Context: Political color schemes in the United States diverge from international norms. Since 2000, red has become associated with the right-wing Republican Party and blue with the left-wing Democratic Party. However, unlike political color schemes of other countries, the parties did not choose those colors; they were used in news coverage of 2000 election results and ensuing legal battle and caught on in popular usage. Prior to the 2000 election the media typically alternated which color represented which party each presidential election cycle. The color scheme happened to get inordinate attention that year, so the cycle was stopped lest it cause confusion the following election.

Question: What is the color red associated with?
Answer: right-wing Republican Party

Question: What political party is the color blue associated with?
Answer: left-wing Democratic Party

Question: Did the political parties choose those colors?
Answer: unlike political color schemes of other countries, the parties did not choose those colors

Question: In what year did the occurrence of using different color schemes for the parties stop?
Answer: 2000

Question: What color was chosen by the Democratic Party before 2000?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: Before 2000 what color did the Republican party choose to be associated with?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: What have international political parties not chosen for themselves since 2000?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: What happened when other countries violated political color scheme norms in 2000?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: What did parties in other countries alternate to avoid confusion in 2000? 
Answer: Unanswerable