Democrat vs. Republican Philosophy
Written by Ken Rutledge
With all of the hullabaloo and the media circus of the last election still fresh in our minds, many people are asking,
"What are the differences between Democrats and Republicans?" Surprisingly, in today’s political climate it is ever more
difficult to separate the philosophies of either party from the issues.
More and more Americans find themselves voting for a candidate based on how they view a single issue or a group of
issues rather than on the ideologies of a particular party. Sadly, the candidates, in an effort to market themselves to as
many potential voters as possible further blur the party lines as a means to an end. In recent years, candidates, as
much as they are able, distance themselves from the philosophical extremes of their own party and desperately try to
portray themselves as moderate or middle of the road. As a result, voters become confused about generalities and are
fearful of issues rather than being concerned about the style of government.
This article is not meant to endorse either party, but rather to point out for you, the reader, the general differences
between the Democrats and Republicans and why those differences exist.
The Republican Party is the second oldest existing political party in the United States. When the Republican Party was
created in 1854, it was considered a third party group by the Democrats and the Whig Party who were the major
political parties of the time.
The Republican Party was formed to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act that would have allowed the expansion of slavery
into Kansas. The party name “Republican” was chosen over suggested “Jeffersonian” and “Nationalist” because the term
republic denounced rule by the powerful economic or monarchical families and it represented the belief of civic virtue.
At the time, the Republican Party represented opposition to aristocracy and corruption while encouraging progressive
thoughts emphasizing higher education, banking, business and industry. Republicans vehemently defended their theory
that the “Free Market Labor” was superior to slavery and was the very foundation of civic virtue and was at the cores of
true American values.
The Democratic Party is the oldest existing political party in the United States and it could be argued the oldest existing
political party in the world. The Democratic Party came into existence in the early 1790’s and evolved from several
different political factions that opposed the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton. The Democratic Party was founded on
the principles that citizens have a civic duty to aid the state and resist corruption of monarchism and aristocracy. They
believed that the farmer best exemplified the virtue and independence from the corrupting influences of cities and
government policies. They felt that state rights should not be violated by a centralized federal government. These early
Democrats felt that a standing army and navy were dangerous to individual liberty, and should be avoided in favor of
economic coercion such as embargoes and sanctions.
So now that we know a little history about the two major parties, we can compare their current doctrines side by side.
Republicans
Democrats
Generally believe it is the responsibility
Generally believe that it is the government's
of citizens to run the government.
responsibility to care for the citizens.
Believe in free market and strong international
Believe in structured, regulated markets
alliances.
and minimal external entanglements.
Believe in the right to bear arms.
Believe in strong gun control.
Favor the death penalty.
Oppose the death penalty.
Believes abortion is wrong.
Believes in a woman’s right to choose.
Believe that people determine their own destiny
Believe that people should share economic
and do not support welfare programs.
burdens and generally support welfare
Believe in separation of church and state, but
programs for aid to the poor.
some on the far right feel it is ok to pray in
schools.
Believe in separation of church and state.
It is important to note that especially in the most recent election, Independent voters, those who are not affiliated with
either party were a much sought after commodity by both candidates. Independent voters traditionally don’t want to vote
for either of the major party candidates because they feel that both parties are defined by their most extreme factions
and that that the core philosophies are basically the same for both parties.
As for the Democrats, Independents view them as the far left liberals whose every maneuver is bent on political
correctness, careful to never offend anyone, and the perception of failed socialist policies.
The Republicans on the other hand are viewed as dominated by far-right conservatives who are determined to maintain
and preserve, at any cost, the existing antiquated institutions under the guise of protecting traditional values.
Political Philosophy
Quesstions often arise as to what is a liberal? What is a conservative? What does it mean to support the Left? Or the
Right? What does a certain political party stand for? Although positions change over time and it's never good to make
generalizations about what a certain group thinks, this section tries to clarifies some of the basic ideological definitions.
Politicians have a wide range of opinions; thus, any particular leader doesn't necessary fit neatly into these categories.
The original definition of a liberal was someone who advocated change, new philosophies, and new ideas. A
conservative was someone who avoided change, instead preferring to stick to the tried and true. In modern times,
these definitions have expanded to include a wide set of political beliefs (which are defined below). To be Leftist or
agree with the Left political point of view is synonymous with being liberal. To be Rightist or agree with the Right
political point of view is synonymous with being conservative. The Left and Right terms were created because political
ideology is viewed on a continuum; most people generally hold views somewhere in the middle. For example, if you agree
more with liberal ideas, you're considered more Leftist in your thinking. The graphic below illustrates the continuum:
Liberal (Left) Conservative (Right)
Generally speaking, the Democratic party follows a more liberal platform; the Republican party follows a more
conservative platform. The following table summarizes the current ideology of the parties
Liberal (i.e. Left)
Conservative (i.e. Right)
Representative
Party
Democrats
Republicans
Abortion
Pro-choice
Pro-life
Affirmative
Action
For (i.e. maintain race-based preferences)
Against (i.e. ban race-based preferences)
ANWR Drilling
Prevent the Alaska drilling
Pursue this and other domestic oil sources
Balanced Budget
Amendment
Opposed
In Favor of
Business
Increase regulation and worker protection
Ease regulation and keep government out of
business
Crime
Protect the rights of the accused first and
foremost
Provide maximum punishment and protect the
rights of the victim first and foremost
Death Penalty
Ban
Maintain
Defense
Spending
Decrease or maintain
Increase
Embryonic Stem
Cell Research
Use federal funding for the research
Don't use federal funding for the research
Government Size
Increase the government and use more
socialistic policies
Reduce the government and use more capitalistic,
free-market policies
Gun Control
Ban all gun ownership by civilians, especially
handguns and assault rifles
Protect gun ownership
Health Care
Make 100 percent government controlled
De-regulate and introduce free market reform
Immigration
Grant amnesty to illegal aliens; don't build a
fence along the Mexican border; allow illegal
aliens to obtain driver's licenses; prevent the
creation of a national ID card & database to
track people in the country.
