Political Parties

The two political parties that dominate each election is the Republican political party and the Democratic political party. These political parties have different beliefs on a number or different items on a normal political agenda.

• The Republican political party follows a conservative viewpoint and adjusts their political agenda to fit this philosophy. The Democratic political party follows a liberal viewpoint. Economically, the Republican political party believes that the government should not increase any individual’s tax and that minimum wages should continue to be the same as they currently are.

• Economically, the Democratic political party believes that taxes should not be raised for the poor and middle classes. The political parties vehemently disagree on raising taxes for individuals that are rich. The Republican political party believes that taxes on the rich should not be raised and the Democratic political party believes that the rich should pay higher taxes. The Democratic political party also believes in raising minimum wages for the population.

• Each of the political parties are associated with a particular symbol. The Republican political party is represented by an elephant and the Democratic political party is represented by the image of a donkey. The Democratic political party is represented by the color blue and the Republican political party is represented by the color red.

• Socially, both political parties are in favor of a democracy. However, the Republican political party believes that social issues should focus on individual rights and the Democratic political party believes in a shared sense of responsibility within a community.

• The political party views differ drastically on everything from military spending to abortion rights. The Republican political party believes that abortion should be illegal and that military funding should be increased. The Republican political party also believes in the death penalty.

• The Democratic political party, in general, does not believe in the death penalty. The Democratic political party believes that military spending should be reduced and that abortion should remain legal.

• Although both political political parties typically oppose gay marriage, the Democratic political party is more likely to have supporters of it than the Republican political party. The Democratic political party is also more likely to be in favor of legalizing civil unions for gay couples while the Republican political party is likely to oppose it.

• Both political parties have particular states that they are strong in. In elections, New York and California typically swing towards the Democratic political party. States in the south such as Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma will tend to vote for candidates who represent the Republican political party.

Both the Democratic political party and the Republican political party were founded in the early to mid 1800s. The Democratic political party was founded in 1824 and the Republican political party was founded in 1854.