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Since the recent power shift, I've been getting a little perturbed by the kind of unsupported self-validation being defensively pushed by formerly moderate Republicans who have since become embarrassed by their party but are unwilling to give an inch on the propaganda they swallowed regarding their long-standing opponent, the "Democrat Party".
Now whenever I'm critical of the Republicans, these unaffiliated, quasi-neutral contrarians come out of the woodwork to remind me that both parties are essentially the same and that they both stink. While the OP may not be coming from the same context, the tactic appears to be similar.
Well let me set a few things straight here:
First, the Republican and Democratic parties are not essentially the same. Yes, they both have issues with corruption, disingenuous representation, and competency. That is because they both hold some of the reins of power and such things go hand-in-hand with consolidation of power. That's not going to go away just because you create a new party. If that party gains some measure of control, it will be plagued by the same demons. This criticism is tantamount to saying that both parties are the same because they are both comprised of people. It is trivially true, but not substantively so. The two parties have differing ideologies, differing platforms, differing priorities, differing agendas, and all this consequent on differing support bases.
Second, the OP's points are vague and unsupported. The Democrats are worse than the Republicans, he claims. How so? He does not say. Support? He "assures" you. This isn't an argument, it's an attempt to sell you a bridge.
Finally, let me just point out to the OP that this is a site for Democrats, not just anti-Republicans. He seems to assume that since the Republican party was taken over by a radical fringe and has betrayed its original constituency, all it will take is a simple equivocation of Republican to Democrat to get the Democratic constituency to jump ship for their own good.
But here's the thing: we haven't been betrayed. We may need to be vigilant in holding the feet of our representatives to the fire in order to get what we want, but that certainly doesn't warrant burning down the ship. Our guys are in power, and they're pushing for a lot of things that we as Democrats want, foremost being healthcare reform. Are they as successful as we'd like? No. Do they all agree? No. Are some of them disingenuous corporate shills? Yes. These are all unfortunate realities, but they do not change the fact that the legislative branch is pushing in a different direction than it was for the past eight years, and that direction reflects many of the things that we as Democrats would like to see. What is really needed is a mobilization of political will from the electorate to push the corruption to the fringe and give the legitimate representatives the kind of support they need to do right by us. You like a guy like Dennis Kucinich? Then support him. More of a Carl Levin fan. Then support him. Let these people know what you want and that you have their back in fighting for it.
So thanks but no thanks, "Truthway." I think I'll stick with my party, notwithstanding your "important political question."
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