Democratic and republican are the two most known political parties in the United States. The two parties represent two different value systems that manifest the two common views of American citizens. The two parties present two conflicting concepts of right and wrong, liberty, freedom, state and the individual. Citizens that identify themselves as Republicans are generally conservative while those that identify themselves as democratic are liberal. The two groups display two distinctive values regarding how they view the world and their orientation competition in politics. Liberals believe in hope, inclusivity, communalism, sharing, minimal respect for tradition and authority and exploration. On the other hand, conservatives emphasize purity, loyalty, individuality, caution, and respect for tradition and authority. Each of these systems has its place. The media and universities are mostly liberal while the military is almost totally conservative. There have been debates on the best system of belief among many scholars and politicians. I believe that each of the two belief systems is right under certain circumstances. Nevertheless, most of the citizens are never fully on one side but are closer to one side than the other.

According to political liberals, parties that are motivated by self-interest are ready to act in a way that can be harmful to society. Consequently, liberals believe that the government must regulate individuals, corporations and industries that are willing to sacrifice the social values for their financial gain. Additionally, liberals believe in systematic protection against environmental pollution, unsafe consumer products and hazardous workplaces (Graham, Jesse, Jonathan and Brian 2015, 1029). They remain concerned about the historical injustices, corruption, and oppression that have escaped the eye of the state and local authorities. Democrats believe in education and have trust in science. They believe that public welfare results from a society that cultivates widely permissive and tolerant society. They are suspicious of businesses and government but still believe that the government has the role to ensure equal opportunity and equality for all. Liberal has the view that the government should protect civil liberties and human rights as well as alleviate social ills. Generally, liberals have the view that the work of the government is to solve problems in society.

Conservatives have views that oppose that of their counterparts, the Democrats. Political conservatives do not believe in commercial regulation as they view it to cause more harm than good. They believe in strong defense force, personal responsibility, free markets, American traditional values, and limited government. Such governments advocate for devolution of power to the stats. They believe that local solutions are the best for local circumstances (Graham, Jesse, Brian and Jonathan 2014, 50092).  Conservatives believe in individual responsibility and that a strong society is made up of citizens who can make independent decisions. They believe in the need for stability and promote law and order to maintain the stability of social classes. They emphasize the role of government to promote individuals so that they become independent and responsible. Such government is less tolerant to compromise and is ready to use force to have an advantage. Additionally, they are motivated to punish violator for social norms.

The question of which political belief is superior or better than the other is a hard question to answer. However, I believe that none of the beliefs is better or superior to the other and the view to apply depends on the circumstances. Some circumstances will be better solved by being conservative than being democratic. The reverse is true in other circumstances. Most citizens are never on either side of the beliefs but revolve near one pole than the other (Day, Martin, Susan, Fiske, Emily, Downing and Thomas 2014, 1559-1573). The other will shift position depending on the circumstances and the issue beforehand. For instance, many liberals will have mistrust on large companies to have any social good in their actions but also appreciate their roles in the modern economy. Additionally, many liberals do not believe that individual effort it the key out of poverty. However, they believe that individual efforts can have some positive effects that can lead one out of poverty. Nevertheless, democratic and Republicans view themselves as correct and consider the other side as an enemy or rival (Carney, Dana, John, Jost, Samuel, Gosling and Jeff 2018, 807-840). My belief is that the two sides should accept that no one side of the belief is the best in all circumstances. They must agree that a good mix of the two political beliefs is necessary for solving political problems in the country. While some issues need more of a democratic mind, others will be favored by conservative minds.

The rivalry between the Democrats and the conservative has been there in the United States for a long time now. The rivalry has been fueled by possession of different views by both sides each side believing in the superiority of their beliefs. These views have affected how various governments have governed the United States and other nations that have these two forms of the governments. For effective governance, leaders should embrace both sides of views while gaining expertise advice on which circumstances need which beliefs. However, this will go a long way since both sides are adamant with their beliefs and it will take them centuries to be convinced otherwise.

Bibliography

Carney, Dana R., John T. Jost, Samuel D. Gosling, and Jeff Potter. “The secret lives of liberals and conservatives: Personality profiles, interaction styles, and the things they leave behind.” Political Psychology 29, no. 6 (2018): 807-840.

Day, Martin V., Susan T. Fiske, Emily L. Downing, and Thomas E. Trail. “Shifting liberal and conservative attitudes using moral foundations theory.”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 40, no. 12 (2014): 1559-1573.

Graham, Jesse, Jonathan Haidt, and Brian A. Nosek. “Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations.” Journal of personality and social psychology 96, no. 5 (2015): 1029.

Graham, Jesse, Brian A. Nosek, and Jonathan Haidt. “The moral stereotypes of liberals and conservatives: Exaggeration of differences across the political spectrum.” PloS one 7, no. 12 (2014): e50092.