Politics and Political Parties
Name: __________________________
Democrats and Republicans – Ideology and Party Identification
Directions: Look at both sides of each issue closely. Decide what stance of each issue belongs to which political
party, Democrats or Republicans. If the statement reflects a Democratic principle, mark ‘D’ on the open space. If
the statement reflects a Republican principle, mark ‘R’ on the open space.
Introduction: DEMOCRAT and REPUBLICAN are American political parties. LIBERAL and CONSERVATIVE are
political ideologies. Democratic liberal policies generally emphasize “the need for government to solve societal and
economic problems.” Republican conservative policies generally emphasize “the empowerment of individuals to
solve societal and economic problems.” Democrats are usually associated with liberal ideology while Republicans
are usually associated with conservative ideology.
Issue #1: ABORTION
1.) _______ The government should provide taxpayer funded abortions for women who cannot afford to have
them; women have the right to affordable, safe and legal abortions.
2.) _______ Taxpayer-funded abortion should be opposed at all costs as taxpayer dollars should not be used for the
government to provide abortions.
3.) _______ A woman has the right to decide what happens with her body and the decision to have an abortion is a
personal choice of a woman regarding her own body; the government must protect this right.
Issue #2: DEATH PENALTY
4.) _______ The death penalty is a punishment that fits the crime of murder; it is neither ‘cruel’ nor ‘unusual.’
5.) _______ Executing a murderer is the appropriate punishment for taking an innocent life.
6.) _______ Imprisonment is the appropriate punishment for murder. Every execution risks killing an innocent
person.
Issue #3: ECONOMY
7.) _______ The free market system, competitive capitalism and private enterprise create the greatest opportunity
and the highest standard of living for all.
8.) _______ Free markets produce more economic growth, more jobs and higher standards of living than those
systems burdened by excessive government regulation.
9.) _______ Government must protect citizens from the greed of big business and powerful corporations. Unlike
the private sector, the government is motivated by public interest. Government regulation in most areas of the
economy is needed to level the playing field.
Issue #4: EDUCATION
10.) ______ Vouchers (certificate issued by the government which parents can apply toward tuition at a private
school rather than at the state school to which their child is assigned) take money away from public schools.
11.) ______ School vouchers create competition and therefore encourage schools to improve performance.
Vouchers will give all parents the right to choose good schools for their children, not just those who can afford
private schools.
Issue #5: ENERGY SOURCES
12.) ______ Oil is a depleting resource and other sources of energy must be explored such as wind and solar power.
13.) ______ Increased domestic production creates lower prices and less dependence on other countries for oil.
14.) ______ Oil, gas and coal are all good sources of energy and are abundant in the U.S and oil drilling should be
increased both on land and at sea.
Issue #6: GUN CONTROL
15.) ______ The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms and individuals should have the
right to defend themselves. Gun control laws do not prevent criminals from obtaining guns; more guns in the hands
of law-abiding citizens mean less crime.
16.) ______ The Second Amendment does not specifically give citizens the right to keep and bear arms. Additional
gun control laws are necessary to stop gun violence and limit the ability of criminals to obtain guns; more guns
throughout society typically mean more violence.
Issue #7: HEALTH CARE
17.) ______ The problem of uninsured individuals should be addressed and solved within the free market
healthcare system; the government should not control health-care.
18.) ______ Every American has a right to affordable health care and the government should help provide equal
health care benefits for all, regardless of their ability to pay.
Issue #8: RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT
19.) ______ Support the separation of church and religious expression has no place in government. The two should
be separate from one another and references to God in public and government places should be removed
20.) ______ Symbols of America’s Christian heritage should not be removed from public and government places.
21.) ______ The phrase “separation of church and state” is not in the Constitution. The First Amendment does not
prohibit God from being acknowledged in schools and government buildings.
Issue #9: SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
22.) ______ Marriage is the union of one man and one woman and support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
which affirms the right of states not to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states.
23.) ______ Support same-sex marriage and believe that marriage is the union of people who love each
other. Marriage should be legal for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals, to ensure equal rights for all.
24.) ______ Requiring citizens to sanction same-sex relationships violates moral and religious beliefs of millions
people who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
Issue #10: TAXES
25.) ______ Work to cut government spending and to eliminate government waste. Believe that individuals should
control both their own and their government’s pocketbook – the people should authorize all tax increases.
26.) ______ Believe that government knows what is best for collective society and that the federal government
should define the tax burden necessary to meet its economic and societal obligations.
Issue #11: NATIONAL DEFENSE
27.) ______ Advocate for scaling down our military and reducing the money spent on military intelligence.
28.) ______ Believe in a strong national defense and know that defending our nation against its enemies must be a
fundamental commitment of the federal government.
29.) ______ Believe that true security comes from negotiations with foreign nations, even if they harbor or have
financial ties to terrorist groups.