The Democratic/Republican Divide

My opinion may cause a bit of consternation here but here it is anyway. I tend to think of the Republican Party as the original Washington lobbyists and the Democratic Party as the original Washington advocates. Why? It seems to me that the Republican Party primarily looks out for and lobbies for the broad business interests both at home and abroad. The Democratic Party on the other hand advocates for the worker, the average citizen, the little guy. It’s not that either party doesn’t accept money from lobbyists; it’s more an issue that each of their main constituencies either focus on either business interests or workers. That has been the traditional divide for decades and when you mix in social issues, environmental issues, taxation, and religion, what each party actually represents becomes clear as mud.
I still see the core reason the Republican Party exists today is to protect large business interests over the workers’ interests and the core reason that the Democratic Party exists today is to protect workers’ rights against the large business interests. All that is left to ask yourself is; Are my interests with large business organizations or am I just a worker.
What do you think?

 

Interesting take. Personally, I think the Rep/Dem divide goes much deeper than Washington politics, it's impact on big business, and the little man. In fact, I believe the fracture goes to the core of what makes this nation safe.

The Democrats simply want to keep turning the other cheek in regards to National Security and be the popular guy or gal in the halls of Congress and in the slums and ghettos of their constituants. Giving away the hard earned dollars of others to special interests groups with bizzare agendas and making sure that everyone has a Color TV, $5000 a child, and a chicken-in-the-pot. All this in an attempt to quickly appease everyone and fill their pockets along the way. The Democrats don't want to take their blinders off because they know down inside that the boogy-man is real and has come a'knocking...

The Republicans on the other hand see the dangers (both hidden and obvious) in todays World Enviroment and understand that Global Terrorism is the #1 threat to Democracy and the interests of the United States of America. Yes, it costs to fight these threats in both lives and money and it's not easy or quick, but like the adage which has been used lately. Better to fight terrorism in their backyard than ours...

Take Care
Ben

 

It's interesting to see how our experiences shape our opinions. Your military background makes you look at the same situation differently than say someone who hasn't had the military experience. Interesting! I can't wait to see other perspectives.

 

Democrats tend to see the world through the perspective of what are often ill-defined groups. Blacks, whites, big-business, "the worker," the government, vast right-wing conspiracy, etc. They also tend to forget that all the members of these groups don't march in lock step. Black Christians, for example, although generally socially liberal, generally lean heavily to the conservative side on issues like gay marriage.

Republicans tend to see the world through the prism of individuals. The problem there is that individuals are so multi-faceted that it's difficult to meet every individual's interest. For example, Mitt Romney should be a slam-dunk to get the Evangelical Christian vote, but ... he's Mormon, which is viewed as a cult by most Evangelicals.

For full disclosure, for those who haven't figured it out, I'm a Republican. And an Evangelical Christian (who's not made a decision yet on his primary vote, but I'm leaning towards Romney).

 

Again, you see this issue through the main influences of your life i.e. religion. Your exposure to faith has honed your political beliefs with a focus on social issues and morality. Again, interesting to see how our experiences determine our political leanings. Not that much of this wasn't obvious and predictable but it is still interesting to observe.

 

Your judgment is allways coloured by what you have seen in life & what your upbringing was (You might well go totaly opposit to your upbringing but it is still influenced by it LOL) You have to have some point of refference to make decisions be they right or wrong LOL
So yep Experience will always influence the way you see things

 

It is undoubtedly true but just how many of us are aware of what has influenced us over our lifetime? I think many people, and certainly many in this forum, just accept their own personal experiences as the truth of the matter without ever considering that others may have just as valid experiences behind their opinions and beliefs. I think when you make the leap from believing that you and your experiences are the only perspective that matters to a view that is more encompassing of other perspectives, you really begin to see the intricacies and fine details that are part of every issue. Politics doesn't really lend itself to this type of outlook and our leaders would rather we accept sound bites and slogans rather than critical analysis of the issues. Look around your world and see how many people in your life can really articulate their political views and how many just regurgitate the sound bites. It's an eye-opener.

 

I point this fact out only because I’m sure I have more of it (experience) than any other member of this forum. So I come well prepared to state how this has effected me and why.

