Below are the majority of the policies that have become hot debate topics for politicians in the United States. Discovering them and finding common themes for either party aided me in deciding the elements I should add to every exhibit. It should be noted that a supporter of one party can still identify with that party if they disagree with one or even a few of the policies. They are just the policy stances most commonly associated with either party.
Abortion: Liberals support the woman’s choice in aborting a fetus. Conservatives believe life begins at conception and that abortion is removing from the fetus its fundamental right to life.
Affirmative Action: Liberals support laws that consider one’s race as a qualifier for employment due to racism in the past. Conservatives do not approve of such laws.
Death Penalty: Liberals are against the death penalty under all circumstances. Conservatives believe it is just punishment for some wrongdoers.
Economy: Liberals want a regulated market system while conservatives prefer a free market system with private enterprise and no government interference of supply and demand.
Education: Liberals believe funds should go to improving teacher salaries and reducing class size, not providing vouchers as incentive for public schools to get better. Conservatives think vouchers create competition and therefore good schools.
Stem Cell Research: Liberals believe that blastocysts don’t have any human features so research in this field is not immoral. The results from this research could be used to cure diseases. Conservatives, however, think it morally wrong to experiment with stem cells.
Energy: Liberals support finding alternative energy sources because oil is rapidly depleting. Conservatives support the continuation of oil and coal as energy sources because they are abundant.
Euthanasia: Liberal support the choice to end one’s life on their death bed. Conservatives are against such practices, as well as physician-assisted suicide.
Gun Control: Liberals don’t believe the Second Amendment guarantees everyone the privilege of owning a gun, while conservatives do.
Health care: Liberals support free/low cost health care because it is a basic right for everyone. Conservatives think there should be a free market system for health care.
Immigration: Liberals support amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Conservatives only support legal immigration.
Same-sex marriage: Liberals believe marriage can be for anyone, regardless of sexuality. Conservatives believe only in hetereosexual marriages.
Taxes: Liberals support higher taxes for the wealthy in order for government to help the poor. Conservatives believe lower taxes and a small government will improve the standards of living for all.
As can be seen, left- and right- wing politicians are divided on nearly every issue that is relevant to to sustainment and progression of society and its values. Although this has always been the case, it is only very recently that many other realities have taken shape: a greater number of supporters of either side have a extremely negative opinion of their political opponents, supporters in the center of the political spectrum have declined in number, and communities of people are more frequently expressing the same views with shrinking amounts of dissidence in a person’s immediate surroundings. Each of these changing realities in American politics were calculated with percentage figures, so each statement is statistically verifiable and backed.
Cited source:
Doherty, Carroll. “7 Things to Know about Polarization in America.” Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center, 12 June 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.