Thanks for the response, Ron! So I must admit that I’m not quite as cynical about politics are you are, lol! That being said, I do sympathize with your perspective. One of my favorite speeches ever is George Washington’s commencement address specifically because he cautions Americans against relying on political parties to get the job done. I happen to agree with the spirit of what he was saying, which (I think) is that parties are really just tools to be exploited, not catalysts for positive change. So yes, a political party can do something good from time to time, but I feel like the nation would be much better off with either no political parties — candidates would then be judged according to their merits rather than their association with a political party — or a more diverse multiparty system that better represents the wide array of opinions, ideas and perspectives in America.

That being said, we have what we have. And as long as we have it, balance, I think, is incredibly important. Republicans are the yin to the Democrats’ yang, and vice versa. We certainly can’t trust either party to keep itself honest, which is one of many reasons why I cringe at the thought of a single party having too much control for too long.

I certainly don’t expect loyal Reps and Dems to agree, of course. And I respect that. They want to see their respective agendas pushed through, as would I if I were in their shoes. I just don’t think the consequences of a government dominated by a single party for an extended period of time would be as positive as many partisans would like to think.