Name some positive attributes of A Repiblican or A Democrat?

Question

My 10 year old is intrested in politics, and has asked "What is the difference between a republican, and a democrat?" He is a very independent, and intelligent child. I would like him to form his own opinons. So I would like to provide him with a broader point of view, and allow him to judge for himself. When I was younger, and asked my father this question. He replied " A Republican belives in hard work, a Democrat belives in handouts." He was a Republican, my mother a Democrat. ( I have explained, and defined the technical answers.)

Answer 1

If you want to provide him with a "broader point of view" why did you limit the choices to Democrats and Republicans? Here's wha tI would tell the kid: Most people want the same things, but some have different priorities. A Green is someone who is willing to work hard for really clean air and water. A Libertarian is someone is who is willing to work hard to let everyone reach their full potential. A Republican is someone who is willing to work hard to catch bad people. A Democrat is someone who is willing to work hard to help the poor. Those are short answers, but hopefully you get the idea. I'd recommend having him read each party's platform.

Answer 2

To be a Democrat (see socialist liberal) you must believe:
Even without knowledge or background you posses all the wisdom of the world.
Dems made cocaine illegal in 1900, alcohol illegal in 1929, marijuana illegal in 1939, just to make citizens into criminals and capitalize (see profit) in the bargain.
They commend U.N. resolutions to act, scream loudly about the dangers when they are in power, and when the U.N. fails to act as they originally wanted…change course when America and allies do exactly what they would have done…If they had the power.
Dems are sanctimonious about the value of human life! But one would wager they consider their own began once the egg was fertilized…for the rest of humanity it could be killed after complete gestation and on the way out! Such compassionate animals!
Trysts in the White House are popularized by democrats, committing perjury, and being the only elected president Impeached for perjury…That too is a democratic thing.
Democratic leaders in the Senate are a murderer and an admitted war criminal, in the House a pedophile that ran an under age male brothel out of his own house.
And this is a vision for a nation?

Answer 3

They are two political parties. True Republicans tend toward conservative viewpoints and agendas, while Democrats work towards liberal goals. But there are many Republicans and many Democrats who don't follow the party line, some being rabid fundamentalists and some being moderates who are more interested in making government function than pursuing political agendas.

So, what does it mean to be a conservative or a liberal. In the Preamble to the Constitution, there are five goals of the US government: "establish Justice, to ensure domestic Tranquility, to provide for the common Defense, to promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty"

Conservatives think the most important are "to ensure domestic Tranquility" (meaning to promote conformity with 'traditional' ways) and to "provide for the Common Defense."

Liberals think it's more important to "promote the general Welfare, and ensure the blessings of Liberty".

Each side of the political spectrum holds different goals as being more important. Both are right, and both are wrong. And both forget that not everything falls into just those two categories.

If I had a child, I'd tell them to read the Constitution, and think about those phrases, and decide which are the most important to them. Then see who is making things work towards those goals.

Answer 4

There are a lot of differences but the bottom line is they are all pretty crooked. J/K just some of them.

Republicans - conservative views, tend to be religious. Believes in smaller government, less taxes, growth in economy through small business and personal responsibilty and growth. Tend to appeal to older people or people who believe that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world and would do anything to keep it that way. Traditionalist, believe the country should be run how the founding fathers intended it to be.

Democrats - naive thoughts about how the world works, tend to believe that everyone no matter what, deserve to be equal, including rapists, murderers and child molestors (believe in higher taxes in order to attain those goals). Believe in government programs to aid the poor and old. Tend to care about environmental issues, stray from religious views. Believe in pro-choice. Same Sex marriage. Tend to appeal to younger people.

Answer 5

To be a Republican you must believe;

* Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you’re a conservative radio host. Then it’s an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

* The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

* Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.

* “Standing Tall for America” means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.

* A woman can’t be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

* Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

* The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans’ benefits and combat pay.

* Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.

* If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won’t have sex.

* A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

* HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at heart.

* Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

* Global warming and tobacco’s link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

* Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush’s daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a “we can’t find Bin Laden” diversion.

* A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

* Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

* The public has a right to know about Hillary’s cattle trades, but George Bush’s driving record is none of our business.

* You support states’ rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have a right to adopt.

* What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the ’80s is irrelevant.

* Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

To be a Democrat you must believe;

Drug addiction is a disease that should be treated with compassion and understanding...unless the addict is a Conservative talk show host.

The United States should be subservient to the United Nations. Our highest authority is not God and the U.S. Constitution, but a collective of tinpot dictators (and their appeasers) and the U.N. charter.

Government should relax drug laws regardless of the potential for abuse, but should pass new and unConstitutional anti-gun laws because of the potential for abuse.

Calls for increased security after a terrorist attack are "political opportunism," but calls for more gun control after a criminal's spree killing is "a logical solution."

It Takes a Village" means everything you want it to mean...except creeping socialist government involvement in the nuclear family.

Disarming innocent, law-abiding citizens helps protect them from evil, lawless terrorists and other thugs.

Slowly killing an unborn innocent by tearing it apart limb from limb is good. Slowly killing an innocent disabled woman by starving her to death is good. Quickly killing terrorists, convicted murderers and rapists is BAD.

Every religion should be respected and promoted in public schools in the name of diversity, so long as that religion isn't Christianity.

The best way to support our troops is to criticize their every move. This will let them know they're thought of often.

Sexual harassment, groping and drug use are degenerate if you're the governor of California, but it's okay if you're the President of the United States.

Sex education should be required so that teens can make informed choices about sex, but gun education should be banned because it will turn those same teens into maniacal mass-murderers.

Minorities are blameless for the hatred of the racist; women are blameless for the hatred of the rapist; but America is entirely at fault for the hatred of Islamofascists.

Poverty is the cause of all terrorism...which is why the leaders of al Qaeda are typically U.S.-educated and were raised in wealth and luxury.

The Patriot Act is a horrific compromise of Constitutional rights, but anti-Second Amendment laws and Franklin Roosevelt's Presidential Order 9066 must be regarded "reasonable precautions."

We should unquestioningly honor the wishes of our age-old allies, even when said allies no longer act like our allies and have vested economic interests in propping up our enemies.

Socialized medicine is the ideal. Nevermind all those people who spend every dime they have to get to the United States so they can receive the care they can't get from their own country.

Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky and Natalie Maines are perfectly qualified to criticize our leadership, but Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlton Heston, and Dennis Miller are just ignorant political hacks.

Bush's toppling the Saddam regime was a "diversion," but Clinton's lobbing a couple of cruise missiles at Iraq in the thick of the Lewinsky sex scandal was "sending a message."

A president who lies under oath is okay, but a president who references sixteen words from an allies' intelligence report should be dragged through the streets naked.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning Second Amendment rights and shopping the courts for judges sympathetic to causes that wouldn't pass in any legislature.

"The People" in the First,fourth, ninth and tenth Amendments means The People; but "the People" in the Second Amendment (ratified in 1791) means the National Guard (created by an Act of Congress in 1903).

Proven draft-dodging is irrelevant, but baseless claims of AWOL status is crucial to national security.

Threatening to boycott Dr. Laura's and Rush Limbaugh's advertisers is exercising Freedom of Speech, but threatening to boycott CBS's "The Reagans" is censorship.

Answer 6

"lucky2bealive", your answer should have been applied to another question on this site...