Differences Between the Democratic and the Republican Party

The US has a two-party political system. The two parties are the Republican and the Democratic Party. There are some core ideological differences between the two. Republicans follow a conservative policy while the Democrats follow a liberal policy. Republicans are opposed to abortion. They call it murder of the fetus. This is called the ‘pro-life’ stance. Democrats support the right of abortion. They argue that women should have a right on their bodies. This is called the ‘pro-choice’ stance. Republicans are opposed to same-sex marriage. Democrats want to legalize it. Unlike the Democrats, Republicans believe in a more robust version of federalism with greater limitations placed on federal power and a larger role for the states. Democrats support stem cell research. The Republicans are opposed to it.

Democrats oppose the doctrine of unilateralism, which says that the United States should use military force without any assistance from other nations whenever it believes there is a threat to its security or welfare. They believe the United States should act in the international arena in concert with strong alliances and broad international support. Republicans believe that the United States should intervene unilaterally if its national interests are at stake regardless of world opinion. Democrats favor a higher minimum wage while the Republicans are opposed to it. Republicans believe that minimum wage increases hurt many businesses by forcing them to cut jobs and services as well as raise the prices of goods to compensate for the decrease in profit. This hurts the poor the most, who have the least number of options when prices rise, and/or when jobs and services are cut.

Republicans favor tax cuts. Democrats are opposed to it saying that the tax revenues are used to help the neediest. Democrats want the government to pay for universal health care. The Republicans wants the individual or companies to pay for it. Republicans want more money to be spent on national defense than the Democrats. The Republican supports stricter immigration laws and border controls than the Democrats.

Republicans believe that strict environmental standards hurt businesses and hence support reductions in environmental regulations. The Democrats believe that the health of families and the strength of the economy depend on proper governance of the environment. Democrats are committed to fight to strengthen the laws that ensure people have clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. They also are ready to fight to make sure these laws are enforced. They feel that a sensible energy policy is necessary for a strong economy, national security, and a clean environment. The Democrats reject the idea that a healthy economy and a healthy environment cannot co-exist, because they believe that a cleaner environment means a stronger economy. They advocate open space and rail travel to relieve highway and airport congestion and combat air pollution and improve the economy, and believe that communities, environmental interests, and government should work together to protect the resources while ensuring the vitality of local economies.

Republicans are skeptical about global warming whereas Democrats treat it as a serious issue. The Democrats support affirmative action to help blacks, minorities and women. The Republicans are opposed to it. They believe it works against meritocracy and doesn’t genuinely benefit the target groups. The Democrats support the right of privacy for the individual and oppose government monitoring. The Republicans argue that if the vital interests of the nation are at stake, monitoring should be permitted. The Democrats advocate gun control. The Republicans are fiercely opposed to it.

However, Republicans and Democrats don’t always disagree. There are a number of issues where their positions converge. For example, the Democrats have supported the Puerto Ricans for their right to decolonization. Here the views of the republicans are identical. Both the parties oppose the use of torture in prisons.