Over the years I have known people in all walks of life and various professions, who have demonstrated the many sides of being either a Democrat or Republican. There were a few who, you might say, were cross-dressers and could go either way. Maybe they were the Independents, I’m not sure. Generally speaking here is how I see them:

Basically Moen is correct in his observations as to the Democrats being the advocates for organized groups of (so called) average citizens. While the Republicans are more for the independent individual who likes doing things by and for themselves. Like he says, for years the Dems have taken polls and then made decisions based on these findings, to plan their strategy of using the funds to convince the masses that it is in their best interest to have the Democratic Party in charge of the programs. At the same time the Republicans are pulling back by reducing federal funding, eliminating taxation so that the economy and individual may function as he/she chooses.

I’m not as sure as Bones that one party is more or less National Defense Prone as the other. It has been my experience that both Parties have waged war and expended troops in mighty sad ways, now as well as in the past. In times of war you don’t count beans or wave the white flag, you provide all the support that those fighting might need or want to do the job of simply staying alive and returning home. Go back and see who came up with the slogan ‘butter for guns’, or any of the many other quaint saying used to make the ‘common man’ feel better about the situation.

KLJ’s perspective is a slight different than mine also. I see it as in today's society, the common man be he in either party, is too busy trying to make ends meet to be very interested in religion in any form. He simply hasn’t the time to spare and other things that are (to him) more pressing. The individual who has gone out and started his own business and become so successful that he is now known as a ‘high roller’ to those in Washington, is more interested in spending his time and efforts in making even more money. This is probably the one who would be the Rep. and the only one criticized by those who are looking up to what he as obtained in life.

In closing, you might want to think about this: What party does Danr belong to? Who will be using the ‘sound bites and slogans’ to augment his discussions? It seem to me that both Parties have those in them that fall into this category. So lets not make such wild speculation as to how this may or may not lay with any single party.

Hey old buddy, are you sure you didn't mean 'constipation'?

 

I grew up in a Kennedy household. Shoot my parents had a picture of him hanging on the wall in our house! That all changed in 1968 as the hippies and losers of the world tried to storm the Chicago democratic converntion.

These miserable people failed, but they were not discouraged. They shaved their beards, took a bath, and eventually made their way into the party of Washington, Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy and nominated the liberal McGovern in 1972. Of course, the country was in no mood for a liberal like McGovern and kindly handed him a landslide defeat. But the damage was done, basically...from that moment on, the democratic party has not looked back and took on a more-goverment stance (because they are smarter than everybody else), more socialism, and an extreme anti-defense political posture.

The republicans also fell from grace. They lost their Goodwater and Reagan identity by acting like democrats with out of control spending. This behavior along with failure to protect our borders has alienated many Reagan republicans like myself.

In a nut shell...today's republicans are like yesteryear's democrats and today's democrats are nothing more like European socialists who believe that government has all of the answers. What democrats will not tell you is that they need OUR taxes to fund and pay for all of their programs at the expense of people that work and produce.

Case in point...Democrats want a TRILLION DOLLARS in taxes to make sure more government is in our lives from healthcare to social security. How will they pay for it? More taxes (again) of course at the expense of people that work and produce...in other words...somebody ELSE to pay for their socialism! See it here:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6250.html

So...what to do? What to do?

Well, now a days, you have to vote for the lesser of the two evils. That being said, a vote for Hillary is a vote for MORE government, MORE socialism and LESS defense.

God help this country if she is elected with a democratic congress.

 

Pretty comical thread really. A LOT of inaccurate sterotypes and very little reality.

 

Moen, you have said in the past that Republicans care about money, finance, and business first, and Democrats care about social issues. Yet I mentioned social issues, and you mentioned business. Does that make me a Democrat, and you a Republican?

 

There will always be people that WANT to study harder, work harder, make smart decisions, and achieve.

Democrats find this behavior and activity "unfair" and hence, they wish to punish achievement with a progressive tax rate whereby the fruits of these achiever's labor are redistributed to those that do not wish to work as hard, study as hard, and/or make smart decisions.

Yes...there is a HUGE divide. Democrats (all things being equal) believe that government (with them incontrol) is the answer and republicans (all things being equal) believe in the individual.

Part of growing up in a democratic household was employing the excuse to blame and then penalize the achievers of this country. Let's attack the rich...they can afford it.

I made a decision after I started working and paying taxes that I wanted to be an achiever, not a person DEMANDING handouts from the government for my existance.

Hence the very reason why I beleive in republican principles. Now...if only today's republicans can ACT like republicans instead of trying to get along with socialiast democrats...we all would be better off!

