A question regarding Democrats and Republican parties of United States.

Democrats-tend to be more liberal then republicans. They believe in a larger federal government and often try to create tax plans to help the less fortunate. They're more into trying to help the greater good instead of the individuals in an attempt to make the populous more equal. They believe that values change over time and are more likely to support controversial issues such as gay marriage. Republicans-tend to be more conservative. They believe there should be as little government involvement as possible and are more for supporting property rights then welfare issues. They believe in economic equity over equality. Since they're more conservative and often highly religious they're more likely to disapprove of controversial issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Then you have whats called the Independent people who do not side with either of these. Usually there is not a major presidential candidate who represents this political party since it is the smallest. I believe the last time someone ran for the independent party was Ross Perot who ran back in the 90's. He was highly unpopular. Basically the Independent Party doesn't completely identify with both Republicans and Democrats. They also tend to be liberal usually.