Democratic Politics

The term democratic politics can be used to refer to two different political bodies. Democratic politics can be related to the regulation of a democracy, as well as the method by which policy is created and carried out. It can also be used to discuss the politics of the Democratic Party, one of the two primary political parties in the United States. A Democracy is a government that believes in ‘majority rule’ and ‘rule by the people.’ The democracy that is found in the United States today was formulated based on the Democratic model of the ancient Athenians. Around 500 B.C. the ancient Athenians created and executed the world’s first true democracy. They developed a system of voting in which all Athenian citizens could voice their opinion about a specific policy or individual candidate. Ancient Athenian citizen’s were comprised of adult males who completed their military training. They would gather at an assembly and would be given a white stone and a black stone. The white stone represented ‘yes’, while the black stone stood for ‘no’. The Athenian citizens would cast a stone into a clay pot to express approval or disapproval for the policy or individual being discussed. Like that of Athenian’s democratic politics, the voting system in a current democracy seeks to incorporate the voice of every citizen. Democratic politics attempt to ensure that a government is determined by the people, and that the majority remains satisfied and content. As populations increase direct democracy is no longer a feasible option, so instead the people choose representatives to carry out their wishes through organized elections. Democratic politics also seek to protect individual’s rights and liberties as outlined in the American Constitution. These liberties include the right to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly.

There are two primary political parties that are present in the United States government. They are the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Their views and opinions on the important issues differ a great deal. The Republican Party tends to have more conservative views, while the Democratic Party is usually more liberal. Democratic views usually include a woman’s right to choose, as well as an improved health care system that is decent and affordable for all American’s. Democrats believe that the freedom of choice is essential and that a woman should have the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy if she believes that it is in her best interest. Democrats also offer support for gay and lesbian rights, though same sex marriage is always an issue that varies from person to person. Other Democratic ideas include investing in alternative energy sources and providing federal funding for stem cell research. Many democrats believe that the development of alternative energy is the only thing that is going to help up to become independent of other nations. Without alternative energy sources the United States will always be trying to gain access to oil in other countries. Liberal democrats also believe that embryonic stem cell research is necessary in order to decrease suffering and increase survival rates.