democrats

The beginning of the two-party system goes back to George Washington's first term in office. Washington himself was disturbed by the party system which he witnessed grow around the bitter dispute between his Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. James Madison, John Marshall, and John Adams all wrote forcefully and spoke elegantly against the factionalism developing around Washington. John Adams, for example, wrote that there "is nothing I dread so much as the division of the Republic into two great parties, each under its leader... This, in my humble opinion, is to be feared as the greatest political evil under our Constitution."

Nevertheless, Hamilton and Jefferson were the leaders of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists, the two main factions divided over the role of government. Hamilton preferred rule by the merchant class, a small but powerful elite that prospered through government favoritism, and that promoted the creation of a central bank. Jefferson was alarmed by this political development and feared a return to Monarchy. He and his followers banded together to form an opposing group to represent states' rights and the agrarian segment of society which constituted the vast majority of the population. Jefferson called his faction the Democratic-Republican Party, later shortened to the Republican Party, but which is actually the foundation of today's Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party Horoscope

May 13, 1792 can be used as the birth chart for today's Democratic Party, as the basic principles and leadership emerged from Thomas Jefferson. The time the letter was penned is unknown, and so this horoscope is set for Noon at Philadelphia, a time which turns out to be relevant and useful in making comparative measurements. The powerful inner dynamics and the strong connections to the Scorpio Rising US chart show the radical (fundamental) accuracy of this horoscope.

In the Democratic Party (DP) horoscope, as in all political horoscopes, the Sun represents the leadership. Surprisingly, the Sun is in earthy Taurus, along with Venus and a retrograde Mercury. Taurus, the sign of tradition, stability, and slow but sure growth may seem like an unlikely Sun Sign for today's "liberal" Democrats, but the Democratic Party is the longest surviving political party in America's history, and is given additional political values by the Sun's aspect network, most notably a square to Pluto in Aquarius, a trine to Mars in Virgo, and a quincunx to Jupiter in Libra. Let's take these one at a time.

The most important of these connections is Pluto. Pluto's position in late Aquarius is very near the U.S. Moon, accurately reflecting the Party's mandate to carry the message of the people. Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Pluto had advanced from late Capricorn to late Aquarius. In the natal U.S. horoscope, Pluto's position in the third house, as ruler of the Scorpio Ascendant, perfectly describes the Declaration as a powerful document, and a nation dedicated to a proposition, an intellectual concept.

By the time Pluto had advanced to 16º Aquarius, and entered the U.S. fourth house, Pluto's role shifted to creating the foundations of government as a natural outgrowth of the high-minded principles of the Declaration. This brought the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the design and building of the Capitol in Washington D.C., and numerous other cornerstones to the American experiment in democracy. When Jefferson enunciated the Democratic Party in 1792, the Taurus Sun and Aquarius Pluto were in exact (to-the-minute) square, reflecting the traditional values rooted in the Aquarian ideals of equality, liberty, and fraternity. The Moon in the DP chart is also in Aquarius, activating this important location of Pluto.

Pluto is central to understanding factionalism (or "partisanship" in today's terminology) because in Political Astrology Pluto governs factions. In the Scorpio Rising US horoscope, Pluto as the ruling planet is opposite Mercury, giving this country a natural and intense division over public policy formation. In the DP horoscope the connections to this critical Mercury-Pluto axis are precise: the DP Saturn is at the exact midpoint of the U.S. Mercury/Pluto, and the DP Neptune in Libra is only 0º14 from squaring the US Pluto.

Democrats and War

Then, in the DP horoscope the Taurus Sun trines Mars in Virgo, a natural astrological signature for all war efforts and military service issues. Mars, as the natural ruler of generals, in the service sign of Virgo points to the subsidiary role that the War department would have in the American system, at least from the Democratic Party's point of view. (when you look at the Republican's horoscope, notice that Mars is also in Virgo, so that the two parties agree on the subservient role of the military in national affairs). The Democratic Party, with Sun square Pluto, and Sun trine Mars, is not shy about using military force to achieve national security. As it turns out, Democrat Administrations have led Americans into far more wars than the Republicans.

Democratic Party (DP) Presidents who have lead the U.S. into war have sharp Mars connections to the DP horoscope. Lyndon Johnson (8-27-1908), with all his Virgo planets, naturally aggravated the DP Mars, located at 17º Virgo. In addition, Johnson's Mars-Jupiter conjunction straddles the DP Ascendant. FDR (1-30-1882) was President during World War II, and his natal Uranus at 17º Virgo was exactly conjunct the DP Mars. Woodrow Wilson (12-28-1856) reversed his isolationist policy to enter World War I, and his natal Uranus conjunct the DP Sun shows this historic development, as well as his Mercury and Neptune in exact aspects to the DP Mars. With Wilson's Neptune opposite the DP Mars Wilson's ambivalence to enjoin the war effort is obvious, but historic circumstances inevitably drew him in.

The Sun forms a very tight quincunx (150º) to Jupiter in Libra. The successful politician needs lots of charm and diplomatic skill to mediate the vast differences between the many constituents. Jupiter in Libra is blessed with these qualities in abundance. While campaign finance excesses may not have been a burning issue in the early party history, the political process is becoming corrupt with Big Money nowadays. The inherent tendency to attract America's wealthiest plutocrats can be seen in the Taurus Sun's exact links to Jupiter and Pluto. This is the tightest, most important configuration in the DP horoscope: the Sun, Jupiter and Pluto are all at 23º of their respective signs. A Sun-Jupiter-Pluto configuration naturally speaks of financial influence, and over the years the Democrats have been backed by some of America's wealthiest plutocrats.

The 23rd degree of any Sun Sign repeatedly shows up in successful candidates charts, but especially in the signs Taurus, Libra, and Aquarius. Bill Clinton, for example, has his natal Jupiter in the exact same degree and sign as the Democratic Party's Jupiter. Jimmy Carter (10-1-1924) has his Venus, Chiron, and possibly Ascendant all in 23º. John Kennedy (5-29-1917) has his Jupiter at 23º Taurus (conjunct the DP Sun), Midheaven at 23º Cancer, and Uranus at 23º Aquarius (conjunct the DP Pluto).

The other outer planet configurations in the DP chart describe the revolutionary political debate of that era, which coincided with France's Reign of Terror and the beheading of Louis the XIV and Marie Antoinette. While Jefferson may have at times wished that Hamilton and his "Royalists" were beheaded, he used due process to bring his opponents under control. Jefferson, an Aries, was asserting his personal authority on May 13, 1792, and Saturn in Aries reflects this astrologically. Saturn is opposed to a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Libra, which is an apt description Jefferson's attempts to control the wealth and leisure of America's aristocracy. And the Saturn-Neptune link is essential to what has become known as the American Dream. Those interested in reading up on the importance of Saturn-Neptune aspects in the creation of political parties are invited to Liz Greene's book Neptune, and the Quest for Redemption. The DP horoscope shows Saturn opposite Neptune, and notice that the Republicans have Saturn square Neptune.

Uranus in this chart is at 15º Leo, right on the U.S. Midheaven. Because the U.S. has a Leo Midheaven, a monarchy would have been a natural form of government. George Washington was a popular President and General, and many favored making him the King of the United States. Jefferson's hand in revolting against this development was evident from the formation of the Democratic Party, as symbolized by transiting Uranus crossing the U.S. Midheaven, and crystallized in the Democratic Party's natal horoscope. Nowadays the only royalty we have in the United States takes other Leonine forms, such as rock stars (Madonna), Hollywood celebrities (Tom Hanks), sports heroes (Michael Jordan), or corporate CEOs (Bill Gates).