Who are the Democrats?

* Historically

- the oldest major political party

- came of age in the great depression

-> popular as a result of feeling that Republicans were responsible for the Depression

=> Harding, Coolidge, Hoover blamed

-> Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal charted the course

=> big government would improve society

=> created the social safety net

+> social security, unemployment insurance, etc.

+> Clinton moved away from this a good deal

=> felt very comfortable using government regulation of the economy

+> Roosevelt’s actions often decried by business as unconstitutional and quasi-communistic

- faced a huge “Southern Question”

-> southern Democrats were racist

=> “Dixiecrats” hated the Republicans since Lincoln

=> basically one-party democratic rule in the South

=> White controlled the party and used it to prop up racism

-> southern Dems were also much more conservative socially than the northern, more urban Democrats

-> Reagan would oversee the unraveling of the Democrats in the South

* General Beliefs (Ideology?)

- government can be as large as is required to improve society

-> government programs can be used to push people to good ends

=> government spending of roads, education, etc. seen as investment

=> this of course means higher taxes

-> government regulations can create a better society

=> business restrictions create a fair society

+> child-labor restriction, minimum wage, OSHA, FDA, and millions of laws set the rules of economy

=> all of these regulations hamper the free market

=> they also do add costs to producers, and thus to consumers

=> the minimum wage may keep low-end workers from being employed

- generally in favor of faster growth that helps all earners

-> want faster growth than Republicans and may risk inflation

=> faster growth can create more jobs and raise wages

=> frustrated by 25 years of middle-class wage stagnation

-> may risk overheating the economy

-> Clinton was more right wing on anti-inflation

- are pro-union

-> most major unions are strong Democratic supporters

=> donate a good deal of money

+> much less than businesses do

-> Dems in turn support union-sponsored legislation and initiatives

=> for the most part, Clinton backed off some

+> especially on NAFTA, WTO

- a willingness to use taxation

-> targeted taxes can shape economic behavior

=> taxes can be a disincentive for negative behavior and can be lowered to create incentives

+> does make for a more complex tax code

-> redistribution of wealth function (Robin Hood)

=> progressive taxation (rich pay more) moves money to poorer Americans

+> school funding, child health care, social security, and the like all take money

from the rich and give to poorer Americans

+> the programs may create a culture of dependency

+> some argue that it is unfair to tax those who earn

-> Dems argue that we are all one community, and the country is only as rich as its poorest members

=> Lyndon Johnson attempted to eliminate poverty

- have a more rehabilitative and prevention approach to crime

-> Clinton made the party much harsher on punishment

-> still, willing to use programs to give options other than crime

=> midnight basketball, community programs, jobs programs

-> more willing to support rehabilitation in prison

=> relatively pleasant prison conditions

=> provide better access to education and training

=> hope is to cure criminals

=> criticism is that it is just soft on criminals and is expensive

- in favor of gun control

-> strong Brady Bill supporters (waiting limits)

-> support assault weapon and hand-gun limitations

-> does seriously undermine the 2nd amendment

- tend to be willing to shrink the military
-> would rather spend on social issues than arms

-> Clinton shifted Dems to right on this issue

- strong Civil Rights supporters

-> pushed through most Civil Rights legislation

-> still support affirmative action for women and minorities

-> see a need to create equality to make up for past discrimination

- environmentalist a bit

-> generally supportive of endangered species act and environmental protection

-> much more willing to support environmental regulation, even if it is expensive

-> press a bit for renewable resource initiatives (like solar power)

- socially are liberal

-> pro-choice

-> feminist, sometime radically so

-> generally supportive of gay rights, single parents, etc.

=> Clinton sold-out gays with “Defense of Marriage Act”

-> strong defenders of free speech

=> often accused of defending pornography

-> have lost support from religious and social conservatives

* Stereotype of Democrats (groups who LEAN Democratic)

- the poor and less-well-off

-> the support the social safety net and the minimum wage

- “ethnic” people

-> Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, etc.

=> they support affirmative action and social spending

=> Democratic leadership is much more pluralistic

-> “White Ethnics” too

=> Poles, Irish, etc, have a Democratic tradition

- Jews and Catholics

-> both lean slightly Democratic, perhaps of social spending and poverty issues

-> Jews are strong Civil Rights supporters

- women

-> generally in favor of the social safety net

-> lean heavily pro-choice

-> Democrats have as much as a 14% gender gap in their favor