Democrat?

So, I've been doing some research on politics. I was talking with a friend and I realized how completely ignorant I was in the subject, and you all know how that bothers me. ;) With that in mind, I decided to rethink my political standing and make my own educated decision about which party I should belong to. I'm going to talk about the stuff that I've learned about the Democratic party.

Starting with a little history, the Democratic party traces its roots back to the Democratic-Republican party founded in 1792 by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and other influential oppenents of the federalists. The Republicans divided from this party in 1912 and since then Democrats have consistently positioned themselves to the "left" of the Republican party in economic and social matters. When I say they positioned themselves to the left on political matters, they often took a more liberal view than Republicans. In simplification, left = liberal and right = conservative.

A brief definition of the liberal view is to seek for expanded personal liberties whereas the conservative view seeks to preserve traditions and long-held beliefs. Now, these are very simple definitions and each view has much more behind it than that, but I'll talk about that in a different post.

Most of the Democratic agenda is influenced by Franklin D Roosevelt's activist philosophies, which also has helped shaped American liberalism since 1932. The civil rights movement of the 60's has continued to inspire the Democratic party's liberal principles.

Now, the political stance is very complicated for both parties. Since the founding of the party, Democrats have opposed unregulated business and finance and have favored progressive income taxes in order to play a role in alleviating poverty and social injustice. The party once was dominated by unionized labor and the working class, so this view point helps those without a steady or regular income while possibly hurting those with higher wages. This could also be looked at with a Robin Hood theme, take from the rich and give to the poor. Perhaps it's just me and my cynical nature, but this also seems like the perfect scheme for a little bit to get lost here and there on the way to those who need it.

One thought I had while researching the Democratic party is that this could be considered the "poor man's" political party. Seeing that the party was once dominated by laborers and minorities, it could have been more fashionable to be a Republican. That's not the case anymore, educated professionals now make up a large part of the parties registered voters, but that may have been one reason I was brought up to be a Republican. Now, I have nothing against minorities or blue-collars, my dad has been a physical laborer all his life, but my grandparents are very much elitists and as much as it pains me to say, they are a little bit racist as well. Which might provide one reason for my previous politcal standing.

After some more silent banter with myself, I had the further thought about the current demographic of democrats. If the main political view is alleviating poverty and social injustice, why do educated professionals still support this political party? I've never seen an educated professional care for the poor and they complain about taxes just as much as the rest of us. Why would they support progressive taxation? Usually the only rich people that care for others are actors! So, perhaps progressive taxation is no longer the top of their list... I suppose a little more research will reveal that. Perhaps it's simply because the Democratic party supports individual liberties and taxation isn't a large enough issue to turn to the close-minded Republicans...

Alright, so a few things that are on the Democratic agenda (or so they claim).

1. Honest and Open Government - Ethics reform and campaign financial reform that protects our rights and ensures that elected officials act ethically.


2. Real Security - Maybe I've just been up for too long or maybe there isn't anything to understand on this point... but I don't get it. It sounds like they're saying a lot of words that don't mean anything.
   
   "Democrats have a plan that is comprehensive-- from repairing our military, to winning the war on terror, to protecting our homeland security, to ensuring success in Iraq and freeing America of its dependence on foreign oil--and it will finally prepare America for the security needs of the 21st Century. And we honor the sacrifices our troops, their families and veterans by making sure we take care of them when they come home.
   
   Democrats are unwavering in our commitment to keep our nation safe. For Democrats, homeland security begins with hometown security. That's why we led the fight to create the Department of Homeland Security and continue to fight to ensure that our ports, nuclear and chemical plants, and other sensitive facilities are secured against attack and support increased funding for our first responders and programs like the COPS program so we keep our communities safe. We want to close the remaining gaps in our security by enacting the 9/11 Commission recommendations."
   
   They say they have a comprehensive plan, but they don't say what that plan is. They say it includes this and this and this, but they don't say how. They do say that they support improving security in the United States, but the rest of that just sounds like a bunch of fancy words that mean absolutely nothing.


3. Energy Independence - Reduce our dependence on foreign oil, eliminating billions in subsidies for oil and gas companies and use the savings to provide consumer relief and develop energy alternatives, and investing in energy independent technology.


4. Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence - Creating jobs that stay in America and restoring opportunity for all Americans, starting with raising the minimum wage, expanding Pell grants and making college tuition tax deductible. They also believe in budget discipline that reduces our deficit.


5. A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone - Fixing the prescription drug program and investing in stem cell and other medical research as well as making affordable healthcare available for everyone.


6. Retirement Security - Pension reform, expanding saving incentives and preventing the privatization of social security.

Democrats also boasts plans to protect and preserve the environment; support civil rights, justice, and equal opportunities for all Americans; support for veterans and the military; and reforming the election, making sure the system is fair, accountable, and accurate.