Is Obama No Better Than The GOP?

The general election is in full swing now that Willard "Mitt" Romney is sure to be the Republican (GOP) nominee in the ongoing contest with Barack Obama, who is self-proclaimed a warrior for investment bankers the middle class. This is a critical moment for the political faithful, which is made up of those who still cling desperately to the belief that our corrupt, dysfunctional  two-party system is the most important determinant of America's future. We might call these deluded Americans The Great Unwashed. But there are nagging concerns. What if it makes no real difference which of these clowns is elected president? Perish the thought!

This critical question was very much on Jonathan Bernstein's mind when he wrote Is Obama no better than the GOP? If the answer is No, then all this hullabaloo about the election is yet another form of mass insanity.

Amid all the evidence that partisan polarization is running rampant and perhaps even threatening the republic, a hearty band of ideologues still believes there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the parties and that it really doesn’t matter who will win the presidential election in November. The latest round of bloggy discussion on this kicked off with a post from Dave Schuler late last week, who made the case in list form. I’ll quote some of it:

Regardless of who is elected the U. S. will continue to be interventionist in its foreign policy.

Regardless of who is elected the “Bush tax cuts” will be sustained. There may be some tweaking around the edges…

Regardless of who is elected the detention center in Guantanamo will be maintained.

Regardless of who is elected the security apparatus put in place in the aftermath of the attacks in New York and Washington, DC in 2001 will only be expanded.

Doug Mataconis added his own list.

And yet: Republicans and Democrats fight hard over elections, and partisans on both sides certainly feel that there’s a lot at stake. Are they nuts?

Well, yes, of course they're nuts. The better question for Jonathan to ask is whether he himself is nuts, in the sense of seeing himself as an important participant—Bernstein writes for Salon—in a mass delusion. But let's skip the question of Jonathan's mental state and lack of consciousness. More importantly, he neglected to present Dave Shuler's entire list of reasons why it makes no difference who the victor is in November. And he did not quote from Doug Matconis' list at all. So without further ado—

[completing Shuler's list]

Regardless of who is elected healthcare [costs] will continue to rise and healthcare will comprise a larger share of federal spending.

Regardless of who is elected the non-existent Social Security trust fund will be drawn down at an accelerating rate.

Regardless of who is elected large banks will continue to be subsidized. Small banks will continue to be absorbed by large banks.

[and Dave finishes up with]

That’s just scratching the surface. In comments please make a case for why it will make a difference. (Please!)

And here's Doug's list.

Sadly, I think Dave is largely correct here. In fact, I’d add to his list the following:

Regardless of who is elected Congress will continue to engage in games and showmanship rather than addressing any of the nations problems.

Regardless of who is elected the odds that we will ever reach a comprehensive deal addressing long term fiscal and entitlement issues is exceedingly low.

Regardless of who is elected the powers that have been assumed by the Presidency since the September 11th attacks will continue to expand.

Regardless of who is elected Presidents will continue to bypass Congress when making decisions to commit Americans troops abroad.

Regardless of who is elected Congress will do nothing to reassert its Constitutional authority in areas of war-making and foreign affairs.

Regardless of who is elected the nation will continue to be distracted by irrelevancies designed to increase the short-term political gain of one side or another.

And that’s just what I can come up with off the top of my head.

Unfortunately, both Shuler and Mataconis neglected to mention the single most important reason why there is no significant difference between our two political parties. Crucial members of both parties have been bought & paid for by the wealthy special interests who pay for their election. And now we are in the post-Citizens United world, the world of the Super Pac. It should go without saying that money in politics is reason Numero Uno, but it is still taboo to say that out loud.

If you still doubt this great truth, listen to Take the Money and Run for Office, which originally aired on March 20th on This American Life. Even the most cynical among you may be shocked by the extraordinary and appalling depth of the corruption this radio show reveals.

It should also go without saying that it is out-and-out batshit crazy that this level of corruption should co-exist with all the hoopla and proclaimed importance which has attended the 2012 elections. And yet when Shuler and Mataconis had the temerity to list the policy reasons why it makes no difference who wins presidential election, there is always somebody like Jonathan Bernstein who will stand up to defend their own craziness. People who say there's no distinction between the parties underestimate the big importance of small differences, he said.

