Tweedledum or Tweedledee

There is no disputing the headlock that the old parties have on political offices, at least at the state and national levels. The D's and R's have voted themselves many advantages and given other opponents many hurdles to overcome. By using tax money and by soliciting contributions in return for political votes, they've also raised the cost of running a successful campaign almost out of reach.

In so doing, the Democratic and Republican parties have virtually destroyed the idea of representative government. While we disparage other nations that don't have competitive elections, and even militarily intervene in the name of open elections, our own elections are a sham in favor of two parties that are so similar as to be two sides of the same coin. I challenge anyone to define a significant difference between the two old parties. Assuredly, they each have their different traditional supporters... the Democrats have union support and the Republicans still have more business support, but even those differences have melted away as unions faded and businessmen began greasing both sides of the aisle to hedge their bets.

It should be obvious to any voter paying attention that it really makes no difference whether you vote for a Republican or a Democrat, which is why so many eligible voters don't bother to vote. If you can't even tell what you're voting for, why bother?

Most of the people who do bother to vote, do so out of fear of what the "other" vote might result in. Some vote Republican out of fear that Democrats will make this nation even more socialistic than it already is. Others vote Democratic out of fear that Republicans will implement some sort of "religious right" theocracy. It's a game the R and D parties play well... using fear to keep their own supporters loyal to them.

Voters are faced with choosing between two very poor choices... having to choose the lesser of two evils... a LOSE-LOSE choice. It's the frying pan or the fire... the rock or the hard place.

NEITHER of the old parties has done a damned thing to deserve your support. Both have thrust us into damnable wars. Both have ballooned the size of government and taxes. Both have taken our liberties away from us. Both have made a mockery of our Constitution. Their records are shameful, filled with lies, corruption, deception, and arrogant deceit. They have taken positions that should be honorable and filled them with deal-cutting, vote-buying, double-talking pawns who owe their allegiance to their party rather than to the citizens they're supposed to represent.

Like Tweedledum and Tweedledee of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, the D and the R parties are virtually identical fat little men. It doesn't make any difference which one you talk with, they respond with replies that sound suspiciously like political answers.

`I know what you're thinking about,' said Tweedledum; `but it isn't so, nohow.'

`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'

Naturally, the D and R parties would have you choose between them. Being twins, it makes little difference to them which choice you make. They know full well that, since you'll be confused, you'll likely vote for some D's and some R's, which they'll both be quite content with.

The approval rating of the current BIG R is now at 32%. That's a LOT of dissatisfaction, and he was the winner. Does that mean that the D's will gain? I don't think anyone believes that, since it took a lot of cooperation from elected D's for BIG R to do such a miserable job. All of which illustrates just how accustomed we have become to truly disastrous results. We haven't forgotten the multiple embarrassments (sex scandal, lies under oath) of the last BIG D, have we?

Are Americans so hoodwinked that they will continue to buy into this farce forever? Do Americans believe they are helpless to do anything about it? In my next commentary, I will, once again, describe just how simple the solution is, and how that simple solution can quickly and emphatically return our nation to a path of sanity.