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John Kenneth Galbraith's Wise Observation [1]

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Date: 2024-07-17  

When I was a boy in the early ‘60s, I asked my father what was the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties. At the time, he was a registered Democrat.

His answer to my question was very simple and digestible for someone of my age back then: “Republicans are for Big Business, the Democrats are for the people.” Of course our politics are much more complicated than that. But what my dad told me at such a young age has been a good basis for contemplating and understanding our political system and how it works, especially as we see how our government is being usurped by the nefarious words and action of the powers that be.

Now with all the triangulation and rhetoric over that past 40 years or so, much has changed between both parties. The Democratic party’s integrity for representing the people has been seriously corrupted by kowtowing to corporate interests, their big donors, while trying to serve the interests of the people; quite a tricky act, especially when big money is involved.

For instance, during the 2016 Presidential debates, Clinton was asked about her stand on Universal Healthcare. Her response was “We’re not ready for that.” That was an interesting response since most European countries and Canada have had some form of Universal Healthcare for decades. So who was Clinton speaking to? The American people or her corporate donors. I think the messaging was clear.

The Republican party, on the other hand, has gone completely off the rails. Now their all-in on subverting, as well as nullifying parts, of our constitution. Their arguments are disingenuous and lack any regard for intellectual honesty, especially in light of recent Supreme Court decisions that go against legal precedent. Their constituency sucks it all up and go into a righteous frenzy over everything they say as if it were true.

They willfully follow along in abolishing 250 years of American progress at the whims of one man’s selfish hunger for power. Critical thinking and consequences of their actions is apparently lacking as well. Because of this lack of intellectual curiosity and acquiescence of their own authority over themselves to people they deem much more wise than themselves, we’re witnessing a narrow divide in the political and social makeup of this country.

So, here we are. One party trying to do what is morally right while trying not to irritate their corporate donors. The other party wants to convince their followers that their policies are morally superior and just, when in fact their agenda and policies are exclusive only to their donors whims and not to the public as a whole. Their followers are being taken advantage of by a right-wing agenda that capitalizes on of their willful ignorance of history and naive perceptions of the world at large as well as their fear of the Other.

To sum it all up, here’s John Kenneth Galbraith’s definition of today’s Republican party’s position:

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