[sourcery]

both major parties are basically on the same side

That's true only of the political officeholders, not of the grassroots. Hence, your argument loses its force.

[Alberta's Child]

Nobody from the "grassroots" runs for office, so my point is valid. That's how we end up with a country in which political leaders are among the dumbest, most mediocre bags of sh!t on the planet.

If you polled Americans today, you'd probably find that "politician" ranks way down with "lawyer" and "child molester" as the occupations that garner the least respect.