Why are Republicans and Democrrats so different?
481612
Different principles. One leads towards socialism and the other towards capitalism. Safety verses liberty. Appeasement verses justice. I read a lot of books from both sides and the greatest difference I have seen is pessimism verses optimism. \n\n\n       Just listen to the rhetoric and you can really find the difference. Is the party talking about hope and the opportunities of our future, or are they slinging mud at a particular candidate and attempting to conjure hate against their opponent/opponents. Of course both sides do both, but at their cores one side really seems to be focused on optimism and the other side pessimism. Maybe because our population is divided that way as well. The two parties are different because our population really is divided. I will say this though. Our countries only hope rests in the hands of those who preach hope and not hate. Every leader who has gained power by making you hate his opponent more has always failed as a leader. Those leaders who point to a brighter future and win by  aspiring and pointing to a strategy for our success based on real inner principles always succed in leading people to a better future. \n\n        Set aside party loyalties and really listen to what the candidates talk about. Listen much and look for a consistancy. After hearing the person speak on several different issues you will begin to hear their core principles. If they consistently sling mud, then you know their heart and their values. And never follow the pessimist. \n\nFor a good example of what I'm talking about, see Answerman below. He is basically delievering the same message that he has heard from the politicians and is repeating it, even though none of the things he has said are anywhere close to factual. Only if you put aside an actual knowledge of how the tax cuts worked and a real understanding of the philosophy of the Republican party could you make and believe such statements. To save time, let me simplify this. Don't be that guy who repeats the parties mantra. Don't be another sheep in the herd going "baah, Bush is stupid, baah." or "baah, Republicans hate poor people, baah." or "baah, Democrats hug trees, baah." With just a little education and reading you will find that none of these statements are true and are actually tools that parties use to sway the dumbest of americans to their side. Politicians know that the majority of Americans are uneducated when it comes to politics. So how do they win them over? By simply using the same technics that Coke and McDondalds do. By delievering a simple message with duration X intensity. The party agrees on a very simplistic message and then they repeat it over and over and over until the followers repeat it over and over and over. Disregard that Bush made the same kind of grades as Kerry in college and even better grades then Gore. No, just  go along with the mantra and disregard the facts. Baah. \n\nIf you are going to make a statement about politics, philosophy, or religion, make sure that the statement is your own. Never chant the mantra, because it only shows your true ignorance and is a good sign of a commitment to mental atrophy infront of a television. If you know that you have nothing else to say except the same "baahs" that everyone else in your party is saying, then please do two things. First, stop talking about politics. If you have not read several books on the subject(and this includes history books especially) then you really are not educated and if you speak then you will only make a full of yourself. It would be like me coming to your job and telling you how it should be done even though I only have a slight grasp of how to do it. How would you feel? \n\nSecond, stop voting. When an uneducated person votes they generally vote based on charisma and marketing techniques of the party (like the mass mantra chants to indoctrinate its followers, which happens on both sides sadly). If you know
101042
Contrary to popular belief both republicans and democrats care about this country, and care about its people.  They just have different views on how to best serve the people.  Democrats, in general, want to take care of everything.  They try to help people by creating programs.  They try to fix things.  The problem with this is this:  They often create more problems by getting envolved without really understanding what needs to be done to fix things.  Republicans take the opposite view.  They feel that the people can usually create solutions well enough if left alone.  If there is a need, someone will try to find a way to fill that need.  The problem with this:  Somethings really do need to be fixed.  I look at it as two extremes in parenting strategies.  The democrats are like the over protective parent that never lets the child do anything on their own, and never lets them learn the life lessons they need to.  This attitude in politics often leads to enabling people to stay in the situation they are in, and never want to change.  The republicans are more like the parent that loves their kid, but never really connects.  There is always some distance there.  This is the parent that always says "How do you expect them to learn?"  In families, this ends up with kids that often feel unloved and worthless.  In politics this ends with people feeling hopeless when they truly need help.  Both philosophies have merrit, but both are flawed.  \n\nWhile I am a registered Republican, I see some areas that NEED to be fixed.  Healthcare, for example.  I also see, however, the logic in helping large corporations to get larger.  When a major corporation is not growing it has to have "cut backs" that usually means 1,000s of people lose their jobs.  We always think about the few that are getting really rich, and look at it as evil, but we forget about the hundreds of thousands that have jobs at the corporation, and fail to look at that as good.
850748
Republicans are brainwashed, impulsive, and improvident and always have been. Republicans are the little political babies and democrats now need to walk them by the hand and fix all of the domestic and foreign republican MESSES!
878402
I realize facts aren't what you're looking for, but here ya go...according to "Party Politics in America" (M. Hershey, P. Beck; Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003), "People with lower incomes and less education are more likely to call themselves Democrats than Republicans." (p. 129)
905349
You cannot compare the party systems in our two countries. They are not defined the same way.
