What makes a republican or a democrat?

[Reverend Maynard]

Howdy all. Sorry about the terribly newbie question but I have become increasingly curiuos about this.

What I want to know is how to classify my beliefs. If you look at my profile you will see I am 20 years old, and not a registered voter. I have come to the realization that I have had my head up my ass for far too long. I just don't know what to register as.

I'm not looking for suggestions on a party to choose, mind you, I just don't know where to start.

Another thing I would like to know...there are liberals and there are conservatives...which is a democrat and which is a republican?

What characteristics do each party display, what do they believe in, and such (in general of course, no two people think alike)?

[Sasq]

afaik in the States the Democrats are liberals (Left wing) and the Republicans are the conservatives (Right wing).
In Australia this gets really confusing as the Labor party is left wing and the Liberals are right wing (notice the capital L)

These are pretty broad generalizations so no flames please...

To give you a quick idea about left and right wings of politics.
Far far far left are the 'hug me i'm a hippy people' and on the Far far far right you have the 'Harry potter and Wizzard of Oz are tools of satan so we must protect out children and burn all the books people'.

Most people generally sit somewhere in the middle and lean a little to the left or right. liberal (small L - left wing) generally are for the workers more and less for the corporations (see most labor unions) also they tend to be more in favor of abortion clinics etc. While as concervatives tend to be more in favor corporations - see bush and kyoto policy (again no falmes here just some simple examples to get him going - he'll research and make up his own mind), they also generally tend to be against abortion and concentrate more on the family group/unit.

Both sides have some pluses and minuses. Generally its better to have a balance of power between the two sides as it negates the extream views of each side and you get social policy that balances the need for the environment/jobs/family unit/money etc

personally I sit a little to the left of middle, and I try to look at both sides of the argument for each thing proposed

Hope this helps

Dan

[Pneumatic]

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced the altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman replied, "You are in a hot air balloon approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be a republican," said the balloonist.

"I am," said the woman. "How did you know?"

"Well", answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."

The woman below responded. "You must be a democrat."

"I am" replied the balloonist, but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "You don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

[Joel]

Or he could even consider the Libertarian Party.

The Libertarian Party is committed to America's heritage of freedom, individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity, a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade.

http://www.lp.org/

Their most controversial issue is that they feel that this so called 'war on drugs' should be stopped.

It also seems that they hold to a literal interpretation of the Constitution.

Joel

[Dr Mordrid]

It's a bit more complex than just liberal or conservative when it comes to US party affiliation. There are democrats who are military hawks and republicans who are social activists.

Some of the determination is by geographical region. In the northeast both parties are "liberal" compared to the mainstream just as both parties in most of the west and southwest are more "conservative".

Another factor in party membership is tradition. In some areas of the eastern US the Republican party has never been a factor so most liberals and conservatives are Democrats. The opposite is the case in much of the western US with both political extremes being found in the Republican party.

This explains phenomenae like the "Blue Dog" Democrats, who often vote with the conservative Republicans, and the "Country Club Republicans" who often vote with the liberal Democrats.

Most folks now are now listing themselves as Independents, but the *philosophical* leaning of most Americans are mildly conservative. The policy balance is conservative economics, foreign & military policy with a slight lean to social activisim in other policies like the environment, with the actual percentages depending on region. As a result most State governments are Republican.

Dr. Mordrid

[Sasq]

You guy's know the American system better then I do, same sort of geographical representation happens in Oz, (and most countries as far as i can tell) The regional (read country/farming areas) tend to be more conservative and the cities tend to be more liberal.

Just a quick question, when you say most people register themselves as an independant, do you mean the politians or yourselves?

Dan

[Dr Mordrid]

In terms of liberal/conservative being city/rural phenomena, that's true TO A POINT. You obviously haven't heard of Salt Lake City, Utah. There the most liberal person you'll find is more conservative than almost anyone you'll find in most rural areas. This is a religious difference due to Utah being largely a Mormon State, and Mormons are as a rule VERY conservative. There are other very conservative large and mid-sized cities in the US as well, but SLC is the most obvious example.

