User:Admin/U.S. Politics
From Wikisocion
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These typings below are not set in stone, but they are my impressions for the time being.
- Barack Obama - IEI
- Hillary Clinton - LSI
- John McCain - ESI
- Mitt Romney - LSE
- Joe Biden - EIE
- Sarah Palin - SEE
This is a vast oversimplification, but I believe the Republican philosophy is based on and values, while the Democratic philosophy is based on and . Republicans traditionally stress economic policies which would promote the greatest productivity, as well as traditional morality and Protestant ethics. Along with that, they strive to reduce the role of government regulatory structures. Democrats, on the other hand, traditionally stress the importance of social inclusion of disparate cultural groups within society, as well as building policies and regulatory institutions.
Culturally and historically, the U.S. is closer to the Republican philosophy, with the Democrats being a sort of opposition to the dominant worldview.
Update: Nov. 4, 2008
After now having lived in the U.S. for a few months, I see the political parties somewhat differently. I see the Democratic and Republic parties as basically power institutions whose purpose is to gather funds, represent material interests, and concentrate decision making. People like Ralph Nader (EII) refer to them as the "corporate parties." The conceptual basis of these parties is very weak and disjointed, and the speeches of their leaders cryptic. That's because these parties are close to power and thus play by rules, which includes an element of secrecy and concentration of information. Political principles and vision are secondary to the material interests represented by the parties.
There are a number of other parties — such as the Libertarians and the Green Party — which are not based. These parties have clear visions and concepts and a great deal more openness. They also have almost no access to power. The Libertarians are perhaps an Alpha-dominated party, whereas the Greens represent a mostly Delta worldview, with and at the forefront. If these parties were to get close to power, it is likely that they would morph into more -based structures.
