Democrats and Republicans: What is the difference?

Today I am focusing on the differences between Democrats and Republicans. This is a very basic topic but an important one to understand. I have known for a while that I do not really know and understand the differences between these two parties. The only differences I can think of right now, are from my Communication Law class. We defined a Liberal person to be someone who was more concerned about protecting individual rights and liberal justices. They were usually more willing to recognize new constitutional rights not explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights and to increase access to government information. Conservatives justices tend to favor states rights over central government regulations and to support individual property rights. They also tend to interpret constitutional rights more narrowly than liberals. Granted these are more geared toward communication but I believe they touch on the basics of liberals and conservatives.

Regardless, I began researching the World Wide Web for the answers. I finally came across this website that laid everything out neatly and to the point. I have to say I was relieved when I found this website because the only definitions coming up were on Wikipedia and even though most things on that website are legit, it still is not considered a reliable source.

Here is the website: http://www.balancedpolitics.org/ideology.htm

This website first touches on what is a liberal and conservative. A liberal was "someone who advocated change, new philosophies, and new ideas." A conservative person was "someone who avoided change, instead preferring to stick to the tried and true." A democrat follows a liberal view and republicans follow a conservative view.

The website then shares all the different topics that are debated between the two groups. I'll state the more common ones:

1. Mexican Border Fence
2. Abortion
3. Immigration
4. Same-Sex Marriage
5. Health Care

Some I have never heard of include (Also including their definition and most definitions come from website):

1. Affirmative Action : generally means giving preferential treatment to minorities in admission to universities or employment in government and business
   
2. ANWR Drilling: Debate whether or not to drill for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge
   
3. Kyoto Treaty: A treaty that sets a target for countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
   
4. Three Strikes Law: A person who is convicted of three felonies is given mandatory 25-to-life sentence
   
5. Malpractice Lawsuits: When a patient sues a doctor for malpractice, he or she may recover monetary damages for lost wages, medical bills, and pain & suffering. There was a proposal putting a cap of $250,000 on the pain/suffering and punitive portions of theses damages.

Not everyone who considers themselves liberal/conservative agrees with all of these ideologies however. People have their own opinions on what's better than others. People who believe everything is right and needs to be done are extremists. People who agree with some and not others are thought to be more moderate.


Other differences between democrats and republicans can be seen throughout history with the different presidents elected. The major democratic president that set the ideals for democrats is Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR set up the New Deal after the Great Depression. FDR's main goal for "New Deal" was to help everyone who was affected by the depression. This urge to help people, led to the creation of Social Security and Welfare at this time. FDR used the government to directly help the American people. Democrats have kept this focus to help the American people throughout history and want the government to continue programs that help middle and lower class people.
The major republican president that set the ideals for republicans was Ronald Reagan. Reagan's main focus was to get the American people to rely less on the government. He wanted the people to make their own decisions independent of the government. This independence became helpful for businesses, because Reagan was able to deregulate businesses, which allowed them to make their own decisions on how they felt their business should be run. Also during his presidency, Reagan cut taxes in hopes to better stimulate economic growth (which it did) and he helped prevent unions from going on strike. Reagan's presidency has shown the republican's ideals well by cutting taxes and deregulating businesses. Republicans have continued to urge less government involvement in business and American lives.

So to sum everything up, Liberals/Democrats have the best interest of the American people in mind. They believe the government should work hard to help everyone who is in need. Conservatives/Republicans believe the government should stay out of the decision process for businesses and that people should be in charge of helping themselves. One thing is certain however, the number one goal for both parties is that they want to make America a great country. They just have different ideas on what makes America great and want to make it a great country through different methods. It's good to have competing ideas and opinions. Our country wouldn't be great without difference in opinions. This constant competition allows us to keep everyone on their toes so that they can create a better form of both ideas. I think life would be boring if we lived off one ideal.

Please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear everyone's opinions!

I received some information from the following website(s):
http://www.balancedpolitics.org/ideology.htm
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php