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"I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." Will Rogers
How true this great American satirist words are in today’s political word. The democratic party in my opinion has always been a hodgepodge of differing political opinions with no centralizing movement. Sure they have had great leaders like FDR and Truman but they seem to be more the exception then the rule. I've asked myself why this is and I've come to the following conclusion. There are two sorts of people in this world. The first sort tends to see the world primarily in shades of black and white. These sort tend to lean “conservative” and, in America at least, be republicans. The second sort of people in this world tend to see things in varying shades of grey where there are very few absolutes. In America these people tend to be “liberals” and associate more closely with the democratic party. This theory (and like all theories its probably mostly crap) goes a long way to explaining why the republican party is much more organized and focused on a core set of issues whereas the democrats seem to be all over the map. If one is able to see the world in shades of black and white it is much easier to nail down your position and stick to it when under fire from opposition. If, on the other hand, you see the world mostly in differing shades of grey then it can be hard to find your position and even harder to defend it when under pressure to do so. The democrats do not lack direction for want of trying, they lack direction because they cannot find a path threw the fog of uncertainty and doubt that accompanies this world view. They (democrats) are often (and I believe rightly so) accused of waffling on key issues, and attacking their republican counterparts without offering constructive alternative solutions. If you accept my theory, then you can see why this is so. In their minds they cannot see the world in simple black and white, they know that the republican side is wrong (in their mind) but they cannot see the solution, and for this same reason they cannot come together and agree upon a party platform. This theory of mine is based upon my own personal experience and as such is bound to contain all flaws based upon my own personal bias. However, as I have grown older I have found myself shifting further to the ‘left’ and as part of this change I find myself no longer seeing the world in the absolute shades of black and white as I once did, but more in varying degrees of grey. There are of course some things that always remain absolutes, but I find now that they are few in number. I will end with a couple of other quotes I found from Will Rogers that I think are still applicable today.
"There ought to be one day-just one-when there is open season on senators."
"You can't say that civilization don't advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way."
"Elections are a good deal like marriages. There's no accounting for anyone's taste. Every time we see a bridegroom we wonder why she ever picked him, and it's the same with public officials."
And finally,
"On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does."
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