What is the difference between Republicans and Democrats?
Some people will tell you that it is much more complicated than this and recently I had one of my boy scouts want to know which party to join since he can now vote and he is now out of scouts. We spent time together and it ended up that he decided to join a different party that I belong to. As of late with all the extremists on both sides and even those in the middle who normally seem fairly reasonable not being what they claim to be it is hard to really say what the difference is but here are a few notes about the issue. I was impressed when I went to the Democrat Conventions because everyone seemed so nice although nice does not always indicate what is best politically. The Republican convention seemed to have more people expressing contention toward others. It was strange since the Democrats know they could not win certain races so the people that were running as Democrats for several of the positions were not qualified enough but they were running just to fill the spot. Recently I spoke with an activist and he told me that he took a more extreme position because if he does not do this then he cannot expect the other side to move more toward the middle to a reasonable position.
Republicans typically are known as being conservative
Democrats are typically known as being liberal
Republicans being conservative as far as financially not wanting to spend what we don't have, conservative as far as sticking with the way it has been rather than going to something newer and possibly better.
Democrats being liberal or coming up with a more progressive approach and some would say that being liberal means being more open to things such as gay rights or women's rights to have abortions or having sex education in the schools because parents may not be teaching it at home etc....
These definitions have really taken on new meanings in the last several years. To try and define what conservative actually means is harder than just using the dictionary definition. Most people used to think it meant holding on to our traditional family values and striving to not spend more than we had. Some people still think this is the case although many conservatives tend to be Christian and many of those that call themselves Christian end up having hateful attitudes towards groups of people which tends to be against christian principles.
You can take these statements as positive or negative statements. People say I would rather be liberal since their minds seem to be more open rather than closed minded or they are more modern. Others say we are conservative because we stick with family values and traditions.
Some people say Conservatives try to live within the budget and keep costs down and some people say that liberals don't stick to the budgets and overspend but until you really get to know the individuals and what they stand for on all the issues you cannot lump people into one group or the other and call them good or bad because of what party they belong to. I vote and I don't vote just for those in my Party. I vote for the best person for the job. I try to get educated on as much as I can. Many people are too busy and interestingly enough the percentage of those that vote is very low compared to how it should be.
People don't fit into a cookie cutter mold nor to the parties so with that in mind take a look at this and let me know how you feel about it. I tried to back these items up with the platforms the parties use and most of them can be backed by facts and hard statements made by Republicans or Democrats.
Republicans: (Generally speaking not across the board)
1. Pro gun rights - They will tell you that if we take guns away from people the only ones left with guns will be the criminals. Most of them try to be reasonable and encourage background checks and training etc....
2. Pro Capital Punishment - They will tell you that this is a deterrent and if we don't have the death penalty then there will be more murders. They quote the Bible as one reference as to why we should continue this practice.
3. Anti Abortion - They will tell you that no one has the right to take another persons life even if it is the mother of the child and it is her body. Many Republicans are ok with medical abortions done in cases of incest, rape or where the life of the mother is in danger. Issues also tend to split those in different religions because of the different stances the churches take.
4. They are known as being PRO big business and they will tell you that big business creates jobs and that is why taxes for the businesses should be lower so jobs can be created and businesses can grow naturally. The fact that many businesses find loop holes to not pay any taxes is also a factor yet conservatives will point out that increasing taxes for businesses will only make the products cost more so the taxes will be hidden in the cost of the goods and many stores import from other countries rather than buying American made things because of the cost.
5. Republicans typically want smaller Government and less Government involvement in our lives. They are more for personal responsibility saying that if we get a good education we can provide for our families and not live off of the Government.
6. Many Republicans are against Gay Marriage but in favor of equal rights and civil unions. Some of the more extreme Tea Party people are more against gay marriage and some even against some of the rights etc...This is why you cannot lump all the people in one party into one mentality type.
7. Republicans tend to stand for the rule of law on the immigration issue and be more inclined to look for enforcement solutions. Although as of late many republicans have recognized that with over a billion dollars of crops rotting in the fields and US Citizens not wanting to do that work we really have to look at other options.
8. Illegal drugs - Enforcement is the key - put them in prison and put more money into the enforcement agencies
9. Have a strong Military and keep it strong so other countries will know they can't walk on us and take our freedoms. If we are strong this is a deterrent to others. Some people will point out that certain businesses make money from the WAR Machine saying that when we go to war many big businesses make money and therefore republicans are pro-war although this is not across the board either.