How small are these differences? They are so small, so diminutive, that they are effectively invisible to conscious observers who are acquainted with the Big Picture. We might ask ourselves will wonders never cease? There can be no doubt that the wonders of Human Folly will never end, a fact of life which is both frightening and amusing at the same time.

Bonus Video — The Warrior Speaks

 

Comments

[Bill Hicks]

An issue near and dear to my own heart, which I touched on in my own post this morning: "Toxic Wasteland." Which from now on is a term I will not only employ to describe the environmental destruction we are senseless wreaking upon the planet in our mindless drive for ever higher levels of consumerism, but to the political system that enables it to continue unabated.

[Wanooski]

It all sounds pretty much on the money to me. You can probably add that the energy and ecological situations will continue to rapidly deteriorate as well.

[John D]

I think the only slight difference between the two parties is in reproductive rights, and picking Supreme Court nominees. Other than that, no difference. Both believe that growth is the solution to all our problems, and both sell their souls to lobbyists to get elected.

[Scott]

I wish I could make the case for differences as per your suggestion, but what is there to say? Your essay is irrefutable.

We are now living under a dictatorship, and the Congress has been reduced to an irrelevent relic. A jobs program for unemployable lawyers and other, assorted, self-serving blowhards.

What kind of a dictatorship are we under, then? A plutocracy? An oligarchy? Is this fascism?

I don't really know for sure. Maybe all of them. And how will it all end? That's what I would very much *like* to know, what I wish to know. The U.S. is on an unsustainable path, one I don't think can continue much longer. How much longer can this go on?

Then again, the present charade has gone on for much longer than I ever imagined that it would, so...

[white collar crime kills]

"only slight difference between the two parties is in reproductive rights, and picking Supreme Court nominees. Other than that, no difference."
Another overall difference.
Dems are in the pay of evil and non-evil, and talk about helping average person. Repugs are in the pay of evil, and promise to enslave almost everyone.
Which do you think has more chance of being persuaded to help (or at least not hurt) the average person?
With no one else even close to winning an election, when you eventually have a final vote, you should vote for lesser evil.
Look a the Lushbo & Fluke campaign. Look at the more recent anti-ALEC campaign. A lot of work gets results.

[River]

I agree with John D. but I see more differences concerning such things as the limited safety net we have left and issues of the environment and those difference are enough for me to vote against any and all Republicans while I continue fighting for public financing of all elections.

[manich]

I will vote third party. But if I had to vote for a Dimwit or Repug, it would be the Dimwit, due to 3 words:

Supreme Court Nominations

Corporations are NOT people!

[Ben]

I was listening to in between us, the hook is apropos:

Mass confusion, in my head
Killing me, driving me mad
Got me wondering, can I trust my friends?
Cuz they stick me in my back every chance they get
Am I paranoid? and if that's the case
Is it curable? Can you help me find my place?
I can't handle this, I'm losing it
With a loose grip I'm hanging on to emptiness
Help your brother, save him from the
Evil demons, in between us, came between us

Sigh. President Obama aka Obozo vs. Mitt Romney aka RoboCorp smh

[adam]

The only thing I'm hoping for from this election is that voters (not politicians, but voters themselves through initiatives) will legalize pot in Washington, California, and Colorado. Maybe then it will get legalized elsewhere in the US and I can be legally stoned as this ship sinks.

Though if they DO vote to legalize it, the feds will jump in to squash it so fast you won't even be able to blink. That will really be painful to watch.

I think we're past the point where meaningful change can happen through electing representatives. What that means in the end, I don't know.

[Billy Crystal]

Vote for the lovin'! Why take chances on being a limp dick?

Voted for McCain? Your Testosterone Dipped
Why you may have felt less manly after voting in the presidential elections
Scientific American Magazine | January 2010
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=machismo-mayhem

"Well, sir, a gentleman that gets whistles!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuJXtQ6I9qY

[sharonsj]

Much as I hate both parties, it's the Republicans who will carry out severe austerity programs for the lower classes while enriching the rich. It is the Republicans who want to privatize Social Security and Medicare. They also push laws giving them control over women's bodies--all the while talking about freedom and getting government out of your life. Finally, why would we put a vulture capitalist in charge of creating jobs when 25% of the companies Romney took over were closed down and tens of thousands thrown out of work?