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Democratic Party Characteristics

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“The Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the United States, and among the oldest political parties in the world,” (“Democratic Party”). Beginning with Thomas Jefferson, and now standing behind Barack Obama, the democratic party has undergone many changes and viewpoints. The Democratic Party has had very notable accomplishments and identifiable characteristics since the late 1700s to modern day. The Democratic Party’s roots can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was President George Washington’s secretary of state, and later ran for the election of 1800. He believed that if the United States government held too much power over its people, then it would result in the same oppression that the British had over the colonists. …show more content…

“The Democrats lack a message as intense and as focused as the Republicans have. The Republican message promises tax cuts, spending cuts, regulatory ease, support for school prayer, and opposition to abortion,” (Schneider 37). People who often lean towards the democratic party tend to be much more liberal than Republicans. Liberals usually believe that the government needs to make rules for businesses to follow and lower tariffs in hopes to end dishonest business actions and also make programs that benefit the poor and sick (Landau 35). Democratic programs, such as raising the minimum wage, are usually in support of the workers compared to republicans programs that often favor big business owners (34). This being, they tend to raise taxes to pay for these programs; believing that taxes can help Americans when properly spent. In result, Republicans have referred to the Democratic party as the “tax and spend” party (38). Gun control has also been a conflicting argument between the two parties. Most Democrats want stricter laws against guns to make it harder to purchase and to limit the types of guns being bought, whereas, most republicans feel as if their rights are being threatened if this occurs (37). “Democrats strongly believe that the government’s role is to improve the lives of all its citizens.” (36). With this mindset, democratic presidents have tried to achieve this

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