Difference Between Democrats and Republicans

[The Voice of Reason]

My friend (a staunch Republican) and I were talking the other day, and he asked me what I see as the biggest single difference between the two parties. I gave him the following answer:

When I was a kid (60's/70's) the Democrats were the "big government" party - and they got big government by taxing. Thus, the "Tax and Spend" label that we know so well.
Over the course of my lifetime, I do not think that they have changed all that much.

The Republican party, on the other hand, believed in smaller government and wanted to limit taxation, knowing that they could not offer the same depth or breadth of services that the Democrats could - but they saw that as a good thing. You had a clear cut choice on the economic front.
Over the intervening years (beginning with Reagan), the Republican party has changed. They now believe in promising and giving you big government (so the Democrats don't have that advantage). The difference is that to pay for that big government, they will deficit spend (and this came directly from Reagan) to do it.

What does this mean? Well, if you don't mind passing all that debt on to your children and grandchildren, it's not a bad deal. If, on the other hand, you feel that we should pay our own way, well - you're being decieved.

TVOR

 

[Watcher]

Only thing that I can think of right now is that they lie about different topics...

 

[Sunstone]

Am I the only one who is shocked by the implicit cynicism of this thread? Whatever happened to the old-fashioned idea that both parties are benevolent institutions that have only the noblest interests of the American people at heart? How can you possibly think of politicians as doing anything that is not for the common good?

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I would modify that statement to be "They lie about all subjects".

TVOR

 

[Sunstone]

Lied! Politicians lie??? Next thing you know, Voice and Watcher, you two will be claiming they take bribes too. Where will it all end?

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Sunstone,

You insinuate that I was disparaging politicians. I think we can all agree that politicians are paragons of integrity, right behind televangelists selling books for God.

TVOR

 

[Sunstone]

I'm glad you've seen the light, Voice: It's impossible to have too high of an opinion of politicians.

Much more seriously: One thing that irks me no end on some days is the tendency of people to think that one political party is all good and the other party is all bad. I see that in this election. Whenever I tune into the local conservative talk radio, I get an earful of it. All the callers to the local talk radio program believe that George Bush is God's gift to America and that John Kerry is a demon. It's pretty sick. Now, to be sure, I'm going to vote for Kerry this year. But I don't believe that he's lilly white. Far from it. I basically think he's a scoundrel. He's been in politics all of his life -- how could he not be a scoundrel? I just happen to believe that he's a better scoundrel than Bush. Am I too cynical?

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Sunstone,
You capture my feelings exactly. I am skeptical of anyone that has made a living in politics - at any level - for more than a decade. If you feed at the public trough long enough, it will tend to bloat you, and make you less able to discern right from wrong. In essence, you slowly become tainted with the situational ethics that permeate politics.

TVOR