Talk:Banana Republicans: The War at Home
By representing the Democratic Party as the party that views politics as debate and the Republican Party as viewing politics as war the author has clearly not taken into consideration the simple observational powers of the public.
It is axiomatic that the strategists of both parties have engaged in the practices put forth by Sun Tzu, and both parties are determined to win. Politics is practiced as war, no matter the party affiliation. I have seen the recent hysterical tirades of the Democrats, but have not heard of any Republicans engaged in such notorious behavior as Al Gore, for instance.
This is not to say that the Republicans do not accasionally hit below the belt, nor are they entirely forthcoming with all of their intent or relationships... just like the Democrats.
We need to look at the policies and voting records of the candidates and weigh the mass of information as best we can. I hear over and over again that President Bush stole the election, that he betrayed us, and so forth, but I don't hear any clear policy proposals out of the Democratic camp that don't cause grave concern.
Is this becoming a one - party country? Absolutely not, it is another misrepresentation of the author. Just look around. The author uses this straw man as a talking point lamenting the loss of confidence by much of the public at large in the Democratic Party. There are still strong divisions based on race, religion, economics, educational background, business relationships and so forth. The two largest parties are both doing well and get the majority of coverage. Since the public is expressing more discontent and anger with the Democrats lately, they are crying foul. Well, it's not a foul, it's just a shift in public opinion.
The author says in the closing paragraph, "When one party is able to impose its will without consulting others, the temptation is to run roughshod over the opposition - especially when it sees politics as a form of warfare. The metaphors that guide politics have consequences that affect us all. "
This is certainly true, but the context is obfuscated by the author. Both the Democrats and the Republicans will do what is required to win. In many cases, both the Republicans and the Democrats tend to ignore their constituency's wants in favor of doing what's best for them in spite of them.
Face it... you have to be sold out to make it to the top in the political war. Whoever represents you in either party is a political warrior. They are all good at what they do, and most will do whatever is required to stay on top.
The quote on war and politics attributed David Horowitz may be garbled. The usual quote is by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz: war is a "continuation of politics (Politik) by other means."
