Each political party, like every person, has articles of faith which are seldom questioned, tested, or changed; typically because they are linked to a definition of right and wrong which is part of their identity. Democrats tend to believe in the primacy of community, and government as a necessary and legitimate tool for maintaining and strengthening social cohesion. Republicans typically hold the opposite view, that the individual is the most important element of society, and government must protect individuals from threats to their ability to get whatever they want.

When our beliefs clash with reality, we have three choices: We can change our beliefs to match reality; we can change reality to match our beliefs, or we can deny that the clash exists. If the beliefs are tied to values, changing them may be all but impossible because of the psychological fracture it would cause (other beliefs, such as the theories of science, are inherently pliable since their purpose is to describe reality, not our personal relationship to it). Altering reality is often the more acceptable choice, and typically involves the manipulation of other people. Living with delusion becomes our only option when changing reality becomes too difficult.

Examples of delusions abound on both sides of the political spectrum. Democrats are notoriously blind to the inefficiencies of centralized control (especially on economics), while Republicans tend to overestimate the self-regulating effects of greed-motivated competition and people’s control of their own behavior. Each group has had some success at imposing its beliefs on the other (altering reality) until so many people become uncomfortable that the alternative becomes more palatable.

We are at a switching point now, where the Republican worldview has caused too much pain in the United States and other countries. Because current conditions require more cooperation than competition, the Democratic worldview is likely to hold sway for at least as long as the time the Republicans were in power. If and when the practicality of community begins to wane, there will hopefully be more realistic alternative available -- barring a compromise between the two extremes that will permanently change (rather than temporarily nullify) the false beliefs on both sides.