ess and they provide information and cause the American voters to think. By rallying support for their issues, they force the other two parties to recognize new ideas and issues.Republican Party vs. Democratic PartyThere are two main political ideologies that make the Republican Party different from the Democratic Party. The first would be their different beliefs in how much power the federal government should have over the people. Republicans believe that all powers not directly granted to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution are reserved for the states. They believe that the power of the federal government should be limited and greater power should reside with the states. Democrats believe just the opposite. They believe that the concentration of power should reside with the federal government and not with the states. Republicans believe that the national government is too tied in special interests and is not responsive to the public at large. They feel the federal government over regulates and that its size and complexity leads to waste and inefficiency. The states, on the other hand, are much more closer to the people and are better able to respond to specific local needs. Democrats believe the states are unable to protect the rights or provide the needs of their citizens. They believe the blacks and poor people are often left unrepresented by white state legislatures who disproportionally serve rural interests.Republican presidents from Nixon to Bush have transferred power from nation to states through the appointment of Supreme Court justices who have a commitment to limits on national power. Ronald Reagan, a Republican, strongly opposed replacing state standards with national ones. He opposed a bill, which would have established a national minimum drinking age, a responsibility of state government. However, because of the number of teen-age deaths resulting from lower age restrictions, Reagan later signed...
