capitalization question:

[Soul]

I'm getting mixed messages:

Republican/Democrat
OR
republican/democrat

I think it's the first one, but people I believe are just lazy are confusing me.

[ResearchGuy]

I'm getting mixed messages:

Republican/Democrat
OR
republican/democrat

I think it's the first one, but people I believe are just lazy are confusing me.
If you are referring to party membership, as opposed to philosophical inclination, then capitalize.

--Ken

[Soul]

thanks!

yeah it's used as in "This is Tom Bobbbersname, he's a Republican/Democrat from Tennessee"

[Chase]

No surprise, my AP Stylebook presents it with some ambiguity. I'm thinking whomever wrote the article also posts for Dictionary.com:

"Capitalize both the name of the party and the word party if it is customarily used as part of the organization's proper name: the Democratic Party, the Republican Party.

"Capitalize Communist, Conservative, Democrat, Liberal, Republican, Socialist, etc., when they refer to a specific party or its members. Lowercase these words when they refer to the political philosophy.

"Examples: John Adams was a Federalist, but [one] who subscribed to his philosophy today would be described as a federalist. The liberal Republican senator and his Conservative Party colleague said they believe that democracy and communism are incompatible."

[blacbird]

Those examples from the AP Stylebook don't seem the least ambiguous to me.

caw

[ResearchGuy]

Those examples from the AP Stylebook don't seem the least ambiguous to me.

caw
Agreed. And its examples illustrate exactly what I said several posts back. This really is not a complicated issue.

--Ken