Republicans and Democrats are in general agreement about the qualities they are looking for in the president of the United States. Both sides demand honesty, management skills, integrity, and strong leadership skills in the nation’s president. Although they seem to bump heads, they also share many of the same goals for the economy, foreign policy, and personal liberties. Taking a closer look, their strategies may be unexpected, but the roots they are determined from are the same. The Democratic-Republican Party was organized by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in 1791.
Their purpose to serve was standing in opposition against the Federalist Party for upcoming elections. The Democratic-Republican Party supports states’ rights and the literal and strict interpretation of the Constitution. In 1801, Jefferson was then elected into office as the President of the United States, which then brought the Democratic-Republican to potential. The Democratic National Committee was officially created in 1848. During the civil war, the party then grew between those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. It led to the Democratic Party we now know today.
The Democrats also adopted the mascot of a donkey. The history behind this fact was that, back in 1828, when former president Andrew Jackson was running for office, his opponents would call him a “jackass” as an insult. Then he chose to embrace the fact of being a jackass, so he used the symbol as a way to represent him and the Democrat party. It is important to note that the donkey was never officially adopted as their mascot symbol. Unlike the Democrats, the Republicans had adopted the elephant symbol as its official symbol from a comic cartoon in Harper’s Weekly that had depicted the party as n elephant. By 1854, the Republican Party was then adopted by anti-slavery Whigs. They began meeting in the upper midwestern states to discuss the formation of a new party. One meeting in Wisconsin on March 20, 1854 is remembered as the founding meeting of the Republican Party. The Republicans rapidly gained supporters in the North and with their first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, had won 11 out of 16 Northern states. By 1860, the majority of the Southern slave states were publicly threatening secession if the Republicans won the presidency.
By 1860, the Republicans were established as an official political party when their nominee, Abraham Lincoln was elected as The President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln’s presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good, helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. Because America has two political parties, the two have differences based on their political beliefs. Starting with tax policy, in this case, both of the parties do favor tax cuts but each party takes a different view on where those tax cuts should be applied.
Democrats believe there should only be cuts for middle and low income families and believe taxes should be higher on corporations and wealthy individuals. Republicans believe there should be tax cuts for everyone, both for corporations and people of all income levels. One of the main differences between the two parties has to do with social issues. For example, the few social issues they have include gay, marriage, abortion and gun control laws. Republicans tend to be very conservative on social issues. They tend to oppose gay marriage and promote marriage between a man and woman.
They also oppose abortion and promote the right of gun ownership. As for the Democrats, they tend to be more progressive in their views, favoring pro-choice when it comes to abortion and legal gay marriage. However, they are strongly in favor of strict gun control laws that limit ownership. The two parties have very different ideas when it comes to the business environment. Republicans tend to oppose increases to the minimum wage, citing the need for business to keep costs low so they can prosper and all Americans can have access to products and services.
Democrats favor increasing the minimum wage so that Americans have more money with which to purchase goods. They also favor trade restrictions to protect American jobs while Republicans favor trade restrictions to protect American jobs. Republicans also favor free trade in order to keep costs low for consumers and make businesses more profitable so they can grow. Democrats will generally prefer a lot of government regulation and oversight of the health care system, including the passage of the Affordable Care Act, because it makes the health care system accessible to everyone.
Republicans, who opposed the Affordable Care Act, believe too much government involvement in the industry will drive up costs and have a negative impact on the quality of care that consumers receive. Democrats across the board believe that the government should run such social programs as welfare, unemployment benefits, food stamps, and Medicaid that support people in need. They believe that the more tax dollars should be funneled into these programs. Republicans, on the other hand, acknowledge a need for these social programs. They favor less funding and tighter control.
Republicans favor supporting those private organizations that will support the people in need. When it comes down to the differences between democrats and republicans, foreign policies cannot be overlooked. Both parties have had differing stances in relation to the foreign policy over the years depending on the situation and still to this day. Generally speaking, military involvement may be required, Democrats favor more targeted strikes and limited use of man-power while Republicans favor a full military effort to displace regimes that are detrimental to their own people and who are threatening others.
Both of the parties typically agree that sending aid to other countries is a good thing, but disagree on the nature of that aid and who should be receiving it. It seems like there have always clashes between the parties on the issues of energy and environment. There still are issues still to this day. Democrats believe in restricting drilling for oil or other avenues of fossil fuels to protect the environment while Republicans favor expanded drilling to procedure more energy at a lower cost to consumers.
Democrats will push and support alternative energy solutions with tax dollars while Republicans favor allowing the market to decide which forms of energy are effective. When it comes to education, both parties have their different views and opinions. One thing they can agree on is that, when it comes to education, there needs to be a change. Democrats favor more progressive approaches to education like implementing the Common Core System. Meanwhile, Republicans tend to favor more conservative changes such as longer hours and more focused programs.
They also divided on student loans for college, with Democrats favoring giving students more money in the form of loans for college. Democrats favor gibing students more money in the form of grants and loans while Republicans promote the private sector giving loans and not the government. Regarding crime and capital punishment, Republicans do believe in harsher penalties when someone commits a crime, such as selling illegal drugs. They also favor capital punishment and back a system with layers to ensure the proper punishment has been administered out. Democrats come off more progressive with their views on this subject.
They believe that crimes do not have to involve violence such as selling drugs, should have lighter penalties and rehabilitation but in my opinion this seems to cause a lot of conflict when it comes down to the races who commit crimes. The democrats are also against capital punishment in any shape or form. Individual liberty has been a sore subject of late. Political correctness is on the rise and many people do believe that the people need to be protected against themselves. Democrats have tended toward favoring legislation that restricts some freedoms, including foods people may have access to.
Republicans favor personal responsibility, in that individuals should be able to choose for themselves and what they do and what they should not do if it doesn’t break existing laws. These roles of the Democrat and Republican parties are important to people and their beliefs that come along with each party. The roles of each party help ensure that governments are able to meet their promises and deliver necessary services to the citizens. They also ensure that all government policies are in accordance to the stipulated law. Political parties are essential in the promotion of democratic governments in any society.