Can anyone give me a concise, relatively unbiased statement on...

[Lisa0825]

the basic differences between Democrats and Republicans or between conservatives and liberals?

I am in an online discussion in another site, and it would be helpful if I could state the differences in an unbiased way. I saw exactly what I was looking for last week on the net, but now I have been googling for 30 minutes, and haven't found anything close.

What I saw talked about Republicans/conservatives believing in indiviudal responsibility, internalization, etc, whereas Democrats/liberals believed the government should be used to protect and provide a safety net, etc. It was the kind of statement that I think neither side would disagree on.

The argunment I am having actually relates to conservatives claiming ownership of religion. I said I believed that the things Jesus taught were more in line with the Democrats than Republicans. the person responded that "Jesus was very clear that the responsibility was on individuals to love others, care for the poor and take care of widows. etc. He never once went to the ruling authorities and tried to change policies in order to accomplish these goals. He spoke to individuals and called them to follow him if they were so inclined and do these things out of the transformation of their heart. He NEVER compelled anyone to do anything out of obligation or guilt, and I don't believe he would have ever believed the government should force people to do things."

If anyone has a link to something like this, OR can articulate it much better than I can, I would sincerely appreciate it.

:-)

[mrgorth]

1. This person is a nimrod

Sure Jesus taught that and that's right. We should take care of each other. The saftey nets we tend to prefer are there for people who don't have others to take care of them. They want to make it so it's harder for people to pull themselves out of poverty and THAT is morally wrong.

[Lisa0825]

14. I agree, but I don't want to let nmrod have the last word!LOL

[ContraBass Black]

2. I don't think this is the place to look

for an unbiased statement about Democrats and Republicans. For example, if you press me I might tell you that Republicans are evil, hate America, and are trying to destroy the world. It wouldn't be at all right for me to say that, and it probably isn't the case, but I'm very biased.

[Lisa0825]

4. Yeah, I get it, but what I am looking for

is basic philosophies, not an opinion piece. I could give my own opinion.

[wryter2000]

24. One thing you can say

Jesus didn't live in a country with a Constitution that said the government should "provide for the general welfare." It would have been ludicrous for him to apply to the Romans for help for the poor. We live in a more enlightened time, I would hope.

[Mattforclark]

3. No

"Can anyone give me a concise, relatively unbiased statement on the basic differences between Democrats and Republicans or between conservatives and liberals?"

No, nobody can do that. I am sorry. It's not really possible.

[Lisa0825]

6. actually, what I found last week was very good...

if only I could find it again :-(

[whistle]

5. the basic differences between ...

...conservatives and liberals is that liberals are for more change and conservatives are for less or no change in the classical sense.

the basic differences between Democrats and Republicans is that the left foot is both the same:silly:

Now, here in the U.S. the issue I believe is the basic differences between fascists and social liberals, would be that fascists seek to concentrate ALL political power with the wealthy, the military and the privileged, while social liberals want true representative power among ALL social structures including the poor and disadvantaged. This is my opinion, for what it is worth.

:kick:

P.S. Notice how neo-cons love to distort and even change meanings of ideas and concepts.

[Lisa0825]

8. yes, and what pisses me off even more is when I catch Democrats

using the terminology of the right... like partial-birth aborition. I can't tell you how many times I have interrupted a Democrat to tell them the proper term and not to buy into invented definitions.

Thanks for the input!

[Liberal Gramma]

7. I think conservatives are about limited government

and free trade, and liberals want government to contribute to the solution of social problems. The way it plays out, though, is that limited government oversight and free trade create an environment that allows powerful interests to thrive at the expense of the less powerful, and the liberal platform tends to run up expenses. Those of us on the left feel that these expenses are justified, those on the right don't.

[Lisa0825]

15. Thank you, Liberal Gramma! (nt)

[Kanary]

9. Individual responsibility sounds just fine

which is the clever way the RW likes to frame issues.

