What is the Difference Between a Republican and a Democrat?

[nbcrusader]

Answer: A returned phone call

From Newsweek

Last January, at a conference in Switzerland, he happened to chat with two prominent Republicans, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and Marc Holtzman, now president of the University of Denver. ?I would have been a Republican,? Clark told them, ?if Karl Rove had returned my phone calls.? Soon thereafter, in fact, Clark quit his day job and began seriously planning to enter the presidential race?as a Democrat. Messaging NEWSWEEK by BlackBerry, Clark late last week insisted the remark was a ?humorous tweak.? The two others said it was anything but. ?He went into detail about his grievances,? Holtzman said. ?Clark wasn?t joking. We were really shocked.?

 

[womanfish]

And the fact that he is pro-choice, pro-gun control, anti-Bush tax cut, pro-affirmative action, etc, etc.... You know, those sort of little issues.

_______________________________
General Wesley Clark for President

 

[nbcrusader]

You can't define the party by a simple checklist of soundbite issues. In the grand scheme of things, this highlights how little difference there is between the two parties.

 

[womanfish]

I know what you mean. And since Clark is a moderate, it does make sense that he blurs the line a little bit. In fact the starters of the Draft Clark movement were a Republican and a Democrat.

______________________________
General Wesley Clark for President

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

there is no difference. republican jumped all over the arnold schwarzenegger bandwaggon when he announced he was running for office, just because he had that (R) in front of his name. fact is, arnold is so in the middle that he's not really reflective of either party. and the same thing goes for Wesley Clark. democrats are jumping for joy that clark entered the election, when fact is the guy would have joined the republican party of karl rove had "picked up the phone," in which case democrats would hate him, even though he'd be the same exact person. but he's got that (D) in front of his name, so now he's the best choice out there.

the point? ideology has such a grip on politics in this nation that no one thinks for themselves anymore.

 

[Sherry Darling]

^^^

Word to yer mother, Headache. Amen! I tried to start a thead about that very idea, the way we put our beliefs in a box, but wasn't much interest.

Anyway, cheers,

SD

 

[verte76]

I agree. It's particularly hard to tell the difference between a moderate Democrat and a moderate Republican. The line is so blurred in Alabama politics you can just forget it.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i just really hope that people in this nation wake the hell up. support something not because your party supports it.... support something because you believe in it. if you support our action in iraq? fine... but why? because it's a republican idea? if you're against action in iraq? fine... but why? because it's anti-republican? question everything... make up your own damn mind. don't let some voice make it for you, no matter what party you affiliate yourself with. argh i'm gettin' annoyed.

 

[anitram]

Ralph Nader once said in a speech that the only difference between Democrats and Republicans is that they take their marching orders from different corporations.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

yeah... and most green party members are anti-republican... democrats without the title. we don't need more parties in this nation... we need less, or rather none. just let the people vote for a person based on his merits, not on wether he's a democrat, republican, or "other."

 

[Basstrap]

Politicians are politicians...very few can be trusted, and I'm very aware of that. I vote Liberal not because I believe they will turn my country into the nation I've always invisioned...cos the truth is; no matter who is in power, there will always be problems (unless you're Sting who seems to view Bush as a god). The Liberal party just aligns itself more to my side on some issues.

I don't know if I even want to vote sometimes...but I guess that's the wrong attitude.

 

[nbcrusader]

Candidates are too often sold as "issue sets" rather than leaders.

 

[STING2]

Basstrap,


"unless you're Sting who seems to view Bush as a god"

So if one supports certain policies of the Bush administration, then one deserves to be accused of viewing "Bush as a god"?

I actually have many policy differences with the Bush Administration. I'm pro-affirmative action, pro-gun control, and would like to see the Bush Tax Cut changed with only those with a Gross income of under 100,000 recieving a tax cut.

If McCain had been more successful in the Republican Primary against Bush in 2000 and the race continued to my state, I would have actively volunteered and worked for the McCain ticket in my area.

 

[melon]

The Republican Party would be better off, however, if it started hacking away at its extreme-right leadership. People like Tom DeLay (R-Texas) are reasons why I would be terribly weary of ever voting for a liberal or moderate Republican for Congress, merely because it would fuel their power. Sad to say, I'd almost be happier with *gasp* conservative Southern Democrats, just so I could get rid of the Republican leadership.

Would I support the demolition of political parties? At this point, yes.

Melon

 

[womanfish]

I supported Clark before I knew if he would be running as a Democrat or Republican or even what office he was running for. It was believed that he was going to run as a Republican for Senate at one point. The fact is I view myself as independent, because I have voted for both parties depending on the person and their views. But I would say I am a liberal independent.

 

[womanfish]

I supported Clark before I knew if he would be running as a Democrat or Republican or even what office he was running for. It was believed that he was going to run as a Republican for Senate at one point. The fact is I view myself as independent, because I have voted for both parties depending on the person and their views. But I would say I am a liberal independent.

For example, right now I would rather see McClintock than Arnold as the Republican candidate in California. He actually has plans and goals and ideas to help the budget and other areas. Arnold is a walking soundbite about "da people".

_______________________________
General Wesley Clark for President

 

[verte76]

I *tend* to vote Democratic, but not always. I don't take a position on any issue because Democratic Big Shot X supports it. I take a position on something because it makes sense and it sounds like it will actually *work*.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the extreme's in this nation are growing farther and farther apart, while the middle ground is growing closer and closer together. the far left is JUST as nuts as the far right. ted kennedy is just as big a wacko... no "big" pun intended... as delay is. it's like tammany hall has been recreated in america, just on a massive scale. we have two huge political machine's, churning away, fueled by money, coroption and power. i mean, politics has always been about money, coroption and power... but at least in the past the two sides could sit down and work something out. now we have presidential debates with both candidates saying how the other is wrong, AND THEY'RE BOTH SAYING THE EXACT DAMN THINGS! In all the chaos that followed the 2000 election, people missed out on what the closeness of the results was really saying... we don't want EITHER of these assholes.

 

[verte76]

Good points, headache. Do you suppose this has anything to do with so many people not voting? Nowadays we have slick, media-manipulative campaigns, short on substance. I vote, and will always vote, but I'm not liking some of the recent trends in our politics.

 

[Sherry Darling]

LOL--that's right Headache. I'm not a huge fan by any means, but I did get a chuckle out of how Michale Moore put it: the evil of two lessers.

LOL--word!

SD

 

[Basstrap]

sorry sting

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

I'm sick and tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. I'm very much a liberal, but I'm sure i probably won't be too fond of whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being, but will probably end up voting for him anyways because I'll almost definately see him as the lesser evil in comparison to Bush, but I doubt that I'll feel very passionate about that candidate or think that he represents me well.

I agree with you 100% Headache about the reason for the closeness of the 2000 presidential campaign. I really despised both Bush and Gore, and it was sort of a relief that I didn't have to chose as I was not old enought to vote at the time.

For the most part the parties act pretty much the same behind closed doors, although they may say differently in public. The vast majority of politicians will do whatever the big business who give them campaign contributions and other favors want, regardless of the politics they supposedly stand for.