The struggle between labor and capital seems to be cyclical. Right now capital is on the winning side, but unless we're going back to a feudal society (doubtful), then things will change eventually. I think that right now both parties have too many entrenched interests to make the necessary political changes that would help to solve our stalemate. For all the bad press the GOP get (well deserved), the Dems only smell good, because they're standing next to a steaming pile of shit. If the GOP want to avoid being totally obsolete, they'll have to attract new members from somewhere, and that somewhere seems more and more like it has to be Latinos. No way they attract appreciable numbers of them without some real leadership and policy shifts. Seems like a pipe dream now, but something's gotta give.
Eventually, the Old Bastards of the GOP will die off. Apparently they aren't capable of retiring, so I'm waiting on caskets to start arriving. If the GOP intends to endure the coming generations, they're going to have to do a few things: 1. Cool it with the Bible Thumping. The Party has become the Party of Priests and Other Religious Figures (except for Muslims, of course). 2. Drop the "gays are evil" idiocy. This is already happening with younger(</s>) Republicans. Connected to #1. 3. Return to being Fiscally Conservative. My reading of the term "conservative" is that it used to mean to conserve a) American Values (life, liberty, pursuit of property, etc), b) to be financially conservative (e.g., spend money cautiously). The term "American Values" has forgone "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and decided to treat Christian (Evangelical) Values as American Values. In general, they have completely ignored Separation of Church and State. And being Fiscally Conservative doesn't mean "spend $0, collect no taxes," like some Republicans seem to think. It means, "Spend money wisely, tax people fairly." "Liberal" policies such as national healthcare or "free" college tuition shouldn't be seen as wastes of money. They should be seen as investments into the future of the United States. Instead of sending as many young kids as we possibly can to fight and die in a war that will never end, we should be doing all that we can to send them to Universities, Technical Schools, and Skilled Trade Schools (because not all kids want or need to go to a 4 year, and they shouldn't be guilted for that - you want 'Made in America' back? Teach skilled trade, and let people have pride in their work.) 4. Learn how to work together. This is an issue on both sides of the isle, but the Republican Party has gotten to the point of being almost senile about it. We saw it with President Clinton, and we see it again with President Obama. When the Republican Leadership doesn't get what it wants, it sits in the corner and refuses to play. This hurts everyone. 5. Destroy the Rebellion. The Tea Party is killing the GOP. I doubted this until they knocked out Cantor, but clearly the GOP needs some cauterization. Both parties (what a sad statement)(GOP and Dems) have gone too far in either direction. We need a return to the moderate. Bring back some decorum and respect to Congress (You know, like back when you could beat a man with a cane, or duel outside). The Parties both act like petulant children when things don't go their way, and that's why the general public gets disgusted with them. --- That's just for starters. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely huge issues with the Democrats. I'm an independent with Democratic leanings (obviously), but I tend to be fiscally conservative - keep my bias in mind. If the Republican Party would drop their social issue bullshit and return to the style of Thomas Jefferson (perhaps interestingly, his party was called the "Democratic-Republican Party"), I'd be all over it.
I actually disagree somewhat. I don't think that the problem is one of extremes. Even if extremes were the norm, one could still find compromise, were one interested first and foremost in governance. But governance isn't the point anymore. The point is consolidating power. Each party is afraid of losing power, so politics has become its own endgame. The starve the people of money and liberty and all the while call it empowerment. "Vote for me, so you have a voice!" Except that your voice is stifled by the fact that what you're voting for isn't representation, but rather a faceless, soulless, godless institution that sees control as its central mission (I'm talking about the political parties, not the government itself). That's why ideologies are so fluid, and hypocrisies so apparent. Whatever needs to be said to get elected is fair game, because ideas take a back seat to decision making powers. The only thing that keeps us free is that there are two parties, so thank god for that. The government and the party can't be the same, because the other guy is there waiting in the wings to corral the disaffected. We can see in communist countries what happens when the part and the government are inseparable (even though officially they are separate entities). I think that the GOP is in for a large decline, but that they will be back within 15 or so years, touting their conservative credentials which may or may not look anything like the ideology of today. And they will be successful, because by then the Dems will be corrupt and bloated, and there will be sufficient numbers of disgusted voters to whom the GOP can tailor their message. We can only hope that the message at that time will be one of economic opportunity, and not of protection of capital by all costs.Both parties (what a sad statement)(GOP and Dems) have gone too far in either direction. We need a return to the moderate.