*Apologies all around in advance for this political post.*
The two major parties in the U.S. don't actually hate each other. At their roots they are quite similar. However, the stereotypes of severe partisanism do have a basis in reality.
The major differences are that the Conservative Republicans want smaller government and less taxes (which often means less government assistance to the poor and lower class), laws that lean more towards "Christian" morals as opposed to progressive and agnostic laws, and they favor Capitalism over Socialism when it comes to economics.
Liberal Democrats don't mind bigger government if it means a better world for the people, are generally favorable towards higher taxes and big spending, are progressive when it comes to what is considered moral and just, generally eschew ties to any particular religion or lack thereof, and appear to be more Socialist than Capitalist though there is room in the philosophy for forward-thinking Capitalism.
All that said though, at their core American politicians all around are greedy and selfish bastards who only want to push the agendas their fathers and mothers drilled into them. At least, that's how it has been my entire life. I know things change as the generations change, but if things keep going the way they are now we will soon be the least desirable country to live in.
My fondest wish is for the people of my generation and the next younger one -- people from their 40s all the way down to teens coming of age -- to rise up and say "To hell with this shit!" and start voting in true leaders and innovators. We've had quite enough of the 1950s mentality from elected officials who weren't even born in that decade.
Sadly, the people who "get it" are rarely into politics enough to run for office, or even if they are, they don't have the personality to win votes. Politics has by definition always been a popularity contest, and the contestants are rarely known for their intelligence and foresight.
/rant over, sorry about that.
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