Democrats will, and have always used class warfare, race baiting, and victimization to garner votes to keep them in power. They are some of the most miserable people on earth because they are always blaming their ills on somebody else instead of be PROACTIVE with a 'can-do' attitude.

 

It's interesting that you think Democrats are not interested in education since they are often accused of dominating the higher education ranks as they most certainly do. The real difference is that a Liberal thinker is willing to spend 20 years in school getting a PhD. and then work for peanuts in the world of academics while Conservatives spend much less time in school and get the MBAs and go out into the business world and expect and receive much higher salaries. When money is the only goal how far behind is just plain greed?

You are one of the few people here that bends what you see in the world to fit your preconception of it and seem to be able to completely ignore anything that contradicts your ideals. That isn't a very admirable chrematistic when it prevents you from see things for what they really are. We all pay taxes regardless of our political affiliations and we should all benefit from what we pay in not just the wealthy. It seems the only people benefiting from our tax dollars these days are military contractors, the Black Water USAs of the world, and the wealthy business owners that profit handsomely from war. Many of these contractors are often given even more money than they ask for and we can't even fund something as basic as health care of those who could really use it in this unaffordable medical environment that is swallowing more and more American families. Nobody likes government run programs because they are inefficient and overly expensive but if the choice is to do nothing or put up with another government program, it seems like a no-brainer.

Republicans have always treated the worker with distain and abuse and only the Democrats stepped in to pass laws to protect the workers that built this great country. Proof of this is that we work harder than any other workers on the planet. The list of worker abuses throughout our short history is endless and a shameful mark on this country. If wealthy business owners were left to their own devices, workers would be nothing more than slave laborers. If trying to see that the average Joe gets treated with a little human dignity in the work place makes Democrats class warfarists, so be it. Elitists Republicans will just have to deal with that.

BTW It wasn't like it was a Conservative politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize today.

 

I was raised in Detroit to an autoworker father and a homemaker mother. Democrat union household.

The first president I was old enough to vote for was Ronald Reagan, and I did. I did it out of anger at Carter rather than knowledge or principle.

I think Midas made an excellent point about todays Republicans being old Democrats, and the latter being Euro socialists.

Kennedy was a tax cut / strong defense Democrat, and who ran a law and order administration, going after organized crime and union corruption, nobody can deny that or they are crazy. Back in JFK's day, the press kept the Presidents ( and most national icons ) personal indescretions out of the news and headlines. I won't even mention Nixon.

I think the difference today is clearer than ever. While the Republican party has abandoned the principle of less government and prudent spending, they do however represent business and individualism. The Bush administration has created more departments / bereaucracy's and spent more money than any president in history.

As a small businessman, I own a hot sauce business, ( I still hold down a day job also ), I have reinvested the tax cuts given me into the business to make purchases otherwise I would not have made. Ex, advertising, cutsom high quality labels, better botteling equiptment and a new company truck. When my parents get on their " tax cuts for the rich " speech, I remind them that my new Ford F350 superduty was made by union workers in the USA.

For me, the big difference is going to take some understanding that I am a alcoholic / drug addict in recovery. Having played guitar and toured the country as a musician in the 80's, I got myself pretty messed up. I am now sober and attend AA meetings regularly, and I chair Saturday night speaker meetings as well. This may not seem to matter but it does.

Spiritually, the partys are 180 degrees apart. I WANT god on my money, in my schools, and my daughter to recite the Pledge of Alliegence before school. I believe the 10 commandments belong in the courtroom on plaques and statues. I will not judge you or interfere because of your religion, and I don't want you to interfere with mine. America was based on freedom of religion, not freedom FROM religion, and that seems a major differance.

Tired of typing, I'll check back later.

You guys are all right !!
Jack

 

Just like to remind you that it’s a fact that Science and education has proven, beyond all doubt, that intelligence can be measured by testing but they have yet to find a way to test and measure WISDOM. All the intelligence in the world is worthless without common sense and the ability to know how to use it!
This is what most of your Ed. Phd’s lack, and are unable to function in the real world.

 

Dems like to tax yada yada yada

 

Brilliant and quick-witted wouldn't you agree? O.K. how about half-witted?

 

How about brain-dead!

 

jw and old dan yada yada yada

 

Danr ad Muhhamed MOEN are just as much an enemy as Al Qaeda! At least they are in the open for all to see. That is right, I said that and I will say it post after post after post. You are a threat to my life with your moronic beliefs.