What is the difference between a Republican and a Democrat?

Question

& What's the pupose for the seperation of the two?

Answer 1

Empathy.

Democrats have it and Republicans don't.

That is what I have come to believe.

Answer 2

Not much more than a few social programs. The most prevalent of the social programs are welfare and social security.

When you hear a Republican say the word "reforms" they mean budget cuts. These programs were never on their agenda in the first place. I have come to the conclusion that the Republicans today hate to see money sitting idle in programs like this. Monies like this are called "earmarks". This is what Bush wants to remove when he says earmarks. Education and law enforcement have their earmarked monies too, from the government.
I am one of the old school Republicans that recognize these new Republicans are not good for our country. They have opted for cheap labor over US labor. Corporate profits over the economy of the nation.
With NAFTA and CAFTA in place this is made possible all the more. Sure the increased sales and incomes of these companies will show up in our stock market. But then when you look at the GDP in decline you will see the effect that this has had on our tax bases, putting more strain on the social programs than ever.
Using the Crash of 1929 as a gauge, seeing what the Democrats were able to do with this country, after 1932. It was beneficial for us to have these programs in place in order to increase the general health and welfare of the country.
Talk to the white haired children of this generation, they will tell you what brought us up to a superpower status. If you hear them recalling the old days they are saying something of value.

Answer 3

Democrats have for 75 years been the New Deal party. They profess a social safety net for people who fall through the cracks. But the tax burden put in place to maintain that safety net comes at the direct expense of the private sector's ability to reinvest its own earnings, and there is also a lot of waste and corruption - in other words, they take a dollar from me, give 72 cents to a bureaucracy that employs their campaign worker's brother in law, and a few months later give 28 cents to someone who lost his job at the widget factory or showroom, when I would have spent the dollar on a widget or invested it in the widget company.... It's pretty ingenious actually - it's a self-perpetuating political machine based upon making more people financially dependent upon them. The cost of the handout programs causes more people to need handouts, and so on - it's like a government game of musical chairs with jobs. And it sells: the widget-worker doesn't understand macroeconomics - otherwise he wouldn't be a third-shift widget-worker - and so while he sees the Democrat give him a small handout when he's out of work, he doesn't see the connection between the Republican tax cut and the greater demand for widgets and availability of investment money and he doesn't see that these are what enabled the widget company to add a third shift.

There have been a couple of "New Democrats" whose rhetoric gave some cover to the New Deal Democrats but whose economic votes or policies continued the New Deal roll-back that Reagan started. Bill Clinton is the prime example. He talked the socialist game at union rallies but he expanded free trade agreements, gutted Glass-Steagall, didn't undo Reagan's deregulation of transportation, dramatically cut corporate taxes and reformed welfare. He also got a lot of help from loose monetary policy but even without that help the economy would still have performed well, precisely because Clinton went AGAINST his party's usual economic policies.

The Democrats also target minority groups who feel left out - ironically the same party that tramples the economic rights of the majority champions the personal behavioral rights of some minorities, such as gays.

The Republicans are made up of two camps - one, the people who understand the bad economics of the New Deal Democrats, and two, again ironically, the people who want to limit the social freedoms of some groups, such as gays.

The Libertarians are the only ones who are consistent - they understand the bad economics of the New Deal Democrats and they seek to protect individual rights. They believe the government has no right to tell gays how to have sex or whom to marry AND no right to force me to support people I've never met.

And it doesn't come down to whom you believe on whether the GOP is for the top and the Dems are for the bottom on the economy and who is for the middle. The same Census Bureau data set that shows a smaller middle class shows where the formerly middle class households went - and 92% of them moved UP.

Besides, the bottom, middle and top aren't static at all - almost all of us start out at the bottom. You can argue that young people working in stores aren't the "real" bottom but they make up a large portion of the bottom 20% and if they don't count, that only means that the "real" bottom is about 1/3 the size that the liberals claim it to be.

Answer 4

There are many differences but in general the republicans push for self reliance and personal responsibility. The democrats are for dividing goods and spreading them equally with everyone getting a slice of the pie. I agree more closely with the Reps but don't believe the Dems are evil. I can't afford a democrats views.
The dems do not represent the working class as much as people would have you believe but instead the support the too lazy to work class. I as a working man like to keep what I earn and not give it to social programs for the benefit of the lazy.

Answer 5

The Democratic Party is focused on supporting the rights and needs of the average hard working American.

The Republican Party is focused on supporting the rights and needs of corporations and the richest citizens. And also legislating religious rules of behavior.

Answer 6

party affiliation most of the time distorts the ability of the participants to act without discrimination. its a competition to see who can get the upper hand. there was never meant to be a two pary system within our government. the issues in the dawning of our country truly were black and white, polar opposites directed us to the point where parties can't get over themselves to realize the greater good.

repub are conservative, dems are liberal, both with differing levels of moderation within the two.

i used to be a republican because of my moral convictions. now i'm an independant with conservative values due to the way the republicans handled themselves in the past election. party loyalty is tearing us apart internaly, and we are moving further apart because we cannot find common ground.

Answer 7

Sadly, they seem to be growing more and more alike. Historically, Democrats were more liberal, Republicans more conservative. Dems favored more government regulation, the GOP preferred gov't's hands off. Dems favored the little guy, Republicans favored big business.

Some specific examples to clarify:

D = pro-choice
R = criminalize abortion

D = Congress can't spend money unless they raise it
R = Congress can go into debt to fund programs

D = gay marriage or civil unions
R = no gay marriage or civil unions

D = leave Alaska wilderness alone
R = disrupt ecosystems to drill for oil

D = no subsidies for big oil companies
R = subsidize to encourage new exploration

D = USDA should inspect meat processing plants
R = let plants police themselves

As you can see, there are opposing views as to how best to govern the country, which is why we need multiple parties.

All politicians are loooking for donations to fund their campaigns during the next election. Big Oil, Big Auto, Big Pharma and every other big industry in America contributes - which makes politicians obligated to them. Then when legislation comes up involving one of these donors, the politician is obligated to vote their way. The entire system is corrupt.

Answer 8

Both ideologies are flawed but the Democratic ideology is the basis of the nation.

Republicans, believe that man has to stand on his own two feet irregardless of any extra intrusive situations. The problem with this ideology is that it unfairly let's those born into wealth off the hook of having to do their part to sustain this Republic.

The Democrats believe we are all brothers and what's minds is yours and vice versa. That wouldn't be so bad if opportunistic people did not ruin the concept.

In the end when the country goes through very hard times, it is going to take the sacrifice of each and everyman to save the nation. So the Democratic ideology is more in line with wht has kept the country alive througout history.

Answer 9

The difference I see is the Republicans truly put the good of our country first, while the democrats put their own pet agendas first.

Answer 10

In general, the two parties try to define themselves in the following terms (keep in mind these are broad generalizations):

The Democratic Party tends to lean on government involvement to solve social and political issues. They like to identify themselves with those who believe in the good of the whole.

The Republican Party tends to define itself as the party of "traditional values" and believes in limited government involvement. Individual freedom is emphasized as a method of achieving success.

In practice, there's not really a nickle's worth of difference in the mainstream polticians inhabiting the parties. They all pander to their special interests and would problably sell their own grandmothers into slavery if it meant keeping them in power.

Answer 11

A Republican resigns when caught in a scandal, A democrat is re-elected after a scandal!