Do Democrats and Republicans argue because they are more different or argue because they are more the same?

Answer 1

They argue because either one or the other is in power and in charge of the country.

Answer 2

I believe both parties contain a strong group of professional operatives who are more dedicated to beating the opposition than to improving the country. The thinking degenerates toward an attitude resembling that of sports-team fans.

I have nothing against vociferous and partisan fans of sports teams, as long as they refrain from violence. That's good fun, when limited to sports, but it's not a very good way to conduct politics or government. It leads to ridiculous notions like the idea that there's any value to having voted for the winner of an election. (Personally, the votes I have regretted the most have been for winners who made me sorry after they got into office!)

Some of you may not be old enough to remember, as I do, a time when both the major parties had liberal and conservative branches, and often the contention between those branches went on behind the scenes. Things worked better because the most overheated, polarizing rhetoric often wasn't as public.

But despite the parties having become polarized into effectively Liberal and Conservative parties (which still leaves a great deal of room for philosophical divisions, especially in the GOP), their behavior seems to be far more oriented toward public carping for the sake of carping.

Actually, I find it more annoying when it's done by the leaders of my own party than when it's done by the opponents, partly because I think it leads a great many voters to decide these people are not worth supporting. The state party chairs here in Minnesota tend to feel it's their job to grab for headlines with overblown junk accusations, and I frequently hear from DFL activists (that's Democratic-Farmer-Labor; we don't have a plain "Democratic" party here) that they are embarrassed by the DFL chair.

If you're so annoying you bother your own supporters that much, maybe it's time to dial it back. But the chair doesn't seem to understand that.

Answer 3

Just listen to the Republican debates and the Democratic debates - it sounds like they are from two different planets. The biggest concerns of one group aren't even mentioned by the other group and vice versa. The crowds cheer to totally different comments.

I know that the actual policies voted on tend to be towards the middle but the major sentiments of the parties are very different.

Answer 4

Here on YA it is just a game of T*t for Tat political banter.

Many of the questions are asked by Mideastern terrorists posing as Republicans

Answer 5

very simple-they want to WIN. They are not the same and, one can only hope, engage in compromise and progress when the cameras are turned off.
We haven't seen much of the "compromise and progress" attitude from either party lately. Hope for a new day.

Answer 6

More the same.
They both have differening views on how to fix an issue, without being willing to look at how their own view can be tweaked to eliminate its problems.
Why? because it usually takes an opposing view to actually see the problems in any proposal.

Answer 7

Easy one... the difference is night and day.

Liberals are emotional, conspiratorial and rely on consensus "science". Conservatives are logical, fact-based and rely on hard science.

Answer 8

they argue because they are BOTH worng in their own special, unique way. *VOTE LIBERTARIAN!*