What is the main difference between Republicans and Democrats?

[forkup]

I think they also do it in the USA, maybe by other means.
In any case, social benefits in the United States are no less than in other countries.
There are many financial control mechanisms, they do not have to be initiated by law.

Really? My wife is American, I'm Belgian. I know of zero people in Belgium that had to file for medical bankruptcy. I know of 2 in my circle of friends and relatives in the US.

That seems like less social benefits to me.

I know of no one in Belgium that had to take out a loan to go to college. I know of several in the US.

That seems like less social benefits.

I have more payed time of in Belgium then I do in the US. Etc. etc.

 

[rupol2000]

Politics is a game of sorts. And you aren't even completely wrong with stating that there are few fundamental differences. But only to a point. The base ideology is fundamentelly different.

The problem is the way and especially the cost of getting elected. An American politician is either funded by industry (who expect to get favours in return) or the public. Who give more money out of anger then they do out of a sense off ideology.

This means actually making good policy decisions is not the best way to get and keep the job.

This probably means that democracy is dead when money matters.

 

[22lcidw]

You weren't simplyfying . You were using hyperbole in order to make a caricature of the the Democratic position. Something that I've noticed is almost a Pavlovian reflex by those on the right when discussing the Democratic position on the role of government. In my opinion its at best intellectual laziness in order to not spend the time to have an honest discussion about it. At worst a recognition that Republicans know that they can't successfully defend their position on merit.

You posed an interesting, open, and non-biased question in your OP. It's disappointing that it took you 1 reply completely forego that.

As to the welfare state being semi-communism. Every Western government has a form of a welfare state. The difference between the US and most other nations is one of degree. Most nations find that the wealth gap should be contained within certain limits and uses taxation to control it. The US simply doesn't do that.

Communism doesn't recognise Capitalism at all.

Communism in China has adjusted. They have married Capitalist manufacturing and high technology with Communist control and leadership. The Capitalism side is closer to our early industrial ways of employee relationships, but the workers had nothing before this. And there are a billion more people not even involved yet.

 

[rupol2000]

Really? My wife is American, I'm Belgian. I know of zero people in Belgium that had to file for medical bankruptcy. I know of 2 in my circle of friends and relatives in the US.

That seems like less social benefits to me.

I know of no one in Belgium that had to take out a loan to go to college. I know of several in the US.

That seems like less social benefits.

I have more payed time of in Belgium then I do in the US. Etc. etc.

Well, in Belgium, Switzerland and several other countries, social security is better than in the United States, but these are the exceptions, not the rules. Don't you think that China or Russia is also better with this than in the USA?

 

[forkup]

This probably means that democracy is dead when money matters.

When you use private money to fund political campaigns Democracy might not be dead because the process to get elected is still Democratic. What will be dead or at least severely curtailed is politicians actually doing their job in good faith.

That's why most Western nations fund political campaigns with public funds.

 

[2aguy]

What is the main difference between Republicans and Democrats?

Democrats want power concentrated in a tiny number of individuals...who make the decisions for the society.

Republicans/conservatives, want power to be dispersed and controlled through a separation of powers, checks and balances because they understand that too much power, located in too few individuals leads to disaster.

 

[Mac1958]

The main difference between the two parties is that they tend to have different worldviews.

Obviously.

Was this a trick question?

 

[justoffal]

It used to be a different approach to government. Democrats believe the role of the government is to help people directly.

Republicans believe the government should have as little impact on people's life as possible and let free market capitalism sort it out.

Now. I believe it is more about Democrats believing a watered-down version of what I stated and Republicans opposing it, or anything else Democrats believe in. Policy vs anti-policy.

This is oversimplified but I think basically correct.

With Democrats and Republicans it's basically the Hatfield versus McCoy syndrome. There is no more policy.... There is no more political standard. There is only the drive to be re-elected.
Anything that attains to that goal become sacred on the battlefield where there are no limits to treachery. The secondary business of actually running the country and taking care of the constituents well that's exactly what it is, secondary ..... perhaps it's even tertiary.

Jo

 

[Votto]

What is the main difference between Republicans and Democrats?

It used to be that the democrats would blame corporate America for all the world's problems and the GOP would blame government. But at the end of the day, they would both contribute to the power of both and shake hands behind the scenes.

Today though, democrats have entered some sort of woke weird portal of insanity, where boys are girls, the police are white and racist, trillions of dollars in spending really equals zero dollars in spending, and the world will end in 12 years due to carbon emissions. Throw in a Pandemic with insanity all of it's own, with democrats preaching to isolate and wear masks, as they are caught time and again not doing it themselves, and the difference between the two is perhaps never been greater.

