Republican Or Democrat....What's the Difference?

[keita]

On another thread:

Sept 19, 2008 12:16:35 GMT -5 Nikkol said:

I think that maybe a discussion on the beliefs of the Democratic party vs. the Republican party really need to be discussed becaused ppl are Rep. for more than just "abortion and marriage"....just like ppl are Dem for more than just because that's what black ppl are.......

Sept 19, 2008 12:24:41 GMT -5 And Such Were Some Of You said:

Indeed!

Sept 19, 2008 13:53:45 GMT -5 keita said:

Good point, my sisters!

People affiliate with one, the other, or no political party for various and sundry reasons, including the "because that's what my family's always been" and the issue-centric variety.

But in my experience, few actually know the stated positions or full platform of the parties they support.

So I agree that such a discussion of the differences (and similarities ) between the Republican and Democratic parties would be fruitful.

And while we're at it, perhaps we will also take a look at the difference between a "republic" (which is what most U.S. citizens "pledge allegiance" to) and a "democracy" (which is what most would maintain that the U.S. is). That's just another interesting... and, imho, related comparison.

To get us started, I highly recommend the website

ON THE ISSUES[/color]

because it shows EXACTLY what each party "believes", on each issue.

These are the latest official platforms, or published definitive views, of both the Democratic & Republican parties. You can't get much more accurate than from the parties themselves.

[keita]

DEMOCRATIC PARTY


Abortion
Pursue embryonic stem cell research.
Support right to choose even if mother cannot pay.

Budget & Economy
Cut the deficit in half over the next four years.

Civil Rights
Strengthen some parts of Patriot Act and change other parts.
Support affirmative action to redress discrimination.
Racial and religious profiling is wrong.
Keep marriage at state level; no federal gay marriage ban.

Corporations
Tax credits and investment support for small business.
Transparency in corporate accounting.
End corporate welfare as we know.

Crime
Crack down on gangs and drugs.

Drugs
Bring to justice those bringing drugs to America.

Education
Support lifelong learning and Distance Learning.
Bush broke promise of NCLB by not funding it.
Standardized tests to advance learning, not bureaucracy.
Charter schools OK, vouchers not.

Energy & Oil
Energy independence to avoid dealing with repressive regimes.
Develop renewable energy and efficient vehicles.
We cannot drill our way to energy independence.

Environment
Reject choice of healthy economy vs. healthy environment.
Honor hunting & fishing heritage via more conservation lands.

Families & Children
Family is the center of American life.

Foreign Policy
Bush bullies when he should instead persuade.
US leadership in Africa for economic & humanitarian goals.
Commit to "One China" policy but support Taiwan.
Asia: Enhance relations with Japan, S.Korea, India, Pakistan.
Community of the Americas for US-Latin American relations.
End Castro regime, but allow travel.
Russia: work on nukes, human rights, and democracy.

Free Trade
Knock down barriers to free, fair and balanced trade.
Review all trade agreements; investigate China rights abuses.

Government Reform
Line-item veto to root out pork-barrel spending.
Ensure accessible, independently auditable, accurate voting.

Gun Control
Reauthorize assault weapons ban, close gun show loophole.

Health Care
Bush's Medicare Rx program helps companies more than seniors.
Expand coverage and cut healthcare costs.

Homeland Security
We respect and honor our veterans.
3 challenges: War on Terror; WMDs, stable world democracy.
Reform intelligence community internationally and locally.
Safeguard nuclear material and stop creating new material.
Add 40,000 new soldiers and keep military all-volunteer.
Focus on cargo containers and border security.

Immigration
Path for undocumented aliens to earn citizenship.

Jobs
A strong America begins with good jobs that support families.
Change tax system to not encourage shipping jobs overseas.

Principles & Values
New vision for America: strong at home, respected abroad.

Social Security
Bar practice of keeping retirement funds in company stock.
Oppose privatization and oppose raising retirement age.

Tax Reform
Cut taxes for middle class, not the wealthy.

Technology
Put science ahead of ideology in research and policymaking.
Vigorous federal highway and transit initiatives.

War & Peace
"Name and shame" terrorist sponsors, tough on Saudi Arabia.
Focus on Afghanistan to avoid renewing terrorist haven.
Focus on preventing terrorism by education in Muslim world.
Need a plan to "win the peace" in Iraq.
Internationalize Iraqi military and political presence.
Committed to Israel but support Palestinian state.

