Chorus:
         Elephants and GOP, Democrats and Donkeys
What does this all mean to me, and why should I care?
With so many people and so many ideas, we needed a way to simplify all of it
We came up with the parties to help organize this but what does it mean?

        

A Democrat believes that government should help solve problems
While Republicans think that the market could take care of them
A Democrat would think that the strong should help the weak,
And the rich should be taxed progressively
But where Republicans are concerned, a penny saved is a penny earned,
they want to enjoy it untaxed if they could

        

Chorus

        

Democrats want the government to help save the environment,
While Republicans trust business to take good care of it
Democrats believe that minorities need help to make up for our history
While the GOP reaction, would be against affirmative action;
It's reverse discrimination and results in higher taxes

Chorus

        

Some people run as an independent
Because they don't feel that their cause is
on the main parties' agendas,
And that's the great part of our country,
an equal voice for everybody

        

A Democrat wants the government to help fund education
While Republicans believe that schools could grow from competition
Republicans think there's too much red tape
governing the workers of the businesses today

        

But Democrats think...

 

Suggested Lesson Activities

1) Chart the Differences
      Students can create a chart to better organize information about the contrasting positions of Democrats and Republicans. Construct a table as laid out below, with three columns, the one on the left naming the issues, the other two with headings for each party. After hearing "Elephants and Donkeys", fill in the spaces under the party headings with the positions of Democrats and Republicans on those issues.

Democratic Party	Republican Party
Role of Government
Taxation
Environment
Minorities
Education
Business Regulations

2) Thematic Contrast
      Engage students in a discussion about the general differences between Democrats and Republicans as they can be inferred from their positions on the issues presented in the learning song. Consideration of the role of the federal government with respect to business, individuals and the states should be central to such a discussion.3) Other Issues
       To see if they understand the general orientations of the two parties, ask students how the parties would stand on issues not included in the song. Perhaps, students can be asked to provide sample issues themselves. Gun control and welfare are useful examples. Students should explain their reasoning when
they match issue positions with the parties.4) Third Parties
       "Elephants and Donkeys" suggests that American voters have only two choices. Address the question of whether that is really the case. Introduce students to the idea of 3rd parties in American politics, perhaps with reference to historical periods when these parties have made a difference. Visits to the web pages of small parties can be instructive. How does a given 3rd party stand on the issues mentioned in the learning song? For example, what is the Green Party's position on taxation?5) Political Spectrum
       For more advanced students, this learning song serves as a good introduction to a lesson about the political spectrum as a means to organize political ideology. The relationship between liberalism, conservatism and the two parties should be explained, as well as the principles of parties toward the extremes of right and left.