New's Analysis and Commentary   |  The Difference in the Two Big Parties

The Difference in the Two Big Parties

There are little clubs like this in every town in America, and I suspect in the world.  A bunch of old men gathered around a table at a local café or donut shop.  (In some parts of the world they do this in the evening, after dinner and over wine, preferably with lots of smoke swirling around.)  In any event, it’s my observation that this is universal male behavior.  With rare exceptions, women are virtually never present, or if so, it wasn’t planned, and they’ll probably not be there twice.

When you sit around the table and mostly just listen, you can pick up a lot of the local gossip.  You can hear some of the best (and worst) jokes ever told.  You hear some fascinating history (including some things that should have been written in the history books, but most of which never will).  And over time you can begin to pick out threads of philosophy by which those old geezers have lived their lives.  It’s not always consistent, but that doesn’t seem to bother any of them, and some weeks they’ll argue it one way and later they’ll argue it the other.  For some, the arguments are more fun than the conclusions.  That works out well, because for a few, the conclusion is paramount, and getting someone riled up delivers a large part of the satisfaction these old codgers derive from their mornings in the coffee shop.

I’ve noticed that there are some areas where they tend to not go, at least not very far.  They can all condemn politicians in general, and will pick on nearly any politician specifically, up to a point.  And then someone will call a cloture of debate, changing the subject with some kind of a dismissive retort like JimBob said just last week, “To hell with all politicians and all political parties, they ain’t a dime’s worth of difference ‘tween any of’em.”  The agreement Is general, and the subject at that point either goes up a notch in heat, or it shifts to a another realm of human experience.

JimBob often does that to shut off debate.  JimBob’s Rules of Order are not in any book, and are more complicated than Robert’s, but the old timers understand them.  When you go past that “end of debate” gavel, you’d better have something very good to say, or you can expect some real spirited reaction from the group.

If anyone in our group is willing to take it further, it would be Bubba McCoy.  He’s not at all slow, but he tends to speak last instead of first.  His philosophy is that, “The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese,” combined with, “The first liar doesn’t have a chance in this crowd.”

So, after JimBob had dismissed all politicians and the parties they ride on, and everyone had said “Amen” in their own way, Bubba finished stirring his coffee and tapped the spoon on the cup like he does to announce his next pontification.  Of course, we all looked his way to see what would come next.

“I’ve not only heard that all my life,” drawled Bubba, “I’ve said it a few hundred times, and on one level it has to be true around the world.”  (General agreement.)  “But… I’ve been doing some studyin’ on these two parties currently in office, ‘cause it seems to me that every law that’s been passed (at least, since the Bull Moose Party died), was passed by Democrats and Republicans, and I think we’ll all agree that the politicians of both those parties have brought this country to where we are today.  (More agreement.)

“So… in my comparison of the two parties, I’ve found some real differences.  Who do y’all think the Democrats claim to represent?”

“They say they represent the working man,” said Virgil, whose family had been Democrats only since Reconstruction.

“That’s right,” said Bubba, “and let’s look at that.  The roots of that claim go back a long way, to a phrase, ‘Workers of the world, unite!’  They were strong for the unions at the turn of the century (the previous one).  They promote solidarity between the workers of all countries, and they oppose big business.  Y’all agree with that?”

“That’s what my old man always said,” mumbled Virgil.

“Well, I agree, that’s the platform.  That’s what we can all see.  The foundations of that platform are rooted in the class warfare of international socialism.  And if you follow that trend back far enough, you’ll wind up at the French Revolution, but for modern purposes, you can stop at Marx and Lenin, because they summed it up and rearticulated the arguments and the program to bring it about.”

“The important thing to realize is that today’s Democrats see a partnership between big government and the ‘little people’ — the minorities and the working people — they really do think that their brand of socialism can solve the problems of society by using the power of big government applied to those problems.”

Virgil wasn’t looking all that agreeable, at that point, but Clyde was grinnin’ like a possum, “And the Republicans represent Big Bizness and less government, right?  That’s the difference.”

“Well, you’re half right,” Bubba said, “they do favor Big Business, but they don’t really favor less government.  That’s where it gets intrestin’.  They favor a strong national government, national sovereignty, etc., and they are suspicious of repercussions of the “foreign entanglements” of internationalism.  That means they favor a strong military.  They promote cooperation between big business — and I mean the BIG corporations — and big government.  The two help each other out through thick and thin.”

Virgil was back in it by now, “You mean like bailing out Wall Street so they don’t fail.”

“That’s right.  Historically, this relationship has probably existed, but we can trace the recent roots to a philosophy articulated by Benito Mussolini, who summed it up with, “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.’ “

“The Fascists did not favor less government.  They simply like to use the power of big government to improve things for big business.  They’ll argue that the working man benefits when big business prospers.  This is historically known as ‘national socialism’.”

JimBob perked up on that term, “I think I’ve heard that before.  In Germany, if I recall, that’s exactly what Hitler called his political party — the National Socialist Party.  That’s where the word ‘Nazi’ comes from!”

“You’re makin’ my point, JimBob,” Bubba’s coffee was gonna get cold if he didn’t wind up soon.

“Both parties are socialist to their core; both parties rely on big government to solve the problems.  But they see their power base from opposite poles, and they’ve been hatin’ one another longer than this country has been around.  So, yes, they are different, but yes, they are the same.  They both think they’re smarter than we are, and they both see government as the solution.”

“So, if I’m in favor of less government, or maybe NO government?” who’s on my side, ventured Edwin, the local feed store owner.  (General agreement all around.)

“You are,” smiled Bubba, sipping his lukewarm coffee.  But in order to have any kind of a chance for less government, you’re gonna have to quit puttin’ socialists in office.”

Edwin was not happy.  “I’m thinkin’ that my elected representatives, who took an oath to do one thing (support and defend the Constitution), and then they do another (vote for socialist schemes that ain’t in the Constitution), are nothing but a bunch of liars!  I don’t care what kind of socialists they are.  What you just said, Bubba, is that we have to choose between are a $%^* communist and a (*%^& nazi!”

“That’s what I said in the first place!” JimBob raised his voice.  “Ah got plowin’ to do, see y’all tomorrow.”

It was a good day for Bubba.

© Daniel D. New, Permission to copy, with credits, is hereby granted.-

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