Philadelphia Tea Party Protestors
T-Party vs Democrats
The United States has been dominated by a two party system all through its history. Historians divided its development into five periods:
` First Party System, which featured the Federalist Party and the Democratic – Republican Party.
` Second Party System, which saw a split of the Democratic – Republican Party into the Jacksonian Democrats which grew into the modern Democratic Party led by Andrew Jackson, and the Whig party led by Henry Clay.
` Third Party System, which saw the rise of the Republican Party.
` Fourth Party System, which had the same political parties of the Third Party System but dealt with different issues.
` Fifth Party System, which emerged with the New Deal Coalition.
Today�s US political party system is dominated by the Democratic Party and Republican Party although there are also several third parties.
The Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the United States and has positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party in economic and social matters. It advocates liberalism which shaped the party�s economic agenda. Its advocates are known as Democrats.
The T-Party or Tea Party, on the other hand, is not a political party but a populist political movement that got its name from the Boston Tea Party of 1773. It advocates conservatism and has supported Republican Party candidates with Dick Armey and Sarah Palin among its most notable members.
It is an affiliation of national and local groups that have their own platforms and agendas. It has sponsored protests and endorses the reduction of government spending, national debt, and the federal budget, and is opposed to taxation.
Conservative activist Keli Carender was credited as the first Tea Party organizer. It started as part of Tax Day protest while some protests were aimed at Federal laws and several healthcare reform bills.
Almost eighty percent of its advocates are Republicans which led many to believe that it is not a new political group but rather just gave traditional Republican candidates and policies a new name. It grew from the dissatisfaction of supporters with mainstream Republican Party leaders.
The Democratic Party or the Democrats on the other hand has adopted a centrist economic policy and advocates more social freedom, a balanced budget, and free enterprise. It believes that the government should help in solving problems with poverty and social injustice.
It has favored farmers, laborers, labor unions, religious and ethnic minorities. After the 2010 elections, the Democratic Party holds a majority of seats in the Senate, a minority in the House of Representatives and in state legislatures and governorship.
Summary
1. Democrats are advocates or members of the Democratic Party. The T-Party is not a political party but a populist political movement that supports Republican Party candidates.
2. The Democrats or Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the US, while the T-Party is a recent political movement.
3. The T-Party advocates conservatism, while the Democrats advocate social and economic freedom.
4. Democrats hold majority of the seats in the Senate while T-Party does not.