Be careful with ‘evolution’ of major parties

Perhaps my theory is off, but I cannot help but feel that so much of the sharp political divisiveness that separates America these days comes from the fact that the two major parties have morphed into something far different than what they used to be. We still call them Democrats and Republicans, but what are they really?

Being a conservative (I choose that description over “Republican”), I can still respect those who claim to be Democrats for standing up for what they believe in, even if I don’t agree. That’s why I’m able to enjoy the good company and close friendships of people from all over the political spectrum — that, and my belief that political views are only the smallest fraction of what makes a person who they are. What’s harder for me to accept are the many so-called modern Democrats whose policies bear little resemblance to what their party used to represent. They may hide under the moniker, perhaps because it’s easier to slip into the positions they hold by doing so, but their economic and other beliefs are far different than what the their predecessors was. JFK is rolling in his grave to see some of the very attitudes this country fought against during the Cold War now part of modern, and even acceptable (to some), government policies. Face It, Democrats, your party has been hijacked. But you’re not alone.

Republicans long stood for limited government and taxes. But during the 1990s, we saw the emergence of a “new” Republican, one who didn’t mind the massive, backbreaking spending of out tax dollars. The only difference was, whereas Democrats favor tax-and-spend, this new breed used borrow-and-spend. They then made hypocrites out of themselves, blathering on about “fiscal conservatism” while helping to bring this country to its knees with crushing debt.

And now we have the Tea Party. Quite frankly, I have never been to one of their rallies and never will. I have six kids, a life and just don’t have an interest in everything they claim to stand for. However, I do take note of their push within the Republican ranks to force the issue that the party return to its roots of limited government, limited spending and limited tax.

And when they do, I bet you see the Tea Party fade away. History shows that any time you see government become lopsided you start seeing extremist groups begin to pop up on the other side of the spectrum. Maybe this is why we haven’t seen a group show up to begin challenging Democrats to also return to what they used to stand for. When/if it does, I look forward to and welcome it.

As the tone of debate has turned more heated, more personal and full of more venom than we’ve seen before I cannot help but think that this is perhaps due to the fact that we’re not really seeing Republicans vs. Democrats. Rather, we’re seeing people who still call themselves Republicans and Democrats but actually represent something far different than what either of these parties used to represent.

Ben Compton lives in Palmer.