And yet when an opportunity for real change happens, both parties dig in and fight back.

It is in their interests for us to think there is meaningful difference between them, and I'm confident that many dems and republicans do earnestly believe there are differences between them and the other party.

But the differences are _so small_.

If one party wants to pass legislation that does X, and the other wants legislation that does Y, there is _no one_ advocating for all the myriad unspoken options.

My wife used to be a kindergarten teacher. One of her classroom management strategies was to try to give her students options. She'd say "would you like to do X or Y right now?"

Of course, she only gave options that she already approved.

So, for the "powers that be", the real power is deciding what bills go up for a vote. What happens in the actual vote is trivial compared to the power that comes with killing a bill before it hits the floor, or passing other legislation in omnibus spending bills.

I maintain that they work together to screw us all over for their own benefit, and to keep the corporate spigot flowing.