Prevent amnesty for illegal & driver's licenses for
illegal aliens; construct a Mexican border fence;
create a national ID card & database to track
people in the country. Increase or maintain legal
immigration only.
Sign this environmental treaty
Don't sign this environmental treaty
Kyoto Treaty
Malpractice
Lawsuits
Do not cap punitive & pain/suffering damage
amounts
Cap punitive & pain/suffering damage amounts
Mexican Border
Fence
Do not build the fence
Build the fence
Minimum Wage
Increase
Lower or eliminate altogether
Missile Defense
Scrap this program
Pursue this program
Personal
Responsibility
Government needs to protect people from
themselves
People should be responsible and be held
accountable for their own actions
PhysicianAssisted Suicide
Allow
Prevent
Religion
Maintain separation of church and state; prevent
faith-based government initiatives
Introduce more religion in schools; allow faithbased government initiatives
Same-Sex
Marriage
Legalize
Ban
School Vouchers
End the program
Expand the program
Social Security
Increase age of beginning eligibility (e.g. 68 or
70); increase salary limits subject to tax
Privatize; i.e. allow citizens control over their own
money and allow stock investments
Social Spending
Increase
Decrease or maintain
Taxes
Increase taxes, especially on the rich
Cut taxes, especially on businesses that invest
and hire
Three Strikes
Law
Overturn this law
Maintain and expand these laws
Unions
Workers should be unionized wherever possible,
even if it means mandatory joining of a union to
work at a place
Unionization should be limited, and workers
should never be forced to join
World Peace
Negotiate first and only take military action if
sanctioned by the U.N. and other world
organizations
Work with world bodies and use negotiation, but
take unilateral pre-emptive action if necessary to
protect America
What Is The Electoral College
Written by Ken Rutledge
Most people cringe when they hear something about the electoral college. Until the 2000 election, the electoral
college was such an abstract term that most Americans did not really know what it was, how it was made up, or who
might be in it! Suddenly, after the 2000 election of George W. Bush, the American people learned that the Electoral
College did count for something in American politics, but again, most did not know what that something was.
Originally, the electoral college was intended to guarantee constitutional balance between the state-based
government, (the Senate) and population-based government (The House of Representatives) and votes for the
executive office. Initially, our government wished to prevent hereditary, monarchical rule from ever taking control of
our then infant government from the people.
James Madison, who is considered by historians to be the father of our Constitution, argued against "an interested
and overbearing majority, and the mischiefs of faction in an electoral system.” He defined a faction as, ".. a number of
citizens whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common
impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests
of the community."
Basically what Madison was saying that in a pure democracy, there would be times when the majority of fifty percent
plus one, could theoretically trample all over the rights of the opposing forty-nine percent and unfairly enforce their will
upon a large minority. Thus, in a republic with democratic principles, a method was proposed to prevent such a turn
of events. From these debates the original design for the Electoral College was conceived.
The name Electoral College was not in the Constitution and was not widely utilized until it was written into federal law
in 1845.
Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution states:
Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal
to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress:
but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall
be appointed an Elector.
There are currently 538 electors in the United States. The state-based government, or the Senate has 100 electors.
There are two for each state. The population based government system, the House of Representatives has 435
electors and again is based on the constituency population of each state. The remaining three electors are from the
District of Columbia. A candidate must receive 270 electoral votes to secure the executive office of President of The
United States of America.
It was the intent of America’s founders that this method of selection would assure that both the majority and the
minority would receive more balanced and equal representation. However, since the mid 1800’s the power held by
individual states has been changed through amendments. Forty-eight of our fifty states have a "winner takes all"
legislation. In these states, the candidate winning the majority of popular votes is automatically awarded all of the
electoral votes for that state, rather than just the percentage of which that candidate would have been originally
entitled. Some states do not require electors to pledge votes based on the popular vote of the constituents they
represent. These state adopted changes, largely supported by both Republicans and Democrats, allow heavily
populated states to dramatically impact and change the outcome of the popular vote. The 2000 election victory of
George W. Bush, who won the electoral vote against Al Gore, who actually won the popular vote, was a result of such
legislation. Only 24 states have laws to prevent electors from casting votes for individuals other than who they have
pledged. In the absence of such laws, what were once "Faithless Electors" are no longer punished. In the matter of
Ray v. Blair, 343 U.S. 214, the Supreme Court, in 1952, ruled in favor of state laws requiring electors to pledge to
vote for the winning candidate, as well as removing electors who refuse to pledge. As stated in the ruling, electors are
acting as a functionary of the state, not the federal government.
Before the Bush/Gore upset in 2000, there were three separate times when the electoral college installed a president
that was different from the popular vote. It happened in 1828 between incumbent President John Quincy Adams and
rival Andrew Jackson. Again, in 1876 Samuel J. Tildon of New York defeated Rutherford Hayes in the popular vote,
and lost the election due to 19 uncounted and hotly disputed electoral votes. Then in 1888, incumbent President
Grover Cleveland was toppled from office after winning the popular vote and being ousted in favor of Benjamin Harris
by the Electoral College.
Many attempts by citizens and law makers to change the electoral college system back to it’s original design, or to
abolish it all together, have failed since the 2000 election. As the American people learn more about the electoral
college, it becomes clear that the problem in our system is not the electoral college as it was originally designed, but
rather the amendments and state laws that circumvent its intent. Moreover these laws work in favor of the controlling
parties and incumbent leaders by helping to prevent party outsiders, including write in and third party candidates,
from succeeding in the presidential race.