U.S Political System

Introduction
The political system of the United States is clearly stated in constitution of 1789 after declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a federal system which means the power is divided between the central government and the fifty states. The federal government consists of three branches legislative, Executive and Judicial branch. The legislative branch is composed of the house of representative and the senate. The executive branch consists of the President, cabinet and the federal department. In the judicial branch, there is the Supreme Court in charge of legal issues in general and the federal courts in charge of the legal issues dealing with each state (Manza Brooks, 1999).

How do national elections (for President, Senators and Representatives) differ in the American system compared to Parliamentary systems

The ability to cast vote or suffrage has changed over time. In the early years, voting was taken seriously on state governments and was restricted to men especially the ones who owned land. Unlike parliamentary system where elections of electorate are specific, in America electorate varies from state to state and direct election is allowed.

Today, the U.S citizens are allowed to vote at the age of 18 years irrespective of gender, race or wealth. The president is voted in by everyone in every state, senators are voted in by electorates belonging to the state being represented while the representatives are voted directly but only congressional representatives are not voted among the delegates.

How does the American political culture differ from the political culture in other constitutional democracies

Political culture can be defined as values, practices, ideals and beliefs that are considered important in a political system. American political culture is based on certain ideals that vary from liberation to conservative ideals. Compared to other states, American political culture is based on two proponents, the need for reforms and the status quo as compared to other democracies where the system is governed by one dominant principle, for instance, in Russia or Cuba where communism is dominant than capitalism (Manza Brooks,1999).

Even though the two principles are competing, conservatives have lost their agenda in line with the foreign policy. There is a constitutional decay characterized with scandals, movements and moral deviation among the youths. The centre of political culture is shifting with time for instance, there was no viable candidate among the conservatives, Bill Frist, Rick Santorum and George Allen are no longer active while McCain, Giuliani and Mitt Romney are no more into politics especially after the 2008 presidential election that was a blow to the conservatives. However, there is absence of dominant ideology which may lead to pragmatism in the future.

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