DougP

Neither party will do a damn thing.

-Doug

flintknapper

I used to tell people the difference between dems and repubs was that the dems wanted to take away your guns, and the repubs wanted to take away your drugs. Now, the difference between them seems small and blurred.

Haener

I'm not a US citizen so I'm no expert but the xians in the GOP really have no clue as to what freedom means and how to achieve it. The democrats are sure to support more personal freedom, i.e. to not believe, to sleep with the same sex, to burn the flag if you really really wish to and so on. But, of course, the dems have this tendency to take away your money.

So, it's other. And it's the libertarian party. I know they have virtually no influence so in a close campaign race, if I would be a US citizen, I would probably go for the democrats.

Chaupoline

Either gang would be just as effective as the other. It is like asking who would be a better mathematician a black guy, a white guy or a Puerto Rican. Instead of stating that alll Democrats are idiots, or all Republicans are warmongers you would be better off judging the party on a politician by politician basis.

LymanLover

You also have to look at the party's respective bases. You can't understand the Democrats and Republicans without looking at who actually vote for them.

/truism

DarkBronzePlant

Republican freedom seems to be equivalent to the freedom to not have to pay taxes, whereas Democrat freedom = the freedom to live your life how you want to.

Duke Leto

Wipe them out... All of them.

travc

This is too clear guys and gals...

The Republican party is almost entirely taken over by fundamentalists and idealists at this point. When it isn't the religious fundies trying to impose social rules on everyone, then it is the free-market-uberalis fundies trying to abolish all regulation and market controls. The second group is as anti-freedom as the first since it is through regulations and controls that the masses of people who aren't walking around with billions of dollars in their pocket protect their rights from the monetarially powerful. Freedom isn't just the ability to do whatever you want, it is also the ability to be free from others doing things to you (and as such absolute freedom is impossible if you have to live with other people.)

The Dems, as weak and searching as they are these days, have the ability to be much more pragmatic. Whether they do so is an open question, but they at least have not surrendered to the fundametalists yet.

TMA68

I tend to disagree with this in light of how many people vote, not for who the like the most, but merely for who they dislike the least. Thus, I would suggest that you'll gain a better understanding of the two parties by looking at what policies they vote for or against.

As you assess each party in that regard, here is a list of bills and policies worth considering:

The 2002 Iraq war resolution.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9843
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/co...2/cr100802.htm

The “Patriot�? Act of 2001.

http://www.bordc.org
http://www.libertarianaction.com/repeal.htm
http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/...est_vet.htm#pa

The Homeland "Security" Act of 2002.

http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2002/tst111802.htm
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/HSA_RoAPS.html

The "Antiterrorism" Act of 1995.

http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/law_prof.txt

The Communications “Decency�? Act of 1995.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-232.html
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-262.html

The Telecommunications Act of 1996.

http://www.counterpunch.org/mcchesney05162003.html
http://feingold.senate.gov/issues_telecom.html

NAFTA.

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/we...chive_12102003

The Bipartisan Campaign "Reform" Act of 2001.

http://www.aclu.org/FreeSpeech/FreeS...m?ID=9329&c=20
http://www.cato.org//dailys/8-21-97.html

The Voter Freedom Act of 2003.

http://www.theorator.com/bills108/hr1941.html
http://www.electionreform.org/ERMain...68/default.htm

The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003.

http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5037
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/The_...nce_020204.htm

The Voters' Choice Act of 2001.

http://www.electionreform.org/ERMain...89/default.htm
http://www.fairvote.org/library/stat...factsheet2.htm
http://www.progress.org/archive/propor.htm

The drug war.

http://stopthedrugwar.org
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/

The debt-based (and parasitic) money system.

http://www.wealthmoney.org
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tma68/griffin.htm
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/mult...y_masters.html

Federal involvement in "education."

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000063.asp
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com
http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb108/hb108-28.pdf

Todd

Loren Pechtel

Agreed. I can't recall voting *FOR* a politician that was actually elected. I vote against the greater evil.