When comparing the official platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties, several
ideas that the parties each uphold become illuminated. As the two leading contemporary
official political parties in the United States, the Democrats and Republicans have always
squared off in multiple ways. However, nothing appears to be more profound than the
glaring differences in the official party platforms compiled by each party for the 2012
election. Both parties make use of language in different ways in order to deliver their
political messages. Specifically, we will look at two planks of the platforms – those of
rebuilding the economy and security at home and abroad, and compare the stances of both
the Republican and Democratic parties in order to determine the larger differences between
the parties. An exploration of the overall tone of each platform, in addition to a comparison
of positions on the planks of the economy and security, will reveal aims that appeal to
members of each party and maintain the goal of gaining support, and most importantly –
votes.
A closer look at the platform of the Democratic Party reveals a concern with issues that
appeal to young people especially. Written in a very friendly tone and overflowing with
references to the accomplishments of the Democratic Party during President Barack
Obama’s first term, the platform opens with a section titled “Moving America Forward”.
This emphasis on forward thinking resonates throughout the platform, and the Democrats
emphasize the concepts of inclusion and respect. One of the closing paragraphs of the
introduction states the following:
We are the party of inclusion and respect differences of perspective and belief. And so,
even when we disagree, we work together to move this country forward. But what is
holding our nation back is a stalemate in Washington between two fundamentally different
views of which direction America should take (pg. 2)
The Democrats place an emphasis on the great divide that lies between their party and the
Republican Party, implying that the lack of progress on certain issues is specifically the
fault of the Republicans. The platform introduction also refers to “the value of treating all
Americans with dignity and respect” (pg. 2). This implies the Democratic support for the
repeal of DOMA, which occurred in 2013, after the Democrats won the 2012 Presidential
election. Written in a more accessible tone, the platform of the Democratic Party appears
to hope and the act of moving forward. There is one religious reference present in the
