Glenda Said:

In the US, what is the difference between Democrat/Republican and Liberal/Conservative?

We Answered:

the Basic Ideology is
Democrats are for the people/working class
Republicans are for the business structure.
so republicans call the Democrats Liberals
and the Democrats call the Republicans Conservative.
On top of that any time someone in the media voices an opinion about a political party if it is not inline with what they think the Liberal/Conservative labels are thrown around.
The you have the Religious Right/Left.

Nicole Said:

What is the difference between Republican and Democrat?

We Answered:

Republicans want small government and less taxes for the rich no matter what that means for the working class/poor
Democrats want social progress and better opportunities for the working class/poor
The whole two party system is flawed though because with only two parties most people are voting against a candidate instead of for a candidate and that is no way to elect a leader.

Rose Said:

What's the difference between democrat and republican?

We Answered:

The true answer to you question is that democrats will feed 9 undeserving people in order to make sure that 1 needy person gets something to eat.

The republicans on the other hand will starve 9 needy people in order to make sure that 1 undeserving person doesn't get anything.

As for the dems being socialist and the cons being capitalists, look at the bailout.
The cons believe profits should be privatized, yet their losses should be socialized.

Democrats are for people.
Republicons are for big business and corporations

Ian Said:

What is the difference between Republican and Democrat economically, and what am I?

We Answered:

No, you cannot be a social liberal and call yourself a Republican because they make fun of you by calling you a RINO (republican in name only). Republicans are a very exclusive bunch that will never be open to social liberals like us. I too would vote for a Republican if they were socially liberal as I am a supporter of the free market. Unfortunately, conservatives aren't too great with deregulation because they don't limit themselves, thus the deregulation of the financial industry and the creation of an unregulated derivatives market.

Brandon Said:

What's The Difference Between Republican & Democrat?

We Answered:

Republican: Less big government, lower taxes, tend to side with big business
Democrat: Favor higher taxes for social programs, favor larger federal government, tend to side with labor unions
As for Conservative & Liberals: Most conservatives tend to be Republican or Libertarian. Most liberals tend to be Democrats.
I hope I was fair, no bias. I am not pushing no party, just trying to give a fair answer.

Jane Said:

Whats the difference between republican and democrat and can we vote fore both?

We Answered:

Basically, they represent two different kinds of government: 'Republican", where people elect a politician to become expert and vote his own informed conscience in the Senate and so on (as in Ancient Rome), and "Democrat", where the person elected is actually expected to vote the "will of the people" who elected him -- as if the people who elected him voted on each and every issue.

The United States was in fact founded as a "Republic". So even though we practice "One Man, One Vote", in the end we mostly accept that the will of the majority is not always right, nor the public best informed on every issue. A lynch mob is "democratic", for example. To balance this potential imbalance in both cases, we have the Congress, and especially the courts, which rely on a DEMOCRATIC jury system to decide important civil questions of responsibility. The courts can eventually overturn law made by the Congress. Still, at the courts' highest level, the Supreme Court, the judge-chairs are appointed for LIFE by the President, and these "Justices", or highest judges, are absolutely "republican" in that they are an appointed elite which responds to no one. The Supreme Courts' decisions are final -- and often follow the exact lines which the President would like. Surprising circumstances in a "democratic" society.

So in real practice, over the years and particularly this century since the Depression and Roosevelt administration instituted widespread public reform to rebuild the economically broken country and face war, the words "Republican" and "Democrat" have taken on other meanings. The public is confused as to what these words mean, and it's no wonder.

Essentially, today's Democratic Party is favored by religious and racial minorities and working-class people, as well as a large portion of those with higher college education who are attracted that party's closer adherence to so-called "Liberal" causes, such as government support of groups, government control of schools, health benefits, tax supports for labor and industry and so on. This type of system, while evening out some inequalities, can remove some incentives for individual achievement, and lead to excessive government spending at local levels.

The Republican Party tends to attract those who are better off financially, and proportionally more Whites than other race-groups. Republicans do not like government involvement in economic affairs -- seeing "Free Enterprise" as a way to make all of society wealthier by less control of the way money is made and taxes assessed. This, too has its drawbacks as it leads to separation between the opportunities that are available according to economic well-being, both to individuals and groups. Has a friendly stock-broker sent you any money in the mail recently after making a profit? No? In other words, the mythology that business succcess brings well-being for all has yet to prove itself. It's strange, too, that the Republicans who scream so loudly about "Government Involvement and Taxes" are ever so willing to support public spending for a military that they seem to be continuously sending off to meddle in other countries' affairs at enormous expense to the taxpayer. Go figure.

In the end, one might even say that while the Democrats prefer a "President", the Republicans prefer a "King". It is ironic to see Democrats propose 'Power to the People', and rely more on government to lead, while the Rebublicans propose "individual freedom" and tend to concentrate real power in the hands of only a few.

In today's "Super-Tuesday" primaries we see an example of the difference between the Republicans' and Democrats' way of doing things. In the Republican primaries, the candidate in each state who gets the most votes takes ALL the delegates who will vote for the nomination for President. Conversely, in the Democratic primaries, each candidate "win or lose", receives a number of delegates' votes proportional to the number of individual votes he received.
This was primarily the result of Reverend Jesse Jackson's candidacy where he objected to the "winner-takes-all" way of doing things, and won change in the way the Democratic Party chooses its own candidates. Superficially "more fair", time has shown that counting people and votes in a way designed to create "balance", such as "School Busing","Affirmatve Action", and the incredibly dumb and short-lived teaching of "Ebonics" -- all championed by the Democrats -- really make more problems and inequality than they solve.

Pretty complicated stuff. Up 'til quite recently, the system has worked pretty well as each side did their best to reconcile their differences between elections, reaching for sensible compromise. In recent years, particularly during the Nixon/Reagan/Bush/Bush dynasty, we have seen such differences and unwillingness to compromise on both sides that both our internal and external politics have suffered. Something like a heart does when it it sick, our country's heart seems not to beat as regularly as it should. We seem to rush in confusion back and forth from "Conservatism" to "Liberalism", without much regard for internal stability, nor for our hard-earned role as leader of the Free World.

It's almost as as if our American ideal was for our President to become God. Whether we aim for an all-powerful Republican God, or an all-understanding Democratic one: the result is pretty much the same: disappointment and childish confusion about why our Great Plan is not working so well.

Heather Said:

What's the difference between Democrat and Republican?

We Answered:

i would like to know