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Worldview Analysis
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Worldview Analysis
Political parties are the fulcrum of America’s democratic processes. The parties have
ensured there exists a competitive political environment that is driven by ideologies rather
than personalities. Had the country not had effective and strong political party system and
structures, perhaps the situation would be much different. While the United States is a multi-
party democracy that allows as many political parties as possible to engage in political
competition, the two political parties that have been dominant in the country are the
Democratic Party and the Republican Party. On the 8th of November 2016, Americans went
to polls to choose their 45th president. The leading presidential candidates in the contest were
Democratic-Party-Sponsored Hillary Clinton and the Republican-party-sponsored Donald
Trump. Hillary Clinton is an experienced former powerful White House operative, having
served as Secretary of State under the first term of President Barrack Obama. On the other
side, Donald Trump is a billionaire businessman and a former reality show personality who
had no prior experience in politics or military affairs (Allin, 2016). In the face of these facts,
Americans were presented with an opportunity to choose from what people would call an
‘insider' and another person who others called an ‘outsider.' The 2016 elections were a
testament to how political party ideologies differ between political parties and how these
ideologies influence voters. This paper examines the Democratic Party and Republican
Party’s leaning on liberalism and conservatism respectively.
Several issues emerge between the two political parties (The Democratic Party and
the Republican Party) that defined the ideological perspectives of the sides. Some of these
issues included immigration, healthcare reforms, and gun control (Jacobs & Caeser, 2016).
While appreciating that the ideological perspective of the parties played a critical role in
defining the beliefs of the candidates, it is also apparent that each candidate had their
ideological backgrounds that defined their approach to several issues.
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Traditionally, the Democratic Party has taken a liberal approach to issues while the
Republican have taken a conservative approach. These ideologies are applicable in issues
related to but not limited to immigration, abortion, religion and the management of the
economy among others. Using the 2016 contest between President Trump (Republican Party)
and Hillary Clinton (Democratic Party), one may see the elements of conservatism and
liberalism between the two parties that each of the candidates represented.
The liberal perspective of the Democratic Party may best be demonstrated by the
stance of the party on matters of abortion and parenthood. In 2005, Clinton together with
other Democrats voted in support of abortion as a way of improving the lives of women and
making sure that unwanted pregnancies are not sustained. The question of abortion is one of
the hot topics in the country that most politicians would not want to touch. During the reign
of President Obama (a democrat), the State Department proposed a bill in which the
government was intending to cut funding for groups that promote abortion practices.
However, Hillary Clinton came out loud and said that she was personally going to lobby
President Obama to veto the bill (Clinton, 2009). With regards to these actions, the liberal
credentials of Clinton come to fore. She was of the opinion that women have a right to
procure an abortion in the event the pregnancy had threats to their lives. In the abortion
debates, two factions have emerged. The first faction is known as the pro-life while the
second faction is known as pro-choice. However, in most of her speeches, Clinton maintained
the position that was taken by her party which advocated for a safe, legal and rare abortion s a
way of protecting the rights of women to make choices regarding their affairs.
Unlike the Democratic Party that presented has demonstrated liberal tendencies, the
Republican Party whose candidate in the 2016 elections was President Trump comes out as a
conservative outfit. While it is known that GOP is associated with conservatism, it appears
that Trump took the limits to another level. Unlike Clinton, President Trump is pro-life and
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does not support any practices that would lead to the death of an unborn child (Jervis, 2017).
When Trump was campaigning, he stated several times that it is necessary to defund all the
parenthood initiatives that are associated with abortion. The primary point of the argument is
that there is a need to protect the lives of the mother and the child. By standing strongly
against abortion, Trump demonstrated conservatism as opposed to the liberal Clinton who
supported abortion.
In conclusion, the political ideology between the Democratic Party and the
Republican Party played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the 2016 presidential
elections. Trump represented the conservative ideals of his party while Hillary Clinton also
represented the liberal ideals of the Democratic Party.
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References
Allin, Dana H. "President Trump." Survival 58.6 (2016): 237-248.
Clinton, Hillary Rodham. "Foreign policy address at the council on foreign relations." US
Department of State 15 (2009).
Jacobs, Nicholas, and James W. Ceaser. "The 2016 Presidential Election by the Numbers and
in Historical Perspective." The Forum. Vol. 14. No. 4. 2016.
Jervis, Robert. "President Trump and IR theory." H-Diplo ISSF Policy Series 2 (2017).
