Populist Democrat Gov. Huey Long of Louisiana used to tell a story about the ideological interchangeability of nominal Republicans and Democrats in Washington. Campaigning in 1933 he told an audience this story:
"The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are just like the old patent medicine drummer that used to come around our country. He had two bottles of medicine. One of those bottles of medicine was called High Popalorum and the other one of those bottles of medicine was called Low Popahirum.
“Finally somebody around there said is there any difference in these bottles of medicines? 'Oh,' he said, 'considerable. They're both good but they're different,' he said.
'That High Popalorum is made from the bark off the tree that we take from the top down. And that Low Popahirum is made from the bark that we take from the root up.'
“And the only difference that I have found between the Democratic leadership and the Republican leadership was that one of 'em was skinning you from the ankle up and the other from the ear down."
Which brings me to the sorry state of Republican “leadership” in my state of California. Redstate has an analysis of a move by seven ostensibly GOP legislators to help Democrats that makes the Obamacare repeal debacle in D.C. look principled by comparison.
These seven voted to extend the Democrats job-crushing, tax raising “cap-and-trade” program that is supposed to fight “global warming.” Now you’re probably thinking, gee wouldn’t it have passed anyway? The Sacramento legislature is lousy with leftists. True, but the seven turncoat GOP votes gave Democrats a supermajority that saved the bill from challenges in the courtroom and the ballot box.
As Redstate described it, “Leaders of a political party based on individual freedom, free markets, and small government just championed legislation that continues a huge bureaucracy, minimum pricing (for the pollution permits), and increased taxes — while tearfully claiming they’re doing the right thing for the planet.”
Now, thanks to Low Popahirum defections leftist Democrats can claim bipartisan support for their economy-crushing legislation and the GOP will have partial ownership of the negative consequences.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis just released a report that showed the economy in California grew an anemic tenth of a percent in the first quarter of 2017, while the economy of Texas grew 40 times faster.
The difference between the two sets of Republicans is pretty obvious. Republicans in the Lone Star state support legislation that encourages growth and prosperity, while Republicans in California surrender to growth-smothering leftist fantasies.
I hope voters defeat every one of the seven shills the next time they are up for re-election. Let’s show them we know there is no difference between High Popalorum and Low Popahirum.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.