Americans have always had a healthy distrust for government. They are not stupid. As Michael Moore points out, just listen to them discussing something really important, like baseball statistics.
For about the last 50 years, the people's strategy has been to play one side off against the other. (Don’t try this at the police station, though.) Usually one party will control the executive and the other the legislature, or the houses of the legislature will be split between the two parties. The election in 2000 were almost perfect, in that no one really won the presidential race and the US Senate split was exactly 50/50.
Why are Americans so loyal to their government? We are engaged in a kind of consensual sado-masochistic relationship between government and the governed. People want to be punished for their sins. For example, no one can seriously argue that drunken driving is a good thing, (40% of all traffic fatalities) but everyone does it until they get caught. Government relieves us of the responsibility of governing ourselves, of being accountable for our own actions.
The masochist and the sadist often prearrange what is called the “safe word” The masochist can cry out in pain; but actually he’s enjoying it. He can yell “Stop! Stop!” but he doesn’t really mean it. When the situation gets really really scary though, or even dangerous, he yells out something odd like “Aardvark!” which means “Really stop, this time.”
In American political life “Democrat” is the safe word.
Is it time to call “Democrat”? NEXT