Social Conservative, Essay Example

The conservative democrat typology has a very rich history. I am not very surprised to find out that I belong to this typology. Conservative democrats form 14 per cent of all the American public. The reason for not being surprised by the results is that I strongly consider myself a democrat although my views are not always liberal.

Conservative democrats have a very rich history and they have been a strong force in US politics. They are also known as New Dealers or Socially Conservative Democrats. Historically, they form the majority of the democrats. In fact, 89% of them are democrats. Traditionally, the most distinguishing feature between this group and other groups with a democratic leaning is views on religion and social conservancy in all aspects of politics. Majority of them are stout believers in personal responsibility. They are always neutral in matters of assistance to the poor.

The defining values among social democrats are slightly similar to those of some conservative republicans only that those of social democrats show less extremism. They believe that the government has a very big role to play in protecting the society’s moral standards.

In terms of religion, 72% of all conservative democrats believe that in order for proper social standards to be maintained, belief in God is very important. This compares favorably with 50% of the entire population who hold similar views. Most of conservative democrats are opposed to the Iraq War but mixed reactions characterize their opinion on the country’s foreign policy.

The stance of conservative democrats on such important issues as the war in Iraq poses serious questions on the future prospects of the country’s foreign policy. Following president Obama win in 2008 on a Democratic Party ticket, we are likely to see the US troops pulling out from Iraq. We are also likely to see the US being reluctant about issues of international military confrontations.

On whether Americans should continue to fight for their country whether to do so is right or wrong, 49% of conservative democrats are on the affirmative side. (Compare this with 46% of the country’s population who are of the same view). Fifty seven per cent of conservative democrats believe that the government should everything necessary in order to get poor Americans out of poverty, even if this means getting deeper into debt. This figure is very significant in that it represents majority of Americans who hold this view (59%) as well as the fact that it represents views that differ with those of other democratic groups.

Today, 14 percent of all American voters are conservative democrats. It is worth noting that 51% of all conservative democrats consider themselves “strong democrats” (Miller, 2003). On whether future registered conservative democratic voter numbers will increase or decrease, this will depend on how democrats are going to spell out policies relating to health care, economic recession and foreign policy (especially the American military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan). Strong allegiance to the Democratic Party is a key factor that will determine future prospects in US party politics, and subsequently, elections.

References

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 2009.  Beyond Red vs. Blue. Retrieved January 27, 2009, from http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=949

National Review, 2010.  Freezing Conditions. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from http://article.nationalreview.com/422862/freezing-conditions/the-editors

Miller, Z.A. (2003). National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat. New York: Stroud & Hall Publishers.