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Republican Party Vs Democratic Party

Decent Essays

A Democrat and a Republican walk into a bar where previously only Independents frequented. The crowd shouts, “now it’s a real party!” The Republican and Democratic party make up the two most popular parties in the United States, with 53% of Americans identifying with one or the other party (Gallup, “Party Affiliation”). While most Americans know that the majority of their fellow citizens eventually will identify as either a Republican or a Democrat, the overall process of party selection and identification is not as clear. Additionally, different current events can shift the way that Americans identify with parties, even if they have had a strong loyalty to one party for their entire life. Whether it is through genetics or the environment …show more content…

Lewis-Beck notes that partisanship increases intensely with age. As a voter grows older, they form a strong affinity towards their political party and are less likely to deviate from that affiliation. He states that “the longer individuals think of themselves as either Democrats or Republicans, the stronger the attachment to that party becomes” (Lewis-Beck 149). However, there is a debate over whether it is our biological age or our political age that starts the clock for our formation of political beliefs. Some argue that it is not our biological age, but rather how long one has been a strong supporter of a political party, that influences the intensity and loyalty one feels towards a political party. Another way that age can impact a person’s political affiliation is the idea that as one grows older, they are more likely to become a Republican. A FiveThirtyEight article notes that “in the last decade, voters over 65 years old have become more Republican, even as the electorate as a whole has been trending in the opposite direction” (Hopkins, “Partisan Loyalty Begins at Age …show more content…

Although the book was not published too long ago, the fact that it was published in 2008 makes it unable to account the changes that have come about in the United States that have made it easier for young adults to become more involved in politics. Lewis-Beck notes that “few young adults express a strong party attachment, whereas those with a lifetime of experience do” (145). While young adults may not have as high of a voter turnout as older generations, this is not necessarily the only way to measure the political activity of a cohort. When the research by Lewis-Beck was published, social media was only beginning to become popular. Facebook was only four years old, and Twitter only two. Now, the younger generation has taken to social network services, like Facebook and Twitter, to spread voter education. Additionally, the utilization of websites like Change.org to express contempt with certain political views has become more common among younger

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