Let me give you some background information about myself. I was raised in a strong Christian family. All the men in my family were tradesmen and were, therefore, members of various trade unions. As such, they were all proud, hard-working Democrats. So was I - until 1980.
I switched my party affiliation to the Republican Party in 1980, when it became obvious to me that the Democratic Party had left its conservative principles and had been taken over by a variety of left-wing special interest groups. I have been a registered Republican ever since. (Albeit I did vote for Constitution Party candidate, Howard Phillips, in 2000.)
However, my support for the Republican Party had nothing to do with making David Rockefeller wealthier, and though I favor less taxation (always), my primary reasons for making the switch had less to do with economic considerations and more to do with moral and constitutional ones.
More than twenty years of active support for Republican candidates and causes, however, leads me to the conclusion that, in the end, there is little difference between the two parties (at the national level). Such a statement may sound trite and redundant to party loyalists, but for me it is a studied conviction.
It seems to me that, in the end, both parties are marching to the same drummer with only a slightly different cadence. The major difference seems to be that of control not course. Indeed, both parties seem headed in the same direction. Consider the following:
*Clinton enjoyed coziness with China's ruling elite which influenced his public policies. Bush enjoys coziness with several Middle Eastern, Muslim elite which is influencing his public policies.
*Clinton embraced the Palestinians and neglected Israel. Bush has picked up where Clinton left off by making it official U.S. policy to create a Palestinian state thereby jeopardizing Israel's very survival.
*Clinton and the Democrats support an open-border policy on immigration. Bush and his fellow Republicans do, also.
*Both Democrats and Republicans want the President to have fast track trade authority when "their guy" resides in the White House. Leaders from both parties support NAFTA, GATT, the WTO, NATO, the World Bank, the IMF, MFN for Communist China, etc.
*Both Democrats and Republicans consistently vote to increase the welfare state. Both parties continuously authorize more power to an ever-burgeoning federal bureaucracy at the expense of personal liberty and constitutional government.
*Clinton brought foreign troops to our military bases for the purposes of cross training and intelligence sharing. Bush has taken it a step further by inviting foreign troops to help "protect" our borders.
*Clinton and his fellow Democrats supported embryonic stem cell research. We now know that Bush and his fellow Republicans do, too.
*Bush's "faith based" socialism increases federal involvement (and authority) over religious activity in a way that Clinton could never have dreamed.
*Both the Democratic and Republican parties support more federal land grabs of private property. Neither Party has any intention of outlawing abortion-on-demand. Both parties are committed to granting legitimacy to homosexuality. Neither Party wants to return authority for education back to the states and local communities.
*Loyalists from both sides will overlook practically any deficiency of character, any breach of trust, or any violation of principle when committed by a standard bearer of their own party; therefore, in the end, what is the difference?
© Chuck Baldwin
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