1151775
Republican = personal responsibility and meritocracy\n\nDemocrat = nanny-state, mediocrity, wealth redistribution (everyone is equally poor) and victim class
868880
the rules are different because democrats are different than republicans, didnt you know?\na democrat can stand on his head and tell the rest of the world is upside down, and everyone else will believe it.  if a republican does the same, he gets sued for teling everybody else what he thinks should be right.\nwhen a democrat accuses a republican of voter fraud, being unfair to somebody or a group of people, cheaing on something, or anything of that nature, its really what the democrats are doing.  when a republican does the same thing, the democrats say its slander and hate speech.\ndemocrats are allowed to be different because they know better than everybody else, and republicans are just a bunch of sticks in the mud from states where there is no common sense.\nlast but not least, dont forget, 5000 years of human evolution doesnt mean anything now that the democrats are in power, or will be, next year.
751163
Republicans believe in following traditions. Which does include, following the constitution and also keeping religious rights out there. A big issue with them, is they're against homosexuals and anything else that is listed as "sinful" in teh bible or whatever the fuk they believe.\n\nDemocrats are a little the opposite of that and believe equal rights, freedom, and believe that Americans NEED their help.\n\nLike you, I definately go for the Libertians, whom believe that government should back the heck off and let us handle our own problems. But yea, unfortunately, it's mostly only one of the two major parties that will ever win... D or R. Lame.
680628
If I have to explain the difference between a democrat and a socialist to you then you are indeed in need of more help than i can provide you perhaps you should have studied while you were in school. but I will tell you this democrats believe in civil liberties that our founding fathers fought and died for Unlike your dictatorship government currently in charge that you would refer to as Republican. We believe that if a government wants to spy on its citizens it should present probable cause and persue a warrent... not will nilly spy on every law abideing citizen of the U.S.
824480
This is actually close to the description I use to illustrate the basic difference between Republicans and Democrats:\n\nDemocrats will help feed the people fish.\nRepublicans will teach people to fish.\n\nThis philosophy is kind of a touchstone on how to think about the parties. Democrats are all about the individual, providing for one person at a time, reading to them. Republicans want to help the larger class of people, thus will provide teaching to help the people make their own way.
1074333
50 years ago the people in the Republican party would nowadays be Democrats....and vice versa.\n\nThey all switch sides and flip flop.  All politicans are scumbags.
832269
The Republican and Democratic parties are so big and their bases are so broad, that their are hardly any issues that they can all agree on.  Usually it is based on the views of specific candidates for those parties, for that you can go to their websites to see where they stand on issues.
796893
Democrat.  I believe in their values more than the republicans.  Also, republicans just whine about everything.  Also, Bush is the dumbest person on the face of the universe.  You could fit his library in a little corner.
934384
Republicans typically believe in smaller government with more control allotted to the states. They believe in promoting business and lower taxes. They favor less government spending (although you wouldn't know it given the current crop). They believe in self reliance and do not support large social programs.\n\nDemocrats favor more centralized control in the form of a larger federal government with less power to the states. They traditionally sponsor more social programs and do not believe in lower taxes. \n\nThese are generalized positions and do not properly reflect the parties, but are rather intended as an overview. If you want real information I suggest visiting their party websites and reviewing their platforms.\n\nRNC http://www.gop.com\nDNC http://democrats.org
221633
As far as demographics go, a majority of registered republicans are undereducated, while most people who associate with the democratic party have a high level of education...\n\n\nnot to mention, look at who the republican's leader is...
1100882
You're making invalid assumptions. The middle ground for both major parties are moderates, with very few going far afield.\n\nOne end of one spectrum is conservative republican. The other ends of that spectrum are moderate republican and federalist.\n\nOne of the a different spectrum is liberal democrat. The other ends of that spectrum are moderate democrat and libertarian.\n\nBasically, there are two scales of values. One is big government versus small government (Republican -- Libertarian). The other spectrum is group rights ("traditional" values) versus individual/personal rights (Federalist -- Democrats).\n\nRepublicans (nowadays) want  group rights (conformity with "traditional" values) and a large government to ensure domestic tranquility (by enforcing those conservative majority beliefs). Moderate republicans (originally called fiscal conservatives) want a small government, just large enough to provide for the common defense. The republican party does not really have a liberal wing, and usually treat the goal of individual liberties (being liberal) as a dirty word.\n\n\n\nDemocrats want individual rights and a large government to promote the general welfare.  Moderate democrats don't want a lot of wasteful spending., and want to achieve their goals without causing too many problems. Democrats do have a Conservative wing, which focuses on better ethical leadership and greater protection for both groups and individuals. The main difference is that conservative democrats still don't believe in enforcing their views on the minority, even if their own personal choices would be the same as what conservative republicans would make.\n\nLibertarians want a small government (no wasteful spending, and very little welfare/entitlements), but lots of protection for individual liberties. They are moderate about most issues, except for being adamant that the majority should not impose its beliefs on the minority.
372550
Not all Republicans are the same, of course, but a generalization that may be useful to you, is this:\n\n   In general, Republicans have figured out by the time they reach adulthood what their values and major beliefs are, and when they begin their adult life, the quest for knowledge becomes less of a priority. This is because they know what they need to know, to advance their career, or raise a family, or whatever it is that they're doing.\n   So they appear ignorant, because they may seem incurious in new sources of knowledge. This can also make them appear narrow-minded. And the fact that they have the audacity to say, "Thank you, but I don't need your knowledge, mine works just fine," strikes many as being arrogant.