The Right Perspective:
A Crash Course in American Party Politics
Written by: Jamal Greene
Have you ever heard the saying, “Love is a contact sport?” Well, in this day and time, so is American Politics. At times, it can be hard to cut through the chatter and opinions of the media personalities in the news to get to the substance of many issues facing our country. The economy, high unemployment, the exploding national debt, and the insolvency of our biggest entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicare, all have citizens of this county worried that the nation they received from their parents will not be the nation they pass on to their children and grandchildren. America’s political system, a democratic republic, is the world’s best form of government, but, at times, it is difficult for things to get done and this causes the American public to become disillusioned with politics all together. What people must realize about something as complex as the American political system is that change comes from within, not shouting from the outside. To keep America safe and prosperous and to maintain our Republic, all Americans must become politically aware and active. After all, this is our country.
The foundations of our political systems are basic, yet complex. In our nation’s beginning, there were two political parties, the Federalists (the party of Hamilton) and the Democratic-Republicans (the party of Jefferson) with the Democratic-Republicans splitting and then forming the Democratic Party we know today. One could say that the modern Republican Party, in some ways, is a continuation of the Federalists party, as well. It is sometimes said that there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between today’s two political parties, but, in recent years, that divide has become more pronounced.
The Democratic Party, founded after the demise of the Democratic-Republican Party, is a party that today holds a fundamental belief that government is the solution to its citizens’ problems. This belief is based on an ideology called Liberalism, which is a contemporary version of Progressivism. Democrats generally believe that government is the best engine for economic growth and job creation. Democrats hold to an economic philosophy called Keynesianism, based on the ideas of economist John Maynard Keynes which stated that government spending could create economic growth. The idea is that the government spends billions or, in today’s figures, trillions on infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges and that, in turn, would cause employers in those industries to hire new workers for those projects. However, critics would point out that never in this nation’s history has Keynesian economics worked; in fact, it has done more harm than good because most of the spending is financed by borrowed money.
The US has developed a dangerous pattern of spending more than it takes in. Continued borrowing causes a depreciation of the dollar and a continued rise in prices because the dollar you had last year isn’t worth what it is now. Democrats believe in over government regulation and oversight in private industry. Democrats tend to regulate private industry by using taxation and legislation which, at first glance to some, may seem reasonable, but critics would point out that these policies are often to businesses’ detriment rather than their benefit. Democrats’ policy is flawed because, as our President recently said, “The Private sector, not Government, is the engine of economic growth”. Oftentimes, heavy taxation of business and over-regulation of an industry causes job loss, not gains. This is because, for businesses, their bottom line is growth and generating returns for investors and shareholders and one way they ensure this is by controlling and reducing cost when necessary. A common way to reduce cost is to either cut the workforce or outsource jobs to countries that have lower taxation and regulation than the United States, like China.
President Reagan, like President Obama, became president during a recession, but the recession Reagan inherited was, in some people’s opinion, worse than what Obama inherited.
Democrats also believe in social welfare for most, if not all, its citizens. Democrats believe in expanding entitlement programs such as Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, while creating new ones like Universal healthcare and college for all. Democrats believe that people are “entitled” to certain things from their government, hence the name “entitlement” program. For some, this belief comes from an altruism that says to always put others before yourself; for others, government expansion in the form of entitlements gives them more power to regulate human activity. Critics of such beliefs would say that social engineering by the government makes life worse for citizens, not better. Life is worse because, with the seemingly free goodies the government is dishing out, there also comes more intrusion into people’s lives because now the government dictates all areas on human life. The “free” programs are not free at all because the only money the government has is what it borrows, or confiscates through the taxation of its people. As the saying goes, “Nothing in life is free,” and that goes for government programs, as well.
