The 2020 Elections: Republicans & Democrats
Written By: Rishi Popat, Srijaa Chatterjee, Seher Anand
Edited By: Akrit Agarwal
Designed by: Pourush Jindal and Aradhya Poddar
America can be assumed to be the world’s most powerful nation with unrivalled military strength. This is taken away from somewhat by Americans measuring everything in hamburgers per freedom – a stereotypical joke appreciated the world over. But there is one thing that everyone cares about, regardless of where they’re from: who does this tremendous power go to? And what are Republicans and Democrats?
Each have their own points to bring to the table, and each have their own ways of dealing with things. So in this article, we have managed to collapse the 230 year brawl into a concise string of polarising points you all are sure to care about.
The Republican Stand:
- Gun control: A polarizing topic in America, it represents the most American of values – the idea that everybody has the right to use whatever means they’d like to defend themselves. What most people fail to understand is that Republicans do not have the usual redneck philosophy the far right follows. Their outlook on gun control is simple: every American should have access to a firearm should they need to protect themselves.
- Covid: Senate Republicans made an effort to combat rapidly rising COVID-19 levels in the United States as the elections draw nearer, contributing a hefty sum of nearly $1 trillion as a part of the coronavirus aid package in a bid to figure out how to help Americans as expanded unemployment benefits begin to expire. With the inclusion of $190 billion to help small businesses, as well as $100 billion for seasonally operational businesses, the Republican Party has kept maximum focus on the United States’ suffering economy, as opposed to the Democrats’ health-centric outlook on the pandemic.
- BLM: Attacks on Republican senators have been increasingly hostile as the Black Lives Matter movement is sweeping the nation, with the Trump administration claiming possible anarchist involvement. In defence of the Republican Party, the conservative perspective allows distinctive racial groups to exist in peace, with Trump’s outspoken, uncensored views tarnishing the carefully curated Republican image. The Republican Party took several steps to dampen the heat of the BLM movement, hoping to maintain decorum throughout the country, though increasing racial misconduct has brought the matter out of hand, making it an absolute socialist movement that is unmanageable for both parties.
- Unemployment: Every Republican senator has argued that the Democrats were taking jobs away from Americans, which is partially correct. Unemployment rates did skyrocket after the Great Recession. This was due to jobs being outsourced to poorer countries and was up to the CEOs of the biggest companies in the world. Even though the message may not be delivered in the right context, Americans need jobs.
The Democratic Stand:
- Gun control: Most Democrats believe that there should be stricter laws when it comes to owning guns (for all people). Democrats are also very big on preventing gun violence and have said that “no American should be afraid to go to work or their place of worship.” Democrats believe that they will be able to reduce gun violence while still respecting the rights of Americans (namely, the Second Amendment of the US Constitution), with the implementation of stricter regulations and background checks.
- Covid: Republicans and Democrats have similar views on some aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak, but there are certain points of disagreement. Only 18% of Democrats feel as though Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic was effective. The majority also strongly believe that the pandemic will cause a recession or a depression as a result of job losses and economic stagnation. Democrats are also more likely to take the use of masks more seriously than Republicans.
- BLM: The Democratic Party has largely embraced the Black Lives Matter movement. One reason for this is that the majority of African-Americans do happen to be Democrats, seeing as the Democratic candidate for president for each presidential election since 2000 has averaged 91% of the African-American vote. Black Lives Matter was also a big matter of discussion at the Democratic National Convention in 2020.
- Unemployment: Democrats want to do everything possible to create a “full-employment” economy, where all people can earn enough to support themselves and their families. The Democratic Party believes that Americans must work to improve the lives of every citizen, not just those in positions of power. Democrats believe in “cutting taxes for working families, helping small businesses and homeowners, and strengthening consumer protection.”
The pandemic’s continuation certainly affects the election as it stands, with several extreme Republicans denying the existence of the virus that has brought the world to its knees. This was further exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s recovery from the virus and his call for Americans to fight the virus head on, which has already affected the standing of many Americans. They believe that Trump has not handled the pandemic correctly, if at all. A win for either side seems possible as of now, but the real results will be very close.
All in all, while Democrats and Republicans often have polarized views when it comes to different aspects of our lives, that is what truly represents America. Not the typical (incorrect) stereotypes of obese kids, fast food, or racist, uneducated people, but the freedom America represents, the freedom to think what you think and be able to fight for what you truly believe in. Although our world may be facing uncertain times, there is no doubt that change will come, especially with the upcoming November 3rd election.
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