Most Democrats are what is generally referred to as "Liberal". A liberal's core beliefs as far as morality and the role of the government consist of the ideas that, while the individual may hold certain beliefs, it is not just for them to try and force others to comply with their belief system (i.e. just because you may not personally believe gay marriage is morally right doesn't mean you can try and ban it.) Democrats and Liberals tend to believe that the government should directly regulate corporations to prevent powerful monopolies from forming, as well as forcing industries to comply with regulations such as health (i.e food industry) and pollution (i.e manufacturing companies). They also believe that the government should spend money directly to help middle and lower class citizens and that the rich should shoulder a larger part of the tax burden because of their greater ability to handle that burden without adverse consequences to the economy. You can learn more at www.dnc.org

The answer depends on when you ask it. John F. Kennedy was a elected as a Democrat who stood for lower taxes, strong military, agressive response to Soviet threats, personal responsibility, etc. By the time of the Nixon v. McGovern race, these positions had essentially moved to the Republican party. Because the values of the party leadership can change so significantly in the space of a few years, it is more important and more significant to look at the current party platform to see what the party claims as its priorities at this time. Check the party websites as the other poster suggests. While there are many fiercely loyal Democrats and Republicans, you ought to check your values against the party leadership values frequently to make sure your party - whichever party you choose to support - has not left you behind.

This is a good question because Republicans are always yelling that all Democrats think alike. Neither party appeals to thinkers. Don't waste brain power sorting through the issues, pick a party and turn your brain off. Both parties scream and yell that the other party is a dangerous menace. Actually, there is very little difference between them. One distinction is the issue of abortion rights. Younger folks probably don't know that abortion was against the law years ago. It was a mess, with "back-alley" abortions and women mutilating themselves trying to terminate pregnancies. Those who could afford it went to Mexico or Europe for the procedure. A lot of people (Democrats) felt that legal abortion was the lesser of two evils. Right-to-lifers are mostly correct. Abortion is a horror, even murder if you want to go that far. We already know, however, that a ban will not stop abortions; it will just create and underground abortion industry. The abortion ban will be a feel-good experience for the religious right and nothing more. Democrats are strong on the environment. They believe we need to safeguard planet Earth for future generations. They support preserving wild lands from development, mining, and lumber operations. When Bill Clinton set aside a good chunk of Utah, Republicans were in a fury. Democrats are more concerned about average ordinary working folks than the Republicans. If the Democrats were to pass a tax cut, it would not be for the wealthy. Democrats wouldn't strip overtime pay from millions of workers, as Bush has. An issue like tax cuts shows the weakness of both parties. Democrats were against the tax cut simply because the Republicans thought of it. A Democrat will never admit that a Republican is right about anything (and vice versa). They forgot that Kennedy cut taxes. Republicans shout that they want to get government off our backs, but they want government in your face just as much as Democrats, just in different areas, such as abortion and broadcast decency. It's probably better to pick a party and stay with it. If you think too much you'll probably quit voting.