I don't know if it matters much anymore—in the United States at least, there's a lot of blending of the two major parties going on in the center, so only the fringes on either side look all that different. However, those are the folks that most often get the press, and so it looks like there's quite a bit of difference, when really, it's not so much a difference in direction as it is a matter of velocity.
Socially, the two are quite close on a lot of issues, but again, it's what's called the far left or the far right that ends up on television. Meanwhile, things go on as they have and more happens as the people in general get complacent. It's why we still have tons of legislation that one party or the other swore to get rid of.
I think in too many cases, it comes down to winning. With this last election, the Republicans ended up coming together just enough with a few disillusioned folks from the Democrats and some so-called Independents to put Trump in the White House. This because people were more fully against the Democrat frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, than they were really completely for Trump (though he certainly has a solid base). It was beat Clinton at all costs.
So, when that's more or less the mentality, it doesn't really matter. As it is, while many of us think Republicans are mostly conservative and Democrats are mostly left leaning, that's not very true of Republicans. They can tax and spend just as easily as anyone, and they can try to impose their ideals just like Democrats can.
I don't know if it matters much anymore—in the United States at least, there's a lot of blending of the two major parties going on in the center, so only the fringes on either side look all that different. However, those are the folks that most often get the press, and so it looks like there's quite a bit of difference, when really, it's not so much a difference in direction as it is a matter of velocity.
Socially, the two are quite close on a lot of issues, but again, it's what's called the far left or the far right that ends up on television. Meanwhile, things go on as they have and more happens as the people in general get complacent. It's why we still have tons of legislation that one party or the other swore to get rid of.
I think in too many cases, it comes down to winning. With this last election, the Republicans ended up coming together just enough with a few disillusioned folks from the Democrats and some so-called Independents to put Trump in the White House. This because people were more fully against the Democrat frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, than they were really completely for Trump (though he certainly has a solid base). It was beat Clinton at all costs.
So, when that's more or less the mentality, it doesn't really matter. As it is, while many of us think Republicans are mostly conservative and Democrats are mostly left leaning, that's not very true of Republicans. They can tax and spend just as easily as anyone, and they can try to impose their ideals just like Democrats can.