James Carville And Bill Frist Share A Coke And A Smile

The Superbowl ad was a nice one, and speaks to our better natures, the idea is still bunkum.

James Carville and Bill Frist may not agree on politics, but they do share interests, and can be friends outside of the politics, with Coke bringing them together.

Our politics has become nastier, and there are two competing thoughts as to why.  Actually three.

The first is that they aren't nastier, and a quick look through the history books (starting with our Founders and covering all of American politics) shows us the truth of that.  About the only time when politics isn't nasty is when one side is content to play in the minority (Ahem, Republicans from the 1960's to 1994).  If one side doesn't fight, there can't be that much bitterness.

But the two main theories are that Washington is bitter because they are arguing over such important matters that bitterness is natural, and that they are arguing over such trivial issues that bitterness is the only way to set themselves apart.

Bush and Gore were so alike, and the minor differences made them bitter rivals.  The same for Kerry and Bush.  But now we face rivals very far apart in policies and beliefs.  Clinton and Obama are hard-core leftists, both committed to using the government to solve all problems facing the American people. They represent a clear path to European-style Socialism, and they are much bolder about it.

McCain and Romney are not polar opposites, but they represent a more free, more responsible country.  If Republicans are to win in November, they will have to create clear divisions on every topic that give the American people a choice.  Do we want to rule ourselves, or do we want to hand our freedom over to the government to solve our problems?

Any Republican who wants to win has to champion freedom.  All The Democrat has to do is promise more stuff for the voters.  This is the weakness in the Republican party that Bush exposed.  Given a choice between taking small steps towards socialism and large ones, true conservatives will abandon politics and focus on their business, their families, and their communities.

No one wants to waste time on a lost cause.  If the country wants to be socialist, it's going to happen.  I don't believe we are fully there yet, but if our elected representatives don't see it, why should ordinary citizens put time and money into fighting?