I’m getting very tired of my brother-in-law in Texas claiming “both siderism” in politics, which is why he is uninterested in the upcoming election.

Normally I blow it off, but this time I responded. My wife agreed with my response, and I may have just alienated her brother from me.

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Except that both parties aren’t the same; that’s a trope pressed by Republicans since Nixon (I’m rubber and you’re glue).

Which political party keeps having politicians going to jail or resigning for things like paedophilia, corruption, &c.

While any individual politician in any party might be found guilty of a crime or forced to resign, because people sometimes do crappy things, one needs to look at the overall arc of corruption and crimes.

One of the best sells of propaganda conservatives ever made is “both sides are just the same.” No they’re not.

Name a Democratic politician who laid a wreath at the tomb of Nazi SS soldiers and launched his campaign on the site of slain civil rights workers. I can name a Republican one (Ronald Reagan).

Name a Democratic politician who undermined foreign negotiations to end war or a hostage crisis. I can name two Republicans (Nixon in Vietnam and Reagan in Iran).

Name a recent Democratic politician who launched a war against a country that did us no harm. I can name a Republican who did that (George W. Bush).

Name a recent Democratic politician who called up the National Guard over a bogus conspiracy theory about the Army planning a takeover of states. I can name a Republican one (Rick Perry, Governor of Texas over the Jade Helm exercise. By the way that also got soldiers killed in Mississippi by R politicians spinning up conspiracy theories about that exercise.)

Name a Democratic president with five children by three wives, two of whom he cheated on, while at the same time belonging to a party claiming “family values.” I can name a Republican one (Donald Trump).

Name a Democratic presidential candidate that openly welcomed bigots in the party after the Republicans threw them out. That didn’t happen of course, but I can name the Republican politicians who welcomed them in (Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan).

Name a Democratic politician who wants to take the children of those fleeing violence and seeking political asylum away from their parents, and put them in warehouses on military bases. I can name a Republican (Donald Trump, two days ago).

Name the Democratic politician who supported forced birth and jailing women who seek abortions. None, but lots of Republicans (and lately Libertarians, who also justify hanging women) do.

Name a Democratic politician campaigning on a platform of killing the disabled because it would be cheaper. I can name a Republican one (Christopher Barnett, current GOP gubernatorial candidate for Oklahoma). That’s straight out of the Nazi playbook.

Name a Democratic politician who thinks “there are good people on both sides” of Nazi protests. I can name dozens of GOP politicians playing that theme. There aren’t good people on both sides. We fought a war over this. The whole world was involved.

Name a Democratic politician engaging in nepotism. I can name two (Donald Trump, who’s children cannot get security clearances, and Mitch McConnell, who’s wife was named Transportation Secretary and who’s brother-in-law was named yesterday to be in charge of Federal pensions).

If you are going to make an assertion with me (both parties are the same), you will have to respond to me exactly like I expect any person promoting a religion (and conservatism is a religion). You will have to provide evidence or withdraw your claim.