf courses and beauty (5).
He has stated that his net worth is around $9 billion,
making him the wealthiest candidate in the running,
although Forbes says it is closer to $4 billion. His net worth
has been (6) in the past: a 2005 Deutsche Bank
assessment pegged his worth at around only $800 million at
the time. Although Trump has never held public office, he
has been very outspoken concerning his political views. His
primary (7) focuses on increasing US jobs, and building a
wall along the Mexican border, which Mexico would pay for.
On social issues he is fairly right leaning. After years of
being pro-choice, in 2011 he switched to being pro-life.
Additionally, he is against same-sex marriage. Although he
supported universal healthcare in 2000, he (8) opposes
Obamacare, calling it a trillion-ton weight on the
economy. Despite claiming to have never (9) in any
drugs or alcohol, he supports full drug legalization as a
method of increasing tax (10) for education.

(1)

His foreign policy worldview is largely oil-based, and

believes we are drilling too slowly for what he calls
Americas lifeblood. He is also extremely critical of
Chinas influence in the United States, and has called for a
25% tax on imports in order to (11) US jobs. However,
many of his self-named products are made in China. It
should be clear that as a businessman and a showman,
Trumps politics tend to be (12) influenced rather than
ideological.

(8)

Although Trump has withdrawn from his reality TV show in

order to legally be a candidate, theres no question that he
will continue entertaining viewers with his fiery (13) over
the coming months. Money and politics go hand in hand in
the United States, but billionaires on both sides of the aisle
actually share some common interests.

_____________
(2)

_____________
(3)

_____________
(4)

_____________

(5)

_____________
(6)

_____________
(7)

_____________

_____________
(9)

_____________
(10)

____________

(11)

____________
(12)

____________

(13)

____________

b Who Is Hillary Clinton?

Fill in the gaps with the following formal words. The synonyms in brackets may help you.
appointed (chose) alleged (suspected) significant (important) dodging (avoiding)
despite (in spite of) lapse (gap) withdrawal (pulling out) championed (supported)
prominence (fame) resigned (stepped down) bailout (financial rescue)
assuming (taking) pushed (campaigned) stint (period)

Hillary Clintons recent announcement that shes running

for president surprised nobody, and marked the countdown
to the 2016 election.
Hillary originally rose to (1) as President Bill Clintons
wife, and First Lady of both Arkansas and the White House.
Besides an embarrassing side-role in her husbands (2)
affairs, she played a very active part in the Clinton
administration as an advisor and unofficial diplomat. She
also (3) for healthcare reform, dubbed Hillarycare by
conservatives, and (4) the rights of minority women.

(1)

_____________
(2)

_____________
(3)

_____________

Immediately after her (5) as the First Lady, Hillary won

a seat in the New York Senate in 2000. During her time in
office she supported military action in both Iraq and
Afghanistan, and initially voted in favor of the Patriot Act.
However she also voted against two massive tax cuts, and
ultimately opposed the 2007 troop surge in Iraq, calling for
a slow (6). One of her final acts as Senator was voting for
the 2008 bank (7).

(4)

In 2008, Hillary campaigned to be the Democratic

presidential candidate, but lost out to Barack Obama after a
heated, and financially record breaking run for both. (8)
competition between the two during the campaign,
President Obama (9) Clinton as his Secretary of State for
his first term. She continued to champion womens rights
and gay rights as global issues. She also played a (10)
role in the USs actions during the Arab Spring, as well as
the killing of Osama Bin Laden. However her biggest
challenge was following terror attacks on a US embassy in
Benghazi, Libya that ended in the deaths of four Americans.
Clinton was widely criticized after (11) responsibility for
denying additional security to the embassy before the
attacks.

(6)

In 2012, Hillary (12) as Secretary of State, as she had

been planning to since 2010. For the first time since 1979,
she became a private citizen. Although, that (13) in
service clearly hasnt lasted too long. So far she has already
been criticized in her current campaign for using a private
email address during her time as Secretary of State. But we
know one thing about Hillary Clinton, shes been (14)
public controversy for the past 36 years, and will be no
stranger to the coming fight for the Presidency.

(10)

_____________
(5)

_____________

_____________
(7)

_____________

(8)

_____________
(9)

_____________
____________

(11)

____________
(12)

____________

10

(13)

____________
(14)

____________

11