Today, it seems the only real work being performed in Washington by the two power-hungry political parties is how to win the White House in 2020. How long before the wheels fly off this traveling freak show?
“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it” – George Bernard Shaw
In the savage and ravaged post-Russiagate clown-scape, when many Americans are grappling with the realization they were duped for three years by the most outrageous conspiracy theory of modern times, it is hard to exaggerate the full extent of the damage. Yet, rather than stop playing the fairground game of ‘chase the slippery pig’ and move on, the Republicans and Democrats just keep rolling around in the muck, battling with each other over a senseless trophy, while making a complete mockery of the political process.
By way of proof, consider California, the most indebted state in the nation, which just passed a law that prevents presidential candidates from appearing on the primary ballot unless they disclose their tax returns. Doesn’t the most populous state in the land have more pressing issues to consider? Not only is the move blatantly unconstitutional, it carries not-so-subtle overtones of coercion and even blackmail. A person needn’t be a political genius to understand the legislation is tailor-made for Donald Trump, who has shied away from divulging his finances.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, invoking heavenly authority in the most hedonistic state in the republic, declared he had a “moral duty” in these “extraordinary times” to cast judgment on tax returns, despite the fact no politician has a legal obligation to do so.
Following so close on the heels of the anticlimactic Mueller hearings, amid breathless rumors of impeachment, Newsom’s decree is yet another cynical attempt by liberals to destroy Trump outside the boundaries of democratic procedure. Indeed, such efforts reveal pure disdain for US voters, not to mention the entire political system. After all, if a majority arrives at the conclusion that the maverick from Manhattan is no longer their cup of tea, they have the power to simply vote him out of office. The Democrats, however, are showing no desire to settle scores at the ballot box, and this speaks volumes about their perceived chances of winning.
The US leader, fully aware of the Democrat’s inferiority complex, never stops launching Twitter tirades against the soft liberal underbelly. The Democrats, meanwhile, never stop allowing themselves to be triggered. Thus, Americans were forced to watch as the pig-wrestling spectacle stampeded from California all the way to Maryland; even the rats took part in the festivities.
Trump, at his wit’s end as the Democrats continue to condemn the conditions of the migrant holding facilities at the Mexican border, unleashed a barrage of tweets against Democrat Representative Elijah Cummings, a major Trump detractor, as well as his congressional district that includes the city of Baltimore.
Saying the conditions at the border were “clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded,” Trump then compared this to Baltimore, which he said was “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”
The rant did not stop there. The US president even hinted that somebody was stealing the funds being sent to Baltimore, a place where “no human being would want to live…”
Make no mistake, the president’s comments were rude, over-the-top, and extremely risky from a political perspective. After all, who wants to hear their hometown described as a rat-infested, uninhabitable place? Yet, here was classic Trump, doing what Trump does best, saying the things nobody else would dare say, while driving a wedge straight down the middle of the country. Naturally, he was accused of being a racist since his remarks were targeted at an African American politician, while Baltimore is a city with a large black population.
Yet, truths are no less truthful regardless as to who says them and how much they are sugar coated. To put the situation into its proper perspective, consider the following that, with a population of just over 600,000, Baltimore has experienced more killings this year than New York City, which has over 8 million people. In other words, Baltimore is practically a war zone, with hundreds of residents fleeing the city each year.
The purpose of the above examples of partisan infighting is not to come out in favor of either the Republicans or the Democrats, but to highlight the deepening divide in the US political system that threatens to topple the country. In fact, with the Republicans and the Democrats at each other’s throats on a daily basis – wrestling over a muddy pig, as it were – over everything from transgender relations to Confederate statues, it is probably the most opportune time for some third party to make a foray into the US political carnival, that is, if they are lucky enough to find the entrance.
Is the problem with the US political system, however, really a lack of ‘political choice,’ or is there simply too much diversity in the country for America’s experiment in democracy to be a successful venture? The answer is probably both. Democrats and Republicans have maintained an iron grip on power for so long that it seems the entire system is decaying from lack of fresh faces and ideas. As Noam Chomsky has argued, Democrats and Republicans, with political platforms that are in fact strikingly similar, are simply two competing factions of the same business party.
Now, when you add the fact that America is becoming more diversified – racially, culturally, politically, and otherwise – it seems not even 100 different political parties could hope to satisfy the endless needs and wants of US voters. And with political correctness making every topic a lightning rod that automatically attracts claims of sexism, racism, fascism, or whatever-ism, the situation looks even bleaker.
Also on rt.com Claiming Baltimore is not a mess just because ‘racist’ Trump said it will lose Democrats votesAlthough it is very difficult to suggest a remedy to the situation, one thing is predictable. The slippery pig wrestling event between the two rivalry parties will not stop anytime soon. Both sides will continue to chase slippery issues they deem to be of utmost importance, while the ‘pig’ will continue to get away. As anyone who has witnessed a pig wrestling event at the country fair knows, the best way to catch the strong and slippery farm animal is with the help of others. In other words, unless the Democrats and Republicans can find a way to put aside their deepening rivalry and cooperate, solutions to the most urgent national problems will continue to slip through their fingers. It’s time for the two parties to put an end to the carnival games and work on behalf of the American voter once again.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.