Date sent: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 23:37:14 -0700 Name: hisrep.TXT Language: English Subject: Government Title: Compare and contrast of the two political parties. Grade: 105% System: High school Age: 17 years old Country: United States Comments: This essay (5 pages) details many of the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. Also, some of both parties history is given. Anyone in a government class should read this. Where I got Evil House of Cheat Address: a great friend Compare & Contrast of the Two Political Parties: The DEMOCRATIC & REPUBLIC Parties What makes people so fascinated with the election process in our country? First: Elections determine who will rule our government and ultimately our lives for the next few years. Second: The election process pits individuals with diverse qualities against one another. Each candidate has their own agenda with their own platforms. It is up to the people to decide whose agenda and whose policy they will vote into office. But policy and agenda alone do not elect a candidate. People must chose whether to vote for a Democrat or a Republican. It is for this reason that people talk so openly and at length about politics. As mentioned, there are two main parties, the Democratic and the Republican party. They are so different but yet they are so similar. In this report I will make note of their differences then compare the parties. Thomas Jefferson was elected as the founder of the Democratic party in 1800. Ironically, the Democrats were first called the "Republicans." This name stuck for thirty years before it was changed. The stand that the Democrats take is easily depicted by looking at their mascot, the donkey. They claim it is a humble, homely, smart, courageous, lovable yet stubborn creature. When Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828, his opponents tried to label him a "jack__" for his populist views and his slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson, however, picked up on their name calling and used it to represent his stubbornness. Early on, many major issues plagued the popularity of the party. Citizens were divided on issues such as the Free Soil Act and slavery. There was political turmoil, arguments and internal division in the party. In 1938 the Democrats were faced with yet another situation that turned the public against them. As America was turning from recovery to reform, opposition emerged within the party. It was fueled by a Democratic proposal entitled The New Deal. Southerners felt threatened and intimated by this proposal and its placement of Negro delegates. Consequently, many Democrats drifted to the conservative Republicans side. History records many years of turmoil like this, where the Democrats could not retain power due to friction within. On the contrary, the members of the Republican party have stayed relatively faithful. Time after time the party has capitalized on the Democratic mistakes. For example, during the uproar over The New Deal, the Republicans enacted law that restored business's confidence, which led to confidence in the party. The Republican party was founded to combat the Democratic position on The Free Soil Act and slavery. They were founded to give a choice to the American people. Abolishing slavery. Free speech. Women's suffrage. None of these sounds like a typical Republican issue, yet they are stances the Republican Party adopted early on and the stances that gave them their early fame. By this time the party had firmly established itself as a permanent force in American politics. They were able to not only preserve the Union and lead the nation through the Reconstruction, but also "strike a chord of greater personal autonomy within the national psyche." Today, the Republicans stand firm on issues such as reducing the government, streamlining the bureaucracy and returning power to the states. "With a core belief in the idea of the primacy of individuals," the Republican Party has been at the forefront of the fight for individuals' rights in opposition to a large, bloated government. In the past the Republicans voted down a proposal that would allow presidents and congressman a chance to run for a third term. Conversely, the Democratic party has tried to enact many of these policies. Democrats would like the power to return to Washington. They suggest that big government yields big returns for the people. The Republican Party has always thrived on challenges and difficult positions. With the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the Republicans firmly established themselves as a major party capable of holding onto the White House for 60 of the next 100 years. That figure alone gives us insight into the domination that the Republican party has had. A domination they continued even through the uproar of 1986. On election day, 1986, a political time bomb went off. Reports from a Beirut newspaper informed the world that the United States had been selling arms to Iran. It was a political nightmare, but due to the stability in the Republican party, George Bush was able to win the presidency. It was a Republican who won the first Nobel Peace Prize awarded to an American; who brought the Civil War to an end; who led the United States to build the Panama canal; and who has led the nation for the last twelve years (before 1992). It is a Democrat that is objecting to the last 12 years of Republican control; a Democrat that feels the America people have been "neglected." It is a Democrat that is calling for "governmental reform and revolution," one who is vowing to make government more decentralized, more flexible, and more accountable -- to reform public institutions and replace public officials who aren't leading with ones who will. Both parties have one thing in common - they can not and will not always keep their promises. During the election of 1992, President Bill Clinton promised to: "restore America's economic greatness, putting government back on the side of working men and women, and restoring the basic American values." Has this happened? On the Republican side, we remember past President George Bush and the infamous "read my lips speech." He promised to not "raise taxes." Did that happen? The two political parties have also damaged the bond between the American people and their government. No longer do people trust in their politicians or their promises. This trust is something both parties can promise to return but will never fulfill. For economic reasons, the Democratic party is electing the cut the defense fund. It is cutting soldiers jobs and jobs of American workers who make the weapons. Since the end of the cold war, America, under a Republican president, continued to beef up the military. But now, since America is led by a Democratic president, the military is being reduced. "Our economy needs both the people and the funds released from defense," said President Clinton. This is just another area where the two parties disagree. The last two centuries have seen men, both Democrats and Republicans argue over economic, social and personal issues. Adlai Stevenson, a Democrat, provided one of the most clever descriptions of the Republican's symbol when he said, "The elephant has a thick skin, a head full of ivory, and as everyone who has seen a circus parade knows, proceeds best by grasping the tail of its predecessor." It has been two hundred years of bickering and battling for the highest position in the land. Both parties realize the power that is associated with the position and do everything under the sun to gain an advantage. Each party has its own agendas, values, morals and goals. They are so different but yet they are so similar. BIBLIOGRAPHY Reference Item #1 Internet, http://www.dnc.com, Democratic National Convention Internet, http://www.gop.org, Republican National Convention Reference Item #2 Great Events of The Twentieth Century. Copyright 1977. Readers Digest Association, Inc.; Pleasantville, New York Reference Item #3 America, A Narrative History. George Tindall. Copyright 1988. W.W. Norton & Company; New York, New York. 5 pages