Did the US oligarchs change the 2-party system to effectively function as a 1-party system

[Kip Humphrey]

with the Democratic party becoming the presidential party while the Republicon party became the party of everything else? Of course, that is the way it is and I wonder if it was achieved with forethought and intention, by whose consent and collaboration.

[wendylaroux]

1. On economics,yes,1 party.

only difference is social issues,To keep the 2 ''parties'' fighting.

[Kip Humphrey]

2. Seems to me the oligarchy has been extremely sucessful biforcating the US populous, pitting

one group against the other to their total distraction, thereby freeing the oligarchs to plunder the countryside and walk away the winners.

[wendylaroux]

6. they have been at it awhile,it happened so

slowly hardly anyone noticed.Bernie was one person who knew,stuck to his

beliefs,goodness.

And now the money will do anything to beat him down.

Lord,I hope Bernie can pull this off.

[hifiguy]

7. Divide and conquer is as old as humanity.

People are dumb, superstitious and short-sighted, and it works like a charm. Always has.

[ypsfonos]

3. yes indeed

Why one side when both are amenable to being bought?

[hifiguy]

4. Yes. Neoliberal economics and foreign policy

are the dominant paradigm in both parties. The differences are solely at the edges.

[YoungDemCA]

5. I think the fact that the presidential electorate is larger, more diverse, and thus, more Democratic

than the electorate in midterms has more to do with that than any nefarious conspiracy.

Keep in mind that the voters that Republican members of Congress fear are not the ones that elect Democrats. Also, in low-turnout elections in those gerrymandered districts, the only groups motivated to organize are the right-wing activists. And yes, they do have a lot of help from right-wing billionaires like the Koch Brothers, who generously fund dozens if not hundreds of Republican candidates.

[Egnever]

8. Sometimes I think this place is just as crazy as the folks on the Oregon preserve.

[Octafish]

9. There's a tradition in American political thought holding that very view...

A cartoon, FWICF, just before the First World War:



Goes a long way to explaining how some memes can stop people talking about CIA spying and its impact on inequality PDQ.

[Blue_Tires]

10. No.... Next question...