How big of difference do you think there is between the two major parties?

[Douglas Carpenter]

Last edited Wed Nov 20, 2013, 06:31 PM - Edit history (1)

5 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	An enormous difference – One is fundamentally progressive and fundamentally rational. – The other is fundamentally reactionary and fundamentally irrational.
	1 (20%)
	Not as much difference as they would like us to think. The differences are exaggerated by the rhetoric and the partisan maneuvering. When it comes down to actual policy the differences are simply not anywhere near as significant as the rhetoric and the maneuvering would lead us to believe.
	3 (60%)
	The differences are for the most part not so much on major issues of economy or the fundamental direction of foreign policy – But when it does get down to specifics – those nuanced differences and the moral tone set by the language and rhetoric does add up to a significantly different direction the two different parties would take the country.
	1 (20%)
	I prefer savory dinner crepes to sweet dessert crepes.
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Jackpine Radical]

1. I would say that most of the differences are in the "social issues"

rather than in baseline economic issues.

Even some of the Dem policies against which the national Republicans are posturing are in fact essentially Republican positions--health care being the most immediately prominent case in point.

[LuvNewcastle]

7. Yes.

Both parties are dominated by almost laissez-faire capitalism. The Democrats desperately need to change economic policies. Economic policies are the backbone of a party's platform. If the economic policies are essentially like the GOP's, the Democrats have a RW party.

[raouldukelives]

12. Yep. nt

[Scuba]

10. Bingo.

[11 Bravo]

2. Democrats order from the menu and tip well. Republicans insist on ...

making multiple menu substitutions and are likely to stiff their wait person.

[sharp_stick]

3. Different Enough

Take for example the Supreme Court decision allowing Texas to maintain it's Draconian abortion laws as an example of just how different the two parties can be.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/supreme-court-texas-abortion-law-100093.html

Anybody that equates the current Democratic and Republican parties needs to think of the following:

Roberts John (R)
Alito Sam (R)

Sotomayor Sonia (D)
Kagan, Elena (D)

If you don't think that outcome would have been different had shrubbo not occupied the White House for eight years you're just not using your brain.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. Not as much as I would like there to be.

The GOP is so radical RW that the Democrats should be demonstratively different on just about any issue. The GOP doesn't have any good ideas. If you compromise with extreme RWers, you still end up with RW policies. To even get policies to be middle-of-the-road, we would have to be very radical socialists before compromising. Therefore, I'd say that there isn't nearly as much difference as there needs to be.

[defacto7]

5. How can you go from

"The differences are for the most part not so much"

to

"Not as much difference as they would like us to think"

to

"An enormous difference"

?

That's a pretty leading poll you set up. The span between not so much, and not so much, to and enormous difference has a gap wide enough for an elephant.

How about, "An enormous difference politically but not so much on a personal level" or "A big difference in social terms but less politically" or "A huge difference in determining facts but we're all human". There are a lot more possibilities in that chasm between the first two.

[Blue_In_AK]

6. I would say on social/"moral" issues, they're worlds apart.

On economic issues, not so much.

[RC]

8. Somewhere between #2 and #3

Both are too far to the Right to govern effectively for "We the people..."

[NuclearDem]

9. The Democrats stay just enough to the left of the Republicans

To scare people into voting for them.

[TheKentuckian]

11. I don't really grasp option #3 to well.

It seems like a way of saying that words speak louder than words or some such to my eyes.

[joeglow3]

13. Two answers

Political parties - extremely far apart.
Populace - not too far apart.

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. another kick for more results

[renegade000]

15. Depends on the issue

I'd say:

Option 1 for domestic social issues.
Option 2 for domestic economic policy.
Option 3 for foreign policy.