This concludes my series on the Democratic party platform. Below is a graph that shows the party's political leanings and ideology based on Democratic voting records according to ON THE ISSUES. Also included is a table of specific party stances on individual issues which is based on voting records.
| VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz) | |
|---|---|
| VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background) |
Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation) |
| Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's right (+5 points on Social scale) |
Pursue embryonic stem cell research: Favors topic 1 Support right to choose even if mother cannot pay: Strongly Favors topic 1 Put science ahead of ideology in research and policymaking: Favors topic 1 Choice is a fundamental, constitutional right: Strongly Favors topic 1 |
| Strongly Favors topic 2: Require hiring more women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale) |
Racial and religious profiling is wrong: Favors topic 2 Support affirmative action to redress discrimination: Strongly Favors topic 2 Police should have zero tolerance of racial profiling: Neutral on topic 2 Democrats lead fight for ERA and equal employment: Strongly Favors topic 2 |
| Strongly Favors topic 3: Same-sex domestic partnership benefits (+5 points on Social scale) |
Keep marriage at state level; no federal gay marriage ban: Strongly Favors topic 3 Pass hate crime legislation including gays: Favors topic 3 |
| Favors topic 4: Teacher-led prayer in public schools (-3 points on Social scale) |
Character education is an important aspect of education: Favors topic 4 |
| Favors topic 8: Death Penalty (-3 points on Social scale) |
Tougher punishments, including the death penalty: Strongly Favors topic 8 DNA testing & post-conviction reviews in death penalty cases: Opposes topic 8 |
| Opposes topic 9: Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws (+2 points on Social scale) |
Fight crime with prevention, community police: Opposes topic 9 |
| Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale) |
Reauthorize assault weapons ban, close gun show loophole: Opposes topic 10 Strengthen gun control to reduce violence: Strongly Opposes topic 10 |
| Strongly Favors topic 5: More federal funding for health coverage (-5 points on Economic scale) |
Expand coverage and cut healthcare costs: Favors topic 5 Every American should have affordable health insurance: Strongly Favors topic 5 Add prescription drug benefit to Medicare: Favors topic 5 |
| Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale) |
Oppose privatization and oppose raising retirement age: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Strengthen Social Security for Baby Boomers: Opposes topic 6 |
| Opposes topic 7: Parents choose schools via vouchers (-3 points on Economic scale) |
Charter schools OK, vouchers not: Favors topic 7 U.S. needs public school accountability, not vouchers: Strongly Opposes topic 7 |
| Strongly Favors topic 18: Replace coal & oil with alternatives (-5 points on Economic scale) |
We cannot drill our way to energy independence: Favors topic 18 Develop renewable energy and efficient vehicles: Favors topic 18 Invest in technology & transportation friendly to earth: Strongly Favors topic 18 Encourage open space and rail travel: Strongly Favors topic 18 We do not have to choose between economy and environment: Favors topic 18 |
| Favors topic 19: Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it (-3 points on Social scale) |
Crack down on gangs and drugs: Favors topic 19 Bring to justice those bringing drugs to America: Favors topic 19 Drugs in prison: get clean to get out: Favors topic 19 Dry up drug demand via more enforcement plus more treatment: Favors topic 19 Fight drugs and economic hopelessness that fuels it: Favors topic 19 |
| Favors topic 20: Allow churches to provide welfare services (+2 points on Economic scale) |
Harness power of faith-based organizations PLUS govt: Favors topic 20 |
| Strongly Favors topic 11: Make taxes more progressive (-5 points on Economic scale) |
Cut taxes for middle class, not the wealthy: Strongly Favors topic 11 G.O.P. creates debt, Dems create surpluses: Neutral on topic 11 Democrats will eliminate publicly held debt by 2012: Favors topic 11 Cut taxes for working families, not richest 1%: Strongly Favors topic 11 |
| Strongly Favors topic 12: Illegal immigrants earn citizenship (+5 points on Social scale) |
Path for undocumented aliens to earn citizenship: Favors topic 12 Reform the INS; reduce immigrant backlog: Favors topic 12 Protect immigrants from exploitation by employers: Strongly Favors topic 12 |
| No opinion on topic 13: Support & expand free trade (0 points on Economic scale) |
Knock down barriers to free, fair and balanced trade: Opposes topic 13 Free trade with safeguards will benefit all: Favors topic 13 |
| Strongly Favors topic 15: Expand the armed forces (-5 points on Social scale) |
Add 40,000 new soldiers and keep military all-volunteer: Favors topic 15 Equip military for new threats and missions: Strongly Favors topic 15 Encourage military careers with better pay & benefits: Favors topic 15 Prepare military with advanced military and technology: Strongly Favors topic 15 |
| Favors topic 16: Stricter limits on political campaign funds (-3 points on Economic scale) |
Support McCain-Feingold bill for campaign finance reform: Favors topic 16 |
| No opinion on topic 14: The Patriot Act harms civil liberties (0 points on Social scale) |
(No votes on which to base response) |
| Strongly Favors topic 17: US out of Iraq (+5 points on Social scale) |
New vision for America: strong at home, respected abroad: Favors topic 17 Internationalize Iraqi military and political presence: Favors topic 17 Forward Engagement must guide proactive foreign policy: Strongly Favors topic 17 Work to close gap between richest and poorest nations: Favors topic 17 Commitment to Israel is unshakable: Strongly Favors topic 17 |
Democratic Party is a Populist-Leaning Liberal
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VoteMatch Party's Political Philosophy The below is a way of thinking about the political philosophy by dividing the party's VoteMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions. It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt!
