What are the different government parties in the USA?

In the USA there are two main parties:

Democrat

Republican

There are many other "3rd" party groups, with the most known being the Libertarian party and the Green party. Although these groups have never won a national election, they can play an important role in taking votes away from one on the major parties. Ross Perot's 3rd party campain in 1992 likely cost George H. W. Bush a re-election victory over Bill Clinton. Ralph Nader (Green Party) probably cost Al Gore the Election in 2001.

Although this is an over simplification and are not true for all members of the party, the basic beliefs are as follows.

Democrat:

Democrats hold a liberal or progressive philosophy towards social issues such as gay marriage (support) and abortion (support). They also claim to support the poor and middle class (i.g. support increase in the minimum wage, labor unions, social programs).

Fically speaking, they believe that the Federal government should take an active take steps to better society as a whole. They believe that the main role of the Federal government is to ensure national welfare. This means increasing taxes, particularly on the wealthy and on businesses who can afford it and using the revenue to fund social programs to help the poor. They are criticized as being the party of big government and government spending. The hero's of their party include FDR and Bill Clinton.

Republican:

Republicans hold a conservative or traditional philosophy towards social issues such as gay marriage (oppose) and abortion (oppose). They claim to support the middle class and small business (e.g. tax cuts and economic growth to create jobs).

Fiscally speacking, they beleive that the Federal government should play a passive role in bettering society because of the belief that private companies and local and state governments are more effective at meeting the people's needs than a large federal government. They beleive that the main role of the Federal government is to ensure national security. This means reducing taxes and ensuring a strong defense industry. They are criticized as beign the party of big business and the wealthy. The hero's of their party include Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.