If you’ve ever watched crime dramas or cop shows on TV or the big screen you are probably familiar with the term the title of this essay refers to; the good cop/bad cop interrogation method. Basically, one cop comes across as aggressive, while the other is sympathetic to your plight. What is supposed to happen is that you accept whatever offer the good cop provides in order to stop having to be harassed by the ‘bad’ cop; never realizing you are being played; both cops seek the same goal; a confession or admission of guilt.

It’s ironic that people can recognize that tactic on cop shows, but they cannot see how it is being used against them on the political stage. In politics, the Democrats are the bad cops; the ones who want to tear down the old and replace it with something new; something they say is better for all. The Republicans, on the other hand, provide those who want to stick to traditional (conservative) values an alternate choice; a ‘good’ cop.

There is a meme I’ve seen from time to time on Facebook that asks the question: Who won the election? The meme then answers it by saying: The government. That basically sums up the entire scheme; how the good cop/bad cop tactic is used against the people in politics. It doesn’t matter who wins an election, government is unaffected; the only thing that changes is the way in which the power delegated (given) to government is used against the people.

In that scenario, which of the two parties would you heap the most condemnation upon; the Democrats or the Republicans? I’m assuming, that if you are a Republican, you would probably say the blame lies squarely upon the shoulders of the Democrats. So, let’s examine that premise; just to see how valid it is.

Republicans believe themselves to be the standard bearers, the upholders, of traditional American values; a belief I once held myself…until I learned better. Sadly, Republicans seem to have forgotten (or forsaken) the old saying, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’ So, while the Republicans certainly talk the talk about upholding conservative values, have they walked the walk? Let’s see…

While this list will not be all inclusive, it will provide you with a few examples of how the Republicans are no better than the Democrats when it comes to upholding traditional values.

Some of you probably weren’t even alive back then, but in 1973 Richard Nixon, a Republican, was president. Yet during his second term as president the Supreme Court rendered the single most heinous decision of their corrupt careers; Roe v. Wade; providing government’s sanction of the murder of unborn babies; under the banner of a woman’s right to choose. What about a baby’s right to live; does that not matter?

Ironically, Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 while a Democrat sat in the Oval Office. Yet the Court did not have the balls to criminalize abortion; they merely kicked the can down to the states for them to decide for themselves. Yet for nearly 50 years, after 63 million babies lost their lives to this abominable practice, and over the course of 6 Republican presidencies, Roe v Wade stood untouched and unaddressed by any Republican President. And to implicate Republicans in general, the abolition of abortion never was a top priority for the Republican Party; it was only an issue the religious right brought up from time to time. So right off the bat we see that the Republicans are anything but conservative in their values.

How about the Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, the rapid expansion of government surveillance of the American people; all of which occurred under the administration of George W. Bush…a Republican. Where was the ire of the ‘so-called’ conservatives when all that was being foisted upon the American people? I lost friends over this; with my ‘former’ Republican friends calling me a traitor, or accusing me of siding with the terrorists, when I voiced my opposition to the policies of the Bush administration.

Of course there was also the Ron Paul Revolution; someone who, at least, spoke about true conservative values. I can’t count the number of (former) friends who told me that he was out of his mind for saying the things he did; that he was as much a threat to ‘conservative’ values as the Democrats were. I was in my transitional stage from Republican to Libertarian when Paul started making waves, and I supported his bid for the presidency. I began to question him though when I sent a letter to him asking him to respond to the issue of Obama’s ineligibility to serve as president; due to his not being a Natural Born Citizen; as defined by The Law of Nations, written by Emer de Vattel. I now realize that Paul was just another good cop; that he was a part of the system, and therefore a part of the problem.

And what about the very first president to be elected under the banner of the Republican Party; the one who has a temple, a TEMPLE mind you, erected in his honor in our nation’s capital; the one, the only, Abe Lincoln? Historians have said that Lincoln had to destroy the Constitution to save it. He himself justified his actions, stating that they were ‘…indispensable to the preservation of the Constitution, through the preservation of the nation.’

Lincoln argued that the government was charged with the responsibility of maintaining the Union; that as President it was his duty to ensure it remained intact. In order to do that, he violated the law and trampled upon the rights that government is (supposedly) instituted to secure.

