The title of this piece comes from a Will Rogers quote made in the 1930s. Here are some of his funnier quotes about the Democrats and politics in general:
"Politics has got so expensive that it takes lots of money to even get beat with."
"You've got to be optimist to be a Democrat, and you've got to be a humorist to stay one."
"The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has."
"Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it's not one bit better than the one we got for one- third the money twenty years ago."
It is amazing that after over 60 years these quotes are applicable to politics in the 21st century. Before 1933 and FDR, the Republicans controlled all branches of government and it took the Great Depression to convince the electorate that Republicans, as the party of big business, were not looking out for the best interests of most Americans. And the Democratic Party was just as disorganized before 1933 as it is today.
The problem that the Democrats always have when they are the minority party is that they have no powerful constituancy. The Democrats have always been the party that represents working America which now includes the middle class. That constituancy is virtually powerless especially since the decline of organized labor. The Republican Party is the party of "big business" and their constituancy are the rich and powerful in this country. That is why the Democrats can only regain their control when the country is in major crisis. The corporate media of the 1920s was as biased as it is today because they represented the rich and powerful.
There is nothing new about this dilema and we should not be too critical about the Democratic leadership. I do agree that many Democrats are trying to hedge on their positions regarding various issues. However, most Democrats stand for positions that are best for 80-90% of Americans. The problem is that corporate propaganda is disseminated through filters and spin that demonize Democrats, liberals and progressives. Clearly the business class does not want to have Democrats in control unless the economic situation is so negative that they have no choice.
And the idea that the Republicans are the party of national defense is a myth that is a fairly recent event. From the time of Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson (all wartime Presidents) Democrats were criticized by isolationist Republicans as being the party of war. Since Herbert Hoover, the Republicans were viewed as the party of economic depression. Those perceptions have definitely changed, but perception is now realty and all of these things are a by-product of the corporate media which is controlled by the Republican Party.
America is definitely heading toward economic and political collapse as a result of the decisions made by Republican Administrations over the last 25 years. The collapse of the American Empire will be the necessary step that will once again bring people back to the sanity necessary to change the political and economic crisis we are facing today. It will take no less than a "Depression" type calamity like it did in the 1930s to bring America and its leaders back to their senses. And this time I believe it will be the "last hurrah" for Republicans and the wealthy elite they represent.