This is a piece from several months ago that might serve as a companion for my latest entry as, in general, it is on the same subject matter and hopefully explains further my thesis of the two party system being systemically flawed.

In today's political climate, does one really know what is a Democrat or a Republican? I know there are other Parties but they are likely not to be of significant import in the near future. My position is neither Party has a definable philosophical credo. As former House Speaker Tip O'Neil once stated, "all politics is local." This was and is a very astute observance as I think the banners of the two Parties has become just a flag of convenience.

I would rest my case on two questions, one; if Ted Kennedy is a Democrat and George Wallace was a Democrat, what is a Democrat? Two, if Barry Goldwater was a Republican and Lowell Weicker is a Republican, what is a Republican?

The probability of successfully running a winning campaign, in my opinion, dictates the Party banner one cloaks himself/herself in rather than any ideological bent. There are still "yellow dog" Democrat areas as there are "yellow dog" Republican areas. If one wishes to win in these areas he must be very conscious of these "yellow dogs" and join their pack to succeed.

It has been alluded to in other blogs here, the Parties have switched their platforms in such a way that the former Democratic Party is now what former Republicans used to be and vice versa. An intelligent and logical argument can be made that this is so to a large degree, but is it because in a given area the sense of the electorate has changed thusly requiring one to relabel themselves? I suggest it is.

There are many examples seeming to prove the notion that politicians will change their label and core beliefs based on the principles alluded to above. Some examples, although there are many more: Democratic Party to Republican Party, Wendell Wilkie, Spiro Agnew, Bill Brock, Henry Hyde, Ronald Reagan, Strom Thurmond, Arlen Specter, Thad Cochran, Jesse Helms, Sam Yorty, Trent Lott, Elizabeth Dole, Condoleeza Rice and Ben Nighthorse Campbell. A few in Tennessee, Bryan Looper, Rusty Crowe and Milton Hamilton. Those changing from the Republican to Democratic Party are, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, John Lindsay, Leon Panetta, Ray Nagin, Teresa Heinz Kerry and Charles Barkley.

In each case listed here all "changed" in large part, to position themselves to run for office from their respective areas or position themselves to have access to the powers that be from their areas. Many pundits would have you believe this was only a southern phenomena, but not so. I know from my lifetime, many southern Democrats from decades ago would likely be Republicans today, but look at the list, which is just some of the more recognizable names, there are many, many that are far from the South.

If this minor treatise has any effect on the thinking of one considering how to evaluate those running for office, I hope it is to look at the individual and not the labels. Also, most academic disciplines dealing with human behavior agree the best indication of a persons future behavior is their past behavior. I point this out to say, please look beyond what they say they will do, because what they have done is a much better indicator of their true position.