Difference..?

Question

I am in South Africa and would like to know the difference between Democrats Republicans and what's the fuss all about?

Answer 1

Democrats are, for the most part, for high taxes and extreme government regulation. They believe that the government can solve all of society's problems.
Republicans, generally believe that the less government tne better. Low taxes increase economic activity which in turn helps everybody. They are called conservatives because they tend to be resistant to change. The old saying, "If it works don't fix it", is the choice most Republicans would make.
I hope that helps, I tried not to be 'regional' in my response.

Answer 2

These are just generalizations, but they will get you close to the answer.

Democrats in general are in favor of social programs like welfare, socialize medicine (or at least a government heath program), etc. As a rule, Democrats are not completely against taxes or even tax increases if they feel the money is going to the right places.

On social issues, Democrats tend to be more in favor of personal freedom, freedom of religion, abortion rights, gun control, etc.

Republican's primarily are in favor of the government staying out of personal and business issue unless absolutely necessary. However, I think Republicans can be divided up into social conservatives and fiscal conservatives.

Social conservatives are very much in favor of religion and religious influence on many of societies issues. They are usually in favor of any restrictions on vices (sex, gambling, etc), they are against abortion, gay rights, and many other things. There are varying degrees of social conservatives so not all will share the same opinion on all these issues.

Fiscal conservatives are in favor of minimal taxes and they believe government programs should be kept to a minimum. They are usually against deficit spending (spending money you don't have in the bank), and they usually are slow to fund government programs. There are many people who are fiscally conservative but side with Democrats on social issues.

The reason why it's been such a big deal in recent years is we've had 6 years of a federal government controlled by the Republican party. In that 6 years we had 9/11 (which most don't blame on the government), a very long and costly war which may or may not have been started for the right reasons, we have gone from a major budget surplus to record deficits. Add to that the executive branch which is very socially conservative and has been doing everything it can to limit personal freedoms and to promote a more religious state. Furthermore, after 9/11 the President was given almost limitless power (by a Congress that would rubber stamp almost anything) to do whatever he wanted. In the last year or two people have started questioning whether he has been given - and wielded - too much power and as a result started to infringe on fundamental American rights and values.

Answer 3

Republicans and Democrats are basically oposites of the bipartisan system found in the US.

The Republican Party comprises many informal factions, which often overlap but do not necessarily agree. For example, there are Fiscal Conservatives, Evangelicals, Social Conservatives, Neoconservatives,Libertarians, Moderates, Liberals (sometimes derided as Republican In Name Only, or RINOs, by more conservative Republicans), and Log Cabin Republicans.

The Republican Party is often the more socially conservative and economically libertarian of the two major parties, and has closer ties to both Wall Street (large corporations) and Main Street (locally owned businesses) (small mom & pop businesses) but has little support among labor union leadership but more support from blue collar workers. The party generally supports lower taxes and limited government in some economic areas, while preferring government intervention in others, including government funded abortions.[3] In the 1980s, the Republican Party was more strongly libertarian. In his 1981 inaugural address, Republican President Ronald Reagan summed up his belief in limited government when he said, "In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."[4] Since 1980, the GOP has contained what George Will calls "unresolved tensions between, two flavors of conservatism -- Western and Southern." The Western brand, says Will, "is largely libertarian, holding that pruning big government will allow civil society -- and virtues nourished by it and by the responsibilities of freedom -- to flourish." The Southern variety, however, reflects a religiosity based in evangelical and fundamentalist churches that is less concerned with economics and more with moralistic issues, such as opposition to abortion and homosexuality. Noting the waning influence of libertarian philosophy on contemporary Republican ideology, Will describes the current Republican Party as "increasingly defined by the ascendancy of the religious right."[5]

Since the 1890s, the Democratic Party has favored "liberal" positions. (The term "liberal" in this sense dates from the New Deal era.) The party has favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, and religious and ethnic minorities; it has opposed unregulated business and finance, and favored progressive income taxes. In foreign policy, internationalism (including interventionism) was a dominant theme from 1913 to the mid 1960s. In the 1930s, the party began advocating welfare spending programs targeted at the poor. The party had a pro-business wing, typified by Al Smith, that shrank in the 1930s. The Southern conservative wing shrank in the 1980s. The major influences for liberalism were the labor unions (which peaked in the 1936-1952 era), and the African American wing, which has steadily grown since the 1960s.[5] Since the 1970s, environmentalism has been a major new component.

In recent decades, the party advocates civil liberties, social freedoms, equal rights, equal opportunity, fiscal responsibility, and a free enterprise system tempered by government intervention (what economists call a mixed-economy). The party believes that government should play a role in alleviating poverty and social injustice, even if that means a larger role for government and progressive taxation to pay for social services.

Answer 4

Two main political parties. Both are fairly moderate on the grand scale of politics. Democrats are on the liberal side being generally pro abortion, pro civil rights, pro social programs. Republicans are on the conservative side being generally pro life, pro business, pro small government (though arguably this has changed with the Bush administration), anti tax. You can google either parties websites to get their political platforms which will give you a decent idea of what they both stand for, though it is more complicated and has more layers than what you will find there.

Answer 5

Honestly, they are basically the same thing but US media emphasizes the differenced to sell advertising. Don't worry about it. If people fuss overly about one party or the other they are probably part of a mindless herd.

Answer 6

The difference is in name only. Both parties are reprehensible.