There Are Two Americas

The real difference between the two parties comes with the decision of at one point, exactly, the government should start restricting our lives. Does Big Brother have a place in markets, or in minds, or in both?

Up until this point in our recent political memory, the Leave Us Alone crowd has traditionally found a home in the GOP. The Take Care of Us crew, naturally, has found its home in the Democratic Party. But these are strange political times, and both Americas are feeling the growing pains of a two party system that doesn’t seem to quite fit anymore. Conservatives who remember the promise of the Republican Revolution in the mid-nineties scarcely recognize the new brand of conservatism foisted on them, having somewhere lost the hope of balancing budgets and shrinking government. Liberals have been stuck with a much more hawkish slant from their leaders, and an economic direction that is less left-friendly than some would hope for.

The Two Americas are having growing pains as both parties struggle for fewer and fewer undecided voters. In the process, the big tents are starting to sway uncomfortably, while trying to stretch over too many people with too many viewpoints. Some political analysts are predicting an upcoming realignment, a fundamental change in how the two parties define themselves. It remains to be seen if the Two Americas will stay put, or if voters will start to jump ship in search of alternatives.