Democrats believe in a Globalists foreign policy; this is a belief that says we are all citizens of “the world” and that no nation is above another and this is usually aimed specifically at America. Democrats and Liberals tend not to believe in the concept of American Exceptionalism or that the US is the greatest advocate for peace and democracy in the world. Because democrats believe we are all “citizens of the world”, not simply citizens of the US, they see fit that our national security decisions be subject to international consensus before we act. This means that US foreign policy would be subject to the opinions and laws of outside powers like the United Nations. Critics of this policy would say that the US is a sovereign nation and has the right and responsibility to act, alone if necessary, if it feels as though it or its allies are threaten. Critics would say that the American government is not elected to rule by international consensus, but to staunchly defend our sovereignty and interest at home and abroad. Democrats are typically liberal or progressive in their social beliefs and believe in a woman’s right to an abortion and GLBT equality.
The Republican Party has its origins in 1854 and was founded by Anti-Slavery advocates; due to its anti-slavery stance, the Republican Party, up until the 1950s and 60s, was the home of African-Americans in this country. The first Black ever elected to congress was a Black Republican after Reconstruction. Most in the Republican Party, often called the GOP (meaning Grand Old Party), hold to a political and social ideology called Conservatism. The fundamental belief of Conservatism is that the individual is responsible for his/her own happiness and that, if government would remove its barriers to productivity, the ordinary Joe can prosper. As Reagan said famously in his 1981 inaugural address, “Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem.”
Republicans believe that less is more when considering the relationship between government and the economy. Republicans believe it is government over regulation and burdensome taxation that causes a negative economic environment. Republicans understand that high taxation on businesses and individuals kills productivity and investment and often leads to thousands of American jobs being sent overseas because of favorable tax rates and deregulation.
The economy, high unemployment, the exploding national debt, and the insolvency of our biggest entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicare, all have citizens of this county worried that the nation they received from their parents will not be the nation they pass on to their children and grandchildren.
Republicans believe the “Laissez-faire” approach to capitalism is best when dealing with matters of economics, meaning little to no government intervention in private industry. The dominating economic ideology of the Republican Party is called Supply Side Economics by some and Reaganomics by others, even though both are pretty much the same thing. Supply Side Economics is a belief that tax rates, both individual and business, can have profound effects on the economy, for good or for naught. Republicans believe that lower personal and business tax rates spur economic growth; this is due to the fact that, with lower taxation, job creators have more disposable income to invest or expand their businesses and hire more workers.
An example of Supply Side Economics was The Reagan boom of the 1980’s. In 1981, when Reagan took office, inflation was at roughly 12% and mortgage rates were alarming, topping near 16%. Also unemployment was 7.5% and climbing. At the time, the top marginal tax rate was 70%, which is staggering, to say the least. President Reagan dropped the top marginal tax rate from 70% to 28% and that along with other economic policies spurred the greatest Peacetime economic expansion in history, while also creating 18 million jobs. The growth rate averaged 3.4% during Reagan’s term; Ford and Carter averaged 2.8% growth while, during the Bush 41- Clinton years, the averaged economic growth rate was 2.1. Also during the Reagan years, median family income grew by four thousand dollars after experiencing no growth prior to Reagan. President Reagan, like President Obama, became president during a recession, but the recession Reagan inherited was, in some people’s opinion, worse than what Obama inherited. Due to Supply Side Economics, the economy recovered after the 1982 recession growing at a stunning average 8.5% rate for five straight quarters.
Republicans believe in strong, sometimes even “hawkish” foreign policy. Republicans do not carelessly use military force, but are not afraid to do so if the national interest is in danger. Republicans believe the United States of America is a sovereign nation and does not require international consensus to act militarily if we or our allies face a threat. Republicans favor diplomacy. After all, it was Nixon that opened up relations with China with the legendary diplomacy of his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. However, Republicans tend not to favor pointless and endless talks with rogue nations who will never agree to any concessions no matter what you offer them as an incentive to stop bad behavior. Republicans believe in Healthcare Reform, but reform that leaves power in the hands of the individual to make all decisions regarding their health, not government agencies.
These are the basics between the two major parties in American politics. Hmm… maybe I should call this one “American Politics for Dummies”.
