Analysis : Democrats and Republicans

In America, your image defines your life. Your image is your brand that you have to sell to the world. In political science, your political party is your image. Individuals represent each party to the fullest by wearing party colors and upholding the party’s core values. American politics consist of two political parties, democratic and republican. Democrats represent the blue donkey and republicans represent the red elephant. These political parties have been at odds for the last decade. There are social issues that divide the two parties. These issues create delays in legislation being created and passed. One pressing issue is immigration. 50% of Americans view immigrants as a problem while the other 50% say immigration is no problem as long as it follows immigration laws and regulations. Research shows that democrats are not in favor of more restrictive policies while Republicans are more likely to push for stricter immigration restrictions and laws (Carmines and Nassar 2021). With the two parties at odds, the future of thousands of immigrants is unsure. Immigrants' basic human rights are thrown into question, for example, voting rights. Many immigrants are undocumented and do not have the right documentation to apply for citizenship. Districts at federal and state levels do not have an accurate consensus of citizens based voters (Moran 2024). This makes election votes difficult to count because there is not enough representation (Moran 2024). American elections are a part of America’s image. Elections either strengthen or break one’s political party. According to American law, everyone should be allowed to pursue the American dream. Both parties use social media as a way to expand their message and personal opinions about immigration (Lewis and Huang 2022). Websites are mostly used as the main social media platform, where both parties share videos, flyers, and news updates on ongoing issues. So how do Democrats and Republicans use their websites to share their message about immigration?

Democratic Website

“We the People”. The first three words of the American constitution. “We are”. The first two opening words for Democratic party website. On the main page, you are met with a picture of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Next you have a video fro​​m the administration at a Biden campaign rally and images of supporters sharing their support. The website does not contain many symbols other than the blue letter “D” in a blue circle. This symbol outlines the party’s color scheme. There are many sentences written in red, for example, “Together we’ll elect democrats up and down the ballot.” and “Let’s elect democrats across the country.” (DNC 2024) These statements outline, help and emphasize the urge of voting for Democrats. Democrats believe in fighting for a brighter and equal future (DNC 2024). Now we turn to the topic of immigration. Navigating through the democratic website, you are able to find topics of current national issues. By going to the “Where We Stand” tab, you are directed to a hyperlink called “The Issues”. This link connects viewers to the “Party Platform” that is created every four years by Democrats (DNC 2024). There are eleven sections that cover different issues. Section nine is titled “Creating a 21st Century Immigration System.” (DNC 2024) This section outlines democrats plan on reinventing American Immigration. Democrats push the message that “Out of Many, We Are One.” and “Immigrants are essential to our society, economy, families and enrich our culture” (DNC 2024). Democrats see immigration as an integrated part of what makes up American democracy. Democrats outline their plans to improve immigration, for example, “terminating the discriminatory travel ban against Muslim, Arab, and African people'' to “reinstate, expand and streamline protections for dreamers and immigrant parents.” (DNC 2024) The goal of the new immigration system is to “build a system that embodies American values, economic opportunities, and global competitiveness.” (DNC 2024) As it relates to the page, there is not much symbolism or visual representation. It could be considered an information board without visuals. Regardless, the democratic message is clear, immigration is vital to America. America gives everyone no matter where they are from the right to dream. 

