1) Role Of The Government: Less Is More?

The Democrats and the Republicans seem to be embroiled in a long-standing political rivalry, an ongoing tug-of-war which has had the nation divided into two halves, each pulling on the rope with all its strength. But hey, what exactly is the fight all about? Why can’t the two parties calm down, have a beer and just, you know, relax a bit? Well, that doesn’t seem to be possible – particularly not in the current politically charged environment.

So if you know nothing about politics and want to see what all the fuss is about, we can break down and analyze 5 major issues for you.

The most contentious subject between the Republicans and Democrats is that of the role of government. This is the one area that a lot of the divisive opinions can be traced back to. This is where a lot of the mess stems from as well.

The Democrats believe in a robust and proactive government: one that promotes community values, one that recognizes social responsibility, and one that steps up actively to solve the citizens’ problems. The Republicans want none of that hogwash. They believe in a limited government. Their focus is the promotion of individual rights and justice rather than a hulking bureaucracy that solves few problems and creates many.

2) Political Values: Left Or Right?

A simple way to view the political philosophy of both parties would be that Democrats lean left whereas Republicans lean right. The Democrats are progressives and liberals whereas the Republicans are conservatives. Alas! If it were so simple… Within both parties are various factions and ideological differences that make the matter much more complicated.

In the Democratic Party, there are Progressives, who support government action to establish socioeconomic equality; Liberals, who advocate fair trade and a peaceful foreign policy; and Socialists, who want more welfare.

On the other hand, in the GOP, we have the Traditionalists, who are pro-business and hold a relatively more militaristic worldview; the Fiscal Conservatives, who vehemently insist on cutting down government spending; and Social Conservatives, who hold traditional views on many social issues such as religion and gay marriage.

The Libertarians hang around somewhere in between, and support one party or the other on the basis of the particular policies in question.

Both parties’ views on religion stem from their political beliefs as well. The more left-leaning Democrats are generally strictly secular and favor a clear distinction between the Church and State. The Republicans, in general, and the ‘religious right’, in particular, strongly associate their personal religious beliefs with their political policies. This cannot be considered a rule of thumb and there are various exceptions to the principle as well. 3) Gay Rights, Abortion, Gun Control, Energy, And Environment: Argh, It’s Too Much!

3) Gay Rights, Abortion, Gun Control, Energy, And Environment: Argh, It’s Too Much!

These are some of the most troublesome issues between the two parties and, coincidently, the issues you hear the most about. So what’s the deal here basically? A much simpler explanation can be sought in the parties’ aforementioned political values and beliefs about government. So let’s analyze these issues one by one.

The Republican view on abortion and same-sex marriages stem from the inherently Christian values that many conservatives hold dear. Thus, Republican presidential candidates generally support only civil unions and promise to impose a ban on gay marriages, if elected. Same is the case with abortion. Republicans consider themselves as pro-life and promote other alternatives to abortion. On the contrary, the Democrats are generally pro-choice and support gay marriages, with prominent exceptions of course.

The Republican and Democrat views on gun control, energy, and environment are closely linked to their beliefs about government. The Republicans, being pro-business support less environment and energy regulations whereas Democrats want the government to play a proactive role. Same is the case with gun control. The Democrats think that it is the government’s duty to protect the citizens from increasing gun violence while the Republicans believe otherwise.

4) Tax, Trade, And Tribulation: It’s The Economy, Stupid!

4) Tax, Trade, And Tribulation: It’s The Economy, Stupid!

Regarding the economy, we can see familiar patterns of less government and pro-business sentiments in the Republican views. The government must restrict its activities in the economic sphere to allow the market in determining value, wages, and fixing the economy. They support small businesses in order to create more jobs tax cuts in order to stimulate the economy.

The Democrats, on the other hand, do not generally trust the market or private business enough to leave the important decisions such as taxes, wages, or jobs to them. They believe in more government activity to regulate the market, stimulate the economy, and create more jobs.

Another issue that is closely interrelated to the economic beliefs is that of healthcare. And, if you have actually managed to read till here, it must be a no-brainer, right? The Democrats want the government to offer a universal healthcare package – which they presented as Obamacare. The Republicans just want to be rid of Obamacare as soon as they step into the office. Why? Well, healthcare is what the insurance companies are for. Less government is a good government, remember?

5) Foreign Policy: To bomb Or Not To Bomb. That Is The Question.

In foreign policy, generally, the Democrats and Republican focus on different issues altogether. The Democrats aim for greater global cooperation and multi-national engagement. For this purpose, they support the grant of aid to the third-world countries. The Republicans want to spread democracy around the world and confront with the governments that support terrorists or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

How to deal with rogue governments and non-state actors is the issue that is creating the most controversy these days. Should we invade Syria to stop ISIS? Should we bomb North Korea? What is to be done with Iran? The Republicans generally suggest much stricter measures against rogue governments and terrorist organizations whereas the Democrats advise restraint in foreign policy issues and prefer negotiation, peaceful means, and diplomacy.