Political Parties the Major Political Research Paper

The moderate wing of the Republican Party is rarely heard from in the national media, with the possible exception of U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who tends to side with Democrats when healthcare issues are on the brink of defeat and need that one last vote to pass.

In the Republican National Committee (www.GOP.com) Website under "Issues" the GOP does not state a policy or a goal, but rather: on "Economy" they attack Obama on the budget, on promoting renewable energy, among other attacks; on "Foreign Policy" the GOP attacks Obama's treaty with the Russians on reducing nuclear stockpiles.

Democratic Party -- Origins

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party originated under the national leadership of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, according to the "Citizen's Compendium"; the Jacksonians and the Jeffersonians at that time resembled each other especially in terms of being opposes to "aristocracy" and being distrustful of banks. The term "Democratic Party" didn't begin being used until 1832. The party was strong with farmers, Irish Catholics, "frontiersmen," unskilled workers, and the Democrats promoted voting rights, opposition to "elites and aristocrats" and the party was "divided over the issue of slavery" (Citizens Compendium). In 1854 the Democrats were the minority of the major parties and the Republican Party was the majority party.

The Democrats lost presidential elections from 1860 through 1880, but won the presidency in 1884 when Grover Cleveland was elected. Cleveland was elected again in 1892. What Democrats want people to remember is Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal" which ushered in: Social Security, electrification for rural homes and communities, the G.I. Bill, and stabilization for farm prices. They also want to be remembered that they introduced and had passed the Civil Rights Act (1964), the Voting Rights Act (1965), and the establishment of Medicare -- all 3 laws were due to the persistence and use of the bully pulpit by Lyndon Johnson.

What do the Democrats stand for today?

In the Democratic Website (www.democrats.org) under "Economy" they claim that when Obama took office the country was losing 700,000 jobs a month but now it is gaining jobs; they say they cut taxes for 95% of "working families." Under "National Security" the Democrats say they are: modernizing the military; investing in "intelligence and information sharing"; working to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and preventing "vulnerable nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists" (www.democrats.org).

Conclusion

The country today is going through an economic rebuilding period, following the disastrous economic meltdown that began around 2007. Millions of Americans are still out of work and trying to avoid being foreclosed from their homes. This country actually needs a moral and ethical rebuilding period, with leadership that can bridge the gap between the gridlocked positions of both major parties. Because that is not likely to happen any time soon, I plan to vote for the Green Party, which is working hard to elect good local candidates that stand up to those special interests that pay for attack ads to push environmentally active candidates out of office and instead the special interests with elect those who support polluters of our air, our rivers, lakes, and oceans. And they must be confronted at the local level, given that the national political system has been corrupted by money, lobbyists and partisan selfish interests.

Works Cited

Citizendium, Citizens' Compendium. "U.S. Democratic Party, History." Retrieved February

19, 2011, from http://en.citizendium.org.

Democrats.org. "We Stand for National Security / Economy and Job Creation." Retrieved

February 19, 2011, from http://www.democrats.org. (2010).

Egnal, Marc. Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War. New York:

Macmillion, 2010.

Republican National Committee. "Foreign Policy / War on…