Democrat
Republican
Founded in
1824
1854
Political Spectrum
Left – Liberal
Right – Conservative
Representative Symbol
Donkey
Elephant
Representative Color
Blue
Red
Size of Government
Promote big government
Promote small government
Role of Government
Active – It is the government’s responsibility to take care of its citizens
Advisory – People should take care of themselves
Power of Government
The government should have a central policy on some matter, so as to avoid dissent.
State government should pass laws, Federal government should have limited power
Wages
Favor minimum wages
Wages should be set by the free market.
Taxes
Lower taxes for lower and middle class, higher taxes for the wealthy. Aim to extend key tax relief for working families and those paying for college, while asking the wealthiest and corporations to pay their fair share.
Lower taxes for all. Government should not raise taxes to balance their budgets. Aim to extend the Bush tax cuts...reform the tax code…eliminate the taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains altogether for lower and middle-income taxpayers; End the Death Tax; and Repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax
National Debt
Cut programs that cannot be afforded, ask wealthiest to contribute fair share through taxes.
Aim to “place a hard cap on federal spending to force our government to live within its means and put an end to deficit spending.”
Small Business
Aim to raise taxes on almost 1 million small businesses to pay for government programs.
say the regulations and tax increases will hurt the small businesses, rather than support these job creators.
Jobs and Unemployment
Have increased stimulus funds and government intervention to solve economic problems.
Believe the way to reduce unemployment is to get out of business owners’ way by reducing government mandates.
Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Tend to favor longer unemployment benefits.
Tend to favor shorter unemployment benefits.
Labor
Believe that the right to organize and collectively bargain is a fundamental American value; every American should have a voice on the job and a chance to negotiate for a fair day’s pay after a hard day’s work. Believe all workers have a right to organize and to join a union.
Support the right of states to enact right-to-work laws and encourage them to do so to promote greater economic liberty. support the enactment of a national right-to-work law to promote worker freedom and to promote greater economic liberty.
National Defense
Believe military spending is too high and plan to cut defense spending by an undetermined amount.
Aim set defense spending at a floor of 4% of GDP. Believe the country should be military ready for any threat.
Capital Punishment
Less support for the death penalty
Favor capital punishment and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime
Immigration
Immigrants can help strengthen economy. Advocate comprehensive immigration reform that brings undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and requires them to get right with the law, learn English, and pay taxes in order to get on a path to earn citizenship.
Oppose any form of amnesty for immigrants. support the mandatory use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (S.A.V.E.) program—an internet-based system that verifies the lawful presence of applicants— prior to the granting of any State or federal government entitlements or IRS refunds.
Energy
To move towards a sustainable energy-independent future, harness all of America’s natural resources, to develop America’s many energy resources, including wind, solar, bio-fuels, geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, oil, clean coal, and natural gas.
Advocate taking advantage of all our American God-given resources. Support increased funding for development of clean alternative fuels.
Environment
Say protecting natural resources will create jobs and preserve habitats -- and ensure outdoor activities for the future. Believe global climate change is one of the biggest threats of this generation
Feel economic prosperity and environmentalism must work together with regulations based on science. Do not believe in climate change and global warming.
Health Care
Everyone should purchase government-run Obamacare funded through taxes.
Support the ability of all organizations to provide, purchase, or enroll in healthcare coverage consistent with their religious, moral or ethical convictions without discrimination or penalty
Abortion
Pro-choice, women should have a right to choose.
Pre-life, abortion is murder
Gay marriage
Anyone has the right to get married
Marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
Guns
Pro-Gun Control, more regulations needed to control gun ownership
Support the second-amendment, everyone has the ‘right to bear arms’
Education
Aim to make college affordable for students of all backgrounds and confront the loan burden our students shoulder. Have doubled our investment in Pell Grant scholarships and created the American Opportunity Tax Credit worth up to $10,000 over four years of college.
Support options for learning, including home schooling and local innovations like single-sex classes, full-day school hours, and year-round schools.
Sex Education
Support evidence-based and age appropriate sex education.
Call for replacing ‘family planning’ programs for teens with abstinence education.
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