Democrat-Republican Political Derangement Syndrome

The argument for the lesser of two evils is one of the primary means by which the ideologues of the Democratic and Republican parties maintain support for the political status quo.  Among the major supports for this argument, on both sides of the duopoly divide, is the claim that the other side is a well-oiled machine, and to stop them the opposing major party needs all the help it can get.  James Joyner takes this argument apart in a post on "Political Derangement Syndrome" at Outside the Beltway:

The idea that the other party is a well-oiled propaganda machine while one’s own is its own worst enemy because of internal strife ranks right up there with the notion that the other side is willing to be utterly ruthless while ours is hurt by being so principled. Both are emotionally satisfying and easily verifiable with examples from within the echo chamber. They’re both utterly ridiculous when one steps back and examines the situation. . . .