Civil Wars!

The Republican anti-establishmentarians, led by Steve Bannon, are at war with their party.

The Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren Democrats are at war with their party.

There is a delicious synchronicity in these battles.  It is wonderful to see party regulars on both sides being challenged.  Clearly, the power structures are dysfunctional, mostly committed to being reelected, not serving the people they represent.  So to see them floundering as they struggle to figure out how to turn back the assault is reality TV worth watching.

Will it matter who wins?  On either side?  If the insurgents win will anything change?  Or will one self-serving group simply be replaced by new self-serving faces?  Given recent history and the dominant role of money in politics, it is hard to be hopeful.  The fundamental nature of the swamp will not have changed.

Would I prefer that these civil wars not be happening?  Not really.  Shaking up the status quo is a positive step.  No matter what happens, we won’t end up with anything worse than what we have.