However, if you have a neighbor who lost his/her job, is in danger of losing their home, their car is breaking down....just how much of that are you, as an individual, going to be able to do about all that, without endangering your own survival? Is this person you're talking with ready to go to that length?

What about a person who is in desperate need of a transplant...... do you think that person would prefer a bunch of fundraisers to raise the $$$ for that surgery, or be covered with Universal Health Care so that it is taken care of? Which offers the most dignity for the person involved?

There are many ways that individuals can help, and most of those ways involve being there for them, and offering emotional support, which is just as necessary. Being responsible for coming up with thousands of dollars is sure to put a lot of stress and strain on any relationship, and will probably result in suicides of people who "don't want to be a burden".

This isn't your short, consise definition, but should be a reasonable argument.

Kanary

[Lisa0825]

11. excellent points, thank you!!!!! (nt)

[SavageWombat]

10. I don't know...

... as a christian (small-C) and liberal I think she has a point. Jesus wanted only willing followers. BUT:

1) Those who followed him were supposed to give all their worldly goods to the group to help the poor; all we ask for is a small tax;

2) This "no compulsion" rule also makes hypocrites out of any Republican that opposes abortion rights on religous grounds, that mandates prayer or Ten Commandments in school, and the like.

Can't have it both ways, people.

[Lisa0825]

13. great, thanks!!!:-) (nt)

[RandomKoolzip]

12. Blessed are the fucking PEACEmakers.

I'm not a believer, but how many Republicans can call themselves Peacemakers without their tongues buried deep in their cheeks?


The difference between liberals and conservatives? A liberal wins the lottery and throws a party. A conservative wins the lottery and complains that he has to pay taxes on it.


(A good joke is worth a repeat!)

[Lisa0825]

16. LOL! Great joke! (nt)

[Bill McBlueState]

17. attitude toward the poor

I read something four or five years ago (too long ago to remember the reference) saying that on most issues, people who call themselves Democrats were all over the spectrum and people who call themselves Republicans were all over the spectrum.

But the poll question that discriminated the best was "Do you believe that, if someone is poor, it is usually his or her fault?"

Republicans overwhelmingly answer "yes"; Democrats overwhelmingly answer "no."

So maybe a key difference is that Democrats better comprehend the effects of living in a society; while Republicans tend to see everything in individualistic terms.

[Bandit]

18. Conservatives will wrap themselves in the Flag and burn the Constitution

Liberals will wrap themselves in the Constitution and burn the Flag. :shrug:

[Iceburg]

19. Drop the labels and look at the principles and issues championed

by the leader of each party. The labels are meaningless -- they serve only to capture (in their nets) the illiterates who can think or reason their way through the complexity of life -- yet remarkably have enough cells to walk or be driven to the polls.

[Slit Skirt]

20. DEMOCRATS/LIBERALS....

HAVE INTELLIGENCE

[FloridaPat]

21. Repubs support big business. Dems support workers.

That's the basic difference.

A definition I once saw about liberals and conservatives is that conservatives like things the way they are and liberals like change. Another definition I once read was this:

A bridge is in need of repair. The conservatives would run out and fix it. The liberals would get estimates, look at environmental policies, get everyones opinion on the subject, and take years to fix it.

[BurtWorm]

22. The Jesus argument is a dead end.

There's enough in the Bible to support anyone's claim.

I explain the differences between the parties by focusing on the words "democrat" and "republican" with lower cases. The Democrats stand for democracy, which entails participation, sacrifice, individual effort for a common goal, respect for dissent, transparency. Republicans stand for a government apart from society (and the marketplace), with limited functions (notably, providing for the common defense).

[flaminbats]

23. Let's learn ya somm goode annsers

Democrats r commies

Republicans bush there tooths and whip those asses.

Ain't Nobody goin ta disagree with that.

[Lisa0825]

25. Thanks everyone!!!

I ended up giving her quite a long response, with bits of several replies here intertwined with my own thoughts. It's been a couple hours, and she hasn't replied, so maybe I stumped her!:-)