One of the more frustrating things I hear from casual observers of politics is the concept that the Democratic and Republican parties are “the same” and there is no real difference between the two (e.g., candidates both lie, both parties serve big money donor companies/individuals), etc…). While it is true that both parties are flawed and engage in similar behaviors (although with much different frequency and severity), there are some core fundamental differences between the two. While I do think our nation would be better served if we had many more political parties as voters are often forced to make a Sophie’s choice between bad and worse candidates or political positions. That being said, it is the choice we currently have…

NO REFEREE, NO RULES

It is true that both parties manipulate individual incidents/stories/”facts” in the media to garner support, especially emotional stories of loss. This is part of the game and if you do not play, you lose. In today’s digital age, news outlets spend more time on viewer/reader data than researching the actual story (motives, sources, context)…you know, actual journalism. The evolution of media has opened the floodgates on what I call the “Fox News” paradigm: how people react to a story (based on their own confirmation bias) is the actual story…”let us know what you think” has become a standard on CNN. A democracy, especially one the size of the US, can not function without a free press to not only provide a check on corruption but to act as an impartial judge/referee between our two powerful parties. The press has morphed from reporting data points (with occasional social commentary) into a dysfunctional megaphone of misinformation, to be used by political interests who provide “experts” to spin stories to fit a particular narrative.

It is from this background, where actual journalism has been replaced with the court of public opinion, that we get the idea that for every position there are two equal sides/arguments that must be given equal airtime/value…this is why we lump both parties into the same bucket. The fact-checkers have been marginalized to websites which (it seems) only one side cares about while the other invokes the blanket “media bias” defense that they successfully litigated years ago and continue to leverage to effectively game the would-be referees when journalists try to actually do their jobs…you know, ask real questions, follow-ups, call out factual inconsistencies and confirm/refute statements made by candidates. But no…”gotcha” journalism is an actual term used in a negative context. Huh? Shouldn’t all journalism be “gotcha” journalism if the subject is being dishonest or says something that is factually incorrect?

QUOTE: “It is a great time to be corrupt…the next few years” media expert testifying before congress on the weak state of journalism in the US.

EVERYBODY PLAY THE GAME: THE DONKEYS

With no way to win a case on the merits, we are left with a battle of style over substance. Whoever has the most convincing and media-friendly messenger wins. The democratic party is a coalition of many different interests (some fairly radical) and has had to live in the grey area between black and white in the past. The world’s problems are complex and require multi-faceted solutions that do not fit on a bumper sticker. But in today’s media environment nuance and complexity is the enemy, so party pundits have been forced to take positions that are vulnerable under scrutiny, sacrificing truthfulness and strength of details for brevity and message effectiveness.

The Democratic party believes that government can (and should) work for the people. Those that are able should pay taxes (with those most able contributing more) and we should all share in the benefits that come from government spending (with those most needy getting the larger share). The role of the federal government is to protect the rights of weaker minorities from the occasionally oppressive majority vote. It is also the role of the federal government to act as a check on free market capitalism, which history teaches us (over and over and over) that  left to it’s own devices will steam roll over workers and lay waste to the environment in the name of short-term profits. The federal government should have the noble mission of protector, which can be fairly expensive.

Critics of the democrats seem to focus on the “power” issue…that growing the government is akin to losing individual rights. I see it as more of a government vs private sector battle where one or the other is going to take advantage of the individual and given the choice, I am more comfortable with a larger government role where at least (if the press will do it’s job) the people have a voice/vote. Corporations are less transparent and although it is true one can “vote” with dollars, big business has only a profit motive where the government has budget considerations but also more altruistic, albeit bureaucratic, motivating factors.

If we take the time and effort to hold our public servants accountable, government can work for the people. Without a strong journalism class, without true investigative journalism, the democrats have been forced to adapt to the cult of personality method of getting elected and do the detailed work once they are in office. With the Citizens United ruling (considered the worst decision in US Supreme Court history by many) corruption is now officially legal in the US, even the most ethical democrats are forced to raise money in the same way the GOP has been doing for decades (Bernie being the exception)…and have thus lost the higher moral ground. The rift in the party is: do we want a revolution, the wake of which could lead to violence and damage to the weakest and most vulnerable? Or do we want  practical, incremental change by playing the game? The practical side of the party understands that you can not legislate equality. Laws should protect rights but social change will only come when the hearts and minds are won over by progressive pioneers in the arts (e.g., Hollywood can certainly take some credit for the overwhelming acceptance of gays in the past decades).

THE ELEPHANTS: FAUX LIBERTARIANS

The Republican party states it is the party of “small government” which does not work. Period. Taxes should always be cut (and never raised, no matter the fiscal situation) and spending should be cut as well…in theory. In practice, the spending part has been problematic as a bloated military has been left all but untouched, and prolonged military campaigns have racked up debt. Many spending cuts proposed by the GOP are of the “penny wise, pound foolish” variety where saving a few dollars now cost us in the long run (healthcare, education, infrastructure).

The party of “small government” who believes in deregulation of business (which of course is “killing” the economy…ignore how the US stock market is doing) reverses course when it comes to regulating non-gun owning individuals. The GOP, in order to maintain power, uses “hot button” social issues to propose regulation of women’s bodies (abortion rights and clinics), all of our bodies (drug laws, sex laws), what bathroom an individual can use, who can get married, who can vote (voter ID laws). The GOP has painted itself into a corner…they have tapped out the social conservatives (a group that is shrinking) and have bottomed out taxes/revenue to where the size of spending cuts required to balance the budget are irresponsible (and they know it). Trickle-down economics proved a disaster at both the federal level and more recently at the state level (e.g., Kansas). So they continue to preach their social and economic messages, knowing that social change is inevitable and that their economic plan is the path to ruin (at least the informed ones know this…the rank and file still thinks the target is real).

The “government doesn’t work” stance is the only one they have left and thanks to unprecedented obstructionism during the Obama administration, they have largely completed a circle of self-fulfilling prophecy. They have made sure that government does not work by refusing to compromise on even the most insignificant details and have reversed course on the most obvious bi-partisan issues, turning them into political opportunities (including the death of Americans abroad, which used to be “off limits” to politicization…can you imagine if Democrats called out W for 9/11?). The GOP has put party over country and abused the important role of the opposition party (9 committee hearings on Benghazi? dozens of votes to overturn HCA?), and to insert ridiculous bits of hyper-partisan legislation into what should be clean bills (e.g., fixing the VA, benefits for 9-11 first responders, raising the debt limit).

The biggest sin in my mind, and the one that puts the GOP into a different category of of evil, is the manipulation of election laws in a blatant attempt to suppress Democrat voters in several states. Although both sides engage in gerrymandering, the GOP have made it an Olympic sport. The recent slew of voter ID laws, in which GOP officials have publicly expressed joy that such laws will help them win in November, are thankfully being struck down as unconstitutional.

The final straw for the GOP has been the nomination of a completely unqualified (for any public office, let alone POTUS) narcissist who is playing his supporters like the snake oil salesman he is…the GOP is so far-gone and so corrupted by power that only a portion of Republicans have the courage to set aside party for country and denounce him. The rest, blinded by their own personal ambitions and desire to remain in power continue to provide tepid support to a man who daily provides dangerous quotes (and contradictions) in a spectacular meltdown that in any other election cycle would signal the end of a presidential campaign. His voice may also be the death knell of the GOP.