Not that I wanted that particular schism to be minimized. Far from it. But I find it is worse than I thought, particularly with some of the more recent events. Between John Boehner's labeling Ted Cruz as “Lucifer in the flesh” and former US Senator Judd Gregg piling on by calling Cruz “a demagogue's demagogue” on one side, and the constant denigration of Donald Trump by much of the GOP establishment on the other, it looks to me as if the schism has widened and isn't like to heal any time soon.
It's one thing if this was limited to just the GOP as it seriously needs to clean out the deadwood that has made it barely distinguishable from the Democrat Party. But the Democrats are getting their share as well, with the differences between Hillary and Bernie showing the deep division between the Left (Hillary) and Progressive/Marxist Left (Bernie) within the party becoming broader.
But what has become more evident to anyone paying attention is that both parties are becoming irrelevant to a large swath of the American people. Certainly that is the finding by former US Senator Tom Coburn, who stated “America doesn’t trust you anymore. That’s the truth... and that’s not one party, that’s both.”
Why should we trust them? Congress certainly hasn't lived up to its promises, hasn't reined in profligate federal government spending, bureaucratic overreach, rogue federal agencies, and worse, a president who seems to think he's a king and can rule by decree. Is it any wonder Coburn has found the people aren't happy with Congress and the political parties in power?
Here's Coburn speaking before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs:
With the exception of the political coastal elite, no one is happy with the federal government. Everyone is angry at being marginalized, denigrated, and ignored by our “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It seems it has deliberately isolated itself from the wants and needs of the American people, making decisions that more often that not hurt those very same people, yet telling us “It's for your own good.” Yeah. Right.
I have a feeling that both the Democrat and Republican parties as they stand now are doomed. They no longer represent us, nor do they wish to change in order to become relevant to us again. So maybe it is time to either go forth with a hostile takeover, or move past them and let them end up on the “trash heap of history” because of their irrelevance.