# The difference between Republicans and Democrats \[pt. 2\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 6, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015 "2011-07-06T00:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/21 "2011-07-06T21:58:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Of course, he might be persuaded to provide cites the same way you did [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13988469&postcount=30). > Remember how that [worked out for you?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13988577&postcount=31) No, **Der Trihs** is never going to provide cites as detailed and numerous as mine. That’s because his garbage is silly and mine is not. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, though. I hadn’t been back to the thread, and had no idea how silly **Czarcasm** ’s response was. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/22 "2011-07-06T22:50:18Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > That’s because his garbage is silly and mine is not. I will agree, you post the most serious garbage of anyone on the board. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/23 "2011-07-06T23:42:02Z")
Democrats are sexier – who ever heard of a nice piece of elephant? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/24 "2011-07-07T00:18:38Z")
One is the party of no ideas. The other is the party of bad ideas. They switch places frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/25 "2011-07-07T01:25:34Z")
I think the best way to distinguish the two parties is by who votes for them. Track it by year and you get an idea. > **[Exit Polls - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2008/results/president/exit-polls.html)** > > Exit Polls interestingly enough the only demographic that voted more Republican in 2008 versus 2004 was small town USA. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/26 "2011-07-07T01:37:49Z")
Republicans don’t want you to have any casual sex or smoke any dope. Democrats don’t want you to have any guns or money. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/27 "2011-07-07T02:56:53Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Republicans don’t want you to have any casual sex or smoke any dope. > > Democrats don’t want you to have any guns or money. Heh. For me the quoted phrase from former Democratic congressmen Dick Gephardt sums up how the Democrats think about the rich or well off, in other words a Republican: “they are winners in life’s lottery.” You see, if you are rich, upper middle class, or hell, apparently even middle class you are just lucky, you didn’t work for it, you just inherited the money or won the local lotto. The poor are poor because the man keeps them down so they can be exploited or gosh darn it, they just have had really bad luck. So consequently us lucky people need to pay our “fair share” to help these downtrodden people since they are unable to help themselves because of evil corporations and/or just plain rotten luck. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/28 "2011-07-07T16:15:31Z")
The Dems are a mottled group with blacks, gays, rich and poor. The Repubs are much more monolithic. The Repub Senators and Reps vote as a group with rare defectors. They have controlled the party with great efficiency. The use of the filibuster in the Senate has demonstrated the control. They vote for and offer programs that benefit the rich and powerful. They do not hide that. [Jeff Sessions: Saying Millionaires Should Share Pain Is 'Rather Pathetic' | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/05/millionaire-jeff-sessions_n_890766.html) As Sessions the fine defender of the wealthy said . ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/29 "2011-07-07T16:34:27Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > Heh. > > For me the quoted phrase from former Democratic congressmen Dick Gephardt sums up how the Democrats think about the rich or well off, in other words a Republican: “they are winners in life’s lottery.” His actual quote was "“Those who have prospered and profited from life’s lottery have a moral obligation to share their good fortune”. There is no hint that he meant Republicans only, unless it is your personal opinion that only Republicans are rich or well off. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/30 "2011-07-07T16:50:01Z")
> [@Recovering\_Republican](#): > > Republicans are essentially small government, pro-business, pro-religion. > > Democrats are essentially large government, pro-union, pro-easy morals. > > American political parties are really coalitions more than parties compared to other parts of the world. I think both parties are pro-business. They just have different ideas about what approach benefits business. Republicans tend to support management and Democrats tend to support the employees. I would dispute the idea the Democrats favor “easy morals”. What they support is allowing people to make their own choices on “values” issues. (Although not consistently - there are also plenty of issues where Democrats want to impose their personal values on other people.) Republicans talk about wanting small government and they do want it in theory. But they get caught in the paradox that they also want to do things that require government power. So they often end up putting aside the small government idea “for now” and back a big government that can carry out the other items on their agenda. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015/31 "2011-07-07T16:59:30Z")
Democrats are in favor of forming a more perfect union, establishing justice and ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare and securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Republicans aren’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-republicans-and-democrats-pt-2/588015.md?page=1)