Political Party Stances on Policies

Social Security Spending

Against For

The Democratic Party platform commits to resisting efforts to privatize Social Security. Meanwhile, the Republican platform says that the...

Scientific Research Government Spending

Against For

The parties are split over how much the US government should spend on scientific research. A 2019...

Public Education Spending

Against For

Democrats and Republicans appear to have very differing perspectives on public education spending. On one...

Military Spending

For Against

Military spending seems to be higher of a budget priority for Republicans than for Democrats....

Health Care Government Spending

Against For

Republicans and Democrats have different priorities on health care spending but agree on the need...

Government Spending

Against For

Democrats and Republicans are divided on the issue of federal spending. In a Pew poll, 74%...

War on Drugs

For Against

While the War on Drugs was originally championed by Republican presidents, namely Reagan, Nixon, and...

Trump Imeachment

Against For

Impeachment refers to the process by which a legislature’s lower house brings charges against a...

Qualified Immunity

For Against

Qualified Immunity is a type of legal immunity that “protects a government official from lawsuits alleging...

Prison Reform

Against For

Prison reform has long been a debated issue at all levels of American politics. The...

Police Funding

For Against

A survey on police funding in 2021 by the Pew Research Center found 61% of Republicans and...

Marijuana Legalization for Recreational Use

Against For

Marijuana legalization is becoming increasingly popular among both Democrats and Republicans. While the Republican platform is critical...

Marijuana Legalization for Medical Use

For For

Marijuana legalization for Medicinal Use is supported by the majority of both Republicans and Democrats with 94%...

Mandatory Minimums

For Against

Mandatory prison sentences, or mandatory minimums, require people convicted of certain crimes, often drug related,...

Death Penalty

For Against

In August 2022, President Biden signed into effect the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a new...

Criminal Justice Reform

For For

Generally, criminal justice reform polls well among both Democratic and Republican voters. 87% of Democrats and...

Clinton Impeachment

For Against

Bias in the media profoundly influences how the public understands major political events, shaping both immediate...

Universal Basic Income

Against For

Universal Basic Income (UBI) has become a cornerstone in the platform of Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew...

Taxes

Against For

Republicans and Democrats are typically divided on the issue of taxation. While the Democratic Party platform advocates...

Socialism

Against For

The Democratic platform expresses support for systems of socialized healthcare such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable...

Social Security Privatization

For Against

The Democratic Party platform commits to resisting efforts to privatize Social Security. Meanwhile, the Republican platform says that the...

Public Enterprise

Against For

Democrats and Republicans appear to have very differing perspectives on public education spending. On one...

Protectionist Trade

For Against

Polling suggests that Democrats are more opposed to protectionist trade measures than Republicans are; 63% of...

Private Property

For For

Both the Democratic and Republican platforms advocate for the protection of individual property rights. Polling indicates that 76% of Americans would...

Private Enterprise

For For

Both Democrats and Republicans appear to be in support of private enterprise. Both the Democratic and Republican platforms expressed...

Labor Union

Against For

The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the...

International Free-Trade

For For

International free trade has long divided American politics, with lawmakers’ views shifting over time in...

Infrastructure Investments

For For

Infrastructure investment is a fiscal policy measure taken by the government to build or improve...

Income Inequality Laws

Against For

Income inequality laws are any passed pieces of legislation that allows for a more equal...

Government Stimulus

Against For

The Covid-19 Pandemic ravaged the world in late 2019 and early 2020, killing 6.3 million...

Flat Tax Rate

For Against

A flat tax rate refers to a tax policy that includes a single tax rate...

Eminent Domain

Against Against

Eminent domain refers to the power held by the government to take private property and...

Competitive Capitalism

For Against

Polling indicates that both Republicans and Democrats hold positive views of competitive capitalism; 78% of Republicans...

U.S. Tariff Policy on China

For Against

The U.S.-China trade relationship has long been one of the most important and contentious aspects...

Student Debt Cancellation

Against For

Both the Democratic, and the Republican platforms acknowledge the severity of the student debt. In August of 2022,...

School Choice Vouchers

For For

School choice has been a defining issue for the Department of Education under the Trump...

Free College Education

Against For

Free college education is a policy where college education is free and funded by the...

Common Core

Against For

While a stance on Common Core education standards is not made clear in the Democratic Party...

Charter School

For Against

Becoming educated about media leanings helps readers account for biased news reporting and policy discussions to...

Voting Rights

For For

Voting enfranchisement has long been a topic of concern amongst Americans, especially African Americans. Moreso...

Voter Identification

For Against

To preface, a voter identification law is a law that requires a person to show...

Electoral College

For Against

Traditionally, both Democrats and Republicans have favored abolishing the Electoral College. However, support among Republicans...

Campaign Finance Restrictions

For For

Because media bias in politics is inevitable, responsible citizens must develop media literacy to recognize prejudices...

The Green New Deal

Against For

The Green New Deal, a proposal originally championed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, includes a plan to...

Oil Drilling

For Against

Republicans tend to be more supportive of the oil drilling industry than Democrats are. The Democratic...

Non-renewable Energy

For Against

Nationalism, made distinct from patriotism by its propensity to advance one nation to the detriment...

Environmental Regulations

Against For

In recent years, environmental regulation has become a central issue in United States politics as...

Coal Mining

For Against

Like they tend to be with other non-renewable energy sources, Republicans also demonstrate support for...

Clean Energy

Against For

Bias in the media influences how the public perceives events, people, and political issues—and environmental policy...

Brexit

For Against

Brexit refers to the partitional referendum that led to the severance of the United Kingdom...

