While I'm admit that the light that shines between some Republicans and Democrats is as thin as star dust, not all Republicans and Democrats were created equal. What's important to note, however, is that the lack of differences meme works both ways.
If we were to trying to measure how conservative or liberal someone was we might begin to understand that the ideological differences are regional, not Party.
Compare, for example, the voting records of the Blue Dogs versus the Republican contingent from the northeast. The differences are marginal. The Blue Dogs refer to themselves as conservative- or moderate-Democrats and bark when there are programs designed to increase the size of the government's budget.
But that, unfortunately, is where the major differences end. The Blue Dogs might not want to increase the budget of the Federal government, but they have no problem with increasing the power of government (Blue Dog Statement on President’s Address to Congress, September 9, 2009 [pdf]) or behaving like attack dogs in the yards of private industry:
“Blue Dogs believe we have a responsibility to pass health care reform legislation that is deficit neutral, increases the value and quality of care for all Americans, and that takes a responsible approach to controlling costs over the long term."And:
“Blue Dogs agree with President Obama that the insurance market should be reformed. We must end the practice of denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, and we must eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse that is currently bankrupting the system."It is not possible to reign-in health care costs and micromanage the way the Insurance market sets their rates or chooses their clients. If, for example, Congress was to pass legislation which prohibited the auto insurance industry from refusing to insure people with pre-existing auto accidents, it would be clear to everyone that auto insurance would rise for all, to cover the serial accident customer, especially good drivers, because they're the low hanging fruit with respect to raising rates. But somehow, magic would be applied to the health insurance industry to prevent that same outcome.
Congress has no authority to regulate the insurance industry, auto or health, other than applying universal rules to that industry, as they do any other, and that is the issue that few are willing to admit, or tackle. The only authority Congress has with respect to the health insurance industry is to reform Tort and put fraud criminals behind bars. The latter would require that government accept responsibility and actually do something, rather than pointing the finger at evil corporations. The former would target the professions of far too many Democrats in Congress.
A conservative Republican and a conservative Democrat are not the same thing.
Most of this is laziness. People want there to be a number, letter, or other symbol next to a person's name to identify them, to take the guess work out of voting. This is desired for the same reason that some students read Spark Notes rather than reading the text of the book assigned. It might not be forbidden, but it is unethical, and the only person the students are really cheating are themselves.
There are no shortcuts to vetting a candidate before voting for them. Even the ratings services, such as Vote Smart, require more than one search to determine a candidates' voting record or policy positions. Their policy statements often have no basis in fact and a comparison of their record to their policy statements is the only way to determine if they're being honest. But that requires work.
"Throwing the bums out" has been tried before. It never works. Often the new is worse than the old. There are always new bums, but more importantly, the good people get caught in the firestorm. It is simple-mindedness to believe that all of Congress are bad.
I happen to like my Congress folks, especially in my home district. They vote exactly the way I want them to. Why would I desire to throw them out?
"Throwing the bums out" is a punitive act, targeting a group, rather than the guilty. It is borne out of a desire to punish the many for the deeds of the few, and has nothing to do with reforming government. There are no shortcuts here, and the fault is not with Congress, but with us, the voters.
Cross posted at From the Maenianum Secundum (comments are open there).
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