Democrats vs. Republicans 1
Democrats vs. Republicans 1
Comparative Essay: “Republicans vs. Democrats: A quick glimpse of the divide”
Jesse Millstead
Florida Institute of Technology
Abstract
The United States maintains a 2-party political system, while striving for the common goals of a strong United States that is the envy of the world, there is a sharp difference in the policies they believe will achieve those goals. Mainly these differences are highlighted primarily in policies related to foreign relations, religion, social security and defense.
“Republicans vs. Democrats: A quick glimpse of the divide”
Politics in the United States has traditionally been a 2-party system since the adoption of the current constitution. This system can be further divided by the left and right side on the political spectrum; even further divided into political parties currently known as Republicans, on the right, and Democrats, on the left side. These two political parties have many philosophical differences, their viewpoints on major topics such as the economy, separation of church and state, foreign policy, social security and defense.
It helps to know a little about the history of the two parties in order to understand the traditions that form their core beliefs. The Democrats trace their roots to anti-federalist factions during America’s independence from British rule. These factions were organized into the Democrat–Republican in 1792. The Republican party newest major political party in America. Founded in 1854 on anti-slavery platform, the Republican Party rose to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln. Knowing this history helps highlight how party beliefs have constantly flip flopped over the years. Republicans, 100 years ago, where anti-slavery or pro-forma pro-civil rights. However, in the 1950’s and beyond, Democrats are viewed as the party to champion the cause of racial justice.
Over the years, the stances and core beliefs of both the parties have changed multiple times, on various issues. Party representatives themselves came out in the open exclaiming that they don’t support the party’s ideologies on certain issues. Below are several comparative examples of Democratic and Republican ideological beliefs on issues that continue to the forefront of the current political debate.
When it comes to economic policy, republicans believe strongly in the power of a free market system, minimal personal and corporate income tax rates, and less spending from the government. The Republican Party argues for tax rates that are not based on personal wealth and wants the tax rate to be reduced in order to spur the spending power of ordinary citizens. Democrats strongly leverage economic policies that benefit low- and middle-income families. Democrats believe reducing income inequality will spur economic growth and protect low-income families from spending extra money on food, housing and healthcare.
The political viewpoints regarding the separation...
