The Problem with Republicans and Democrats

Let’s start with an unproven “fact”*: Roughly 15% of the population will support each party regardless of what that party actually does. You could say they are brainwashed by the message, where words resonate stronger than actions. That makes up 30% of the voting population, though I suspect this number is closer to 40%. Another 10% vote based strictly on the opportunity they see for themselves: money, power, or chaos—even though only a small fraction actually achieve that goal.

One could go further and say 30% of self-described independents aren’t really independent at all, but let’s leave that aside. The point is that roughly 40% to 50% of voters strictly toe the party line, struggling to apply logic or rationale beyond repeating the party mantra. “Lock her up” was a classic example. It isn’t hard to weigh Hillary Clinton’s mistakes against those of Trump’s first term—let’s just say the scale tips heavily.

That leaves the remaining 50% to 60% of voters right in the middle. Ever listen to the Stealers Wheel song “Stuck in the Middle With You”? Perfect.

Why does this matter for those in the middle? Because your vote essentially counts for double (or more) in the final outcome.

A few more “facts”:

• Republicans are here to win, and they don’t really care how they do it. Trump’s recent promise to pay off voters if Republicans win is an easy example. That said, Trump did help the U.S. realize it had leverage on China—something Democrats had already given up on.
• Democrats are here to lose, and they don’t really care how they do it. This might catch some by surprise, but any party that invents terms like “Open borders” or “Defund the police” and then spends all its time explaining why it doesn’t mean what it says is bound to lose. Even now, I’m still not sure what Kamala Harris ultimately wanted to accomplish if she won the presidency.
• Republicans are terrible at finance and the environment. The soaring national debt is a clear indication. Their motto seems to be, “It will get solved tomorrow, so why moderate today?”
• Democrats are terrible at standing up and love regulations. It continually surprises me that Democrats have essentially conceded the U.S. flag to Republicans. If you walk past a house displaying a flag and automatically assume a Republican lives there, you know exactly what I mean.

Sure, in 2026 Democrats will likely win big in the mid-term elections, but not as big as they think. They will mistake the win as a blanket endorsement of their cause and double down. That means their policies and candidates won’t be centrist enough to win in 2028—today’s bench of candidates simply isn’t going to cut it. At the same time, Republicans can’t walk into 2028 thinking they can win from where they stand today. Even if the Democratic Party keeps helping them out, Republicans still have to overcome widespread voter disappointment.

I’ll leave you with one final thought:

• The Supreme Court has made plenty of mistakes recently, but the earlier decisions expanding Title VII and Title IX should have been congressional acts, not judicial rulings. That doesn’t mean I’m against LGBTQ+ rights; it means Congress has abdicated far too much of its responsibility to the President and the courts—yesterday when it leaned liberal, and today when it leans conservative. Honestly, why does Congress even exist anymore?

*‘fact’ – real or alternative fact