Democrats v.s. Republicans

Through the spread of mass media and the news, two words, thatwords that used to be limited to two terms on an election ballot for public officers in high office, now are two of the most widely used and criticized words of all time. Consistently dominating the political landscape, Democrats and Republicans, make up the two-party system in the United States and conflict head-on-head with their beliefs and ideas for reform. Many, only know about the two parties from the collateral damage they have caused or from the confirmation bias they witness in the media, making them unable to make up their own beliefs or find their fit because of the pressure they face in their communities- red or blue.

Associated with more progressive policies, the Democratic Party favors greater government intervention in the economy and opposes government intervention in private noneconomic affairs of citizens. Originally being the party that tolerated slavery in the pre-Civil War era of America’s divided history, the Democratic Party reinvented themselves and found new beliefs that centered around the support for organized labor, the civil rights of minorities, social welfare, and progressive reforms. Modern-day Democrats follow the New Deal-era progressive past of social equality and equal opportunities for all, supporting further voting rights, minorities, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protection programs, gun control, alleviating immigration laws, abortion, and worker rights.

However, conflicting with almost the direct opposite as the blue Democrats, Republicans, also known as members of the Grand Old Party (GOP), support lower taxes, free-market capitalism, restrictions on immigration, increased military spending, gun rights, restrictions on abortion, deregulation, individual health care, and restrictions on the many US labor unions. Many Republicans and people of conservative values see individuality and the liberty that allows as the fundamental truth of America’s democracy.

In the US government, the two major political parties’ responsibilities to their constituents and their core beliefs come to the mainstage. When finding your individual beliefs, make sure to understand the candidates you are voting for and the policies that the candidate will bring with them.