The Democratic Party was not so much the working man's party as the "machine party". It bought votes by promising special interests their cut. Thus, in the South, it was the party of Jim Crow, protecting the interests of whites; in the Northeast, it was the party of immigrants, helping them off the boat and into the polling booth. In the industrial Midwest, it was the union party; in the rural Midwest, it was the farm owner party; and so forth. Some times, it really helped people, sometimes, it mainly exploited them, or others on their behalf. Remember, the Republican Party started as the advocate of free labor over slavery.....
The Federalists, out of which the Republican Party came, was the "gentleman's party", which does mean that it sometimes worked to protect class interests, although not exclusively for the wealthy, since many Republicans were small proprietors, especially in the Midwest. It is more true to say that it was "pro- business", sometimes to the exclusion of sound economics, as when supporting tariffs. As the "gentlemen's party", it was often the reform party in the Northeast, against machine corruption. On the other hand, as the gentlemen's party, it was frequently too narrow, anti- immigrant, and WASP in outlook. Both parties had good and bad points, depending upon region and era...
At this point, the Democratic Party is the "social democratic" party, the Republican Party is the "capitalist" party; and the Democratic Party is (relatively) the bohemian party, the Republican Party is the traditional values party. If one thinks that traditional values and free markets are the way to go, one will be a Republican. If one thinks that moral relativism and a managed economy is the way to go, one will be a Democrat....... |
