If you are a Democrat who is your favorite Republican? If you are a Republican who is your favorite Democrat?

The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery expansion activists and modernizers, it rose to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president. The party presided over the American Civil War and Reconstruction and was harried by internal factions and scandals towards the end of the 19th century. Today, the Republican Party supports a pro-business platform, with further foundations in economic libertarianism and a brand of social conservatism increasingly based on the viewpoints of the Religious Right.

While there may be several differences in opinion between individual Democrats and Republicans on certain issues, what follows is a generalization of their stand on several of these issues. A Democrat is typically known as a supporter of a broader range of social services in America than those advocated by Republicans. Republican philosophy is based on a limited influence of government and a dominant foreign policy.

Republicans are considered on the "right" end of the political spectrum while Democrats are on the "left." The far right generally is pro-religion, anti-bureaucracy, pro-military, pro-business and pro-personal responsibility. Republicans, are usually considered conservative (fiscally as well as socially), maybe a little pious, pro-business and against the bureaucracy often associated with big government.

They see big governments as wasteful and an obstacle to getting things done. To the far left of the spectrum are the extreme liberal, or the most extreme democrats. Democrats are considered more liberal.

Democrats tend to favor an active role for government in society and believe that such involvement – be it environmental regulations against polluting or anti-discrimination laws – can improve the quality of people’s lives and help achieve the larger goals of opportunity and equality. While the Republican policy aims more towards Individual responsibility and they believe in individual rights and justice, the Democrats are more for community responsibility and community and social justice. The Democrats and Republicans have varying ideas on many issues, some of which are listed below.

These are broadly generalized opinions; it must be noted that there are many politicians in each party who have different and more nuanced positions on these issues. Republicans: Prefer increasing military spending and have a more hard line stance against countries like Iran, with a higher tendency to deploy the military option. Democrats: Prefer lower increases in military spending and are comparatively more reluctant to using military force against countries like Iran, Syria and Libya.

Democrats favor more gun control laws e.g. Oppose the right to carry concealed weapons in public places. Republicans oppose gun control laws and are strong supporters of the Second Amendment as well as the right to carry concealed weapons. Democrats: It is the woman’s right to decide this and hence it is legal.

Republicans: It shouldn’t be made legal and Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Some Republicans go so far as to oppose the contraception mandate i.e.

Requiring employer-paid health insurance plans to cover contraception. A related point of divergence is embryonic stem cell research - Democrats support it while Republicans do not. Democrats tend to favor equal rights for gay and lesbian couples e.g. The right to get married and adopt children.

Republicans believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman so they do not support gay marriage or allowing them to adopt children. Opponents of the death penalty form a much higher fraction of the Democratic Party when compared to the GOP. Democrats support progressive taxes i.e.

They want high-income individuals to pay taxes at a higher rate. They support an increase taxes on the wealthy to pay for public programs. Republicans support tax cuts for everyone (rich and poor alike).

They consider higher tax rates on the rich a form of class warfare. Democrats favor increase in the minimum wage to help workers. Republicans oppose raising the minimum wage because it hurts businesses.

Due to the TV coverage during some of the presidential elections in the past, the color Red has become associated with the Republicans (as in Red states – the states where the Republican presidential nominee wins) and Blue is associated with the Democrats. The Democratic Party, once dominant in the Southeastern United States, is now strongest in the Northeast (Mid-Atlantic and New England), Great Lakes Region, as well as along the Pacific Coast (especially Coastal California), including Hawaii. The Democrats are also strongest in major cities.

Recently, Democratic candidates have been faring better in some southern states, such as Virginia, Arkansas, and Florida, and in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico. Since 1980, geographically the Republican "base" ("red states") is strongest in the South and West, and weakest in the Northeast and the Pacific Coast. The Republican Party's strongest focus of political influence lies in the Great Plains states, particularly Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, and in the western states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.

Republicans have controlled the White House for 28 of the last 43 years since Richard Nixon became president. Famous Democrat Presidents have been Franklin Roosevelt, who pioneered the New Deal in America and stood for 4 terms, John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Office, Bill Clinton, and Nobel Peace Prize winners Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter.

Famous Republican Presidents include Teddy Roosevelt, known for the Panama Canal, Ronald Reagan, credited for ending the Cold War with Gorbachev, and the two Bush family Presidents of recent times. This graphic shows which party controlled the White House since 1901. You can find the list of Presidents on Wikipedia.