Do you feel as though the Democrats and the Republicans are one and the same?

[InsecureLivesMatter]

Yes, left

No, left

Yes, center

No, center

Yes, right

No, right

Hell no, that is as asinine as claiming the earth is flat!

[nightdrot]

Answered "No Center," but only because the question is premised on a mistaken notion of what American political parties are.

In fact, American political parties are not ideological parties as you tend to see in Europe. Rather they are lose knit coalitions of regional, religious, ethnic, racial, income and other groups that have come together in part by common interests and in part by historical accident.

In the case of the GOP, it is a coalition made up of classical liberals - which Americans call conservatives, libertarians, small and medium sized business, religious and social traditionalists, lower middle and upper middle income earners, farmers, rural and exurban populations, older voters, the South, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountain West and the state of Alaska, to name the most prominent groups.

On the Democratic side you get, ethnic and religious minorities, middle and high income wage earners, big business and entertainment industries, urban and inner suburban votes, radical liberals - which Americans call liberals. (Note, the term "radical" here does not mean as Americans use it, i. e. "extremist," but rather as the ancient Greeks used the term, meaning "to the root of.") The northeast, the mid-Atlantic, the Pacific coast and the state of Hawaii.

This is how you get a Republican Party that runs from Ted Cruz at one end to Susan Collins at the other. This is how you get a Democratic Party that runs from Joe Manchin at one end to Elizabeth Warren at the other.

Quite simply, party identification is not about ideological identity. It is about where in the country is being discussed, about class and racial breakdowns and much else.

Indeed, even this is changing. The description I provided of the parties above is already in transition - and indeed, this is part of the reason why politics is so chaotic at the moment.

The lower middle class blue collar voters that are now at the heart of the Trump coalition were, until VERY recently, the heart and soul of the Democratic party. The party of the "working man" and the New Deal. Now, the higher the income level, the more likely the person voted Democrat.

Ditto with age. In the 1980s, the 18 to 25 year old demographic was Reagan's best. The 65 and older set, his worst. Now it is completely the reverse, and even then, the elderly seem less enthralled with former President Trump than they were four years ago. Though still generally more favorable than their 18 to 25 year old children.

In terms of regions. As late as the early 1960s, the "Solid South" was solidly Democratic. Then it became solidly Republican, and now states like Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina are sometimes even battleground states. Ditto, states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin - once so solidly blue collar Democrat look set to tilt GOP.

Indeed, fun fact, over 400 counties that voted twice for Mr. Obama switched in the space of one four year period, to vote for Mr. Trump. Thus to this day that Mrs. Clinton is careening about the country explaining to anyone who will listen why she really won - or not - in 2016.

The differences then vary. In West Virginia, Democrats are the old blue collar coalition. Working the mines, church going, traditional and patriotic. In New York, they are quite liberal, likely racial or religious minorities - though not likely very likely to practice their religion through regular attendance at weekly services - and more likely to work in the tech or service sector.

CONT.

[nightdrot]

Republicans in the Midwest will look like West Virginia Democrats, albeit employed in the factories or on the farms rather than in the mines. In the northeast, they are more likely socially liberal and more dogmatically free market, low tax oriented.

So you pays your monies and you takes your chances. This being further complicated in time. In the 1930 to 1980s, both parties tended to agree on the role of government, broadly accepting a large ambit for government action. (Hence Republican Eisenhower establishes by Federal action the interstate highway system. Hence Republican Nixon established a whole raft of environmental action and widens the sway of civil rights laws.)

From the 1980s to the Trump presidency, there was more skepticism in both parties toward government. Hence Democrat Clinton announces in a State of the Union address that the era of big government is over. Hence, Democrat Obama cannot get the "public option" into his already watered down health care bill - even from a Democrat Congress.

Trump representing a populist turn and in some ways a rejection of the Reagan consensus born in the 80s. Populism being not a consistent schematic philosophy and thus blurring the picture even more.

Put it all together and the short answer is, "It depends." Tell me the time and place, and I will describe the party differences.

[RolandCuthbert]

Maybe a few years ago, that argument might have made sense. But it doesn't hold any water today. Today the folks who use false equivalence are almost always Republican.

Because if your goal is to destroy the state, you don't have to win the debate, you simply undermine people's faith in the system.

[loveslongnails]

I believe they want a great many things that are the same, but their methods of going about achieving it are very different. The problem is the differences, and how much each is willing to compromise. The Republicans have been on a campaign to "hate" that word for the last 25 - 30 years, and that's caused a huge divide. The other problem is that neither side is truly transparent in governing. The Dems are bad, the Repubs even worse, which adds up to a dysfunctional government.

[FunkyMonkee]

In SOME cases!! They put up a front that they hate each other but, in secret, they're working hand in hand. Although, these days,. it seems as though the Reps are more interested in helping the people.

[kylee2437]

Essentially yes but for two different beliefs. Democrats are too emotionally to consider logic , while republicans are too logical to consider emotion

[kylee2437]

Too emotional*

[kylee2437]

@ordoabchao good point

[AviatorTom]

They both may act like spoiled brats but their basic beliefs are usually very different.

[Dargil]

I think "RINO's" and Democrats think alike.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Same as greedy for political power and BS'n the people, yes but different political ideologies.

[Anonymous]

It appears that way. But conservatives and liberals are like night and day.

[Snakeyes7]

For the majority of those in congress, yes. The extreme factions, yes. Regular people, no.

[Guardian45]

Yes, functionally USELESS!

[legalboxers]

*blinks*

[jimmy2]

Yes and no