Two sides of the same coin.
You hear that expression a lot these days, usually in reference to Republicans and Democrats. And it’s usually uttered by someone who is claiming to be equally disenchanted with both parties.
The politicians are all alike, they’ll tell you.
But it’s not true.
And anyone who insists it is true is most likely trying to convince you that a whole bunch of awful things being done by Republicans is somehow offset by this one awful thing that this one Democrat did.
It’s a copout. It’s a way for a conservative voter to save face in an embarrassing time.
Because Democrats and Republicans, in 2018, are NOT the same.
To believe so is to ignore reality. Or to greatly distort it.
Maybe it was once true that the GOP and the Dems were more closely aligned. Back when Republican Messiah, Ronald Reagan, granted asylum to millions of immigrants and raised taxes when it was necessary and supported workers’ unions.
But those days of at least pretending to care about the working class stiff are long gone for today’s GOP.
Today, it is a party that holds its support by scaring the hell out of conservative voters with fairytales about Christian persecution, abortion clinics on every corner and scary brown people, as its politicians simultaneously sell out voters to major corporations.
Don’t think that I’m missing the receipts on this.
On Sunday, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration’s latest embarrassing rollover for their corporate masters came at the U.N.’s World Health Assembly meetings. That’s where America attempted to strong arm smaller countries into upending a resolution that encouraged mothers to feed their babies breast milk instead of substitutes, such as formula.
The U.S. delegation was, to no one’s surprise, selling out mothers and healthy babies in the interest of keeping corporate profits nice and fat at baby food manufacturers.
And it didn’t stop there.
The U.S. also opposed countries placing warning labels on junk food and fought back against the relaxing of pharmaceutical patent laws that would have allowed poorer countries to obtain life-saving medicines earlier. While these arguments mostly focused on the effects of the actions on a global market, they also negatively affect everyday Americans.
Because there is never enough money. Never.
Yeah, sure, you could save millions of people with some labels and slicing a few months off a patent for a multi-billion-dollar company, but the corporations might miss profit goals and shareholders wouldn’t appreciate the portfolio hit. So, screw ‘em.
This is today’s GOP.
And this all consuming greed that has enveloped the party is how today’s GOP ended up with a walking grease stain as president.
Oh, sure, racism was a big factor in attracting the brain dead dopes who put Trump signs in front of their trailers and cheered at rallies like the moron was five-chords deep into the guitar solo on “Freebird.” But it was the greed of the wealthy and refined Republicans that allowed it all to happen.
They know Trump is basically a Nigerian email scammer in an ill-fitting $5,000 suit and knee-length red tie. But dammit, if he isn’t perfect for today’s GOP. They’re just like him.
They’re consumed with dreams of wealth and privilege, even if they lack the basic intelligence and means to make it happen. Take a guy like former EPA director Scott Pruitt — a guy with Chick-fil-A franchise dreams but only science-denying smarts — and there’s only one way a guy like lives his dream: be corrupt enough that a few corporations will pay him to do their bidding and sell out the people he’s sworn to serve.
Look around the GOP. That sort of greed is everywhere.
Every policy decision, every bill, every position they take — it’s all predicated on someone somewhere getting more money. Greed is at the root of everything the GOP does.
You want to compare that to the Dems? Let me help explain the lunacy of that argument: The worst thing the Democrats have done — the far-and-away biggest complaint from most regular GOP voters — was try to fix the American health care system by protecting the most vulnerable Americans first.
The Dems have also tried to protect workers’ rights and keep the air and water clean. They’re trying to make college more affordable and end predatory lending practices. They’ve fought to make our financial systems safer and to improve public education.
The GOP has fought it all.
If you’ve been told that’s two sides of the same coin, there’s a con man holding that coin.
