Not Just a 50-50 Nation

Mark it down. It’s not just a 50-50 Nation any more.

Everyone agrees that politically, the US is a 50-50 nation, split down the middle between religious, married-with-children, private-sector Republicans and secular, single, childless, public-sector Democrats.

Except that this year I think we can expect more like a 55-45 nation as the nation’s moderates expectorate the Republicans.

But now, after the primaries in Ohio and Texas, it looks like we’ve got a 50-50 Democratic Party.

Well, not really. The liberal, educated, leadership cadre doesn’t add up to that many votes. But when they are added to a race-based supermajority of blacks supporting the First Black Candidate, then a Senator Obama can rise to 50 percent of the Democratic Party vote.

Of course, they are kidding themselves. The purpose of the Democratic Party is privilege, handing out patronage to the loyal rank-and-file. The real work of the Democratic Party is cutting checks, and for that you couldn’t do better than vote for Hillary Clinton, the patronness of the “women with needs.”

The liberal elite likes to elevate the grubbiness of this into something idealistic, something compassionate.

But as we all know, it ain’t compassion when it is Other Peoples’ Money.

Especially when the Other Peoples’ Money is Other Peoples’ Taxes.

But for now we have a 50-50 Nation and a 50-50 Democratic Party.

Michael Medved writes that the 50-50 Nation has endured for 50 years, ever since the end of the FDR years. Nobody has won big except when a popular incumbent has faced a weak opponent.

They call the current setup in the United States the Fifth Party System. The question is: what would the Sixth Party System look like? Be careful what you wish for. Big realignments in politics come with big upheavals. Think slavery in the 1850s and the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Meanwhile we can sit back and enjoy the hit show “50-50 Democrats.”