Government, our government anyway, supposedly rests upon the principle of the consent of the governed. So what happens when a significant number of the governed decide that they no longer consent to being governed by a system that they believe is their enemy; do they have no recourse other than voting? Three of the states that ratified the Constitution argued that each state retained the right to reclaim the powers they had delegated to government when they ratified the Constitution; should government prove to be harmful to the general welfare of the people living within the boundaries of their state.

Our Declaration of Independence says something similar, ‘That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.’

Not only did Lincoln disregard all that, he waged war against anyone who opposed his war of aggression against the South; simply for having the unmitigated audacity to reclaim what was rightfully theirs; and depriving the government of its primary source of income; although I doubt that had anything to do with it. (Sarcastic rolling of the eyes required)

So, one could say that, since its inception, the Republican Party has been anything but the good guys; it is just another mechanism of control; an alternative to the bad guys; the Democrats. What about the current standard bearer for conservative values; none other than Darth Trumpo?

He certainly made a lot of noise during his meteoric rise onto the political stage; saying all the right things to inflame the passions of conservative America. By the time Trump became a thing on the political stage my bullshit detector was operating at peak efficiency, and I saw through him from the get go. Trump made all the right promises, and the vast majority of conservatives fell for them; quickly going into hibernation after he won the election; secure in their belief that America was in good hands.

While for some, Trump has done some good things, how much lost freedom has he restored to them, or how significantly has he reduced the national debt? It is amazing how people turn a blind eye to the bad that he has done, or the things that he has said; performing all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify their support for him.

How many Republicans remember when Trump said, ‘Take the guns first, give them due process later?’ Yeah, that sounds like a staunch supporter of the right to keep and bear arms. What about his Operation Warpspeed; which bypassed stringent testing of vaccines to ensure that it became available to the public? Did Trump revoke the qualified immunity granted to vaccine manufacturers for the Covid vaccine? Of course not; why would he?

Then there is all the rhetoric about standing up to global terrorists; yet he invites Ahmed al-Sharaa (an Al Qaeda terrorist to the Oval Office; embracing him like they are the best of buddies. And I would be remiss to not mention Trump’s unwavering support for the genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli government.

The point is, Trump said all the right things to get him elected, but he hasn’t done much in the way of upholding conservative values, or undoing the damage the policies of the Democrats have put into place. Trump is just another good cop in the endless parade of good cops and bad cops that the people are allowed to choose from for President; nothing more, nothing less.

I have asked a number of my conservative friends if they would support a constitutional amendment that would ensure that the Democrats could not do a single thing they oppose. Almost all of them voiced unanimous support for the idea; until I told them that it would also strip the Republican Party of the power to do the things they expect government to do. Then it’s like I’ve gone off my rocker; you can’t do that; the Democrats would take control of the system. So what. Seriously, so what. If you take away government’s ability to do bad things, who cares which party is in power?

That is why the two party paradigm is a trap; it provides two completely (superficially) different ideologies, while it does nothing to limit the power exercised by the system.

Carroll Quigley said it best in his book, Tragedy and Hope, “The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can “throw the rascals out” at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.”

Unfortunately, people’s addiction to party is so strong that their minds refuse to accept the truth of that statement. The best argument the Republicans can offer up is that their guy is better than the other guy; the old lesser of two evils defense. Even if that were true, all that means is that we go through periods where evil advances at a rapid pace, and periods where it slows down to a level that is tolerable for conservative voters.

What people refuse, or are unable to see is that we are steadily marching towards more evil, while true conservative, or moral, values are retreating further and further away in our rear view mirrors. It isn’t the Republicans that are to blame for this, nor is it the Democrats; it is the system that allows for evil men to gain control over the lives, property, rights, and liberty of the people. The only solution that will work is to do away with the system; anything less than that is doomed to fail.

The sad thing about that is, when people finally realize the truth of that statement, it will be too late to do anything about it.

November 29, 2025

 ~ The Author ~
Neal Ross is a student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history. Neal has been a long-time contributor to the family of Kettle Moraine Productions and its various websites.

Send all comments to: NealHRoss@outlook.com.