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  • As of the fourth Republican Debate, 15 candidates are left competing for the GOP’s presidential

  • nomination. Although the candidates have expressed widely differing views, at the heart of party

  • politics is holding the same values and beliefs. So what exactly do Republicans believe?

  • To start, the Republican Party calls itselfthe party of opportunity,” referring to

  • the idea that in The U.S. there we should be free in our pursuit is should be equal opportunity for all.

  • To achieve this end, they believe there should be limited

  • government interference in daily life as it leads to a better functioning state. This

  • means fewer business regulations and smaller bureaucracies in public institutions. The

  • figurehead of the modern conservative movement, Ronald Reagan, explained it best: “The nine

  • most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

  • When it comes to the economy, Republicans tend to believe in the power of the free market

  • to generate wealth. This is an idea espoused by Reagan’s supply-side economics,

  • colloquially known astrickle-downtheory. In this system, it’s believed that low taxes for

  • the rich will prompt them to invest in businesses, thus creating more jobs, causing the wealth

  • to trickle down to the poor. This theory was most recently seen in the George W. Bush era

  • tax cuts for those making more than $200,000 dollars a year.

  • Today, this is accepted doctrine in the Republican Party. The most recent party platform, ratified

  • in 2012, espouses the belief thatany American who works hard, dreams big and follows the

  • rules can achieve anything he or she wants.” As a result, Republicans don’t believe in

  • many social services, like welfare, or a single-payer healthcare system. Aside from Medicare and

  • Medicaid, Republicans prefer to stick to private insurers. Repealing Obamacare is a crucial

  • part of their platform.

  • Republicans also tend to hold conservative views on social issues. Despite gay marriage

  • bans being ruled unconstitutional in 2015, candidates like Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee

  • have expressed their opposition to the idea. The 2012 platform opposes a “redefinition

  • of marriage, and maintains an anti-abortion stance.

  • Republicans are also known for supporting the military. Ever since Theodore Roosevelt’s

  • presidency, the GOP has advocated for American exceptionalism and intervention around the

  • world. Republicans believe this is possible only through a strong military.

  • Today, the platform advocatespeace through strength”, promoting American ideals of freedom and democracy

  • while maintaining a formidable army.

  • But today the Republican Party has seen internal instability. Within Congress, far right members

  • have forced the unseating of the Speaker of the House, and prevented party unity, despite

  • a Congressional majority. This split has threatened to divide the Republican Party.

  • Clearly, there are many types of Republicans: from free-market conservatives to the religious

  • right, the diversity of views within the party is astounding. That being said, Republicans

  • do all seem to agree on two things: lower taxes and smaller government.

  • Now you know what Republicans believe. What about their more liberal counterparts, the Democrats?

  • Find out in this video. Thanks for watching TestTube News! Make sure to like

  • and subscribe for more videos everyday.

As of the fourth Republican Debate, 15 candidates are left competing for the GOP’s presidential

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