Welfare & Poverty
Raise EITC & minimum wage to $7 & expand middle class.

[keita]

REPUBLICAN PARTY


Abortion
Promote adoption & abstinence, not abortion clinic referrals.
Human Life Amendment to the Constitution.

Civil Rights
Affirmative Access, without preferences or set-asides.
States should not recognize gay marriage from other states.
Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage.
The Patriot Act is used to track terrorist activity.
Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.
Support the advancement of women in the military.

Crime
Support the death penalty.
Best way to deter crime is to enforce existing laws.

Drugs
Jail time and school drug testing deters drug use.

Education
Promote school choice and home-schooling.
Support voluntary student-initiated prayer in school.

Energy & Oil
No Kyoto, no mandatory carbon emissions controls.

Environment
Private property ownership key to environmental agenda.
Cap-and-trade market-based air pollution reductions.

Families & Children
Families are the cornerstone of our culture.

Foreign Policy
Nations that support terrorism are just as guilty.
A global coalition has broken al Qaeda cells.
The Pakistan government working with US to fight terror.
Saudi Arabia has joined the War on Terror.
Iraq is now becoming an example of reform.
Libya's munitions have been destroyed.
Iraqi government has gained broad international support.
Pursue a comprehensive strategy against WMD proliferation.
Applaud the success in mobilizing international cooperation.
The Broader Middle East Initiative spreads democracy.
Provide new strategies to help poor nations.
Objectives of assistance and the strategies must change.

Government Reform
Stop activist judges from banning Pledge & Ten Commandments.

Gun Control
Open more public land to hunting.
No frivolous gun lawsuits, no gun licensing.

Health Care
Government-run universal health care leads to inefficiencies.
Ethical research yes; embryo cells no; cloning no.
ABC for AIDS: Abstinence, Be faithful, Change behavior.
No assisted suicide.

Homeland Security
Bush has kept the charge to protect our country.
Bush has implemented biodefense measures.
Bush and Congress have been careful to protect liberties.
Keep our homeland safe by taking action on multiple fronts.
Keep our homeland safe by taking action on multiple fronts.
Establish minimum safety requirements at chemical plants.
Greatly increase the federal bioterrorism budget.
Recapitalize and enlarge the Coast Guard's fleet.
Break down the wall between intelligence and law
enforcement.
Support to create a National Intelligence Director position.
Establish a National Counterterrorism Center.
Provided Arm Forces better pay, treatment, and training.
Cover all basic housing costs for average service members.
Increased funding for VA health care.
Equip our nation to fight 21st Century adversaries.
Provide $10 billion to defend from ballistic missiles.

Immigration
Only legal immigrants, through tightly controlled borders.
Amnesty encourages illegal immigration.
Use biometric data to better track foreign travelers.

Principles & Values
We saw the spirit of courage and optimism on 9/11.

Technology
Support do-not-call and do-not-email lists.

War & Peace
Terrorists seek weapons of mass destruction to kill us.
Shrink the space in which the terrorists can operate.
Total and complete destruction of terrorism is needed.
Afghanistan is liberated and the American people are safer.
Saddam had capability to reconstitute his weapons programs.

Welfare & Poverty
Faith-based welfare grants equal with secular groups.
Move more welfare recipients off the welfare rolls.

[Nikkol]

Didn't know which post to put this on but I decided to put it HERE

I thought it gave some difference between the two.

[keita]

Good stuff, sis nikkol!

I thought this response (from the "best answer") was especially important and relevant:

"In terms of a pure definition, a Republican is simply a follower of the Republican Party of the United States, and a Democrat is a follower of the Democratic Party. There are no absolutes about what that means in terms of the individual or their beliefs, just as there are many diverse thoughts within each party about economics, social programs, international politics, criminal justice, etc. In general, Republicans tend to be more conservative in all these areas, and Democrats more liberal, but the middle ground shared by the two parties is substantial.

My own opinion is that anyone who votes or accepts the party line without thinking for themselves is the worst kind of fool."

[anointedteacher]

My own opinion is that anyone who votes or accepts the party line without thinking for themselves is the worst kind of fool."

This part also stands out... many of us vote according to party and not according to the individual condidate's abilties or knowledge on major polical issues.

The question I want to asked;

What are the qualification to be the President of United States America?

Education
*College ground and major
*Speical Studies

Experiences
*Accmplishments