The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the Democrats and Republicans. The outline consists of the basic fundamental school of thoughts of both parties, followed by details on the differing the views of both parties on specific issues pertaining to governmental issues, the running of the country, social matters, foreign policy, and taxation and salary.
The school of thought of a Republican is the idea of restricted government influence and a domineering foreign policy. Conversely, a Democrat is viewed as an advocate of a greater range of US social services then Republicans. Democrats are regarded as being on the left of the political spectrum, and Republicans on the right. Normally, Republicans are seen as conservative (both socially and fiscally), anti-bureaucracy, and pro-business. They regard big governments as uneconomical and an hindrance towards achieving things. Generally speaking, the Republicans who are on the far right, are viewed as: pro-personal responsibility, pro-business, pro-military, anti-bureaucracy, and pro-religion. By contrast, the extreme democrats and liberals are on the far left of the political spectrum.
One of the main variations between Republicans and Democrats is regarding the role of government. Republicans support a government which is small, that is to say, the amount of people that the government employs should be limited, and the functions and duties of government should be streamlined. When compared to Republicans, Democrats are regarded as having a more liberal perspective. The latter are inclined to support a proactive position for government within society as they feel it can ameliorate people’s life quality and help attain equality and opportunity. On the other hand, Republicans support a restricted governmental role within society, and have the perspective that the private sector (individual and businesses) can be relied upon, and that if the government does not impose powerful regulations then economic productivity can be highly successful, and their ideals of self-reliance and freedom can be attained (Diffen, n.d).
When it comes to individuals and the community, Democrats hold more importance towards the goals of community and social responsibility and equality, whereas the philosophy of Republicans is more for individual responsibilities, rights and freedoms. In the case of the military, Democrats support lower rises in financial support and are relatively more unwilling to utilize military power against Middle Eastern countries. By contrast, Republicans are in favor of escalating military financial support and have a tougher stance against Middle Eastern countries. They are also more liable to support a military option to deal with any conflicts (Diffen, n.d).
On the subject of gun control laws, Republicans are staunch advocates of the “right to bear arms” in the Second Amendment, and support citizens’ rights to have concealed weapons. Democrats on the other hand, support greater laws on gun control, and are against citizens in public areas having concealed weapons. In the case of abortion, a number of Republicans are against abortion and the contraception mandate which forces employers to pay for plans for health insurance which covers contraception, whereas Democrats back women’s rights to abortion and legal abortions. On the issue of gay rights, Republicans feel that the act of marriage should be restricted to the union of a woman and a man, therefore, they do not back gay marriage or the adoption of children by gay couples. Conversely, Democrats generally support gay couples equal rights, that is to say, the right to marry and child adoption. On the death penalty issue, the Democratic Party have a far higher percentage of opponents. Regarding taxes, Republicans are in favor of tax cuts for both the poor and the rich. They regard elevated tax rates on the wealthy as a type of battle against the upper classes. Democrats on the other hand, are in favor of taxes that are progressive: that is to say, they would like individuals with a high income to pay a higher rate of tax. They back the idea of elevated taxes on the rich which can be used to fund public programs. On the Minimum Wage debate, Republicans are against elevating it as it is bad for businesses, whereas Democrats are for raising it in order to assist workers (Diffen, n.d).
- Diffen (n.d). Democrat vs Republican (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican
