The Basic Difference Between Republicans and Democrats

At Least The Way I See It

Last year for Mother’s Day my youngest kids got me a mug that has a QR code. And when you scan it, you’re directed to a website for a literary quote of the day. Which was an awesome gift because I love literature.

Anyway, a few days ago the quote was from Middlemarch which was written by the Victorian novelist George Eliot. I know I read Middlemarch in college but can’t for the life of me remember the plot, which is how it often goes these days. Must’ve been a great book though because the quote was quite lovely-

“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”

That same night, as we were cleaning up dinner, the movie “It Could Happen To You” was playing on the tv in the background. It’s an old movie which stars Nicholas Cage as a NYC police officer who shares his lottery winnings with a waitress (Bridget Fonda) because he had promised her, because he did not have money for a tip, that if he won, he would do just that.

At one point the cop tells the waitress that anyone would have done the same and she says something to the effect of “No one would have done the same.” And she’s right. Maybe not no one but not most people. And then the two of them use the money to help others and it’s a sweet love story with a happy ending.

So I started thinking about goodness and people helping people. And then I started thinking about Republicans and especially Republican politicians.

I think it’s fair to say that Republicans are not interested in helping people through social safety nets. Food assistance programs like SNAP? Not interested. Disaster relief? Rebuild your own damn house. Healthcare as a universal right? Meh. The environment? No thank you. Subsidies for childcare? Paid maternity leave? Nope and nope. The funny thing is the GOP pretends to be pro-family while voting against all the things that could actually help families.

But here’s the part I don’t get. Why would Republicans want to defund things like cancer research? They are just as likely to die of cancer as Democrats are. Many of them vote against their own best interests. I don’t wish cancer on anyone but if one of those Republicans politicians does get cancer, I hope someone reminds them how about the cancer trials which got cancelled because of them.

There is an inherent difference between the way Republicans and Democrats see the world. Perhaps some of it is how you were raised and some of it is life experiences. And which network news you watch. In other words, nature, nurture, and fake news.