10. Republicans have also put education as a priority but the military seems to sometimes be a priority over education. They don't argue that education is not important but they just prioritize it differently saying we will not have an educational system if we don't keep our country free.
These are just a few issues so looking at these you also need to understand that there is a FAR left and a FAR right and in my opinion too far in either direction is too far. The Tea Party Republicans tend to say they are PRO CONSTITUTION yet as a whole they don't seem reasonable or realistic. Ideas such as doing away with the IRS or the Social Security system are not reasonable ideas and they won't happen . When a Senator or Congressman or woman wins an election they have to be able to go back to Washington and Play nice with others, meaning get along with their own party and the other party. If they can't do this then not much will get accomplished. You have to be willing to bend a bit back and forth and try and be reasonable and still try to do what your constituents want.
Democrats
1. Gun Control - There will be less murders, less accidental deaths if we have more laws and restrict people carrying guns. They will tell you the police are here to protect you and the law should be enforced only by the police. When the police cannot respond quick enough their solution is to raise the taxes of the rich and hire more police so the response would be faster rather than having untrained people taking the law in their own hands or even as a possible deterrent.
2. Against the Death Penalty - They will tell you there is no proof that Capital punishment is a deterrent and that by killing someone we are becoming worse or just as bad as they are. They can also use the bible to support their position.
3. Pro Choice - They will tell you that no one knows when the baby becomes a living person. They will tell you that if we did not have safe medical abortions available that young girls would have them done secretly in basements with hangers where they would end up getting more infections and there would be many more deaths of these girls. They are saying they are not really Pro Abortion but more Pro Choice so people can make their own decisions especially since the woman should have say over what happens to her own body. The extremists that bomb abortion clinics tend not to help their cause but actually hurt it.
4. Democrats are known for raising taxes and creating programs for the poor. This is a noble effort. Throughout our country we have socialistic programs such as a community fire department, hospitals, police, roads, traffic signals and the list goes on. Now however getting free healthcare at hospitals is less common since the first thing they get from you many times before treatment is your billing information.
5. Democrats normally want larger Government with more agencies in order to take care of everyone's problems and help the people. This is not always the case but they tend to want more oversight and this requires more agencies.
6. Democrats seem more friendly toward the idea of Gay Marriage combined with equal rights.
7. Democrats seem to be more compassionate toward undocumented people wanting to find a way to help those that don't have criminal records stay with their families and eventually become US Citizens by paying back taxes, fines etc...Interestingly enough President Obama has deported more people during his time than most republican presidents. Obama stated he felt he could get more from congress if he was harder on enforcement but the promises he made on immigration have not been kept so many Hispanics are upset with him but most likely not upset enough to vote for a Republican.
8. Democrats will tell you they are for the individual rights and they fight for the LITTLE guy. They point out that the other party is not going to fight for the little guy but for big business.
8A. Illegal Drugs - Many Democrats want to legalize many drugs and they will tell you that if the drugs were legal like beer that the Gov could tax them and control their potency and this would put gangs and drug runners out of business. This is not an idea that all Democrats have so you need to learn more about their party platform from them.
9. The Military does not seem as high of a priority to the Democrats. If we can all just learn to get along no one needs weapons. I know that is not how all of them feel but it is how many of them feel.
10. Democrats are known for wanting to spend lots of money for educational programs because they say that is our future. The education of our children is our future.
Many mainstream churches seem to use religion as a reason to be either Democrat or Republican. Abortion is one issue that is condemned by many churches. Interestingly enough the Death Penalty is accepted by many churches because of how the Bible refers to it. There are many things in the Bible that are no longer practiced such as stoning women to death that commit adultery. Others will use religion to say you should act like Christ and treat others with dignity with topics such as the Immigration issue. The LDS Church has many members that are involved in Government and they use the Article of Faith that says "They believe in upholding the laws of the land" yet the Church itself sends undocumented people on service missions, allows them to attend their Sacred Temples and calls them to positions of leadership. Then we learn that they do so because being undocumented is only a Civil infraction not a criminal one. Hence the stance of the church. The agruement then will arise that says NO it is a class B misdemeanor to cross the border illegally and that is true (if your caught, if your not caught then Unlawful Presence is only a Civil infraction the same way it is only a Civil infraction if you let your visa expire and don't leave the US)
I welcome your thoughts about the differences between Republicans and Democrats. I really don't fit well in either party. I have some liberal views and other views that are conservative.