As far as party listings go, either.

The most important thing to remember is that most elections are run by the States and localities and not the Federal government. The sole exceptions are the Senate and House seats which are federally regulated, but even then the Federal laws mostly apply only to the final election and not the primaries.

Those registered as independents often cannot vote in the party primaries, but this is not universally true because of variances in State law across the nation. Some States even allow voters to vote in BOTH major party primaries. The ability to ticket-split in these States is not consistant. Some allow it, some don't.

In most States people have to register their party affiliation to take part in the the a Party primary election, which are not State run in most cases but run by the Party organizations. As such in most States you cannot vote in both primaries.

Some States don't even HAVE primary elections to select their nominees. Many State and local nominees are chosen at State party conventions by party regulars. Candidates can, however, get on the ballot by petition in most States.

As far as candidates for elected office being listed on the ballot as "Independent", this is their choice. They could just as easily be listed on the ballot as a member of the "Martian Interplanetary Coalition" if they wanted to be, although I wouldn't recommend it

Presidential elections are very much LOCAL events given the nature of the electoral college, which became obvious in the 2000 Presidential election. The only federal interventions are when State law is violated or ignored by the State courts and the Supreme Court has to sort things out because of the US Constitutions requirement for equal protection.

Another State-ism:

the States don't have to have to hold a Presidential election at all!!

Any State legislature could just as easily select who gets its Presidential electors instead of the voters doing it. This is perfectly legal since the Constitution gives the power of elector selection to the State Legislatures, and they can change the selection manner at any time. They don't even have to choose someone on the ballot!!

Up until just the last half of the 20th century the Senate itself was elected in just this manner. Voters selecting their States Senators is a fairly recent phenomenon in the US. In times past even the President was chosen not even by the States but by a vote of the House of Representatives.

The law was later changed to allow the States to handle elector selection in November using the process of their choosing, but if the States fail to select one by a time slightly before the Presidential inauguation date in January the House can still select the President it wants. Again, this person doesn't even have to be a party to the election or whatever previous selction processes have ocurred !!

The new President could just as easily be a member of the House or Senate or anyone else that qualified under the Constitution's limitations of native birth and 35 years of age.

If you haven't guessed by now the 50 States have more power over elections than the Feds in most cases. The exceptions are in voting rights and the equal application of State voting laws.

Such is Federalism in a Constitutionally limited Republic.

Dr. Mordrid

[KRSESQ]

FYI, don't want to sound like I'm bragging or anything. Just in case it comes up in a game of Trivia...

North Dakota is the only state that does not require voter registration. No one here is required to divulge their party affilliation. Voter information is taken from the tax roles.

The State Legislature tried to enact a voter registration law a few years back and got shot down real quick.

We're a little schizophrenic out here. Our last two governors have been Republicans but our U.S. Representitives are almost invariably Democrats. Meanwhile we consistantly support Republicans for President.

Our state legislature is split so close to 50/50 it's amazing anything gets accomplished (which is often a blessing in disguise ).

Kevin

[Sasq]

Hmm Oz is very different.
You may belong to a political party if you choose, and pay the subscription fees, all preselection is done by the party. Anybody can run for whichever seat they choose with or without the parties endorsment - we tend to have a lot of independants, green party and the *other green* party candidates.

Your vote is private the Federal electrol commision doesn't want to know your party affiliation.
We have a national electrol office that handles federal, state and local elections, federal follows federal and constitutional rules, state follows state and constitional rules, local council elections follow state legislature within federal guidlines.

Generally works well

Dan

[Reverend Maynard]

I believe I may be more confused than when I started. If I register and an independant can I vote for whomever I choose in the primary? Or am I stuck with an independant candidate?

[Dr Mordrid]

In most states you can register as an independent, but can only vote in one parties primary election at a time. You can change from election to election, but only one party at a time. Onlly a few allow ticket splitting.

In SOME states only registered dems or republicans can vote in the party primaries, depending on the party rules and state law. Check your Secretary of State for the law in your state, but the party rule may change from election to election.

Dr. Mordrid