Stolen bases

This little chat between Tucker Carlson and Chris Matthews is making the rounds of the blogosphere.

CARLSON: It goes deeper than that though. The deep truth is that the elites in the Republican Party have pure contempt for the evangelicals who put their party in power. Everybody in...

MATTHEWS: How do you know that? How do you know that?

CARLSON: Because I know them. Because I grew up with them. Because I live with them. They live on my street. Because I live in Washington, and I know that everybody in our world has contempt for the evangelicals. And the evangelicals know that, and they're beginning to learn that their own leaders sort of look askance at them and don't share their values.

MATTHEWS: So this gay marriage issue and other issues related to the gay lifestyle are simply tools to get elected?

CARLSON: That's exactly right. It's pandering to the base in the most cynical way, and the base is beginning to figure it out.

Well, of course it's true--Bush and Cheney are no more true-believing born-again fundamentalist Christians than is Osama bin Laden, and probably have even less respect for the fundies than Osama does. Then again, the Repugs aren't the only party that mocks its base. The vast majority of Democrats opposed the war in Iraq, including some 95% of the delegates to the 2004 national convention. Still, they nominated a pro-war shill, just like always, and they continue to mock THEIR base by refusing to block aWol's Supreme Court nominees, and his torture, and the funding for his wars (100 to friggin' NOTHING in the latest Senate vote). They don't even try. Neither major party truly represents any large segment of the population--they both represent money.

A two-party system might work, but it can't be these two parties. Together, they are destroying the world, dragging their bases down with them.