Republican Website

“Freedom Matters”. The two opening words on the Republican party website. On the main page, you are met with that phrase along with a call to “Join the millions of Americans fighting everyday to keep our country free (RNC 2024).” Like the Democrats, they are also fighting for America. As it pertains to symbols, there is a background image of the American flag. Symbolizing the phrase, “Freedom Matters”. The website title is written in red words. There are two sections on the main page, “Featured” and “The Republican Rundown” (RNC 2024). The “Featured” section, highlights events, leadership initiatives, election integrity, and protect vote (RNC 2024). The “Republican Rundown” section is a youtube podcast that tackles different topics discussed by party members. The Republican website has a color scheme of white and red throughout the website. Turning to the topic of immigration, navigating through the republican website, viewers can access topics and issues through the news tab. Through the tab, you can access videos, press releases, rapid response research and blogs. Viewers can go to the rapid response section, you can type in “immigration” or select the topic, “border security and immigration.” (RNC 2024) Here is a list of different research conducted by members. Republicans state that democratic policies have destroyed American committees (RNC 2024). They mention that drugs are being smuggled in at an alarming rate with the most common drug being fentanyl and migrant children are forced into “indentured servitude” (RNC 2024). Republicans also make note that democratic policies are “not compassionate but deadly” (RNC 2024). The website’s research section uses the term “Alien” to describe immigrants. This term seems to be used when describing immigrants who committed crimes. Republicans emphasize the fact that lose Democratic policies are allowing dangerous substances and people into America. If there were stricter immigration laws much of the destruction would have been prevented. Another observation about the rapid response section is the use of visual representation. They have the elephant with three stars outlined in white within a white circle. Each research post has an image of the current U.S President with his democratic officials. Republicans use these images to support their findings. The images add more detail to what the writer is trying to convey. Regardless, the Republican message is clear, stricter regulations and laws should be in place to protect America and its citizens. Freedom Matters in the safety and order of America.

Democrats and Republicans are two separate entities. Both groups are fighting for a better America. Both groups use websites to share their views and opinions about ongoing issues. Each spread their message in different ways. The first interesting finding is that neither website used photos of immigrants in their research post. Democrats did not use photos and Republicans used democratic officials images. The second interesting finding was the terminology used. Democrats used the term “immigrants” while Republicans used “immigrants” and “aliens” to show the difference between the term meetings. The third interesting finding is the use of the constitution's first three words. Democrats used “We are” to open their website. The phrase possibly took inspiration from “We the People”. The fourth finding is the use of red writing. Red in politics is usually associated with the republican party. But both parties used red writing in a large font to emphasize the importance of their message and the need for support. Topics such as immigration will always be in question on how to handle the issue properly. In conclusion, pushing aside differences to come to common ground should be the main focus between both parties. The immigration system can only be made anew only if both sides are willing to work together on the “high plane of dignity and discipline” (MLK JR 1963) towards this goal.

Moran, Rachel. 2024. “The Perennial Eclipse: Race, Immigration, and How Latinx Count in American Politics.” Houston Law Review, vol. 61, pp. 1-36.

Carmines, Edward and Rita Nassar. 2021. “How Social Desirability Bias Affects Immigration Attitudes in a Hyperpolarized Political Environment.” Social Science Quarterly, vol. 102, pp. 1803-11.

Lewis, Nicky and Qian Huang. 2022. “Moral Foundations, Media Exposure, and Responses to Immigration Related Media Content.” Atlantic Journal of Communication, vol, 30, pp. 354-364. DOI. 10.1080/15456870.2021.1931217 

Santhanam, Laura. 2024. Laura Santhanam: Americans are Increasingly Worried About Immigration and National Identity, Polls Show. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/where-voters-stand-on-immigration (07 February 2024).

Ekins, Emily and David Kemp. 2021. Emily Ekins and David Kemp: Poll 72% of Americans Say Immigrants Come to the United States for Jobs and to Improve Their Lives. https://www.cato.org/blog/poll-72-americans-say-immigrants-come-us-jobs-improve-their-lives-53-say-ability-immigrate (27 April 2021).

Democratic National Committee. 2024. “We are the Democratic Party.” https://democrats.org/ (Date Accessed on July 11 2024).

Republican National Committee. 2024. “Republican National Committee - GOP.” https://www.gop.com/ (Date Accessed on July 11 2024).

Ellis, Jance. 2024. “The Lessons of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life Should Give Us Hope Today.” Oregon Capital Chronicle. https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/01/15/the-lessons-of-martin-luther-king-jr-s-life-should-give-us-hope-today/ (Date Accessed on July 11 2024).