Explaining the political parties

By Molly Page
South Charleston High School

Some teenagers think the voting age is just right. They think that anyone who can fight in Iraq or be drafted should be able to vote. After all, someone fighting in a war should be able to vote for the leader who is in control of that war, right?

Not everyone thinks so.

“I hate to say it, but a lot of us don’t really know what’s going on in the world,” said Capital senior Josh Taylor. “I don’t mean to sound like an old man when I say this, but I don’t think us voting that young would be a good idea.”

And it’s true that not everyone knows enough about what’s going on in the world to make an informed decision. But that applies to everyone, not just teenagers.

When it comes to voting, the first thing you need to know is which party you are. For those of you who don’t know much about politics, here’s a rundown of the big three groups - Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

The Democratic Party is often associated with the middle class and the working man. According to democrats.org, “the Democratic Party is committed to keeping our nation safe and expanding opportunity for every American. That commitment is reflected in an agenda that emphasizes the security of our nation, strong economic growth, and affordable health care for all Americans, retirement security, honest government, and civil rights.”

The Republican Party, on the other hand, is more associated with upper class society. Of the two, Republicans are more associated with Christian principals and strong morals. On its site, rnc.org, there wasn’t as clear a mission statement as the Democratic Party, but in the section on history, it said, “Republicans have a long and rich history with basic principles: Individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.”

Finally, there are the Independents. Independent is the term for any candidate not affiliated with the Democrats or Republicans. The best known Independent is Ralph Nader, who has run for president in the past three elections. He has not yet said whether he will run in 2008.

On the website for his 2004 campaign, votenader.org, it said, “Ralph Nader is standing up for all Americans, proposing brighter solutions and futures while decrying the big government erosion of civil liberties, the vast diversion of tax dollars for wasteful military spending, the Iraq quagmire, and the daily abuses and frauds suffered by ordinary Americans at the hands of corrupt corporations and indifferent bureaucracies.”