There is also the difference in propaganda between the two. Media and Academia has always leaned to the Left, but never more so than today. And with the advent of democrats learning to censor social media, and new phenomenon in the last election cycle, it may be said that the GOP may end up a bygone party in the near term. All that will be left will be radical woke Leftism drowning in an orgy of massive spending and self loathing of the US as a nation due to the racial and sexual divisions exploited by them to help seize power.

The recent changes in the voting laws due to Covid have also helped the democrats, as well as other schemes like letting in as many illegals to help change the voting demographics and talk of further voting law changes and adding democrat states, etc.

Soon the GOP will be gone as the chimps will start to eat themselves. In fact, looking at Manchin and company, they are already are.

 

[forkup]

Well, in Belgium, Switzerland and several other countries, social security is better than in the United States, but these are the exceptions, not the rules. Don't you think that China or Russia is also better with this than in the USA?

Most Western nations have more social security than the US that's not an exception but the rule. As for China or Russia. Neither are Democracies in the real sense of the word. Unlike the countries being discussed.

 

[forkup]

Democrats want power concentrated in a tiny number of individuals...who make the decisions for the society.

Republicans/conservatives, want power to be dispersed and controlled through a separation of powers, checks and balances because they understand that too much power, located in too few individuals leads to disaster.

Yes exactly. That's why they tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power in order to let Trump remain in power. You know checks and balances. Never mind those pesky elections.

Never mind that pesky judicial branch that didn't want to accept those election challenges.

 

[2aguy]

Yes exactly. That's why they tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power in order to let Trump remain in power. You know checks and balances. Never mind those pesky elections.

Never mind that pesky judicial branch that didn't want to accept those election challenges.

Wow, another left wing idiot.

 

[maybelooking]

Really? My wife is American, I'm Belgian. I know of zero people in Belgium that had to file for medical bankruptcy. I know of 2 in my circle of friends and relatives in the US.

That seems like less social benefits to me.

I know of no one in Belgium that had to take out a loan to go to college. I know of several in the US.

That seems like less social benefits.

I have more payed time of in Belgium then I do in the US. Etc. etc.

How much money did Belgium send to Haiti the last time a Hurricane decimated them?
What is Belgiums defense budget?
What does a 4 year college degree cost in Belgium?

my point is this. the reasons for the differences you mention are vast and complex. Its never as simple as people want to act like it is.

My daughter got a 4 year degree here in the states basically for free. She was a 4.0 student and chose a relatively inexpensive school.

 

[22lcidw]

Yes exactly. That's why they tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power in order to let Trump remain in power. You know checks and balances. Never mind those pesky elections.

Never mind that pesky judicial branch that didn't want to accept those election challenges.

That pesky judicial branch at lower levels has made Progressive Socialist law with radicals installed to it and has overridden the voters intents many times. Republican judges are like Mayberry while Prog Socialists are like the worst years of the Soviet Union.

 

[Crepitus]

What is the main difference between Republicans and Democrats?

The average Democrat has about 25 more IQ points.

Why do you ask?

 

[forkup]

Wow, another left wing idiot.

Hey I wasn't the one trying to make the claim that Republicans accept the idea of checks and balances, while the almost the entire caucus focus has seemed to be overturning the election results, the ultimate check and balance. Despite the judicial branch rejecting the reasoning for it and an attempt to prevent the legislative branch from certifying it.

Unless you feel a mob constitutes a legitimate balance?

 

[2aguy]

Hey I wasn't the one trying to make the claim that Republicans accept the idea of checks and balances, while the almost the entire caucus focus has seemed to be overturning the election results, the ultimate check and balance. Despite the judicial branch rejecting the reasoning for it and an attempt to prevent the administrative branch from certifying it.

Unless you feel a mob constitutes a legitimate balance?

you mean after targeted changing of election laws by the democrats……? Using illegal acts to change those laws?

 

[maybelooking]

The average Democrat has about 25 more IQ points.

Why do you ask?

how does it feel to be far below average?

 

[forkup]

you mean after targeted changing of election laws by the democrats……? Using illegal acts to change those laws?

I mean after BOTH Republicans and Democrats changed election laws in response to a global health crisis, and the Judicial branch ruled those changes were no reason to not recognise the results.

Again part of those checks and balances

 

[rupol2000]

When you use private money to fund political campaigns Democracy might not be dead because the process to get elected is still Democratic. What will be dead or at least severely curtailed is politicians actually doing their job in good faith.

It doesn't matter, because the elections will still depend on the money invested in the election campaign.

That's why most Western nations fund political campaigns with public funds.

This is even worse, the financial and administrative apparatus of the current government will be used there, and there will be no alternatives at all.