United Nations

Against For

Democrats tend to regard the United Nations more favorably than Republicans do. While the Democratic Party...

Russia Sanctions

For For

Since the era of the Cold War, the fear of the Russian Government and its...

North Korea Sanctions

For For

Nuclear warfare has long remained a nightmare for those all around the world, and with...

Nationalistic Ideals

For Against

Nationalism, made distinct from patriotism by its propensity to advance one nation to the detriment...

Jewish Nation State and Sovereignty

For Against

The Israel-Palestine Conflict is one with political, economic, and religious roots. While both Palestine and...

Isolationism

Against Against

Isolationism is a government policy or doctrine of taking no role in the affairs of other...

ISIS

Against Against

Since the terrorist attack on the United States by an Islamic extremist group in 2001,...

Iran Sanctions

For For

Since the Iranian takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979, the United States...

Iran Nuclear Deal

Against For

According to a 2022 Chicago Council Survey, 73 percent of Democrats would support returning to the...

International Involvement

Against For

International involvement refers to the United States’ proactive participation in foreign affairs. Presidents are primarily...

European Union

Against For

European Union policy refers to the United States’ support of the European institution. The European Union comprises...

China Diplomatic Relations

For For

Bias in journalism complicates efforts to put together firm political beliefs and follow real-world events. Various...

Welfare

Against For

Democrats tend to be supportive of welfare programs, while Republicans are less supportive. The Democratic Party...

Government Regulation

Against For

Democrats are generally more supportive of government regulations, while Republicans are generally more opposed. The Democratic...

Government Intervention

Against For

Government intervention refers to government interference in the private sector and lives via regulation. In...

Government Dependency

Against For

Government dependency refers to the state of a household being dependent on government welfare benefits....

Guns in Classrooms

For Against

The arming of school officials has been floated as a potential solution to school shootings...

Gun Control

Against For

Gun control, a broad category of policies that aim to reduce access to gun ownership,...

Concealed Weapon Carry

For Against

The second amendment has long been a controversial topic, especially when discussing the idea of...

World Health Organization

Against For

In April of 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump accused the World Health Organization  of  mishandling COVID-19 and...

Universal Healthcare

Against For

Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act to demonstrate the party’s commitment to the issue....

Socialized Healthcare

Against For

The Democratic platform expresses support for systems of socialized healthcare such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable...

Shelter-in-place Mandate

For For

In response to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, 43 governors ordered residents to stay at...

Private Healthcare

For Against

Both parties support private healthcare. While the Democratic Party does call for a unilateral expansion...

Planned Parenthood

Against For

Support for Planned Parenthood, an organization centered on providing reproductive care including contraception and abortion...

Embryonic Stem-Cell Research

Against For

Embryonic stem cells are important because they are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into any type...

Drug Price Regulation

Against For

In August 2022, President Biden signed into effect the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a new...

Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate

Against For

The Covid-19 Pandemic has been a point of contention with respect to the government’s handling...

COVID-19 Stimulus Relief

Against For

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an unprecedented fiscal response from the U.S. government, aiming to mitigate...

Assisted Suicide

Against For

The political bias found in media sources is rooted in the fundamental beliefs held by the...

Abortion

Against For

Many of the media biases we observe—in both news coverage and political rhetoric—stem from the...

Travel Ban

For Against

The travel ban, a policy which limits immigration to the United States from several ‘high-risk’ countries,...

Sanctuary Cities

Against For

Sanctuary cities, cities that “[limit] cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents in order to protect...

ICE

For Against

Neither of the 2016 party platforms speak specifically about ICE. However, as the actions of...

DACA

Against For

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is a policy that grants deferred action on...

Border Wall

For Against

Because unbiased media is scarce at best, those who seek to stay informed need a solid...

Border Deportation

For Against

Bias coming from policy stances held by news sources colors information. The best news sources reduce...

Border Asylum of Refugees

Against For

Democrats tend to regard refugee migration more positively than Republicans. The Republican Party platform assumes the position...

Border Asylum of Undocumented Immigrants

Against For

Biased sources make the news landscape confusing and demanding of a great deal of energy and...

War on Terror Spending

For Against

Partisan differences are evidenced in federal spending priorities. In an April 2017 survey by Pew Research Center, 61%...

War on Terror

For Against

The War on Terror, an initiative that was originally launched by the Republican G.W. Bush...

Systemic Racism

Against For

The topic of racial discrimination, particularly among those of African descent, is, unfortunately, a common...

Slavery Reparations

Against For

While Republicans are typically opposed to reparations, Democrats are gradually becoming more supportive of the...

Separation of Church and State

Against For

Separation of Church and State refers to the legal separation between religion and public life.

Religious Freedom

For Against

Both the Democratic and Republican party platforms highlight religious freedom as an important right.  Polling indicates that religious freedom is very...

LGBTQ Equality

Against For

Support for same-sex marriage is higher among Democratic-identifying voters than Republican-identifying voters; 75% of Democrats support same-sex...

Equal Rights Amendment

For For

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) refers to a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution....

Critical Race Theory

Against For

Critical race theory (CRT) is a movement based on the premise that race is a social...

Civil Rights

For For

Bias in the media influences perceptions of events, people, and political issues. Researching political parties and...

Anti-Discrimination Laws

Against For

Media literacy is indispensable in navigating political topics and forming informed opinions while mitigating bias...

Narrative on Affirmative Action Policy

Against For

Many of the media biases we observe—in both news coverage and political rhetoric—stem from the fundamental...