Party's Score The candidate scored the following on the VoteMatch questions: | ||
| Personal Score | 60% | |
| Economic Score | 18% | |
Personal Questions: Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
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Where the Party Fits In Where the party's Personal score meets the Economic score on the above grid is the party's political philosophy. Based on the above score, the party is a Populist-Leaning Liberal. My next series will be the Republican (GOP) Party's platform. |
6 comments:
Hi Dirk- this was very informative- thank you very much for all the work you've done! I have so many issues with the democrat side, that I can't possibly list them all here. On school vouchers, I find this very hypocritical as dems claim they are for affirmative action and helping the poor- well, I doubt they care that much if poor mainly black kids don't get a good education- say like that of kids of our congress and senate get to send their kids to. Stem cell research aslo is hypocritical as most studies are proving that adult cells, cord blood cells and cells taken from different parts of a person's body are actually showing cures or improvements of all sorts of diseases. Embryonic cells haven't shown any positive results. The marriage issue- they claim to leave it to the states to decide, therefore we don't need a federal amendment on this. One only needs to look at California, where the people voted over 60 percent to keep marriage between one man andone woman, but their vote was voided by activist judges. There are custody battles between states where former a lesbian who is now a Christian is having to share custody with a former lover from another state. The child has not seen this woman, doesn't know this woman, was NOT adopted by this woman and is not biologically this woman's child- yet the court in her state is over ruling another state saying she must have visitation rights. The girl's mother on the other hand, is ruled not to teach Biblical ideas to the child because it may offend the ex. We will only have more of this mess if there is no federal amendment. More to come.... Carolyn
Continued.... It will always amaze me too that so many democrats are opposed to the death penalty for convicted murderers yet are so very pro death when it comes to abortion. I see no sense here. As for privatizing social security- this shows that they see us as unintelligent enough to take care of our own finances. I have worked for over 25 years, sometimes two and three jobs at a time, but I do NOT qualify for what I had to pay into 2 countries social security. I worked 15 years in Canada and over 10 years here in the States. I have paid into it all those years, but now that I am a stay at home mom and not"working" by the time I am able to start work again, I will be in my 50's. Who is going to hire me by then?! And I know I will never be able to retire- but if I had my own way of investing that money I paid to them- I may have had a little bit of a nest egg to look forward to. As for the faith based thing- I don't agree with it and see it as unconstitutional. This is in effect going to give government the right to interfere more in Church affairs. We will not be able to share the Gospel in charity if B Hussein has his way with this. Churches will have to conform themselves to government rules or lose government money- and that is definately against the first amendment. All the separation crowd hasn't really said much on this, but in Jefferson's true version of the wall, this is really tearing down the wall of separattion that the Baptists in jefferson's day wereso worried about. This will only hurt so many Christian charities that havedone so much and give money to government sponsored faith groups only- Sorry Dirk- this is too long, and there's so much more- but I know you get the point. God bless and thank yoU! Can't wait to see the republican side. I'm afraid with McCain, it won't look too much different. Carolyn
Dirk, Though you and I are world's apart, politically speaking, I would like to thank you for the work you have done in researching all this. Hopefully it will fall into questioning minds so a more enlighted dialogue can take place. Enlightenment can trump emotionalism any day.
Wanna know who the Democrats really are?? Just read the Communist Manifesto, then pull up the American Socialist Party's website and read their platform. Compare those two the the Democrat's stated platform and goals and it's easy to see where their philosophy has its roots.
They called Sen. Joe McCarthy a paranoid fruitcake back in the 50's, but the man has been proven right but today's Democrats. He wasn't a nutcase; he was just 50 years ahead of his time.
Larry
I have voted Democrat straight all my life and unless a miracle happens i will die a Democrat. I do not believe in the death penalty, i do believe in the woman's right to abortion, i do not believe in passing any hate crimes against gays, i totally believe someone needs to find a way to fix the illegal immigration problem...my mom lives in AZ and she sends me 100 emails a week about that....i do believe that they need DESPERATELY to put prayer back in schools, i am not well read in universal health care but if i had to vote for it today i would vote no....i do not like charter schools at all....they have helped destroy my local city school system...i think that drug abuse is a national epidemic. I have personally seen it kill friends and destroy dozens of lives of those i know, love and work with.
There you go. :)
I'm voting for Ralph Nader. He can't get elected & even if he does, he couldn't get anything through Congress so he can't make it any worse.
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